PASSAGE 1: CHINESE NEW YEAR

LISTENING

1) Listen to the recording and fill in the blanks using the options provided below.

Chinese New Year is the most (1) ____ of the Chinese holidays. Many people
who live outside China call it the (2) ____ New Year. People celebrate this holiday all
across the world. Chinese New Year’s Day begins on the first day of the first lunar (3)
____ in the Chinese calendar. It ends on the 15th day. This day is called the Lantern
Festival and is another time to (4) ____ and have a party. Chinese New Year’s Day
changes every year because of the Chinese zodiac. The (5) ____ day depends on if
it is the year of the dragon, rat, horse, dog, etc. It is always some time between January
the 21st and February the 20th. The Chinese are not in (6) ____ which year it is. This
year is one of three possibilities – depending on which scholar you believe.

The first (7) ____ of the Chinese New Year is when Chinese people welcome
the different gods to their homes. There are many superstitions on this day. Many
people (8) ____ that not eating meat will bring them a long life. Others believe it is bad
luck to (9) ____ fires so many people cook the day before. Other bad luck things to do
on New Year’s Day is getting a haircut, sweeping the floor and buying books. The
most important (10) ____ to do on this day is to visit your family. Children like this day
because they get money from their older relatives. It is a very festive time. People
hang red lanterns from their houses and cook (11) ____ kinds of traditional food. It is
also very noisy as people let (12) ____ firecrackers and fireworks in the street to
celebrate.
1. (a) importance (b) importantly (c) important (d) imports
2. (a) Lunar (b) Lunatic (c) Loony (d) Lunacy
3. (a) moon (b) month (c) end (d) end of
4. (a) celebration (b) celebrate (c) celebrates (d) celebratory
5. (a) exacted (b) exactly (c) exacts (d) exact
6. (a) agree (b) agreeable (c) agreement (d) agrees
7. (a) day (b) daily (c) days (d) daytime
8. (a) belief (b) believer (c) believing (d) believe
9. (a) lits (b) lighter (c) light (d) lights
10. (a) thingy (b) thing (c) things (d) thingamy
11. (a) all (b) all of (c) entirely (d) everything
12. (a) on (b) up (c) down (d) off

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READING

1) Put the words back into the correct order.

1. holidays New most of Chinese the Year important the Chinese

2. this celebrate People world the across all holiday

3. is Lantern day called Festival This the

4. another party is a have and celebrate to time It

5. agreement in not are Chinese The

6. homes their to gods different the welcome people Chinese

7. superstitions this There many on day are

8. is fires bad Others luck believe to it light

9. get from older They money their relatives

10. firecrackers also as off is noisy let It very people

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 PASSAGE 2: CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONS

READING

1) Read the passage below and answer the questions.

Chinese New Year (often called Lunar New Year) is celebrated all over
the world. In China, it's a time when families take holidays and get together.
They gather at each other's homes for visits and meals, and often have a special
feast on New Year's Eve.

Before the new year, it is a tradition to clean house to sweep away all the
bad luck from the old year. Often, at midnight on New Year's Eve, people open
all the doors and windows to let the old year leave.

People dress in bright red clothes to celebrate a happy year. They

decorate their houses and write poems on red paper. The color red is for fire,
which according to legend, can drive away bad luck. It is also a tradition to bang
gongs and set off fireworks to celebrate and to frighten off evil spirits.

During Chinese New Year, people give money to children in red

envelopes. The red color is for good luck, and the amount of money can be
anything from a few coins to a larger amount. Lucky money envelopes are also
known as Red Packets or Red Envelopes.

Chinese New Year is a 15-day holiday. It begins on the first day of a new
moon and ends with the Lantern Festival, which is held 2 weeks later on the
night of the bright full moon.

Choose the best answer.

1. Chinese New Year is celebrated only in China.

a) True
b) False

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2. According to tradition, why do people clean house before New Year's?
a) to welcome the spirits
b) to get ready for the feast
c) to sweep away bad luck from the old year

3. Why do people open the doors and windows on New Year's Eve?
a) to let the old year leave
b) to get fresh air into the house
c) to let out the cooking smells

4. What colour clothes do many people wear during the New Year holiday?
a) red
b) yellow
c) gold

5. What does the colour red represent?

a) blood
b) fire
c) wealth

6. Why do people wear red at New Year's?

a) Red is a lucky colour and drives away bad luck.
b) Red is the colour of the Chinese flag.
c) It's the colour of a sunset.

7. Why do people bang on gongs?

a) to call people to dinner
b) to start the Lantern Parade
c) to frighten off evil spirits

8. What is in a New Year's Red Envelope?

a) candy
b) lucky money
c) a poem on red paper

9. How much Lucky Money do most children get?

a) at least one dollar
b) $50
c) It can be any amount

10. How long is the Chinese New Year holiday?

a) 1 day
b) 15 days
c) 1 month

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2) HOMEWORK:
Task: Different Festivals in Malaysia.
Instructions:
1. Choose 2 different festivals celebrated in Malaysia.
2. Make an online research on the chosen festivals.
3. Create a mind-map on the task.
4. In the mind-map, you may include similarities and/or differences of the
festivals on:
• Origin of the festival
• Food
• Clothes
• Significance
• other important points that are relevant to the festivals
5. Submit you work on TEAMS by 28/3/2021.
Good luck!

You may refer to this sample as reference: