British Customs and Traditions
Pre - reading task
1. What do you know about English customs and traditions?
2. When is All Fools’ Day celebrated?
3. What is connected with April Fools’ Day?
April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day is a custom observed in many countries. On this day people play tricks, practical jokes. In Britain all must end on the stroke of noon. If anyone attempts a trick after midday, the intended victim retorts:
April Fools gone past,
You are the biggest fool at last!
A variety of theories have been put forward to account for this lively and persistent custom, but its origin still remains obscure. Below there are two examples of how Englishmen enjoy themselves on April 1st. They may change the idea of this nation.
A Practical Joke.
About forty years ago a tradesman of the town Dover had a good laugh at the expense of his fellow citizens.
On March 31 of the year in question, a large number of persons who owned dogs received a very official-looking document. It was marked “Urgent”, and it bore the municipal coat of arms at the head of the page. The document was typewritten and signed by the Mayor of the town. It ran as follows:
“Owing to a sudden outbreak of hydrophobia, it has become necessary
to take special measures of precaution against this terrible malady and
to have all the dogs of the town vaccinated.”
The notice went on to say that all persons owning dogs were therefore summoned to appear at the Town Tall at 10 o’clock sharp on the following morning, April 1st, accompanied by their pets.
By ten o’clock on the day appointed, hundreds of dogs, muzzled and unmuzzled, and of all breeds and sizes have assembled and were barking and wagging their tails in the courtyard of the Town Hall.
Aroused by the hubbub, the astonished officials came to the windows. None of them knew what to make of it. When the owners of the dogs showed their summonses and demanded admission, they were informed that there must be some mistake, as no such notices had been sent out.
Gradually, it dawned upon the victims that some wit or other had made April fools of them. Most of them took it in good part and after a hearty laugh dispersed to their homes.
An April Fool’s Day Hoax
On April 1st, 1957, BBC Television played an elaborate April Fool’s Day hoax on the viewers of a normally staid weekly current affairs programme. It showed a film about a bumper spaghetti crop being harvested in Southern Switzerland, near the Italian frontier. Included in the film were shots of agricultural workers picking long strands of spaghetti from bushes. The presenter of the film commented on the uniform length of the spaghetti; the result, he said, of many years of patient cultivation by plant breeders. After the programme was over, hundreds of viewers telephoned the BBC. Some of the calls were from viewers who had enjoyed the hoax, including one who complained that spaghetti didn’t grow vertically, but horizontally. Some of the calls were from viewers who wanted to know where they could buy spaghetti bushes. Mainly, though, the calls were from viewers who were no longer certain that spaghetti was made with flour and water and not grown. Such is the power of television.
Task 2.
Comprehension Check
Exercise 1.Complete the statements given below by choosing
the right variant.
1. The origin of April Fools’ Day still remains . . .
a) in the dark b) obscure c) very clear
2. A large number of dog owners received an official letter . . .
a) on March 30 of the year in question b) on March 31, 1899
c) on March 31 of the year in question
3. According to this letter all dogs of the town had to be . . .
a) brought to the nearest veterinary b) vaccinated
c)taken out of the town
4. By ten o’clock on the day appointed . . .
a) nobody had come to the Town Hall
b) everybody had stayed at home because they didn’t believe the letter
c) hundreds of citizens had brought their pets to the Town Hall
5. The practical joke played by BBC Television brought to . . .
a) many calls from viewers who wanted to buy spaghetti bushes
b) a big scandal c) much laughter from viewers
Exercise 2.Choose phrasal verbs given below to complete the sentences.
take measures against; go on; make of; send out; be over;
dawn upon; take smth in good part; play a hoax on; make with.
1. You should . . . the epidemic of flu.
2. I don’t know what . . . your statement.
3. At last it . . . him that it was a practical joke.
4. The lesson . . ., you may go home.
5. The secretary was asked . . . letters of invitation.
6. On April 1, 1957 BBC Television . . . viewers but many of them didn’t believe what they had seen and . . . the programme.
7. This cake . . . flour, butter, eggs and sugar.
Exercise 3.Look through the text and find the synonyms to the
following words.
1. merry 2. undertake 3. many 4. frontier
5. illness 6. finish 7. invite 8. good laugh
9. gather 10. be sure
Exercise 4. Translate the following proverbs and idioms into
Russian. Describe the situations when you can use them.
a) It would make even a cat laugh.
b) Many a true word is spoken in jest.
c) Every man has a fool in his sleeve.
d) To cap someone’s joke.
e) To laugh up one’s sleeve.
Exercise 5.What is a practical joke? Speak about a practical joke
you played on your friends or they played on you.
Oral Practice
Describing Objects and Their Uses.
Materials and patterns
Questions Replies
1. What is it like? 1. It is . . . with . . .
2. What is it made of? 2. It’s made of . . .
3. What is it used for? 3. It’s used for (+Gerund)
4. How long (wide,thick) is it? 4. It’s 50 cm long (wide, thick)
5. Can I have a thing for . . .? 5. Oh, you mean . . . Yes,of course.
Materials: (it is made of . . .)
plastic, metal, gold, silver, copper, leather, silk, cotton, wool, nylon, china (porcelain), velvet, cord.
Shapes: (it is . . .)
round, pointed, oval, cylindrical, square, triangular, rectangular, elliptical, spherical, long, short, wide, narrow, thin, thick, curved.
Colours: red, blue, white, green, grey, black, brown, orange,yellow, purple, greenish, light/pale blue, dark/deep brown.
Other describing characteristics:
This river is 3,5 miles long.