HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE
NEW YEAR
QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
19FL-X72F-REAV

1 Warm up

Look at these pictures. How are they connected to Chinese New Year?

red envelopes a dragon the Nian Gao cake

decorated temple lion costumes traditional lanterns

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

2 Synonyms
Decide which of the options (a – c) is NOT a synonym of the word from the text.
1. sticky

a. gummy b. wet c. tacky

2. delightful

a. amusing b. pleasant c. wonderful

3. incredible

a. unbelievable b. amazing c. expected

4. important

a. famous b. significant c. vital

5. stunning

a. superb b. common c. gorgeous

6. huge

a. enormous b. massive c. tall

7. spectacular

a. remarkable b. ridiculous c. amazing

8. joyful

a. thrilled b. happy c. unusual

Write down 8 things that you could describe using each of these words or their synonyms. In pairs,
compare your answers. Make sentences with those words.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

3 Skimming
You are going to read a text about three different places Chinese New Year is being celebrated. Before
you read, look at the four parts below that are missing from the reading text. Decide where they
should go.

which is a really important Buddhist temple which is spectacular

which is the capital city of Penang which really makes me laugh

Chinese New Year

We asked three people about their Chinese New Year celebrations. Here is what they said.

1.
Quanzhou, China
My favorite time of the year is Chinese New Year’s Eve. All of my family come to my house to celebrate. We
have so much food. We eat Nian Gao, which is a kind of rice cake that I love. In our tradition, it’s an offering to
the Kitchen God. It’s sticky, so it makes it difficult for him to talk and say bad things about humans to the Jade
Emperor, the ruler of heaven. We also watch the New Year’s Gala on TV, which we call Chunwan. They have
dancing, singing, drama, and some comedy, 1) . On this night, we can stay up late, usually until
the next morning. We believe that the longer we stay awake, the longer our parents will live.
2.
Penang, Malaysia
George Town, 2) , really comes alive at Chinese New Year. Around December, there’s the
delightful Chinghay parade. The performers throw and kick flagpoles on to each other’s heads and balance them.
The flagpoles can be about 26 feet high, maybe taller, and probably weigh a lot, so it’s an incredible skill.
We also go to Kek Lok Si, 3) . Monks visit it all the way from Thailand every year. Usually, the
temple closes before dark, but at Chinese New Year, it opens in the evening and is decorated with thousands of
lanterns and lights. It’s a really stunning sight, and people come from all over the world to see it.
3.
San Francisco, USA
My family is originally from China, but I grew up here in California. We still follow traditions around Chinese
New Year. My family always give me Hongbao, which is a red envelope with money in it. Relatives give them to
unmarried children in the family. But Chinese New Year is huge here. Every year, we always go and watch the
parade, 4) . You can see the Dragon Dance, which brings good luck. The longer it goes on, the
more luck the community will have. The streets are always full of the sound of firecrackers, which scares away
monsters in our tradition. It’s always a joyful and fun time.

Mazu Temple in Quanzhou Chinese temple in Malaysia Chinatown in San Francisco

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

4 Understanding the text

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. In Chinese tradition, the Kitchen God is the ruler of heaven.

2. Children must go to bed early on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
3. Performers in the Chinghay parade use their feet and hands with the flagpoles.
4. Kek Lok Si temple is in Thailand.
5. Kek Lok Si temple isn’t open in the evening all year round.
6. The person writing from San Francisco is married.
7. It is better if the Dragon Dance goes on for a long time.
8. Traditionally, the noise from firecrackers keeps monsters away.

5 Focus on non-defining relative clauses

Part A: In the Skimming exercise, you put 4 non-defining relative clauses into the text. Look through
the text again to find and underline 4 more examples.

Look at the following sentence from the text.

George Town, which is the capital city of Penang, really comes alive at Chinese New Year.

The underlined section is called a "non-defining relative clause". It is a way of giving

extra information about something. It is non-defining because we could take it away,
and the sentence still makes sense.

George Town really comes alive at Chinese New Year.

Part B: Now, write the word which in the correct place in the following sentences.

1. In the days before New Year, Chinese families clean their homes, is important to sweep away bad
luck.
2. The TV New Year’s Gala traditionally ends with the performance of a song, is called Can’t Forget
Tonight.
3. In Northern China, many people eat jiaozi, is a kind of dumpling, on the fifth day of the New Year
celebrations.
4. On the 7th day, in places such as Malaysia and Singapore, some people eat yusheng, is a type of
salad with raw fish in it.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Part C: Reorganise the sentences so that they make sense.

many Chinese pray and give thanks. / On the 9th Day /, which is traditionally the birthday / of the
Chinese New Year /of the Jade Emperor, /

1.

wishing good luck and wealth to visitors /, which is a decoration / Many people will place Fai Chun/, on
their doors.

2.

which are usually red /Other traditional ornaments at this time / and have an oval shape. /, are lanterns,

3.

"Kung Hei Fat Choy"/ "Congratulations and be prosperous!" / A common greeting at this time of year /,
which in English can be spelled /, roughly means, /

4.

Now, think of two traditions from a celebration in your culture. For each one, write a sentence
explaining it using a non-defining relative clause.

1.

2.

6 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What aspects of Chinese New Year do you think you would like?
2. What do you do in your culture to celebrate the New Year?
3. Do you have any traditions that you celebrate in your culture that other cultures don’t usually
celebrate?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

7 Extension task

Look back at the text. For each one of the following items, write a sentence using a non-defining
relative clause.

1. Chunwan
2. Chinghay
3. Hongbao

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Viyajaca Forever's lessons.