Reading and comprehension

1 Read the texts. Then look at the pictures and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Which picture goes with which text? Text 1 _ Text 2 Text 3 __
2. What do the pictures show?

3 Which countries do you think the texts might be about?

1. For ___ people all over the world, New Year is the most important time of the year. Many people paint their front doors red in preparation. Dragons and fireworks are also part of celebrating the New Year period, which can last as long as two weeks, starting on the first day of the lunar month and continuing till the moon is at its brightest.

2. New Year (sometimes called Hogmanay) is a more important occasion in ___ than other parts of the UK. Many of the customs, like 'first-footing', have been adopted in other English-speaking countries.

3. Unlike in some other countries, New Year is a public holiday in this North African country (___); people mark the occasion by holding joint prayers and other rituals in mosques as an expression of gratitude to God. They also visit the homes of their extended families to exchange New Year wishes.

When you find a new word in a text, it is usually best to continue reading at first. For example:

• Do you know what 'first-footing' is in Text 2?
• Can you understand the sentence without knowing what it means?

If necessary, try and decide more or less what the word means instead of immediately looking in a dictionary.

To help you decide what a new word in a text means, ask yourself questions like these:

• What kind of word is it (noun, verb, etc.)?
• If it's a noun, is it singular, plural, uncountable?
• If it's an adjective, does it seem to be positive or negative?
• Does it (or part of it) look like a word you already know?
• Are there any other words in the sentence that help to explain it?

2 Decide more or less what the missing words in the sentences mean, using the questions in the reminder box.

1. Children are sometimes frightened of the ___ that people wear.
2. It was ___ outside, so we lit the fire and stayed inside.
3. What I like about her is her ___ to other people.
4. He was ___ to find that they'd gone without him.
5. Some of the other students ___ me for not knowing the answer.

3 Look at these words from the texts on page 4. Decide which meaning makes the best sense in the sentence.

1. lunar (Text 1) A connected with the moon B a fixed time or period
2. occasion (Text 2) A to happen B a special time or event
3. mark (Text 3) A a cross or tick made with a pen or pencil B to show that something is different from normal
4. joint (Text 3) A connected B not individual
5. gratitude (Text 3) A thanks B greatness

4 Read the beginning of an article about New Year traditions in different cultures. Then complete the tasks below.

There are many different customs connected with the New Year, varying from country to country, or from culture to culture.

For Chinese people all over the world, New Year is the most important event in the calendar. It begins on the first day of the month, which has the darkest night, and continues till the full moon ⁦15 days⁩ later. There are many traditions, most of them involving the colour red. During the celebrations, people wear red clothes and children are given red envelopes containing 'lucky money'. Red is the symbol of fire, which is believed to drive away bad luck. This also explains the popularity of fireworks, which are supposed to frighten away bad spirits with their combination of noise, fire and brightness.

New Year is a time for families to get together and people often travel long distances to be with their families. Food also plays an important part, especially the big family meal on the evening before the New Year begins (New Year's Eve).

1. 'Red is the symbol of fire.' What do you think a symbol is?

A a small piece of something larger B something that stands for an idea

C a thing which is the same as something else

2 Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss what symbols 1-⁦4 stand⁩ for. What do they symbolise?

1. The dove carrying an olive branch symbolises ___.
2. The balanced scales symbolise ___.
3. For Muslims, the crescent symbolises ___.
4. For Palestinians, the kuffiyeh symbolises ___.

3 Compare your ideas with other pairs or groups.

1 Read the rest of the article you started in Period 1. Then complete the tasks below.

A lot of the New Year 'traditions' in countries like England, Australia and the USA are actually Scottish in origin. These include joining hands and singing the Scottish song Auld Lang Syne (which means something like 'for the old times').

Another custom, which is less popular now, is 'first-footing'. To bring good luck to a house, the first person to visit it (entering by the front door and leaving by the back door) should be a tall, dark-haired man carrying a piece of coal for the fire, some salt, some bread and something to drink. These symbolise warmth, flavour and of course food. More generally, it is usual, as in China, to clean the whole house on the day before New Year, and to make sure you have paid back any money you owe to others before midnight.

