The topic for today is ‘’Easter tradition’’.
Lekcje angielskiego przygotowuje firma
Task 1
Read the text below to get the general idea:
An American missionary and a widely travelled speaker of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, S. D .Gordon used to say that, ‘’Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life’’ and definitely it is true. Not only is Easter associated with the beginning of new life, but also with the start of spring, which also means the awakening of nature. Although Easter belongs to a group of the so called movable feasts, which do not have a fixed date in the calendar, it always falls in spring. This year Easter will be officially celebrated around the world from the 20th of April and will last till Monday the 21st.
Easter has become important both for Christians and non-Christians, since it can be viewed as a religious celebration as well as a strictly commercial tradition. However, there are certain symbols which are shared by both groups. Among these we can list Easter eggs (which represent new life), Easter bunnies, hot cross buns (which were believed to have had miraculous curative powers) or Easter games played especially by children, like egg rolling or egg hunt.
In Poland, the Easter tradition involves blessing of the Easter Foods, called ‘’święconka’’, which are brought to church in a wicker basket and blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is usually lined with a white lace napkin and decorated with springs of boxwood. Inside a selection of high quality products can be found; a few decorated eggs called ‘’pisanki’’, a piece of sausage, a Paschal lamb along with an Easter Bunny, some horseradish, salt & pepper, a little loaf of bread, some butter and a little chick. Other delicacies like meat pate or white borsh are prepared, and special cakes (like ‘’babka’’, ‘’mazurek’’ or ‘’sernik’’) are baked as desserts.
Before Easter breakfast begins on Saturday, families gather together, share pieces of eggs and exchange best wishes. Easter celebration finishes in Poland with the so called Wet Monday, on which people spill water on the beloved ones as a token of good luck and fortune.
Task 2.
Study the text carefully and gap-fill the sentences below with correct words:
1. It is no use crying over …………t milk.
2. By connoisseurs snails are considered to be a ……………………… .
3. Herbs are believed to have …………………… properties.
4. Confident that he would win the election, he had an unpleasant ………………………..
5. For better protection of an animal, the cage should be ………………….. with two layers of straw.
6. As a …………………… of our gratitude, the employee of the month was awarded with a trip to London.
7. The young couple was determined to get married with or without their parents’ ………………………………..
8. ………………………… speaking, spiders are not insects.
9. The report ……………………… out in detail what they achieved last year.
10. This species of plant is becoming extremely ……………………. nowadays.
Task 3
Watch the video ‘’ Easter Tradition in the USA‘’ and answer the questions below:
1. What will unfold at the White House this year in April?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. What is the address of the White House in Washington?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Who will participate in the annual event at the White ?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. What does the Easter Egg represent?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. What does the Easter Bunny do according to the children?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. What does the President say about the Easter Bunny’s visit to the White House?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
7. What is the Italian family famous for?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Where is the Easter parade held in Spain?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Bunny the Great! KEY TO EXERCISES
Task 2.
1. It is no use crying over …SPIL…t milk.
2. By connoisseurs snails are considered to be a ……DELICACY… .
3. Herbs are believed to have ……CURATIVE…… properties.
4. Confident that he would win the election, he had an unpleasant ……AWAKENING……..
5. For better protection of an animal, the cage should be ……LINED…….. with two layers of straw.
6. As a ……TOKEN…… of our gratitude, the employee of the month was awarded with a trip to London.
7. The young couple was determined to get married with or without their parents’ ………BLESSING…………..
8. ……STRICTLY…… speaking, spiders are not insects.
9. The report ……SPELLS …… out in detail what they achieved last year.
10. This species of plant is becoming extremely ……RARE……. nowadays.
Task 3
1. What will unfold at the White House this year in April? ……….THE EGG ROLL…………..
2. What is the address of the White House in Washington? …………PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE…………
3. Who will participate in the annual event at the White ? ……….CHILDREN………….
4. What does the Easter Egg represent? …………BIRTH, RENEWAL, NEW LIFE………
5. What does the Easter Bunny do according to the children? …………..HIDES THE EGGS, WEARS A COSTUME……….
6. What does the President say about the Easter Bunny’s visit to the White House? ………..IT REMINDS US THAT THIS IS THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE………………….
7. What is the Italian family famous for? …………DELICIOUS,TRADITIONAL, HOME-MADE CHOCOLATE EASTER EGGS………………..
8. Where is the Easter parade held in Spain? ………….CORDOBA……….
Image courtesy of amenic181/FreeDigitalPhotos.net