THANKSGIVING DAY IN THE UNITED STATES

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday.

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the United States.

©iStockphoto.com/Olga Lyubkina

What do people do?

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.

Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.

Public life

Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

Thanksgiving Day it is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic.

Background

Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.

There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.

In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.

Now, watch the video 23 Thanksgiving Food Facts.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

BONFIRE NIGHT (5th NOVEMBER)

What do you know about these celebrations which take place in_______? Click here and watch the video. Then, do the exercises to check if you inderstood it well.

GOOD WORK!!!

REVISION EXERCISES

Here are some exercises which you should complete in order to prepare yourselves to the English test:

QUANTIFIERS:

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

RELATIVE CLAUSES:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

The 3 C's of Life

LISTENING COMPREHENSION: HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Watch and listen to the video and do the exercices. Click here and... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Bom dia a todos!

Amanhã 2 de maio de 2014 devem estar na escola às 8:15, tal como combinado.

Não levem mochilas e já sabem que os telemóveis devem estar desligados à saída do autocarro e serão

 colocados num saco que ficará com a DT.

Lembrem-se de tomar um bom pequeno almoço, pois não podem levar lanche.

O CCB fornecerá lanche e almoço.

É importante cumprir todas as instruções dadas no local.

Até amanhã e bom feriado!!!!!!!!

SOME USEFUL TIPS

EARTH HOUR

DON'T FORGET!!! IT'S TODAY...

Watch this video and decide if the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE:

1. Spider-Man is the first Superhero Ambassador for Earth Hour. 
2. Earth Hour is a movement that has created little impact around the world. 
3.Earth Hour is about people from around the world joining forces to improve
the planet.
4. Uganda planted 500,000 trees. 
5. Argentina protected 4 million hectares of sea. 
6.Earth Hour will launch the world's second crowdfunding and crowdsourcing
platform for the planet.
7. Lights On for the Reef is another Earth Hour project. 
8. You can find out more information at earthhour.org.

DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES

Click on the following link and do the exercises:

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

GOOD WORK!!!!

ORDERING A MEAL (Listening Exercise)

Click here, listen and answer the questions.

GOOD WORK!!!

ENGLISH RESTAURANT PHRASES

Click here to watch a video and learn simple greetings, how to place your order and what to do when the check arrives.

GOOD WORK!!!

QUANTIFIERS

Here you have some more exercises to practise:

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

GOOD WORK!!!

SUPER BOWL SNACK FACTS

This is a listening activity based on a short YouTube video from "The Food Feeder" about Americans' Super Bowl eating habits. Watch and listen to it and complete the following exercises with the information provided.

A.  ¨I'm a big fan of any event that involves _________ and _________ which is why I also love _______________ and ____________.¨

B. ¨The Super Bowl is as famous for its ______ as it is for the ___________.¨

C. What is the first highest food consumption day in the US?
     a) Super Bowl Sunday
     b) Thanksgiving
     c) Christmas Eve

D. On average, how many wings does a person eat during the Super Bowl?  

E. How many avocados are consumed during the Super Bowl?

F. _______% of 7-Eleven's next-day business comes from the sale of ________________.

G. What is the top seller at supermarkets on Super Bowl Sunday?

(The first student to answer correctly in the comments section of this blog will get a prize)

GAP FILLING EXERCISE

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

 

bill    fast food    cookery books    eat out    recipe    dish    menu 

  

take-away    ingredients    waiter    snack    tip

 

I’m a terrible cook. I’ve tried hard but it’s no use. I’ve got lots of (a) __________, I choose a (b) __________ I want to cook, I read the (c) __________, I prepare all the necessary (d) __________ and follow the instructions. But the result is terrible, and I just have a sandwich or some other quick (e) __________. So I often (f) __________. I don’t like grand restaurants. It’s not the expense, it’s just that I don’t feel at ease in them. First the (g) __________ gives me a (h) __________ which I can’t understand because it’s complicated and has lots of foreign words. At the end of the meal I pay the (i) __________ I never know how much to leave as a (j) __________. I prefer (k) __________ places, like hamburger shops where you pay at once and sit down and eat straightaway. And I like (l) __________ places, where you can buy a meal in a special container and take it home.

 

 

(The first student to answer correctly to this exercise in the "Comments" section of this post, will get a special prize)

AT THE RESTAURANT

Read these dialogues and then answer the questions.

A)

Waitress: Can I take your order?

Les: Yes, I’d like a double cheeseburger with large fries, a side salad and an apple pie, please.

Ron: But Les, what about your diet?

Les: Oh, yes, I forgot! Can I have a Diet Coke too, please?

B)

Waiter: Good evening, sir. May I take your order?

Tim: yes, please, I’ll have the vegetable soup to start with.

Waiter: And for the main course?

Tim: I’m not sure. What’s today special?

Waiter: It’s grilled fish with carrots.

Tim: That sounds nice. I’ll have that, please.

Waiter: Would you like anything to drink?

Tim: A large glass of mineral water, please.

Waiter: Thank you


Answer these questions:

1. What food and drinks are mentioned in the dialogues?

2.  What phrases are used to ask for food and drink?

3.   What phrases are used to offer food and drink?

4.   What phrases are used to decide what food or drink to order?

FOOD (MATCHING EXERCISE)

Match the following words with the correct food.

an apple…	cornflakes…	a peach…	bagels…	crisps/chips…
bananas…	a boiled egg…	peppers…	beans…	fish…
pizza…	biscuits…	grapes…	rice…	bread…
lentils…	soup…	bread rolls…	lettuce…	spaghetti…
brócoli…	meat…	spices…	a burger…	milk…
spring onions…	carrots…	olives…	a strawberry…	cauliflower…
an onion…	sugar…	cheese…	an orange…	tea…
chicken…	orange juice…	tomatoes…	coffee…	pasta…