Long ago in Britain, people ........ go to wise old women .......... " witches" to learn about the future. They believed that these witches had the .......... to tell the future and to use magic words to protect people or change them. There were many beliefs about these witches, ............ are now a symbol of Halloween. For example, people belived witches flew on broomsticks to big, secret meetings ............. they ate, sang and ....... The Christians tried to stop people ......... believing in witches, but many uneducated people, especially in the countryside, hold on to their beliefs.

When people went to North America from the British Isles, they brought their Halloween customs with them. Today, Halloween is a night......... children dress up like ghosts, witches, devils and so on. They go from house to house in their..........., ring doorbells, and shout "Trick or Treat!". People give them candy, apples, gum and nuts and the children have a good time. But most children have ......... that their holiday has such a long history.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 45.

   Halloween falls on October 31 each year in North America and other part of the world. What do you know about Halloween? Do you celebrate it in your country? Here is a little history about it?

   Like other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.

   More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1 All Saints Day (also called All Hallows). This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.

   Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.

   The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o lanterns today.                         

   These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It primarily a fun for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on door and say "trick or treat". The owner of each house give candy or something special to each trick and treat.

The Celts thought .................. on October 31.

A. the dead would revive

B. the spirits of dead people returned to the earth

C. they would have a party to welcome the dead

D. the spirits of dead people would never come back to the earth

Điền từ:

Halloween is celebrated on October the 31st (1) ______ year. It originated from a pagan holiday and the Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day. The name Halloween is a (2) ______ version of All Hallows’ Eve. Today, it is more of a fun day for children and has (3) ______ lost its religious roots. Halloween has many (4) ______ identifiable symbols. The colors orange and black are widely used. In particular, orange pumpkins and fires and black witches, cats and costumes are common (5) ______ of this day. One of the biggest Halloween activities is trick-or-treating. This is when children knock on doors and ask for a small gift. If they don’t get (6) ______, they’ll play a trick on the person who opens the door. Food also plays a big part of Halloween. Toffee apples are very popular and (7) ______ is anything made from pumpkin.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 38 to 45.

   Halloween falls on October 31 each year in North America and other part of the world. What do you know about Halloween? Do you celebrate it in your country? Here is a little history about it?

   Like other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.

   More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1 All Saints Day (also called All Hallows). This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.

   Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.

   The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o lanterns today.                         

   These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It primarily a fun for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on door and say "trick or treat". The owner of each house give candy or something special to each trick and treat.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The Celts created All Hallows

B. The name Halloween originated from the word Hallows Eve.

C. Halloween falls on October 31 each year.

D. Halloween is a special holy day to honor the saints and people who died for their religion.

Read the text carefully, and then answer thw questions.

The traditional of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic Roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being reconized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when thay left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attemping to enter.

53. What is the origin of the tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween?

.......................................................................................................................

54. What happened in winter hundreds of years ago?

.........................................................................................

55. What would people encounter if they left their homes on Halloween in the past?

......................................................................................................................................

56. What would people do to avoid being reconized by the ghosts?

..........................................................................................................

57. And what would people do to keep ghosts away from their houses?

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 bowl    call    come    dress    eat    give    lived    make    name    peel    play    see    throw    windows    

Exercise 2: Read the following passage and choose the best answer. Halloween is a holiday. It is on the night of October 31st . It is_________(1) in many English Speaking countries. Children wear costumes. They go to people’s homes. The people give them _________(2). Children say “trick or treat” to ask for candy. This comes from a theat. It means, “Give me a treat _________(3) I will play a trick on you” Children today _________(4) not do the tricks if they don’t get treats. But some children still do mischief playful pranks or things to make fun of people like putting toilet paper in trees or writing _________(5) soap on windows .In these countries Halloween is about ghosts, witches, goblins, and other scary things.

1. A. presented B. proposed C. celebrated D. played

2. A. candy B. cake C. meat D. egg

3. A . and B. but C. or D. because

4. A . never B. sometimes C. just D. usually

5. A . for B. with C. often D. on to

In Canada and the United States, ……(1)…..of the most popular days in the year is Halloween. Halloween is on October 31st. It’s a day…….(2)……some people dress up in strange or unusual costumes. For example, they may dress up to ……(3)…an animal, a person from history. In some places, children go to schoolin…(4)….Halloween costumes. After dark, many young children…(5)….on their costumes and visit their neighbours. They knock on the ….(6)….and shout “Trick or treat”. Then their neighbours…..(7)….them some candy, and the children go on to the….(8)…house. Adults also enjoy dressing up for Halloween. There….(9)…usually Halloween parties in the evening and usually there is a prize for the best or…(10)….unusual costumes.

In Canada and the United States, ……(1)…..of the most popular days in the year is Halloween. Halloween is on October 31st. It’s a day…….(2)……some people dress up in strange or unusual costumes. For example, they may dress up to ……(3)…an animal, a person from history. In some places, children go to schoolin…(4)….Halloween costumes. After dark, many young children…(5)….on their costumes and visit their neighbours. They knock on the ….(6)….and shout “Trick or treat”. Then their neighbours…..(7)….them some candy, and the children go on to the….(8)…house. Adults also enjoy dressing up for Halloween. There….(9)…usually Halloween parties in the evening and usually there is a prize for the best or…(10)….unusual costumes.