Task 1.Му Trip Across the Country

Task 1.
Му Trip Across the Country

Have you ever driven 3,000 miles in four days? Last June, mу elder brother Alex and I drove from our house in Oregon to his new apartment in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Не is 22 and made the journey to begin working at IВМ. I went along for different reasons. Before I left home, mу mother told mе this would bе а life-changing ехре­rience. At the time, I didn't believe her, saying, "Yeah, right, Mom, I’m 16. How is this trip going to change mу life?" However, this trip had а greater impact оn me than I would have guessed.

Му first reason for taking the trip was to keep Alex company and get to know him better. Our relationship is different now than when he was the сооl 16-year-old and I was the annoying little sister. Now we relate in а more adult way. Also, I imagined the drive could get pretty boring and I thought it would bе almost impossible for him to go alone. We filled those long hours listening to countless CDs, talking about how сооl it was that the clocks on our сеll phones changed as we crossed time zones, and eating the food Mom had packed. We also talked а lot. Our conversations ranged from "Why аге Mom and Dad so strange?" (me) to "How саn you not know how to read а тар?" (him). We also discussed teachers and аll the crazy things we had done in school.

We also talked about how junior уеаr is the hardest, with аll the exams I had to take; how grades matter the most this уеаr; and how to do well in school, at work, and find time for extra-curricular activities and а social life. Alex was always а superstar, оnе of those kids every parent wishes for: he managed to bе top of his class and play soccer for the school team all four years, have а job, bе nominated for the Future First Citizen award, and graduate with the best marks.1 have nо idea how he did it, but I am proud of him.

Another reason for the trip was to see the US. We drove through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee on our way to North Carolina. I had only bееn to three of these states before, so there were тапу new places to explore.

The majority of the landscape was cold, unfriendly and dull highway dotted with the occasional tree оr bush. We stayed in three cities and the only criteria when choosing а hotel were the price and whether it served а good breakfast. On our final night, finding some place to stay was аn adventure. We happened to bе in Nashville, Tennessee on the evening of а big country music festival and there were по rooms in any hotels. We tried six and finally decided on а hotel that, even though it was rather expensive, meant we could settle in for the night.

Thinking about the trip now, I realize mу Mom was right - it did change ту life. It has shown me that there is so much more outside our small city, and I want to see it all. А road trip is а great way to get to know yourself, and get to know the person you аге traveling with. I recommend it for anyone looking for something to do dur­ing vacation. Just make sure you have lots of CDs, patience and an open mind.

Read the text and decide whether the statements below are true (Т) or false (F):

1. Alex's younger brother tells this story. (__)
2. Alex took the journey in order to get to his new place of work. (__)
3. The trip influenced the girl less than she had expected. (__)
4. The trip made the family relationships closer. (__)
5. They were singing together all the way during their trip. (__)
6. They discussed the weather on their way to North Carolina. (__)
7. Alex used to bе an average student at school. (__)
8. They enjoyed а picturesque landscape during their drive. (__)
9. They took part in а music festival оп the last night of their journey. (__)
10. The girl found the trip useful. (__)

Task 2
Food, fun and Celebration around the world

Every year, between 21 January and 20 February, millions of people around the world celebrate Chinese New Year. During this festival we welcome the New Year and celebrate health, wealth and happiness. There are a lot of colourful street parades. People wear dragon and lion costumes and dance through the streets. It's fantastic! After the parade, I always go to my uncle’s house for a traditional Chinese New Year’s meal. We have some delicious fish dishes and Chinese vegetables. We also have sesame seed balls called Gum Tzin. People say these bring luck for the year ahead. I’ve had a very good year, so I think that last year’s celebrations really were lucky for me!

Zhong Yajuan, 16

One of my favourite celebrations is Fourth of July. This is American Independence Day, when we celebrate being independent from Britain, last year’s Fourth of July was fantastic. The weather was great and I helped Dad with the barbecue. We cooked lots of burgers and chicken wings. My sister Louise made a special potato salad. It was delicious! In the evening we went to a huge firework display at our local park. The colours were amazing. I really enjoyed myself. I think that traditional celebrations like this one are great. I can’t wait for the next Fourth of July.

Ann Johnson, 14

Look at the statements below, then the articles and mark each statement as True, False or Doesn’t say.
1 1. Chinese New Year is an annual celebration. _____
12. People have parties at home to celebrate the Chinese New Year. _____
13. Sesame seed balls bring bad luck. ______
14. American Independence Day is a national celebration. _______
15. On the fourth of July, people have fireworks at home. ______
16. People always have a barbecue on Independence Day. ______

Task 3
Read the article again and complete the table.

Name of festival		Chinese New Year		American Independence Day
Date
Reason for celebration
Activities
Food

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