Like other Muslim countries, Egypt uses the Islamic calendar and the New Year marks the migration (Hijra) of Prophet Mohammad (ﷺ) from Mecca to Medina. The New Hijra Year can't begin until the appearance of the new moon of Muharram is officially announced. Although modern technology now makes it possible to find this out well in advance, the new year moon should be observed with the naked eye.

New Year is widely celebrated with visits to family and friends. In many different parts of the country, special religious chanting troupes organise performances in praise of Prophet Mohammad and in commemoration of his Hijra. For many, though, this period is a time for prayer and quiet thought, concentrating on what you have done wrong in the past year and how you need to change in the next.

Whatever culture you look at, there seems to be one idea that underlies many of the New Year customs: the idea of a new beginning, of leaving one period behind and looking forward to the coming one.

1 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words or phrases from the text. (The sentences are in the same order as the words in the text.)

1. I'm not sure how much I have borrowed and need to pay back to my parents. ___
2. At this time of year, performing groups of dancers, etc. visit the town. ___
3. He wrote several poems expressing admiration for God. ___
4. This event takes place in order to remember the life of a national hero. ___

2 'A lot of the New Year "traditions" in countries like England, the USA are actually Scottish in origin.'

1. The phrase Scottish in origin means that

A the traditions first started in Scotland.

B the traditions came to Scotland from other countries.

2. The writer puts inverted commas round the word 'traditions' to show that

A the word is a quotation from somewhere else.

B the customs don't really come from the countries mentioned.

3. 'These include joining hands and singing.' The phrase joining hands means:

A putting your hands together.

B holding the hands of other people.

4 'Although modern technology now makes it possible to know this well in advance, the new moon should be observed with the naked eye.'

1. The phrase well in advance means

A a long time before.

B making good progress.

2. The phrase with the naked eye means

A see something using glasses

B see something without using a telescope

5 'Whatever culture you look at, there seems to be one idea that underlies many of the New Year customs.'

1. Adding the suffix -ever to question words like what, where, when or how adds the meaning that:

A it doesn't matter what / where / when / how.

B the question what / where / when / how changes with time.

Complete the sentences with similar ...ever words.

a ___ hard I tried, I couldn't open the door.

b You can visit me ___ you want to. I'm free all week.

c I take this book with me ___ I go.

d You should try your best, ___ you do in your life.

2. Adding the prefix under- can add either of these meanings: at the level below or not enough. Which meaning does it add in these sentences?

a One idea underlies many New Year customs. ___

b Don't undervalue your work; it's better than you think. ___

c Many large cities have an underground railway system. ___

d You can mark important points by underlining them. ___

e I think I'm underpaid for all the work I do for my company. ___

6 What do these words, highlighted in the text, refer to?

1. These (line 2) ___
2. it (line 5) ___
3. this (line 13) ___
4. one (line 20) ___

7 What examples can you find in the text of customs that show the ideas of 'a new beginning' and 'leaving a period behind'? Can you think of any other examples?

___

1 Look at the dictionary entry and the quotations. Then discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

resolve (verb): to make a decision resolution (noun): a decision, especially about the future

'I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years'.

Henry Moore (British artist)

'Every time you tear a page off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.'

Charles Kettering (US inventor)

1. Why do you think New Year is traditionally a time for making resolutions in many cultures?
2. What do you think the two quotations are saying about resolutions?

3 In 2013, a website produced a list of the most popular 'New Year's resolutions' in the UK.

1. Which resolutions do these pictures show?

2. Look at the list of the top ten resolutions, in which the order has been changed. What do you think might be the correct order?

Eat better 1 ___

Learn a musical instrument 2 ___

Stop smoking 3 ___

Read more 4 ___

Spend more time with friends and family 5 ___

Get a better job 6 ___

Learn a new language 7 ___

Spend less money 8 ___

Exercise more 9 ___

Spend less time texting and chatting online 10 ___

2. Read the newspaper article to see how close your ideas were.

THE DAILY NEWS Wednesday ⁦27 Feb⁩ 20-

It seems that people in the UK are turning away from traditional New Year's resolutions, like giving up smoking, in favour of more modern ones. A website has just published a list of the top resolutions for this year, showing that giving up smoking has dropped from first place to eighth.

Health-based resolutions like getting more exercise (second place) and eating more healthily (third place) remain popular, but the top choice, spending less money, probably says a lot about the economic situation. This year's fifth most popular resolution, wasting less time on social media sites like Facebook, also reflects modern times.

Instead, people are resolving to spend more time with family and friends (sixth place), and to improve themselves by reading more (fourth place) or learning a language or musical instrument (seventh and ninth). Trying to find a better job just makes it into the top ten.

The website's director said that people were moving away from negative decisions like stopping bad habits towards more positive ones. 'They want to change their lives by doing something new,' he said, 'and there's a definite feeling that this kind of resolution has a better chance of success.'

3. Match the words and phrases from the text with their meanings.

4 Use the words and phrases in Activity ⁦3 to⁩ complete the sentences, changing the form if necessary.

1. During the night, the temperature sometimes ___ by ⁦20 degrees⁩ in desert areas.
2. To get fit, some people stop taking lifts ___ using the stairs.
3. Climbing the mountain was hard, but we finally ___ to the top.
4. His opinions ___ the fact that he had a difficult childhood.

5 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Why do you think 'spending less money' has become the most popular resolution?
2. According to the text, why do fewer people than before choose to stop smoking? Can you think of a reason not mentioned in the text?
3. Of the top ten resolutions, which one would improve your life most?
4. Are there any resolutions you might make that are not included in the list?

1 Read the introduction to an article about doing something new. Then complete the tasks below.

MODERN LIVING | LIFESTYLE

New Year, New You!

• Around this time of year, lots of people make resolutions to change their lives. Of course, it's natural to associate a new year with new beginnings, but doing something new brings benefits to your life whenever you choose to do it. In fact, New Year is possibly one of the worst times of the year to make life-changing decisions if you want to stick to them: in Europe and North America, it coincides with the middle of winter. With its long hours of darkness and cold wet weather, this is definitely not a season to be optimistic. This may well be why, as many studies have shown, most people who make New Year's resolutions usually break them after five weeks.

So, whatever time of year it is, you might decide to learn to speak Chinese, take up long-distance running, become a poet, or whatever. How do you make sure you don't start with great enthusiasm, but then give up soon afterwards? We're sure following the five steps in this article will make success a lot more likely.

1. I always connect this song with the holiday we had two years ago. ___
2. It's easy to make resolutions, but harder to not change your mind about them. ___
3. Unfortunately, my birthday is at the same time as the end of the holidays. ___
4. When I started, I felt that everything would be fine. ___
5. She wants to start a new hobby, but she isn't sure what to choose. ___
6. He's just started playing the guitar and is full of a strong positive feeling. ___

2 Answer the questions.

1. What two things, according to the article, are wrong with the idea of 'New Year's resolutions'?
2. What do you think the rest of the article is going to do?

A explain more about the points in the first paragraph

B give some helpful advice to readers

C make some new points about doing new things

2 Read the rest of the article. Then put the titles below into the correct position (1-5).

One step at a time | Enjoy yourself | Think negative | Share it | Set clear goals

1. ___

• When you're thinking about aims, there's one rule you should follow above all others: don't be too general. Just thinking that you 'want to be a bit healthier' is very unlikely to get you anywhere. Instead, you need to express your aim as something exact and practical that can be measured.

2. ___

• Don't spend all your time worrying about how successful you're going to be. Remember to enjoy the new experience for what it is. That way there's a far better chance that you'll keep going. If you're learning something, you'll make much better progress if you enjoy the learning rather than thinking about what score you might get at the end.

3. ___

• Including other people can have various benefits. Firstly, the more people you tell about what you're doing, the less likely you are to give up, simply because you don't want to have to admit it to them. Secondly, if you do something with other people, it will be more fun (see above) and you won't want to let them down.

4. ___

• Yes, you did read that correctly. Of course, the usual advice is to stay positive. But there will almost certainly be a time when everything seems to be going wrong and you start thinking it's all too hard. Studies show that it's better to think about what could go wrong so that you can have a plan in place when it happens.

5. ___

• Don't try to do everything at once. Divide your final aim into smaller parts so that getting to the end of each part is one small success, and one step nearer to the goal.

3 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. When you decide to take up something new, are you the kind of person that sticks to it, or the kind of person that might give up after a time?
2. Which of the pieces of advice in the article do you think might be helpful when learning a language?

I'd like to say I stick to resolutions, but I think I might be a bit lazy.

I like the idea of including other people. I think that would probably help a lot.