4. Work in groups. Read Mai’s notes on the Vietnamese unicorn dance. Compare the Vietnamese unicorn dance with the Japanese lion dance.

(Làm việc nhóm. Đọc ghi chú của Mai về múa lân Việt Nam. So sánh múa lân Việt Nam với múa lân Nhật Bản.)

Vietnamese unicorn dance (Múa lân Việt Nam)
Vietnamese name (Tên tiếng Việt)	Mua lan (Múa lân)
Occasions (Dịp)	Mid - Autumn and New Year Festivals (Tết trung thu và Năm mới) Business openings and weddings (Khai trương kinh doanh và đám cưới)
Number of performers (Số người biểu diễn)	One or more (Một hoặc nhiều hơn)
Skills (Các kĩ năng)	Martial arts and acrobatics (Võ thuật và nhào lộn)
Dance partner (Người múa cùng)	Ong Dia (Ông Địa)
Musical instrument (Nhạc cụ)	drum (trống)
Purpose (Mục đích)	To wish for luck and success (Cầu mong may mắn và thành công)

Example: (Ví dụ)

The Vietnamese unicorn dance and the Japanese lion dance are both popular on New Year Festivals. 

(Múa lân của Việt Nam và múa sư tử của Nhật Bản đều phổ biến trong các dịp Tết.)

Tet is coming!

(Sắp đến Tết rồi!)

1. Listen and read. 

(Nghe và đọc.)

Elena: Wow, this girl looks so cute.

Trang: Yeah ... She’s my cousin. She's at Sa Dec Flower Village. Tet is coming soon, so many people visit flower villages to take pictures with the blooming flowers.

Elena: Oh, I'm fond of admiring the flowers. Does your family visit places like this too? 

Trang: Yes, we do. We usually visit Nhat Tan Village to buy kumquat trees and peach blossoms.

Elena: I see flowers and ornamental trees everywhere these days. What are they for? 

Trang: We, Vietnamese, use plants and flowers for decorations and for offerings. They are an important part of our Tet tradition.

Elena: And what's that tall tree in the photo?

Trang: Well, it's actually a bamboo pole. People place it in the yard of the communal house. They hang decorative items like small bells and lanterns on it. They want to chase away bad luck and pray for a lucky new year.

Elena: Interesting! I didn’t know that.

2. Read the conversation again and tick (✓) T (True) or F (False).

(Đọc đoạn hội thoại lần nữa và đánh dấu (✓) T (True) hoặc F (Sai).)

The Japanese lion dance and Vietnamese unicorn dance

(Múa sư tử của Nhật Bản và múa lân của Việt Nam)

3. Read the text about the lion dance in Japan and complete the table with the information from the text.

(Đọc văn bản về múa lân ở Nhật Bản và hoàn thành bảng với thông tin từ văn bản.)

The lion dance is called shishi-mai in Japanese. People perform it during New Year celebrations. Shishi-mai groups also perform at other important occasions such as business openings and weddings. Most forms of shishi-mai have one or more people performing the dance. The performers are excellent at acrobatics. One person controls the lion’s head and the other moves the lion’s body. The lion dances to the sounds of flutes and drums. The drummers and flute players often follow the lion around, but they do not dance with it.

The Japanese perform shishi-maito chase away bad spirits and to bring good luck.

2. Read the text. Choose the correct answer A, B or C.

(Đọc văn bản. Chọn câu trả lời đúng A, B hoặc C.)

A village festival day

I live in a small village in northern Viet Nam. Every year, people in my village look forward to the third day of Tet. It is one of our most important festival days.

In the morning, we gather along the riverside to watch some competitions. First, there is a special boat race. Some team members cook rice on the boat while others row the boat as fast as they can. The fastest team with well-cooked rice wins the race. Then, the referee releases a duck into the middle of the river. Contestants jump into the river to catch it. The atmosphere becomes loud with the sound of drums and cheers of festival goers.

At noon, there is a village party at the communal house for the elders. Each family also holds a home party. We cook traditional dishes like sticky rice and steamed chicken. Sometimes, we include food that children love, such as bun cha or even pizzas!

The village festival helps us maintain our traditions, connect with other people, and strengthen our family bonds.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A. A local tradition.                

