2 X F2F Class Notes (Vicki)

Speaking exercise

A: Tell me about your favorite Chinese holiday

My favorite holiday is Spring Festival. Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China. People will return to their hometowns and have a long holiday to relax and be happy with their families. People will reunite with their families. Young people working away from home outside and students in a foreign country or province, they don’t have too much time to spend with their families reunite with their families. During this holiday, these people will have a chance to improve their relationships with the family. This holiday brings people together. it can help them to add more relationships with their families. People can get money from their older relatives. It is called “red pocket”. It brings good luck and good fortune to the person receiving it. And we can set off fireworks and we can play majong with your our good friends. Also the Spring Festival brings us a New Year to have more hope for a new year.

We will prepare a table on the night before, and we have to pay respect to our older relatives in ways such as burning some fake money and bowing to the sky. And we will reunite to watch the tv shows after our meal tables . In the morning, we have to put “dui lian” on the door with glue.

A: Tell me about your favorite western holiday

Christmas Day is my favorite. I feel interested in fresh about the holidays of foreign countries and Christmas Day is the most important in Europe, and even in America. Although the temperature is low but the atmosphere is high. People will prepare the Xmas tree and gifts for their lovers and friends. And the Xmas music will be played all around town. During the Xmas day, we can go skiing if it is snowing. And we can see the traditions of foreign people learn more cultures. And we can learn about the traditions and culture of foreign people/countries. 
Another reason is my good friends, her birthday is Xmas Day. -> Another reason is that my good friend’s birthday is on Xmas Day. 

My good friend is in another country. Sometimes I can fly to celebrate her birthday in her country. So I can feel deeply happiness of this day. So I can deeply feel the happiness of this day. 

Vocabulary

unite – to come together

reunite – to come together again

outside – the physical space outside of somewhere

away from home / working away in Shanghai – they are working in a different place

improve – to make sth better

set off – yin bao
i.e. He set off a bomb.
i.e. We are setting off fireworks for the holiday.

set (v.) – she zhi
i.e. I set the temperature to 25 degrees because I was hot.

pay respect to sb – ji dian

glue – jiao shui

all around town – everywhere

ultimate (adj.) – the final and the most complete
i.e. I have found the ultimate hamburger you can ever have.

rank – the position on a list (pai ming)

bucket list – a list of things or places that we should do or go to before we die
i.e. France is on my bucket list. –> I wish I will go to France at least once before I die.

unmissable (adj.) – cannot be missed

issue (v.) – publish
i.e. This company issues magazines.
i.e. Vogue just issued a new magazine.

companion (n.) – ban lv (someone beside you)

armchair travel – 云旅游

refuel (v.) – motivate (鼓励)

fuel (v.) – to put gas in a car (加油)
i.e. I need to fuel my car.

wanderlust (n.) – someone who always want to go travel

feature (v.) – has 配有
i.e. The car features a new radio.

picture-perfect (adj.) – anything or anyone so beautiful that they look perfect in picture

wish-list – 愿望清单
i.e. So your birthday is coming. What’s on your wish-list? —-> What do you want for your birthday?

brilliance (n.) – 优秀度

brilliant (adj.) – very good

in order of sth. – 根据sth排序

I turned off the lights in order to avoid power shortage.

knock-out (adj.) – so very good
i.e. She is a knock-out girl. —–> She is absolutely gorgeous.

new openings – 新店开张

up someone’s game – improve

relevant (adj.) – 息息相关的

relate (v.) – relate to sth.

recommend –

Reading

A travel guidebook company has released its list of the best places on Earth to visit. It is the Lonely Planet’s “Ultimate Travel List”. It ranks 500 of the must-see places to add to your bucket list. It is only the second time this list of unmissable travel experiences has been issued. The guidebook company said its guide is, “designed to be a companion to your armchair travels or the tool to refuel your wanderlust“. It added that the book, “features more than 200 new destinations in a picture-perfect wish-list, each ranked in order of brilliance.” Lonely Planet said: “The list contains a mix of knock-out new openings, sights that have upped their game, or places more relevant to the way we travel now.”

Homework

Review the vocab and write about the episode of “Modern Family” that you watched