Номер 1, страница 46 - гдз по английскому языку 4 класс книга для чтения Верещагина, Афанасьева

1. You already know some holidays which people celebrate in England. Would you like to know what holidays American people celebrate? Then read the text about some winter and spring holidays in America.

THE AMERICAN YEAR

After Terry Tomsha

Part I

New words:

common holidays ['kɔmən 'hɔlidez] — общие праздники

a state [steit] — штат

Independence Day [indi'pendəns ,dei] — День независимости

Labour Day ['leibə dei] — День труда

thus [ðʌs] — таким образом

to make promises ['prɔmisiz] — давать обещания

equal rights ['i:kwəl 'raits] — равные права

to kill [kil] — убивать

public ['pʌblik] — общественный, государственный

a saint (st, snt) [seint] — святой

honest ['ɔnist] — честный

to go to the movies (amer.) = to go to the cinema (br.) — ходить в кино

Irish ['aiəri∫] — ирландский

Ireland ['aiələnd] — Ирландия

to pinch [pint∫] — щипать

If you compare the English year with the American year, you'll find that both countries have some common holidays. But people celebrate some holidays only in England, and others only in America. In the USA there are five national holidays that people celebrate in every American state. These are:

1) New Year's Day,

2) Independence Day,

3) Labour Day,

4) Thanksgiving Day,

5) Christmas Day.

On these days offices and banks do not work. But other holidays are not national in the USA and not all the states celebrate them.

Thus in America people celebrate:

January 1st – New Year’s Day.

On this day families and friends meet for a meal. People usually make promises for the New Year. People say, “I will work harder” or “I won’t tell lies this year”. But they often forget these promises by January 2nd!

On New Year's Day there are big football games and parades. Not everyone can go to watch them on television. There is usually a parade in the morning and the football game is in the afternoon.

January 15th (in some states, third Monday of January) – Martin Luther King’s Day.

Martin Luther King was an important black leader who wanted equal rights for black people. His work was very important. He was killed in 1968 and his birthday has become a public holiday since 1986.

February 14th – St Valentine’s Day.

Nobody knows much about St Valentine. People call him the saint of love. On this day children write their names on cards with hearts on them and give them to their classmates. Schoolchildren and older people give cards, presents and flowers to their boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives. Some people do not put their names at the end of their cards because they want their names to be a secret.

Third Monday of February – President’s Day.

On this day students and pupils read about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other Presidents. George Washington was the first President of the USA. He was also a good soldier and a very honest man.

February 29th.

Every four years February has an extra day. Tradition says that on this day girls can ask boys to go to the movies or out to dinner. A girl can even ask a boy to marry her!

March 17th – St Patrick’s Day.

St Patrick was an Irish saint, and St Patrick’s Day is very popular in cities where there are many people from Ireland. They are the Irish Americans and they always celebrate this day. Green is the Irish colour and people often wear green. If you don’t wear green, someone may pinch you.

April 1st – April Fools’ Day.

As you know people make jokes on this day and have a lot of fun. People celebrate this day in America in the same way they celebrate it in England. When you’ve made a joke on your friend, you usually say, “April fool.”

Nobody is sure when or why this tradition began. Some people believe it began in France in the 16th century. In 1564, the king of France decided to change the first day of the new year from April 1st to January 1st. Some people did not like it and celebrated the New Year on the first of April. They were “April Fools”, made fun of them and played tricks on them. So it has been a tradition to celebrate this holiday for long.

1. Вы уже знаете некоторые праздники, которые люди отмечают в Англии. Хотели бы вы узнать, какие праздники отмечают американцы? Тогда прочитайте текст о некоторых зимних и весенних праздниках в Америке.

Ответ: Yes, I would like to know what holidays American people celebrate, and I have read the text to learn about some winter and spring holidays.

Да, я хотел бы узнать, какие праздники отмечают американцы, и я прочитал текст, чтобы узнать о некоторых зимних и весенних праздниках.