субота, 7 березня 2015 р.

Texts 6th Form


CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

    Christmas season is the most festive time of the year in Britain and in the United States. Students at schools and colleges usually have a 2 week vacation, beginning before Christmas and ending soon after the New Year. There are a lot of parties to celebrate the birth of Christ and the arrival of the New Year. 
    Although no one knows exactly when Jesus was born. Christians everywhere in the world celebrate his birthday on December 25th . This day was a festival long before Christianity because ancient people believed this was time when the son god started his journey back to the earth and it was a custom to give presents to each other.
    Now children are told that Santa Claus or Father Christmas in a red suit, red hat and with a long white beard puts presents for them into their stockings by the fireplace.
    The winter tradition of decorating homes with evergreens began in ancient times too.
Branches of fir were thought to bring good luck and guarantee the return of spring. The Germans were the first to use the Christmas tree in their celebrations.
    In the 19th century the decorated fir tree became popular in Europe and in the USA. Carol singers began to go from house to house in groups singing traditional Christmas songs asking for charity.
    The greeting cards are sent on Christmas too. The most popular wishes on these holiday cards are: “Merry Christmas”, “Peace on Earth”. 

  
 I. Find true and false statements. 
1.     Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival in Great Britain.
2.     The 25th of December was celebrated after Christmas.
3.     Students have a month winter vacations.
4.     Ancient people gave each other presents at this time.
5.     Father Christmas puts children’s presents into stockings by the fireplace.
6.     It is a modern tradition to decorate the house with a fir tree. 
II. Choose the right answer.
1.                 How many days of vacation have the students got at schools and colleges?
a)          a week vacation
b)         a 10 days  vacation
c)          a 2 weeks vacation
d)         3 months vacation
2.                 When do people usually celebrate the birth of Christ?
a)          on the 25th of December
b)         on the 20th of December
c)          after the New Year
d)         long before the New Year
3. What did the ancient people believe in?
a)          they believed in god
b)         that was the time the sun god started his journey back to the earth
c)          that the ancient people were very kind
d)         they believed in their happy future
4. What are the children told?
a)           they are told that everything will be all right
b)          the Santa Claus dressed in a red suit puts presents for them in their stockings
c)           the Father Christmas will sing them songs
d)          they will celebrate the New Year around the fir tree
5. When did the tradition of decorating homes begin?
a)     many centuries ago
b)     two weeks ago
c)     at present days
d)    in ancient times
6. What did ancient people think of the branches of fir?
a)     they would bring them good luck and return of spring
b)    they would bring them good mood
c)     they would bring them much bread and butter
d)    they would bring them happiness

III. Complete the sentences 

1.Students at schools and colleges usually have a … vacation.
2.There are a lot of parties to celebrate the birth of … and the arrival of the … .
3.The winter … of decorating homes with evergreens began in ancient times.
4.The Germans were the first to use the … in their celebrations.
IV. Write down what you have remembered about Christmas celebrations.

ALI BABA AND FORTY THIEVES

    Ali Baba was such a poor man that he had only one shoe for his two feet. Even mice in his house were hungry.
    One day his wife said, “We have no food in the house. No rice. No potatoes. Go and collect leaves in the forest so that I can make a soup.”
    Ali was a lazy man. He looked for leaves for about ten minutes and then he climbed a tree to sleep. He was afraid of wolves. When he woke up he was surprised to see forty thieves on forty horses. They stopped in front of the big rock.
    “Open, Sesame!” shouted the leader. A door in the rock opened. The thieves carried sacks full of gold into the cave. When they had finished, the leader shouted, “Close, Sesame!” and the door closed. As soon as the thieves had disappeared, Ali Baba jumped down from the tree and said, “Open, Sesame” and went into the cave.
    There were shelves all around the walls. The shelves were full of sacks. The sacks were full of gold. Ali took a sack home with him.
    One of the thieves saw Ali’s footprints on the sand. He followed them to Ali’s home. He took out his knife and made a cross on the door.
    “Now I shall know which house it is”, he said. He rode off to get the other thieves. But Ali had seen the thief.
    He and his wife took the brooms and swept away the footprints. Then he made crosses on every door in the street. When the forty thieves arrived they had their knives between their teeth. But they never found Ali – or the gold. And Ali and his wife lived happily ever after. 

I. Find true and false statements. 
1)                Ali Baba was a poor man.
2)                When he woke up he saw forty wives on forty horses.
3)                “Open, Sesame!” thought the leader.
4)                The thieves carried sacks full of gold into the cave. 
5)                The sacks were full of gold and brilliants.
6)                Ali took a sack home with him.
7)                One of the thieves saw Ali’s footprints on the sand. 
8)                He took out his knife and made a cross on the floor
9)                Ali and his wife took the brooms and flew away .
10)    But forty thieves never found Ali – or the gold. 

