III. Read the passage about Chol Chnam Thmay Festival, and answer the questions.

Chol Chnam Thmay Festival

          This holiday is the New Year festival in ancient calendar of Khmer people. Held in mid-April, the festival occurs in 3 days (4 days for the leap year). People prepare new clothes, food and drinks for whole festival days. They also repair, clean and decorate their house. Everyone is excited to care for holiday.

          At night of New Year's Eve, every family prepares a lavish meal, burns incense and candles to welcome the new god, farewell the old god. On the altar, they present 5 flower branches, 5 candles, 5 incense, 5 cereal seeds and fruit crops. They pray for health and luck in the New Year.

          On the first New Year - Chol Sangkran Chmay, major activities are bathing, dressing nice, bringing sacrifice gifts to the temple in good time which has been selected.
          On Wonbof day - the second day, they make rice offerings and cover the sand mountain. People cook rice and bring it to the temple in the morning and the afternoon.

          On Lom Sak day - the third day, they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony. In the morning. people bring breakfast to monks and listen to the sermon. At noon, they burn the lamps, offer sacrifice gifts and bring fragrant water to bathe Buddha statues. After the ceremony at the temple, the monks go to the grave to pray for the souls of those who died.

1. What is the festival?

_________________________________________________________________

2. When is it held? And how long does it last?

_________________________________________________________________

3. What do people prepare to celebrate the festival?

_________________________________________________________________

4. How do Khmer people prepare the altar at night of New Year's Eve?

_________________________________________________________________

5. What do people do on the first New Year Day?

_________________________________________________________________

6. When do people cook rice and bring it to the temple?

_________________________________________________________________

7. When do they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

_________________________________________________________________

8. What do the monks do after doing Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

_____________________________________________________________________

Chol Chnam Thmay Festival

          This holiday is the New Year festival in ancient calendar of Khmer people. Held in mid-April, the festival occurs in 3 days (4 days for the leap year). People prepare new clothes, food and drinks for whole festival days. They also repair, clean and decorate their house. Everyone is excited to care for holiday.

          At night of New Year's Eve, every family prepares a lavish meal, burns incense and candles to welcome the new god, farewell the old god. On the altar, they present 5 flower branches, 5 candles, 5 incense, 5 cereal seeds and fruit crops. They pray for health and luck in the New Year.

          On the first New Year - Chol Sangkran Chmay, major activities are bathing, dressing nice, bringing sacrifice gifts to the temple in good time which has been selected.
          On Wonbof day - the second day, they make rice offerings and cover the sand mountain. People cook rice and bring it to the temple in the morning and the afternoon.

          On Lom Sak day - the third day, they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony. In the morning. people bring breakfast to monks and listen to the sermon. At noon, they burn the lamps, offer sacrifice gifts and bring fragrant water to bathe Buddha statues. After the ceremony at the temple, the monks go to the grave to pray for the souls of those who died.

1.What is the festival?

_________________________________________________________________

2. When is it held? And how long does it last?

_________________________________________________________________

3.What do people prepare to celebrate the festival?

_________________________________________________________________

4.How do Khmer people prepare the altar at night of New Year's Eve?

_________________________________________________________________

5.What do people do on the first New Year Day?

_________________________________________________________________

6.When do people cook rice and bring it to the temple?

_________________________________________________________________

7.When do they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

_________________________________________________________________

8.What do the monks do after doing Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

_________________________________________________________________

Rearrange the words/phrases given to make to make complete sentences

1. For/ethnic groups/in/many/the/the/the/mountains/,/horse/is/suitable/most/means of transport

2. groups/how/there/many/Vietnam/ethnic/are/in/?

3.or/you/would/urban/like/to/mountainous/live/in/in/the/the/areas/areas?

4.do/Khmer Krom/when/women/of/village/this/to/the/river bank/?/go

5.most/our/festival/important/Chol Chnam Thmay/of/the/is/the year

6.Khmer Krom/is groups/of/one/the/ethnic/in/the/southern/biggest/Vietnam

7.these/love/of/costumes/,/pink/I/traditional/most/the/one

8.are/the/their/Yao/famous/people/costumes/celebrate/for

9.Hung Kings/Festival/is/Vietnam/a/significant/Temple/festival/in

10.held/annually/the/the/Gong/Central/Festival/is/in/Highlands

Read the passage about Chol Cham Thmay Festival,and do the tasks the follow.(why)

Chol Cham Thmay Festival

This holiday is a New Year festival in ancient calendar of Khmer people.Held in mid-April,the festival occurs in 3 days(4 days for the leap year).People prepare new clothes,food and drinks for whole festival days.They also repair,clean and decorate their house.Everyone is excited to care for holiday.

At night of New Year's Eve,every family prepares a lavish meal,burns incense and candles to welcome the new god,farewell the old good.On the altar,they present 5 flower branches,5 candles,5 insence,5 cereal seeds and fruit crops.They pray for health and luck in the New Year.

On the first New Year-Chol Sangkran Chmay,major activities are bathing,dressing nice,bringing sacrifice gifts to the temple in good time which has been selected.

On Wonbof day-the second day,the make rice offerings and cover the sand moutain.People cook rice and bring it to the temple in the morning and the afternoon.

