1. Read the quotations. Are you agree with them?
Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.
Steve Maraboli
My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?
Bob Hope
Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind ...
Calvin Coolidge
2. Read the text.
Christian or Not, Most Americans Celebrate Christmas
Christmas is the most widely celebrated religious holiday in the United States. In Christianity, the day honours the birth of Jesus. Many Christians go to church on Christmas Eve – the night before the holiday – or on Christmas Day. Christian ministers speak about the need for peace and understanding in the world. Peace and harmony is the spiritual message of Christmas. But many Americans celebrate Christmas as an important, but non-religious, holiday. Americans buy presents for family members and friends. They decorate their homes with evergreen trees and bright, coloured lights. They go to parties and prepare traditional Christmas foods – especially sweets. Another Christmas tradition is to go carolling. A group of people walks along the street. At each house, they stop and sing a Christmas song, called a carol. Student groups also sing carols at schools and shopping centres. Christmas is probably the most special day of the year for children. One thing that makes it special is the popular tradition of Santa Claus. Young children believe that Santa Claus is a fat, kindly old man in a red suit with white fur. They believe that – on the night before Christmas – he travels through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He enters each house from the top by sliding down the hole in the fireplace. He leaves gifts for the children under the Christmas tree. Some people object to how much money Americans spend on Christmas. They say buying things is not the real meaning of the holiday. So, they celebrate in other ways. For example, they make Christmas presents instead of buying them. Or they volunteer to help serve meals to people who have no homes. Or they give money to organizations that help people in the United States and around the world.
3. Choose True or False. Correct the false statements.
- Clergymen speak about peace and mutual understanding in the world. True or False
- Many Americans consider Christmas to be the most important religious holiday. True or False
- It is possible to see people singing carols in front of the houses, at schools and shopping centres. True or False
- Americans believe that buying presents is the main purpose of Christmas celebration. True or False
Источник: https://lingualeo.com/ru/jungle/christian-or-not-most-americans-celebrate-christmas-365585