视听说文本及答案Unit9Book1

Unit 9 Holidays and Special Days

Part One

Linda: (with a moon cake in her mouth) Mm, this is good.

Chris: Yeah... very interesting flavor. So this is a so-called moon cake? Yingying: Yeah, today is a special festival for all Chinese families. It is called Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival. People will eat moon cakes during the festival with family members in the moonlight. It's just like your American Thanksgiving.

Linda: Oh, I've heard a little about it... the beautiful story of Hou Yi and Chang Er. Chinese Students: You know the story?

Chris: Sure, Linda and I are both very interested in Chinese culture, especially Chinese traditional festivals, like Spring Festival...

Linda: It was an unforgettable experience when we were invited to Xiaoqiang's home for the Chinese New Year.

Xiaoqiang: I noticed that Chris was especially fascinated by the lion and dragon dancing.

Chris: And the fireworks, jiaozi, oh yes, and the red envelopes. Wenwen: Yeh. We Chinese have a lot of traditional festivals. Linda: Can you tell me about some of the others?

Wenwen: Yeh. One of my favorite festivals falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. That's the Lantern Festival. During that event, many kinds of delicate and beautiful lanterns are exhibited and red lanterns can be seen everywhere. And every family eats yuanxiao, a kind of rice ball filled with bean paste, sugar or some other sweet things. That's a symbol of family reunion and happiness.

Yingying: Also there's the Qingming Festival, which some people call \"the Tomb Sweeping Day\"... Chris: Tomb Sweeping?

Yingying: Yeah! This day is devoted to honoring relatives who died. Thousands of Chinese visit the tombs of their loved ones. The Chinese have great respect for their ancestors.

Linda: That sounds very nice.

Xiaogang: Well, another important festival in China is the Dragon Boat Festival. Xiaoqiang: You mean duanwu jie?

Xiaogang: Yes. It falls on the 5th day of the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. People usually race dragon boats and eat zongzi on that day.

Chris: I like zongzi very much. But why do people celebrate the holiday this way? Xiaogang: The fact is, these activities are traditional customs to honor the patriotic poet, Qu Yuan. He drowned himself on this day in 277 B.C. because his king did not take his advice and his state was conquered. Since then, each year on the 5th day of the 5th month people take boats and throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water to feed the fish in order to save his body. Later the custom of racing boats and eating zongzi became part of the celebration.

Linda: That's interesting, and you always have stories about them.

Wenwen: (mysteriously) Any of you know the \"Double Seventh Day\" and the \"Double Ninth Day\"?

Chris: Isn't the \"Double Ninth Day\" a day for old people's hill-climbing?

Xiaogang: Yes. Since the word \"Nine\" sounds similar to the word \"long time\" in Chinese, this number represents \"long life\" in China. Well, as you can see, gradually this became \"a day to honor senior citizens\". But originally people would climb high mountains and honor their family members on this day.

Linda: Oh, that's interesting! Then how about \"Double Seventh Day\"? I really have no idea about it.

Wenwen: I guess you could call it our traditional Chinese Valentine's Day. Linda: Valentine's Day? Really?

Wenwen: Yeah, an ancient Chinese legend tells the story about the cowherd and the weaving maid, who made the gods angry by their secret love and later the two were separated on two widely distant stars. And on that day, the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, each year, sympathetic magpies form a bridge between the stars and this allows the couple to meet again. And the day is celebrated by the exchange of cards, love letters, or flowers.

Chris and Linda: (both) Oh! That's very romantic!

Exercise 2

1.c,d,I 2.C,f ,j 3.B,g 4.A,a.h 5.k 6.b 7.D,e Exercise 3

1.moomlight 2.unforgettable invited 3.falls 4.exhibited everywhere sugar family reunion 5.loved ones respect 6.drowned take his advice throw feed 7.similar long life 8.secret love separated bridge

Part Two Listening I

Jingle Bells

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

Oh! What fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

Oh! What fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh. Over the fields we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright.

Oh! What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Now the ground is white, Go it while you're young, Take the girls tonight,

And sing this sleighing song. Get a bobtail bay, Two forty for his speed,

Then hitch him to an open sleigh, And crack!

You'll take the lead.

1.fun 2.way 3.snow 4.fields 5.laughing 6.ring 7.bright 8.sing 9.tonight 10.white 11.young 12.speed 13.open 14.lead

Listening II

Thanksgiving

On the fourth Thursday in November, in houses around the United States, families get together for a feast, or a large meal. Almost all families eat turkey and cranberry sauce for this meal, and have pumpkin pie for dessert. This feast is part of a very special day, the holiday of Thanksgiving.

In 1620 the Pilgrims made a difficult trip across the ocean from England. They landed in what is now Massachusetts. In England the Pilgrims had not been allowed to freely practice their religion. So they went to the New World in search of religious freedom.

The Pilgrims' first winter was very hard. Almost half the group died of cold, hunger and disease. But the Indians of Massachusetts taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, to hunt and to fish. When the next fall came, the Pilgrims had plenty of food. They were thankful to \"God\" and the Indians and had a feast to give thanks. They invited the Indians to join them. This was the first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving became a national holiday many years later because of the effort of a woman named Sarah Hale. For forty years Sarah Hale wrote to each president and asked for a holiday of Thanksgiving. At last she was successful. In 1863 President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a holiday.

Exercise 1

1.B 2.A 3.A 4.B 5.C Exercise 2

1.4 th 2.November 3.reunion 4.1621 5.English 6.winter 7.1863 8.Lincoln

Listening III

Saint Valentine's Day

Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine's Day. One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire. According to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of his army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.

A priest named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.

After his death, Valentine was made a saint, and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other messages on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to give roses or chocolates and to send one another greetings.

Exercise 1

1.A 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.C Exercise 2

1.T 2.F 3.F 4.F 5.T

Part Three Practice One

The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced \"sow-ain\"). The festival began at sundown on October 31st and

lasted until sundown on November 1st. It was similar to the modern New Year's celebration.

On this magical night, glowing Jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones and protect against bad spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as light, and later replaced by candles.

Samhain meant \"Summer's End\". It was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and it was the best time to contact them to say good-bye or ask for assistance. It was also a celebration of the harvest, and still is by those who practice nature-based religions.

When European settlers arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be

larger, easier to carve and perfect for Jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really become popular in the U.S. until the late 1800s and has been celebrated in many ways ever since.

Exercise 1

1.A 2.D 3.C 4.B 5.D Exercise 2

1,T 2,T 3,T 4T 5.F

Practice Two

If you try to catch a train on 24th December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. This is the day when many people are traveling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year.

There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve, 24th December,

hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts. They are usually not disappointed! At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding. They will probably pull a cracker with another member of the family. It will make a loud crack, and a colored hat, small toy and joke will fall out! Later in the afternoon they may watch the Queen on television as she delivers her traditional Christmas message to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. If they have room for even more food, they may enjoy a piece of Christmas cake or eat a hot mince pie. The 26th December is also a public holiday, Boxing Day, and this is the time to visit friends and relatives or watch football.

Exercise 1

1 2 3√ 4 √ 5 √ 6 7 8 √ Exercise 2

1.24 th December/Dec.24 th 2.the giving of presents 3.stockings 4.small toy joke 5.afternoon 6.26 th December/Dec.26 th

Practice Three

Sonora got the idea for Father's Day more than eighty years ago. She was listening to a speech about Mother's Day and decided that fathers should be recognized, too. She especially wanted to honor her own father, who had raised six children alone. Sonora asked the clergy in Spokane to prepare speeches to honor fathers on the first Sunday in June, her own father's birthday. But they did not give the speeches until two weeks later.

Fifteen years later, President Calvin Coolidge said Americans should honor their fathers on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, Father's Day became a national holiday in the United States. American families celebrate Father's Day by gathering for dinner or a picnic. They may do special things for Father on his special day: prepare his favorite foods or join him in a favorite activity. And everyone gives him cards and gifts.

Each year, a private group called the National Father's Day Committee chooses an American man to receive its Father of the Year Award. The first award was given fifty years ago to General Douglas MacArthur, World War II Commander. General Norman Schwarzkopf, former commander of Allied Forces in the Persian Gulf, was among the winners. He said that being a father puts things in balance. After giving orders all day to thousands of people and having them obey, he said, there is something very healthy about coming home at night and not being able to get your children to clean their teeth!

Exercise 1

1 2 3√ 4√ 5√ 6 7√ 8 9 10√ Exercise 2

1.T 2.F 3.T 4.T 5.F 6.T 7.F 8.F 9.F 10.T

Practice Four

Speaker 1: Christmas, for me, means family. I've got a son in San Francisco and a daughter in Houston. They come home for Christmas and we can see the

grandchildren. Sure, we exchange a few presents, but that's not important. Getting together and seeing the kids is what makes Christmas a special time.

Speaker 2: Christmas is a time for celebration. I love it—the parties, the good food, the presents. Everybody's happy. Christmas means you enjoy yourself. I love hearing

Christmas carols and waking up in the morning when it's all dark and turning on the lights on the Christmas tree.

Speaker 3: You know what Christmas means to me? Trouble, that's what! It's not a religious holiday anymore; it's a chance for the stores to make a lot of money.

Everybody expects presents, the streets are crowded, and you know what I read? A lot of people get depressed at Christmas. That's right—if you don't have a lot of money or friends, Christmas means a whole lot of disappointment.

Speaker 4: Christmas is Santa Claus and Christmas trees and presents. This year I asked for a bike. Do you think Santa can carry it down the chimney?

Speaker 5: Christmas means happiness. I work really hard buying presents, sending Christmas cards, making cookies—trying to remember everything. But it's fun to see the looks on the kids' faces when they open their presents, and I like to go to church and sing Christmas carols. And when it snows, now that's really great you have a white Christmas.

Exercise 1 Speaker 1 2 3 4 5 Exercise 2 1.D 2.E 3.G 4.B 5.A

Part Four Section I

Positive √ √ √ √ Negative √ Interviewer: Hello. I work for Sun Tour Holidays and I'm interviewing people about their last holiday. Would you mind answering a few questions for our survey? Interviewee: No, not at all.

Interviewer: Thank you. First, could you tell me about your travel arrangements? Did you experience any difficulties in reaching your destination?

Interviewee: Well. Our plane didn't take off on time. It was delayed five hours, so we didn't get to Cyprus until three in the morning and we were very tired when we got there. But there was a bus at the airport waiting to pick us up and it dropped us off at the hotel in time for breakfast, so that was all right. Interviewer: And how was the hotel?

Interviewee: Well, we were a little disappointed with the room. It didn't have a

balcony and it looked out onto some rather ugly, noisy streets, but the beach was just a stone's throw away—it only took us a couple of minutes to get there. Interviewer: And how important are holidays to you?

Interviewee: Oh, we always look forward to going on holiday. We always make sure we get away at least once a year.

1.take off 2.five hours 3.three 4.tired 5.ugly 6.noisy 7.bus 8.pick us up 9.breakfast 10.beach

Section II

Once there was an old woman who liked to bake cookies. She didn't have anyone to share them with, so she just gave them away to the children in the neighborhood. This went on for several years and the cookies became quite famous, especially at

Christmas time. The parents began to like the cookies as much as the children did, and the old woman's kitchen became very busy, so the children came to help.

Then one Christmas the old woman became ill. There were no cookies, and there was no money to pay the doctor. The children were very sad. Later they had a bright idea, that is, to bake cookies from the old woman's recipe. So the children started a cookie store. Soon they had a very good cookie business, with money to pay the doctor as well as to put in the bank.

After the woman got well, she was asked to become the manager of the store, selling special cookies for all the holidays of the year. After the old woman died, the children, now grown up, kept the cookie business alive in her name. Maybe life is like a

Christmas cookie. The more you share it with your friends, the more you're likely to enjoy it.

Part A

1.A 2.A 3.B 4.B 5.D Part B

1.T 2.F 3.F 4.T 5.F

Section III

Several holidays are unique to America. Columbus Day, which is celebrated on the second Monday in October to honor the discovery of North America; Fourth of July, which is Independence Day; Washington's Birthday, which is celebrated on the third Monday in February to honor the first president of the Republic; and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving originates from the days of the early New England colonists who were having difficulty surviving in the New Land. Without the help of the native American Indians, the settlers would have died. The Indians showed the colonists how to hunt wild turkeys and grow corn. In the fall, the Indians and colonists gathered for a feast

to honor their friendship. Today, Americans follow the tradition by inviting friends and relatives for a turkey dinner on the fourth Thursday of November.

Don't be surprised if you are invited to a Thanksgiving dinner or perhaps a

Fourth-of-July barbecue held in the back yard. You may be asked to a Chinese New Year celebration, or St. Patrick's Day party. The different ethnic and religious groups in the USA celebrate their own special festivities.

Part A √ √ √ Part B 1.T 2.F 3.T 4.F 5.F

√ √ √