HOLIDAYS
Test 1
Put each of the words traditionally associated with Christmas in its place in the sentences
below.
apples
cards
charity
holly
Germany
carols
evergreens a cracker
eve
Rome
mistletoe pudding
present/gift chimney candles
1. The tradition of singing ______ , or Christmas songs, at Christmas is older than Christmas itself.
2. According to popular custom, any girl or woman caught standing under the _____ may be kissed
without her permission.
3. Long before Christianity was introduced, _____ were worshipped as symbols of undying life, and
used in magical rituals.
4. Just before Christmas dinner people often pull a ___. It usually makes a sharp noise and releases a
toy and a piece of paper with a joke.
5. Traditionally people decorate their trees on Christmas ___ — that’s December 24th.
6. A traditional Christmas ______ usually has a piece of holly on the top.
7. On Christmas Day everyone gives and receives ___________.
8. Christmas trees are often decorated with ______ symbolizing Christ as “Light of the World”.
9. Christmas ______ often show the pictures of Nativity.
10. The ____, with its green leaves and red berries, is often used to make attractive Christmas
wreaths.
11. The celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th began in _____ in the 4th century.
12. The Christmas tree came originally from ______ .
13. Santa Claus visits houses by climbing down the _____.
14. Carol singers usually collect money for ______ .
15. In medieval Germany an evergreen hung with _ was part of a traditional Christmas performance.
Test 2
Guess the words traditionally associated with St Valentine’s Day and love.
1. A love song sung by a lover under his sweet heart’ window. (s _ _ _ _ _ _ _)
2. Love between a man and woman, represented by boxes of chocolates, red roses, love letters and
walks by the light of the moon. (r _ _ _ _ _ _)
3. The Roman god of love. (C _ _ _ _)
4. The saint who is regarded as the patron of people in love (V - - - - - - - - )
5. The god of love in Greek mythology. (E ---)
6. A flower which is usually given as a gift on St Valentine’s Day. (r ---)
7. A thin stick that Cupid shots from his bow. (a - - - -)
8. A machine which can move and do some of the work of a man but cannot love. (r - - - - )
9. What men used to give their sweethearts as a present on St Valentine’s Day. (g - - - - -)
10. The name of the first woman who lived in the Garden of Eden with Adam. (E - -)
11. A marriage ceremony. (w- - - - - - )
12. The holiday taken by a man and a woman who have just got married. (h - - - - - - - - )
13. Some women are changeable as the ______ . (w - - - - - -)
14. ______ cannot be forced. (1 - - -)
15. Love me, love my _____ . (d - -)
16. To touch with the lips as a sign of love or as a greeting. (k - - -)
17. The season of love. (s - - - - -)
18. A man who is going to get married. (g - - - -)
19. A woman who is going to get married. (b- - - -)
20. The most famous of the knights of King Arthur, lover of Arthur’s wife. (L - - - - - - - )
Test 3
Put each of the words or phrases traditionally associated with Halloween in its place in the
sentences below.
holes
pumpkin
cat
superstition
spirits
police
Celtic festival
candle
notorious
masks
nuts
Druids
pumpkin
fortune-telling
ghost
light
October
Samhain
Trick-or-Treat night
broomsticks
1. A typical jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin with _____ instead of eyes, mouth and nose.
2. Halloween is the time when evil ______ are abroad.
3. Apples and _____ are the traditional Halloween food.
4. The powers of darkness are afraid of ______ , that is why bonfires, candles, etc. are used as a
means of protection against them.
5. An orange symbol of Halloween is a ______ .
6. The spirit of a dead person is called a ______ .
7. The source of the present-day Halloween celebration is probably the ______ ______ of Samhain.
8. According to popular belief, witches ride on _____ attended by black cats.
9. The custom of telling ghost stories on Halloween comes from the ______ .
10. An animal that accompanies the witch to the place of her rendezvous with the Devil is a _____.
11. The practice of predicting future events is called ________.
12. A traditional belief which is not based on reason or fact but on old ideas about luck, magic, etc.
is called _______ .
13. The Lord of the Dead and the Prince of Darkness is _______ .
14. A vegetable once used to make a jack-o’-lantern is a ____ .
15. Jack was _____ for his drunkenness and being stingy.
16. Halloween is a festival that takes place on ________.
17. Now children celebrate Halloween in unusual costumes and ______ .
18. Children take out the middle of the pumpkin, cut holes for the eyes, nose and mouth and put a
______ inside the pumpkin to scare their friends.
19. Halloween is sometimes called ______ night.
20. Today Halloween is a bad night for the _____.
Test 4
Fill in the blanks using a suitable derivative of the words given in the box.
