Task 1
give a talk on holidays and celebrations.
remember to discuss:
• what occasions people usually celebrate, why
• whether you enjoy holidays and why
• what is your favourite holiday, why
• what russian holiday makes you especially proud of why
people all over the world celebrate different holidays such as new year’-s day, christmas or easter because these celebrations are a part of their culture and people try to preserve these traditions. besides, they usually celebrated holidays connected with the history of their country, for example thanksgiving day in the usa or guy fawkes’ night in great britain. apart from this, some people celebrate such special occasions as graduation, getting a job or retirement because these are memorable events in their life. and of course most people celebrate such family events as birthdays or weddings because they want to please their relatives and to keep up family traditions.
personally, i enjoy celebrating holidays. for me, a holiday is not just a day off but a special occasion and i usually prepare for it beforehand. first of all, i think that holidays are an important way to keep up our traditions. besides, it’s a good chance to bring the family together and to meet all your friends and relatives. what is more, i like this perfect atmosphere behind celebrations when my mum cooks a festive dinner and people give and receive presents.
my favourite holiday is of course new year because i always get a lot of presents. besides, i like the atmosphere of this holiday as there is a great air of expectation. traditionally, on the thirty-first of december we decorate a fir-tree and put presents under it. i also enjoy the family meal, which is a central part of our celebration. when the kremlin clock strikes twelve, we wish each о the r1 happy new year’ and then we go for a walk and let off fireworks. it’s a great time of the year.
the holiday that makes me especially proud is victory day. it commemorates the victory of our country in world war ii. on this day we usually put flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier and honour the memory of my grandfather who died in this war. i am especially impressed by the ceremony when people all over the country keep silence for a minute in honour of those who died to defend our motherland. i think it’s one of the most important traditions in our country and we must keep it up to remind our children of the terrible consequences of wars.
questions
1. what holidays are celebrated in russia?
2. do you celebrate traditional russian holidays? why?
3. what is the most popular holiday in russia?
4. what professional holidays in russia do you know?
5. would you prefer to celebrate holidays with your friends or with your relatives? why?
6. which foreign holidays would you like to celebrate? why?
After school I go home and have dinner. After a short rest, I start doing my homework and then I am free. I listen to music, meet my friends. Sometimes I play computer games or watch TV. Sometimes I do some work about the house: tidy my room, vacuum the carpet, wash the dishes, go shopping, take the rubbish out and so on. I go to bed at half past ten.
Willard Wigan (born in 1957 in England) is the creator of the smallest works of art on Earth! His miniature sculptures include The Titanic on a pinhead, a cat on an eyelash and the six wives of Henry VIII in the eye of a needle. Some art a lot smaller than the full stop at the end of this sentence.
Wigan started making tiny things when he was a child. People made him feel small because he had learning difficulties, so he decided to show them how significant small could be! How does he create his unbelievable micro-sculptures? He slows his breathing, then patiently sculpts or paints between heartbeats, so that his hand stays perfectly still. He spends months carving his tiny creations from materials such as toothpicks, sugar crystals and grains of rice and then paints them with a tiny hair such as an eyelash. So how do visitors to Willard Wigan's exhibitions view his work? Through a microscope, of course!