English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 45: Special events

Word List
  • all over [everywhere]
  • annual
  • bring sb luck
  • consist of
  • custom
  • customary
  • display
  • festival
  • fireworks
  • gather
  • harbour
  • held [organised]
  • involve
  • last v
  • parade
  • spectacular
  • traditional
  • up to
Exercises

45.1 ‣ Complete the definitions.

  1. A display is a show for people to .
  2. If you are involved in an activity, you are _____ in it.
  3. If you can have up to 25 people, 25 people is the _____.
  4. If an event is spectacular, it looks very good or _____.
  5. A harbour is a place where _____ are kept.
  6. If people parade round the streets, they _____ round the streets in a group.

45.2 ‣ Rewrite the sentences using the word in capitals. Keep a similar meaning.

  1. The festival happens in the summer. TAKE
  2. The children wear special clothes. DRESS
    _____
  3. People come from everywhere in Japan. ALL
    _____
  4. They hold the event every year. HELD
    _____
  5. Do you do anything special for your birthday? CELEBRATE
    _____
  6. The festival happens every year. ANNUAL
    _____

45.3 ‣ Complete the text.

THE FALLAS

The Fallas is a 1 2_____ in Valencia, Spain, which 3_____ for five days and finishes on March 19th. The Fallas 4_____ place right across the city, and it 5_____ St Joseph, as well as the end of winter and the birth of spring. The festival 6_____ of music, dancing, cooking (the famous paella) and parades, and each area in the city produces a falla, which is a figure made of paper, cardboard, wood, etc. that is burnt on the final day. The fallas are very important, and artists spend months making them. But the festival is also famous for 7_____ fireworks displays. Every day crowds 8_____ in different parts of the city at 2 pm, when loud firecrackers are set off. 9_____ displays continue every night, and on the final night, there is a huge display when all the fallas are burned. This is called the Crema.

45.4 ‣

Over to you

Think about a festival you know and answer the questions. If possible, ask someone else.

  1. What kind of festival is it? Is it an arts festival or a traditional festival?
    _____
  2. How often is it held?
    _____
  3. When and where does it take place?
    _____
  4. How long does it last?
    _____
  5. What does it consist of?
    _____
  6. Are there any special traditions or customs as part of the festival?
    _____
Answer Key
A ‣ A fireworks display

The Sydney fireworks1 display2 is held3 every year, and more than one million people gather4 at Sydney harbour5 on New Year’s Eve to celebrate6 the new year. All age groups are involved7 in the event. At 9 pm there is ‘Family fireworks’ for families with younger children. After that a large number of boats parade8 around the harbour. Finally, at midnight, there is a spectacular9 fireworks display for almost fifteen minutes in which more than 4,000 kilograms of fireworks light up the night sky.

1 (see picture)
2 a show for people to watch
3 organised
4 come together
5 area of water where ships are kept and are safe from the sea
6 do something enjoyable on a special day
7 included (in an event or activity)
8 move around as part of a group, often to celebrate something (parade is also a noun)
9 looking extremely good or exciting

B ‣ An arts festival

The Edinburgh Festival1 is anannual2 event, and is the largest arts festival in the world. It consists of3 at least six different festivals which take place4 in the city and last5 for almost six weeks during August and early September. The most popular6 festival is The Fringe, which has up to7 500 daily performances in dance, music, drama and comedy in 180 places across the city.

1 a number of special events often continuing for several days
2 happening once a year
3 is made of
4 happen
5 continue
6 liked by many people
7 the maximum (is 500)

C ‣ The Chinese Spring Festival

The Spring Festival (or Chinese New Year) is the biggest traditional festival in China. It has been celebrated for about 4,000 years, and takes place every year at some point between 21 January and 20 February. On the day before the festival starts, people from all over1 China return to their family homes and gather for a big meal. The next day, many people dress up2, and children receive money from their parents in red envelopes to bring them luck. Another popular custom is to put two-line poems on the gates outside each home.

1 everywhere (in China)
2 wear special clothes

Language help

A custom is something that people usually do. A tradition is a very old custom that has continued for a long time. The adjectives are traditional and customary.

It is traditional to give each other presents.
It is customary to take your shoes off before you enter a mosque.
We went to a traditional Greek wedding (NOT a Greek traditional wedding).

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