(1) civil
(5) join
(9) limit
(13) tradition
(2) decoration (6) observation (10) nation
(14) begin
(3) death
(7) city
(11) organize
(15) activate
(4) proclaim
(8) peaceful
(12) participate
MEMORIAL DAY IN THE USA
Honoring the dead has been a practice of many (1). The ancient Druids, Greeks, and Romans (2) the
graves of their loved ones with garlands of flowers. In the United States, the (3) have been honored
on Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it also known, since the time of the Civil War. In 1967 a (4)
of President Lyndon B. Johnson and a (5) congressional resolution officially recognized Waterloo as
“the birthplace of Memorial Day.” And the Memorial Day is (6) on the last Monday of May each
year. Each year the President of the United States issues a special Memorial Day proclamation
which, by request of a joint resolution of Congress in 1950, includes a call for (7) to observe the
occasion as a day of prayer for (8). Memorial Day observance are by no means (9) to the big (10)
cemeteries. In towns and cities, across the land, veterans’ groups, civic (11), family groups, and
individuals decorate graves with flowers or with small American flags. In many communities, large
and small, there are parades. Parade (12) include veterans and armed forces personnel, members of
civic organizations and schoolchildren. Memorial Day has also (13) marked the (14) of summer
(15).
Test 5
Some of the lines of this text have a word that does not fit grammatically. Fill in the blanks
below with these unwanted words. If a line is correct put a tick (). If a line has a word which
should not be there, write the word.
MOTHER’S DAY
1)Every second Sunday in the May, mothers become queens-for-a-day. Children give cards,
flowers, 2)and phone calls as an offerings of their love. The earliest tributes to mothers date back to
the 3)annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to the Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the
4)offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, the Cybele. Christians celebrated
5)this festival on the fourth Sunday in the Lent in honour of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this
6)holiday was expanded to include all the mothers and was called Mothering Sunday. In the United
7)States, the Mother’s Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian
8)homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a
9)cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it “Mother’s Work Day”.
10)Anna’s hard work paid off on when W. Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a
11)national holiday. The second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year to
12)dine out with, as sons and daughters want to express appreciation of their mothers.
(1)____
(2) ___
(3)____
(4) ____
(5) ____
(6) ____ (11) ____
(7) ____ (12) ____
(8) ____
(9) ____
(10) ___
Test 6
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, Present Perfect or Past Perfect.
BACK FROM THE HOLIDAYS
Jan: We (1) (be) back at work now for three days.
Sam: It seems years since the morning I (2) (have) that grand breakfast at Victoria Station.
Jan: The best Christmas Day I (3) (have) for many years. And I (4) (have) already two letters from
my mother since the day we (5) (come) away. And what you (6) (do) at Christmas, Ann?
Ann: I (7) (go) to Paris for four days — I (8)(not be) to Paris since last Easter. And then I (9)(come)
back to London.
Jan: I (1O) (go) to France once — to Paris.
Ann: You (11) (have) much trouble with your French when you (12) (be) there?
Jan: No, I (13) (not have) much trouble but my son did. And what you (14) (do) in London, Ann?
Ann: I (15) (go) to the Opera and the theatre. Then I (16) (have) dinner at the most expensive
restaurant. I (17) (be) there for 8 months since last Christmas. And I (18) (have to) write home for
some more money.
Jan: And what your husband (19) (answer)?
Ann: He (20) (answer): “As you were so anxious to get back your letter asking for money, you’ll be
pleased to know that I didn’t receive it.” However he put a five-pound note in the envelope.
Test 7
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form (active or passive).
TRICKS ON APRIL FOOL’S DAY
In 1698, a number of Londoners (1) (receive) invitations (2)(see) the lions washed in the Thames.
This event (3) (describe) in newspapers. However, the same trick (4) (repeat) in 1860, and again a
lot of curious Londoners (5) (come) to enjoy the lions washed. In 1957 BBC Television (6) (play)
an elaborate joke on its viewers. It (7) (show) a film about a spaghetti crop grown in southern
Switzerland. Agricultural workers (8) (pick) long strands of spaghetti from bushes and the presenter
of the film (9)(comment) on the uniform length of the spaghetti and on the successful cultivation of
“these vegetables”. After the programme (1O) (be over), hundreds of viewers (1 1)(telephone) the
BBC. Some of the calls (12)(be) from those who (13)(enjoy) the joke. But there (14)(be) a lot of
calls from people who (15)(want) to know where they could buy spaghetti bushes.
Test 8
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form
(active or passive).
THE HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY
While many people believe that Father’s Day is a
holiday (1) (invent) by the fine folks, it’s not so. The
celebration of Dad’s special day can most likely (2)
(credit) to Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington State,
who first (3) (suggest) the idea of the holiday in 1909.
Mrs. Dodd’s father, civil war veteran William Smart,
(4) (widow) when his wife (5)(die) in childbirth with
their sixth child. Despite the obvious hardships, Mr.
Smart (6) (proceed) to raise the newborn along with his
five other children by himself. It wasn’t until Sonora
Dodd became an adult that she (7) (realize) the
strength and selflessness her father (8) (show) in
raising his children as a single parent. The original date
chosen for the holiday (9) (be) June 5, Mr. Start’s
birthday, however the celebration (10) (postpone) until
June 19, the third Sunday in June, because there (11)
(be) not enough time to prepare. At about the same
time in various towns and cities across America other
people were (12) (begin) to celebrate Father’s, Day. In
early times, wearing flowers (13) (be) a traditional way
of celebrating Father’s Day. Mrs. Dodd (14) (favour)
the red rose to honour a father still living, while a
white flower (15) (honour) a deceased dad. J. H.
Berringer, who also (16) (hold) Father’s Day
celebration in Washington State as early as 1912,
(17)(choose) a white lilac as the Father’s Day Flower.
In 1024 President Calvin Coolidge (18)(support) the
idea of a national Father’s Day, but it never
(19)(become) official until 1966 when President
Lyndon Johnson (20)(sign) the presidential
proclamation that set aside the third Sunday of June as
Father’s
Day.
Test 9
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form
(infinitive or -lug-form).
CHRISTMAS
Whatever else Christmas may (1) (stand for), one thing
it still means is (2) (eat). Christmas has traditionally
been a time of the year when people have tired (3)
(cheer) themselves up during the cold months of
winter. Last year more than 10 million turkeys were
bought in Britain alone during the festive season (4)
(satisfy) the nation’s appetite. Health experts may
continue (5) (complain) about all this self-indulgence,
but they fail (6) (realize) that there is nothing new
about celebratory feasting, practically at this time of
the year. The Roman Saturnaha, which was supposed a
festival (7) (honour) the god of agriculture, started on
19 December. Among other things, the Saturnahia
involved (8) (light) candles and (9) (give) gifts. People
who had spent the whole year (1O) (save) money
suddenly became extravagant. In addition to (11)
(exchange) gifts, this time of year was also an occasion
for masters and slaves alike (12)(eat) excessively. At
one Saturnalia feast an emperor is reported (13)(spend)
the equivalent of $900,000 on a dinner for twelve
guests which consisted of twenty courses and lasted all
day. So, when mealtime comes round on 25 December,
there’s no point in (14)(have) a guilty conscience. In
fact the occasional seasonal feast may promote good
health and stop year-round (15)(overeat).
Test 10
Put in the articles where necessary.
COLUMBUS DAY
______(1) identity of ___ (2) first Europeans to visit
___(3) shores of America is uncertain. ___(4) Irish
may have reached what is now Canada in ___(5) 9th or
10th century. But it was only with ___(6) voyage of
Christopher Columbus in 1492 that effective European
exploration and colonization of ___(7) New World
commenced. Little is known about _____ (8)
commander
of
___
(9) momentous 1492 expedition. Columbus was born
in ___(10) Genoa in 1451. He arrived in Portugal in
1476 after narrowly escaping death during _____ (11)
naval battle. _____ (12) young seaman made ___ (13)
number of voyages under ____(14) Portuguese flag
and
visited
England,
___
(15) African Gold Coast, ____(16) Madeira Islands,
and _____(17) Azores. On August 3, 1492, Columbus
and his 90-members crew sailed from Spain aboard
____(18) Nifla, Pinta and Santa Maria. They carried
with them _____ (19) letter from Ferdinand and
Isabella addressed to ___(20) Grand Khan of China.
___ (21) expedition maintained its westward course
and on October 12, they landed ____(22) Bahamas, but
they thought they had reached___ (23) East Indies.
Columbus made three more voyages to ____(24) New
World but he believed he had discovered _____ (25)
new route to ____(26) Orient. _____(27) landing of
Columbus was not only ____ (28) great feat but __(29)
event that was to change ____(30) history of (31)
world. ____ (32) celebrations of ____ (33) Columbus
Day in ____(34) United States are countless. _____
(35) most localities sponsor special programs to mark
____ (36) day, and every school holds _____(37)
exercises on___ (38) day. ___(39) parades, patriotic
ceremonies, and addresses are popular ways of ___(40)
honoring Columbus.
Тесты:Английский язык: 10-11 класс:
Учеб.пособие/Е.С.Музланова,
Е.И.Кисунько. - М.:ООО Издательство
Аристель": "Издательство АСТ", 2003, с.
96-106