110SKILLS BOOK

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 When do Australians celebrate Remembrance Day?

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2 How many Australian soldiers lost their lives in World War 1?

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3 What do the people do at the war memorials before 11 am?

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4 When did World War I end?

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5 What do many people wear on this day?

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2 Do you celebrate Remembrance Day in your country? Tell the class.

Australians celebrate Remembrance Day on 11th November

every year in honour of the 62,000 Australians who lost

their lives fighting in World War I. It is also an occasion to

honour soldiers who have lost their lives in wars since then.

In the morning, the crowds gather at war memorials across

the country. People sing songs and read poems. Then, just

before 11 am, a musician plays The Last Post on a bugle.

This slow, sad tune signals the beginning of a two-minute

silence. Eleven o’clock marks the end of the First World War

on the morning of 11th November, 1918. Then the bugler

plays The Rouse. This is the tune which wakes soldiers up in

the mornings and, as part of the Remembrance Service, is a

sign of hope and of a new beginning.

On this occasion, many people wear red paper poppies

pinned to their clothes. The poppy is the symbol of

Remembrance Day because these flowers grew in such

huge numbers on the battlefields in France during World

War I.

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111SKILLS BOOK

1 What is Shrove Tuesday?

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2 When does it take place?

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3 What do most people in the UK do on this day?

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4 How did the ‘Pancake Races’ come about?

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5 What do some people do after the festivities?

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2 Do you have a similar celebration in your country? Tell the class.

S hrove Tuesday is a fun holiday people celebrate before Easter.

It’s usually in February or March, and in the UK, people often

call it ‘Pancake Tuesday’ or simply ‘Pancake Day’.

It’s a day when almost everyone in the UK eat lots of pancakes. They

traditionally top them with sugar and lemon juice, but now more and

more people use other ingredients such as golden syrup and melted

chocolate as toppings as well.

Towns and villages across the UK organise different festivities like

‘pancake races’. These races began after, according to legend, a

woman was so busy making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday that she lost

track of time until she heard church bells. She quickly ran out of the

house to church still holding her pan and wearing her apron. In other

towns, people play the world’s largest football games. One of the most

popular one is the Royal Shrovetide

Football Match in Ashbourne,

Derbyshire. There are hundreds of

players, and the goals are over

five kilometres apart! Finally,

after the festivities, some

people go to church to end this

amusing and delicious day.

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

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112SKILLS BOOK

2 Do you have a similar festivity in your country? Tell the class.

Arbor Day is the day to celebrate trees. It’s a

huge tree planting party which people

participate in all around the world on

different dates to coincide with the best

tree planting weather in each country.

In New Zealand, the celebration takes

place on 5th June, which is also World

Environment Day. Communities,

including local businesses and

organisations, plant a lot of trees. In

parks, hundreds of visitors take part in

outdoor activities. They have poster

competitions and take walks along

beautiful nature trails. Schools also take

part in the festivities. They display students’

environmental projects on the protection of

trees and collect paper for recycling.

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 What is Arbor Day?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2 When do New Zealanders celebrate it?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3 How do New Zealanders celebrate this day?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4 Where do people participate in outdoor activities?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5 What do schools collect?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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113SKILLS BOOK

1 Read the text and answer thequestions.

1 When do Americans celebrate

Independence Day?

____________________________________________

2 Why do Americans celebrate it?

____________________________________________

3 What do Americans do to celebrate?

____________________________________________

4 How does the day end?

____________________________________________

5 What do they use to decorate their

houses and cars?

____________________________________________

2 Do you have a similar festivity inyour country? Tell the class.

Americans celebrate Independence Day on 4th July every year. In fact, theyoften call it the Fourth of July. The holiday is to celebrate the day when theUnited States officially became independent from Great Britain in 1776.Most Americans have the day off from work to spend time with family and friendsat gatherings, like picnics and barbecues. There are parades, carnivals, fairs, andspecial concerts all across the country. Many people also go to baseball games onthis day. After dark, there are firework displays in almost every city and town in thecountry. Some displays are very large and well-known, like the one on the HudsonRiver in New York City - people all over the country can even watch it on TV.For this holiday, a lot of Americans decorate their homes and cars with Americanflags or red, white and blue items, such as banners and pendants. Some peopleeven dress up in the colours of the flag.

in the USA

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