B.Write out the key sentences for each point of the plan.

Task 14. Put the sentences into the right order:

A. Russian Christmas is rich with beautiful traditions one of them is called Kolyadki when at Christmas night young people put on fancy dresses, gather in a noisy crowd and go in every house on their way, singing carols and merry song.

B. The Russian love for holidays is known the world over.

C. So, the New Year is the first in calendar and in popularity.

D. Children are looking forward for Father Frost (actually he is Grandfather Frost - Ded Moroz in Russian) and his granddaughter Snow Maiden (Snegurochka). to arrive at night and leave presents under the fir-tree.

E. This difference is due to the Orthodox Church that follows the Julian (old style) calendar.

F. It was a custom for young ladies to tell fortune on these days; lots of fortunetelling methods have kept till days - yet they are not so widely used, of course.

G. The most favourite holidays are New Year and Christmas.

H. Russian Christmas comes two weeks later than in other countries, on January 7.

I. National holidays reflect multicoloured Russian history

J. Long before December 31 sparkling fir trees appear in the streets, shops, offices and houses, bringing the joy of festive preparations and hope for happy miracles in the coming New Year.

Task 15. Prepare a summary with the help of tasks 13B and 14.

Additional reading

Task 16. What can you say about your favourite holiday? Read the following text and find out what makes a holiday favourite.

My favourite holiday

One of my favourite holidays is The Victory Day. It is the most memorable date in our country. This holiday is celebrated on the 9th of May to commemorate [отмечать] the Victory of the Russian troops [войска] over the Nazi invaders [захватчики].

Love for freedom has been a national character of the Russian people. No enemy has been able to conquer our country. When Russia was attacked by the German army in the 22nd of June, the Russian people one and all, rose up in defence of their Motherland. This war is called The Great Patriotic War. The War lasted for four years and more then twenty million Russian people perished [погибли] during this war.

A magnificent memorial on Poklonnaya Gora has been in order the Great Victory. Every year this day our family go to the Poklonnaya Gora. We always have many flowers. We present flowers to veterans and make photos.

We must never forget this holiday because it is our history. I like this holiday very much.

Task 17. Speak about your favourite holidays in dialogues.

Список использованной литературы

1. Бурова З.И. Английский язык для гуманитарных специальностей вузов: Учеб. для вузов. – 2-е изд., испр. и доп.- М.: Высш. шк., 1987.- 463 с.

2. Дроздова Т.Ю., Берестова А.И., Маилова В.Г. English Grammar: Reference and Practice: учебное пособие для старшеклассников школ и гимназий, студентов неязыковых вузов с углубленным изучением английского языка. Издание шестое, переработанное и дополненное. – СПб.: ООО «Издательство «Химера», 2000.- 360 с.

3. Коваленко П.И. Английский для психологов. Серия «Учебники и учебные пособия». Ростов н/Д: «Феникс», 2002.- 320с.

4. Л. Кутузов. Практическая грамматика английского языка. МОСКВА ВЕЧЕ 1998.

5. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture.- Longman, 2002.- 1568 p.

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki