Are you superstitious? 2) Do people in Russia and England have the same superstitions?
3) Translate the following words from the text: decrease; odd; avoid; adhere; controversial;
TEXT 8. GUY FAWKES NIGHT
British people celebrate Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night) every year on 5 November in memory of a famous event in British history, the Gunpowder Plot. On 5 November 1605 a group of Roman Catholics planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament while King James I was inside. On the evening before, one of them, Guy Fawkes, was caught in the cellars with gunpowder, and the plot was discovered. He and all the other conspirators were put to death.
Originally Bonfire Night was celebrated as a victory for Protestants over Catholics, but the festival is now enjoyed by everyone. Some children make a guy, a figure of a man made of old clothes stuffed with newspaper or straw to represent Guy Fawkes. The guy is then burned on top of a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night. A few weeks before, children take their guy into the street and ask for a ‘penny for the guy’. They use the money to buy fireworks. Only adults are legally allowed to buy fireworks in Great Britain.
Some people hold private bonfire parties in their gardens, while others attend larger public events organized by local councils or charities. Chestnuts or potatoes are often put in the bonfire so that they will cook as it burns. Fireworks such as Roman Candles, Catherine Wheels, bangers and rockets are put in the ground and are let off one by one. Children hold lighted sparkles in their hands and wave them around to make patterns. Unfortunately, there are sometimes accidents involving fireworks and there are now restrictions on the type of fireworks that can be used by the general public.
The events of 5 November are celebrated in the nursery rhyme:
Remember, remember
The fifth of November,
The gunpowder Treason and Plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Mark the sentences as true, false or not given in the text.
1. Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars by chance.
2. Guy Fawkes was the leader of the conspirators.
3. The Gunpowder plot was not a success.
4. All the conspirators were executed.
5. Before Bonfire Night children collect money for charity.
6. Only adults can let off fireworks in Great Britain.
7. Guy Fawkes Night is not celebrated in the United States.
TEXT 9. THANKSGIVING (the fourth Thursday in November)
Almost every culture in the world has held celebrations of thanks for a plentiful harvest. The American Thanksgiving holiday began as a feast of thanksgiving in the early days or the American colonies almost four hundred years ago.
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In 1620, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it- The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn (maize), a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish.
In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and ninety Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn. In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving, for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1864, at the end of a long and bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have. In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.
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American children still sing this song as they look forward to spending Thanksgiving with their grandparents. It was written around 1860 by Lydia Maria Child.
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