TASK 1: MATCHING

If you match the text on the left with the text on the right, you will be
able to read some New Year Superstitions.

1. On New Year's Day if, on rising, a
girl should look out of her bedroom
window
2. To dance in the open air, especially
round a tree, on New Year's Day
ensures
3. It is believed that kissing at midnight
ensures
4. Pay your bills and loans before New
Year Eve,
5. In several societies washing dishes
and doing laundry on New Year's day is
said
6. It is believed that cupboards stocked
up with food and
7. At midnight, all the doors of a house
must be
8. Babies born on 1st January are said
to
9. It is said that you should avoid
breaking things or crying
a. be the luckiest of all throughout their
lives.
b. that affections and ties will continue
throughout the New Year.
c. wallets and purses full of money
bring prosperity in New Year.
d. to lead to a death in the family
during the year. Many people do not
even wash hair on New Year day.
e. luck in love and prosperity and
freedom from poor health during the
coming twelve months.
f. on the first day of the year, if you
don't want to continue the pattern for
the entire year.
g. and see a man passing by, she may
reckon to be married before the year is
finished.
h. opened to let the old year escape
unimpeded.
i. so you don't have any debt left for
New Year.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

TASK 2: SPEAKING
Work with a partner and discuss the following questions.

 Which of these superstitions are known in your country?

 Can you mention some other New Year superstitions?
 How do you usually spend New Year’s Eve?
 Are there any New Year traditions in your country?
 What are they?
 What is the traditional New Year food in your country?
Why?
 Do you think it is a good idea to make a New Year
resolution? Why/Why not?
 TASK 3: A BIT OF GRAMMAR
Study the examples of PASSIVE VOICE in the New Year superstitions
in Task 1.

It is believed that kissing at midnight ensures that affections

and ties will continue throughout the New Year.
Babies born on 1st January are said to be the luckiest of all
throughout their lives.

Rewrite the following New Year superstitions using one of

these PASSIVE STRUCTURES.

1. People believe that one should wear new clothes on a New Year's Day.
__________________________________________________________
2. People say that one should behave nicely on New Year and must refrain
from using foul language.
__________________________________________________________
3. If you have to deliver presents on New Year morning, people advise that
you leave them in the car.
__________________________________________________________
4. People believe that Evil One and his attendants and servants hate din and
loud noise. So, scare them away by being as loud in New Year celebrations
as possible.
__________________________________________________________
5. People believe that the direction of wind during sunrise on New Year
morning prophesies about the coming year.
__________________________________________________________
6. People say that you could ensure yourself good fortune by draining the last
dregs from a bottle of drink on New Years!
___________________________________________________________

TASK 4: GAP FILL

Use the verbs in brackets in a suitable tense and read the
following New Year Jokes.
Jemima _______ (take) an afternoon nap on
New Year's Eve before the festivities. After she
_______(wake up), she ________ (confide) to
Max, her husband, 'I just _______ (dream) that
you _____(give) me a diamond ring for a New
Year's present. What ___you _____ (think) it all
_______(mean)?'
'Aha, you ______ (know) tonight,'
___________(answer) Max smiling broadly.
At midnight, as the New Year __________
(chime), Max ________ (approach) Jemima
and ________(hand) her small package.
Delighted and excited she ________(open) it
quickly. There in her hand _________ (rest) a
book entitled: 'The meaning of dreams'.
Peter, at a New Year's party,
________ (turn) to his friend, Ken,
and _______ (ask) for a cigarette.
'I _______ (think) you ________
(make) a New Year's resolution to
quit smoking,' Ken __________
(respond).
'I _____(be) in the process of
quitting,' __________ (reply) Peter
with a grin. 'Right now, I ____ (be)
in the middle of phase one.'
'Phase one?' __________ (wonder)
Ken.
'Yeah,' _________(laugh) Peter, 'I
________ (quit) buying.'
Answer Key

Task 1:
1 – g; 2 – e, 3 – b; 4 – i, 5 – d; 6 – c; 7 – h, 8 – a, 9 – f

Task 3:
1. It is believed that one should wear new clothes on New Year’s Day.
2. It is said that one should behave nicely on New Year and must refrain from
using foul language.
3. If you have to deliver presents on New Year morning, you are advised to
leave them in the car
4. Evil One and his attendants and servants are believed to hate din and loud
noise.
5. It is believed that the direction of wind during sunrise on New Year
morning prophesies about the coming year.
6. It is said that you could ensure yourself good fortune by draining the last
dregs from a bottle of drink on New Years!

Task 4:
Jemima was taking an afternoon nap on New Year's Eve before the festivities.
After she woke up, she confided to Max, her husband, 'I just dreamed that you
gave me a diamond ring for a New Year's present. What do you think it all
means?'
'Aha, you'll know tonight,' answered Max smiling broadly.
At midnight, as the New Year was chiming, Max approached Jemima and handed
her small package. Delighted and excited she opened it quickly. There in her
hand rested a book entitled: 'The meaning of dreams'.

Peter, at a New Year's party, turns to his friend, Ken, and asks for a cigarette.
'I thought you made a New Year's resolution to quit smoking,' Ken responds.
'I'm in the process of quitting,' replies Peter with a grin. 'Right now, I am in the
middle of phase one.'
'Phase one?' wonders Ken.
'Yeah,' laughs Peter, 'I've quit buying.'