II.              Choose the correct answer
1) What kind of man was Ali Baba?
a) busy and serious; b) stupid and lazy; c) poor and lazy; d) happy and lazy
2) Why did Ali’s wife tell him to go and collect leaves?
a) because they had no food; b) they liked leaves; c) his wife couldn’t cook; d) they had no leaves
3) What did the leader of the thieves shout to open the cave?
a) Don’t close, Sesame! b) Never open, Sesame! c) Open the door! d) Open, Sesame.
4) What were there on the shelves in the cave?
a) sacks with silver; b) sacks with gold; c) sacks with sugar; d) sacks with salt
5) What did Ali take home?
a) nothing; b) a sack with gold; c) a sack with silver; d) a sack with salt
6) Why did the thief follow Ali’s footprints?
a) to kill him; b) to thank him; c) to know where he lived; d) to help him

III. Answer the questions
1) What did the thief carve on the door? 
2) Who took brooms and swept away the footprints?
3) What did forty thieves have between their teeth?
4) Whom did the thieves never find?


IV. Write a short composition about 8-10 sentences, answering the question.
What are you going to do if you find a sack of gold?
 

ALLIGATORS

    The boys now returned to their tent. They lay down on the grass and talked about bears and alligators. As Paul was a young naturalist he knew a lot of interest­ing things about alligators. Here is what he told his brother about them.
    He said that they were found in the rivers of Africa, in South and North America and in the West of India. There were a lot of alligators in the Ganges and other Indian rivers.
    An alligator itself is long but his legs are very short. Alligators cannot turn round quickly, and it is easy to hunt them on land. One must only keep away from the alligator's big teeth and strong tail. He can even kill a man with it.
    Alligators lay eggs as big as those of geese and put them in the sand where they are warmed by the heat of the sun. The number of eggs is often nearly two hundred.
   "Is it true that old father alligators eat their own young ones?" asked Paul's brother.
    "Yes, it is true. I saw it myself. The first concern of the mother is to get young alligators to the water where she can hide them better from their father but still many of the young are eaten by old alligators.
    "When the young ones grow up they run away from their fathers as they are quicker in their movements. Small alligators often ride on the backs of their fa­thers. They know that the fathers cannot do anything with them in that situation."
    "They can eat anything that comes in their way," added Paul, "but fish is their favourite food. They usually eat very slowly. Alligators don't need mush food. They sleep during the winter without any food."

I. Fill in letters.
1) wa...m   2) qui...kly;  3) favo...rite
4) the...r      5) he...t       6) mov...ment




II. Fill in the suitable words.
1. Paul knew a lot of …   things about alligators.
2 Alligators have short   
3. An alligator can kill a man with its …       .
4. Alligator lay eggs in the …    .
5. Old alligators can …   their children.
6. The fathers can do nothing when small alligators are on their…

III. Answer the questions.
1. Where can we find alligators?
2. Where is it easy to catch alligators?
3. How many eggs do alligators usually lay?
4. Why can't the fathers catch their children?
5. What is alligators' favourite food?
6. What do they do in winter?

IV. Pretend you are a guide and your job is to tell something interesting about the place where you work. Write about it ( it can be in the jungle, at the seashore, on the bank of the river, etc.)

THE SECRET ICE CREAM

Ancient manuscripts tell that the Greek commander Alexander Makedonsky used to have different fruits arid juices mixed with ice and snow for dessert.
In Russia for holidays people used to put a dish with frozen little pieces of sweet milk next to the dish with pancakes. In old times in some countries the recipes of cold dainties were kept in secret, for their divulgence the court cooks could be sentenced to death. Besides, it wasn't easy to cook ice cream, especially in summer. Ice and snow were delivered to Alexander Makedonsky's palace from the mountains. Later peo­ple began to sell ice. The ships with huge blocks of ice would hurry to the shores of the hot countries. That lasted till the first ice-making machines appeared. They were called refrigerators. That happened  about one hundred years ago. Now ice cream is sold everywhere and of any kinds: fruit and berry, milk and chocolate. And it is available to everybody.
By the way, if you have a sweet tooth you can make ice cream your­self. It's quite easy for those who can cook. The recipe is not a secret: eggs, sugar, milk, sour cream are mixed together, boiled for one or two minutes, cooled and frozen in the refrigerator. Add some nuts-or jam and enjoy this delicious product

I. Say if the sentence is true false:
1.  The Greek commander Alexander Makedonsky used to have fruits and juices mixed with ice and snow for dessert.
2.  Russian people usually ate frozen pieces of sweet juice with pan-  cakes for holidays.
3.  In old times the cook who had told somebody the recipe of ice cream could be sentenced to death.
4.Ice and snow were made at the court of Makedonsky, there were no problems with it
5.People used to sell ice.
6.The ships with huge blocks of ice would bring ice from the shores of the hot countries.   

II. Fill in the words

1.                 In old times in some countries … of cold dainties were kept in secret.
2.                 Besides, it wasn't easy to cook ice cream, especially in … .
3.                 The ships with huge blocks of ice would hurry to the shores of the … .
4.                 That lasted till the first …  machines appeared.
5.                 Now ice cream is sold … and of any kinds.
6.                 By the way, if you have a sweet tooth you can make …  yourself. 
III. Answer the questions
1.  Which of Greek commanders liked to have fruits and juices mixed with ice and snow for dessert?
2.Was there a kind of ice cream in Russia in old times?
3.What was it like?
4.Were the recipes of ice cream available to everybody?
5.Where did the cooks of Alexander Makedonsky get ice and snow for ice cream?
6.How were the blocks of ice carried to hot countries?  

4. Write the recipe of the ice cream




  

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