👉Communicative area: speaking about how you spent Christmas holidays
👉Active vocabulary: to take down, by, by the time
👉Active grammar: Past Pefect
1. Are you happy to be back at school?
2. Did you have good holidays?
3. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?
4. What interesting activities did you take part in?
5. Was taking down the Christmas decorations as much fun as putting them up?
6. What seasonal customs and traditions did you observe during your holidays?
5 January.
The presents have been opened, the
puddings eaten and lots of carols sung. Christmas and
New Year’s Day have been and gone. People are back at
work or school. And the Christmas tree in the corner of
the room looks a bit sad: there are more needles on the
floor and that traditional Christmas smell has almost
disappeared. So it’s time to bin the tree and vacuum
those needles. When Granny calls in the evening, she
won’t have to worry that we haven’t taken down the
decorations yet. She is sure it is bad luck to do it a day
sooner or later.
Children are traditionally told that you can’t take
down your decorations before 5 January because
the Three Wise Men won’t be able to find their way.
I remember I read a children’s book some time ago.
It says that if you didn’t take the Christmas decorations
down on the Twelfth Night, you must then leave them
up until Candlemas Day (Сретение). If after that date a berry or
a leaf is left, “the goblins can get through the keyhole
and spill the milk, break the china and let rats and mice
into the house”!!! It’s a pity that while in Britain we rush
(торопимся) to take the decorations down,
in mainland Europe families are celebrating by taking
the day off and exchanging presents.
Answer the questions.
1. When is the Twelfth Night?
2. Has Kate taken down the Christmas decorations yet?
3. What does Kate have to do on 5 January? Why?
4. Is the same custom observed in your family?
5. What other customs does Kate mention?
Look at the questions below. How are they formed? Give short answers to the questions. What should be done to make negative sentences?
1. Had Kate taken down the Christmas decorations by 5 January?
2. Had the Christmas tree lost most of its needles by the time Kate started tidying up?
Give full answers to the questions.
1. Had the Three Wise Men visited baby Jesus by 5 January?
2. Had you taken down the Christmas decorations by 6 January?
3. Had the Christmas tree smell disappeared by that time?
4. Had Kate’s classes begun by 6 January?
5. Had your school term started by 6 January?
6. Had you taken down the decorations by the time you
returned to school?
7. Whom had you visited by the end of your winter holidays?
8. What new things had you tried by the end of the twelve
Christmas days?
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