Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №23/2007

British Studies

Дополнительные задания к книге “Britain in Brief” В.В. Ощепковой и И.И. Шустиловой

continued from No. 21

HABITS AND WAYS

Text 4. Christmas

If you try to catch a train on 24th of December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year, it combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter.
On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol-singers can be heard on the streets as they collect money for charity. People are reminded of Charles Dickens’ story “Christmas Carol”. Most families decorate their houses with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and they usually have a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room, glittering with coloured lights and decorations.
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 under the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve, 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 coloured hat, a small toy and a 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.

REFERENCES
сarol                          кэрол (рождественская песня религиозного содержания, славящая рождение                                   Христа)
charity                       благотворительность
holly                          остролист (вечнозеленое растение с красными ягодами)
Christmas tree           рождественская (новогодняя) ёлка
Father Christmas       Рождественский дед, Дед Мороз
Christmas pudding    рождественский пудинг (с изюмом, цукатами и пряностями)
pull a cracker            запустить хлопушку
mince pie                  сладкий пирожок (круглый, со сладкой начинкой)

I. COMPREHENSION
1. Are the following statements true or false? If the statement is false, say why it is and correct it.
1. It is difficult to find a seat in a train on 24th of December.
2. Christmas Day is a family holiday.
3. No charity is done at Christmas time.
4. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve hoping that Father Christmas will take them.
5. On Christmas Day the Queen and the Royal family visit thousands of people and bring them small presents.

2. Choose from the list below word combinations used in the text and use them in sentences of your own:
Christmas Day, Christmas bonus, Christmas box, a Christmas tree, Christmas pudding, Christmas message, Christmas cake, Christmas dinner, Christmas card, Christmas carol, Christmas cracker, Christmas Eve, Christmas present, Christmas stocking, Christmas time.

II. VOCABULARY
Match the words with their definitions.

1. carol        a) money or gifts given to help people who are poor, sick, etc.
2. gift           b) a religious song of joy and praise sung at Christmas
3. hymn       c) a small tree with dark green sharp leaves and red berries, or the leaves and berries of this
                   tree used as a decoration at Christmas
4. charity       d) a song of praise , especially to God, usually one of the religious songs of the Christian                     church which all the people sing together during a service
5. holly         e) something that you give someone on a special occasion or to thank them

Do you know that a…
…Christmas bonus is an additional payment made at Christmas by some employers to their workers. In the UK, the government gives a Christmas bonus to all older people who no longer work.
…Christmas box is a gift of money to the person who delivers your letters, newspapers, milk, etc. It is given to thank them for their services during the year.

By Viktoria Oschepkova, Irina Shustilova

to be continued