B. A family tradition.              

C. A cooking contest.

2. To win the boat race, a team must _________.

A. row the boat more quickly than the other teams

B. be the fastest boat and properly cook the rice

C. cook rice properly and catch the duck

3. The phrase “releases a duck” in the text means __________.

A. gives it freedom                 

B. catches it                            

C. takes it home

4. Why is the festival important?

A. Because it is exciting.       

B. Because people win valuable prizes.

C. Because it keeps some village traditions alive.

3. Read the text again. Complete the mind map about a family party.

(Đọc văn bản một lần nữa. Hoàn thành sơ đồ tư duy về một bữa tiệc gia đình.)

Reading

1. Read the schedule of the Spring Fair and select the event that each person wants to attend. Write the event names in the table.

(Đọc lịch trình của Hội chợ mùa xuân và chọn sự kiện mà mỗi người muốn tham dự. Viết tên các sự kiện trong bảng.)

SPRING FAIR (16 - 25 January)

Location: Viet Nam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism

The fair offers opportunities for tourists to learn about the life of ethnic people in Viet Nam.

Ethnic Markets

16 - 25 January 

Exhibition of specialities of many ethnic groups featuring vegetables, flowers, crafts, and more.

Photo Exhibition

16 - 25 January 

Photos showing the daily activities of ethnic people in their villages.

Performances

17 and 24 January 

More than 20 performances demonstrating various traditional songs and dances.

Childhood Fun

17 - 18 and 24 - 25 January 

A great day out for the family. Children can have fun taking part in traditional folk games and make handicrafts with the help of local artisans.

A Pottery Village

17 - 18 and 24 - 25 January 

An introduction to pottery making by artisans from Bau Truc pottery village.

1. Choose the correct answer A, B, or C to fill in each blank to complete the passage.

(Chọn đáp án đúng A, B hoặc C điền vào mỗi chỗ trống để hoàn thành đoạn văn.)

The Kate Festival

The Kate Festival is (1) _________ most important festival of the Cham in VietNam. It is held for three days at the beginning of October. The main ceremony takes (2) ________ in Po Rume, Po Nugar, and Po Klong Garai towers in Ninh Thuan Province. The festival helps people remember Cham heroes and (3) __________ their ancestors. It is also a time for people to relax, visit each other, and wish others (4) ___________ luck. For festival goers, it is a great opportunity to (5) _________ the beauty in the Cham culture. The ceremony starts with people calling their ancestors and gods. Then, they (6) ________ for health and prosperity. The festival follows with (7) ________ traditional music and dance performances. The festival is full (8) ________ sounds and colours, and is a wonderful time for both the locals and visitors.

1. A. O                                    B. a                                      C. the

2. A. place                             B. time                                 C. effort

3. A. worship                         B. offer                                C. miss

4. A. nice                               B. good                                C. happy

5. A. look                              B. experience                       C. show

6. A. search                           B. work                                 C. pray

7. A. the                                B. O                                       C. a

8. A. of                                 B. with                                   C. for

2. Read the passage and choose the correct option A, B or C for each question.

(Đọc đoạn văn và chọn phương án đúng A, B hoặc C cho mỗi câu hỏi.)

A Longevity Celebration

On the fifth day of Tet, Binh An Village holds a longevity celebration for elderly people over 70. This tradition has continued for centuries in the village.

In the morning, everyone dresses nicely and walks to the village temple. According to tradition, the elderly wear traditional ao dai. They sit at the most honourable place. The village leaders congratulate them. They offer each elder a "longevity flag" and a bunch of flowers. Then, each family takes photographs with their elders. At noon, families hold a home party for their elders. It is customary for the family members to cook for their elders. The traditional dishes served are five-colour sticky rice, steamed chicken, spring rolls, and deep-fried fish.

The longevity celebration is important to all villagers. It is an opportunity for them to show their respect to the elders. It is also a great time for family gatherings.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. A celebration for the elderly.

B. A spring festival.

C. A cooking contest.

2. How do people go to the village temple?

A. By car.

B. By motorbike.

C. On foot.

3. According to the passage, what do the elders NOT do during the official ceremony?

A. Sit at an honourable place.

B. Take photographs of the event.

C. Receive congratulations from other people.

4. Who cooks at the home party?

A. The elderly.

B. The nearby restaurant.

C. The family members.

5. The celebration is important to Binh An villagers because

A. it shows that they respect the elders

B. it is an opportunity to admire their culture

C. it is a great opportunity for them to gather

3. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.

(Đọc đoạn văn và thực hiện các nhiệm vụ sau.)

Popular Traditions in Britain

When one thinks of the British, one often imagines people drinking tea and eating fish and chips. But there are many other traditions that British people have maintained for centuries.

Pancake Day

Pancake Day is also called Shrove Tuesday, and it is a day people make pancakes. They hold a pancake race. Runners wear a traditional apron and scarf and carry a pan with a pancake in it. They have to flip the pancake as they run. The first person to reach the finish line with their pancake is the winner.

Christmas

Christmas is on 25th December but people prepare for it long before the event. Christmas trees are everywhere. People decorate the trees and place gifts under them. They cook traditional foods, wear their best clothes, and have family reunions.

New Year Countdown

On New Year's Eve, crowds gather at Trafalgar Square or Piccadilly Circus to wait for the start of the new year. At midnight, there is a huge fireworks celebration over the London Eye, followed by Big Ben ringing in the New Year and people Singing Auld Lang Syne.

a. Tick (✓) T (True) or F (False).

(Đánh dấu (V) T (Đúng) hoặc F (Sai).)

1. The British are famous for the tradition of coffee drinking.

2. Pancake Day always falls on a Wednesday.

3. Christmas is a time for family gatherings.

4. Many British people go outdoors to count down for the new year.

5. At the turning of the new year, there is a fireworks display on Big Ben.

b. Match the information with the traditions. Some traditions can be used twice.

(Nối thông tin với truyền thống. Một số truyền thống có thể được sử dụng hai lần)

6.  Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

(Đọc đoạn văn sau và chọn câu trả lời đúng cho mỗi câu hỏi.)

In southern Australia, there is a town where chimneys rise from the sand and there are big red signs warning people of "unmarked holes". This town is Coober Pedy, often known as the "underground" town.

Coober Pedy is a small town over 1,000 miles from Canberra, the country's capital. Today it has about 1,800 residents. Originally, residents of Coober Pedy were opal miners, and even today it is still a mining town.

The Coober Pedy region is mostly a treeless desert. Very little plant life exists due to the region's low rainfall and intense heat, so most of the residents live underground to escape the heat. They call their underground homes "dugouts". These dugouts remain at a constant temperature, while surface buildings need air conditioning. The average maximum temperature is 30-32°C, but it can get quite cool in the winter.

There are a number of underground hotels and tourist shops in the town. The town has become a popular stopover point and tourist destination.

1. What is special about people in Coober Pedy?

A. They are coal miners.

B. They live underground.

C. They need air conditioning.

D. They receive many tourists.

2. People in Coober Pedy live in "dugouts" because

A. very little plant life exists

B. they can do the mining there

C. it is much cooler there

D. there are many hotels there

3. The underlined word "it" in the passage refers to

A. Canberra

B. capital city

C. opal

D. Coober Pedy

4. The underlined word "intense" in the passage probably means

A. strong

B. quiet

C. weak

D. interesting

5. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

A. There are big red warning signs in Coober Pedy.

B. Houses underground in Coober Pedy are called "dugouts".

C. The average temperature in Coober Pedy region is 30-32°C.

D. There are a lot of tourist shops in the town.

7. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer for each blank.

(Đọc đoạn văn sau và chọn câu trả lời đúng cho mỗi chỗ trống.)

Each country has its own special traditions and customs just as individuals have their own (1) ___________ and daily routines. Many people find it difficult to get used to the customs of another country (2) __________ they go abroad. For example, in some Asian countries, people do not usually finish everything on their plates, because it is a (3) _________ that they have not had enough to eat. Visitors from the West find it difficult to (4) ________ used to this, because they usually eat everything up to show that they liked it. When an Asian host sees their (5) ____________ plates, he usually assumes that they want more.

1.

A. habits                            

B. fashions                             

C. styles                            

D. practices

2.

A. where                            

B. after                                               

C. when                          

D. why

3.

A. symbol                          

B. icon                                    

C. warning                     

D. sign

4.

A. make                             

B. get                                      

C. maintain                    

D. look

5.

A. clear                             

B. empty                                

C. vacant                           

D. blank