On Lom Sak day-the third day,they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony.In the morning,people bring breakfast to monks and listen to the sermon.At noon,they burn the lamps,offer sacrifice gifts and bring fragrant water to bathe Buddha statues.After the ceremony at the templ,the monks go to the grave to pray for the souls of those who died.

Task 1.Match a words in column A with its definition in column B,writing the answer in each blank.

Task 2:Read the passage again,and then answer the following questions.

7.What is the festival?

8.When is it held?And how long does it last?

9.What do people prepare to celebrate the festival?

10.How do Khmer people prepare the altar at night of New Year's Eve?

11.What do people do on the first New Year day?

12.When do people cook rice and bring it to the temple?

13.When do they do Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

14.What do the monks do after doing Buddha bathing and monk-bathing ceremony?

Mid-Autumn Festival

            Mid-Autumn Festival is held on 15^th day of the eight lunar month to celebrate biggest full moon in the year. In Viet Nam, this festival is for children (56)___________ children are center of all activities on that day. (57)_____________ the festival is coming, the adults and the parents prepare many different foods -  moon cakes, candies, biscuits, jellies, and fruit. (58)_____________, the children are given many nice lanterns – star lanterns, flower lanterns and diverse funny masks, (59)__________ they can light the lantern during the Mid-Autumn night.

            (60)______________ the autumn is the time of the beginning of the new school year, the adults and parents give gifts to the children. The festival takes place (61)_______________ people have had good crops. (62)____________, it is also the congratulation for the full harvest.

            Nowadays, (63)__________ some of the traditional toys have been replaced by modern toys, the meaning of the festival has been kept and developed. It is certain that Mid-Autumn Festival is a good example of the traditional culture of the Vietnamese.

Task 1: Complete each blank in the passage with the correct linking word. (There may be more than one possibility)

Task 2: Read the passage again, and then answer the following questions.

64.                        When is Mid-Autumn Festival held? What is it for?

________________________________________________________________________________

65.                        What do the adults and the parents do to prepare for the festival?

________________________________________________________________________________

66.                        What are children given besides moon cakes?

________________________________________________________________________________

67.                        What can children do with their lanterns?

________________________________________________________________________________

68.                        Why is Mid-Autumn Festival also considered the congratulation for the full harvest?

________________________________________________________________________________

69.                        What is the importance of this festival?

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Wh-questions

1. _________do the Pathen people live?

-In Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang.

2. ___________of your parents can speak Tay language ?

-My father can.

3. ___________do the Khmer people hold Chaul Chnam Thmay festival?

-To celebrate the New Year.

4. ___________can sleep in the communal house?

-Single men can.

5. _____________is a costume of the Lolo people?

-I'm not sure .But I think it's quite expensive .

We are Khmer Krom, one of the biggest ethnic groups in the south of Viet Nam. We live by farming - mostly rice - and fishing on the Mekong River. Life is sometimes hard as our work depends heavily on the weather. When it is not harvest time, the men of the village go fishing from early morning and don't return until late afternoon. By the time they return, most of the village women will be waiting for them on the river bank. They wait to buy the fish, which they will later sell at the local market or bring to the nearby town for a higher price. We children will be there too. We love running around the beach and waiting for the boats to come in.         

Our most important festival of the year is the Chol Chnam Thmay, which celebrates the New Year. It falls mid-April. Every family tries to prepare well for the festive activities. The community also visits and helps poor families so that everybody has a happy New Year.

1. Where do the Khmer Krom live?

2. Why is life hard for the Khmer?

3. When is the Chol Cham Thmay celebrated?

4.Do the children love running around the beach ?

5. What do the women do with the fish they buy from the fishermen?

We are Khmer Krom, one of the biggest ethnic groups in the south of Viet Nam. We live by farming - mostly rice - and fishing on the Mekong River. Life is sometimes hard as our work depends heavily on the weather. When it is not harvest time, the men of the village go fishing from early morning and don't return until late afternoon. By the time they return, most of the village women will be waiting for them on the river bank. They wait to buy the fish, which they will later sell at the local market or bring to the nearby town for a higher price. We children will be there too. We love running around the beach and waiting for the boats to come in.

Our most important festival of the year is the Chol Chnam Thmay, which celebrates the New Year. It falls mid-April. Every family tries to prepare well for the festive activities. The community also visits and helps poor families so that everybody has a happy New Year.

1. Where do the Khmer Krom live?

2. Why is life hard for the Khmer?

3. When is the Chol Cham Thmay celebrated?

4.Do the children love running around the beach ?

5. What do the women do with the fish they buy from the fishermen?

Read the following passage and choose the best answer A, B, C or D.

                                                         Mid-Autumn Festival

   There are hundreds of festivals in Vietnam each year. (1)________Tet holiday, the Mid-Autumn festival is one of the most famous festivals and it is a traditional celebration for Vietnamese (2)________.The Mid-Autumn festival is (3)__________the 15^th day on the 8^th lunar month (often in late September or early October) in the middle of (4)__________and it is celebrated for a whole day. On this day, the adults and the parents prepare a special cake called (5)_________along with many candies, jellies, grapefruit, bananas, apples, etc. The Mid-Autumn celebration is an opportunity for family members to reunite. Young people express their gratitude to the elderly.