Дополнительные задания к книге “Britain in Brief” В.В. Ощепковой и И.И. Шустиловой
сontinued from No. 24 2007
HABITS AND WAYS
Text 6. Easter
Although the Christian religion gave the world Easter as we know it today, the celebration owes its name and many of its customs and symbols to a pagan festival called Eostre. Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime and sunrise, got her name from the word ‘east’, where the sun rises. Every spring northern European peoples celebrated the festival of Eostre to honour the awakening of new life in nature. Christians related the rising of the sun to the resurrection of Jesus and their own spiritual rebirth.
Many modern Easter symbols come from pagan times. The egg, for instance, was a fertility symbol long before the Christian era. The ancient Persians, Greeks, and Chinese exchanged eggs at their spring festivals. In Christian times the egg took on a new meaning symbolizing the tomb from which Christ rose. The ancient custom of dyeing eggs at Easter time is still very popular.
The Easter bunny also originated in pre-Christian fertility lore. The rabbit was the most fertile animal our ancestors knew, so they selected it as a symbol of new life. Today, children enjoy eating candy bunnies and listening to stories about the Easter bunny, who supposedly brings Easter eggs in a fancy basket.
REFERENCES
Easter Пасха
pagan языческий
fertility symbol символ плодородия
bunny ласк. кролик, тж. rabbit
I. COMPREHENSION
1. Are the following statements true or false? If the statement is false, say why it is and correct it.
1. The word ‘Easter’ originated from the word ‘east’.
2. Easter is associated with spring and the time when Christ resurrected.
3. The ancient Persians, Greeks, and Chinese exchanged books at their spring festivals.
4. Dyeing eggs is a modern Easter custom.
5. The rabbit is a symbol of new life and fertility.
2. Choose from the list below word combinations used in the text and use them in sentences of your own:
| Easter Sunday | Easter basket |
| Easter bonnet | Easter bunny |
| Easter egg | Easter Monday |
II. VOCABULARY
Match the words that are similar in meaning.
| 1. sunrise | a) rebirth |
| 2. relate | b) forefather |
| 3. resurrection | c) come from |
| 4. ancestor | d) connect |
| 5. originate | e) dawn |