Read the text, analyze the information. Express your opinion about New Zealand way of life.

New Zealand have a high standard of living. New Zealanders eat more butter and meat per person than do the people of any other country. The government's medical program provides excellent health care. About 70% of New Zealand people own their houses. Almost every family has a car.

Most New Zealanders live in singlefamily houses with a small vegetable gardens. In the larger cities, some people live in highrise apartment buildings. Almost in every New Zealand home there are refrigerators, wash mashines, and other modern electrical appliances. But air conditioning and central heating are rare because the weather rarely becomes extremely hot or extremely cold. In summer, New Zealanders prefer to keep windows open. In winter, fireplaces or electric heater keep the homes warm.

Although about fourfifths of New Zealand's population live in urban areas, cities are uncrowded. Traffic jams seldom occur, even in downtown areas. Large cities have excellent restaurants, milk bars, theatres, concert halls, and other places of entertainment. City life in New Zealand tends to be rather quiet. However it is changing in larger cities, where international tourism is developing rapidly.

Near a fifth of New Zealand's people live in rural areas — in some of them, small settlements are linked by good roads. But in other areas, rancher's nearest neighbours may live kilometers away. Some ranchers live almost in isolation.

Nevertheless, most farms and ranches have electricity. Many farm families run their farms with little or no hired help.

 

UNIT VII

HOLIDAYS

CHRISTMAS

 

Read the texts, analyze the information. Express your opinion about Christmas celebration in different lands.

 

Christmas in England

 

In English speaking countries, children don’t get their presents on Christmas Eve (24 December). Santa comes at night when everyone is asleep. Santa’s reindeer can fly and take him from house to house. They land on the roofs of the houses and then Santa climbs down the chimney to leave the presents under the Christmas tree.

In the morning of Christmas Day (25 December), children usually get up very early to unwrap their presents. Then they have plenty of time to play with their new toys.

Christmas dinner is served in the early afternoon. Most people eat turkey and sprouts and a Christmas pudding.

26 December is called Boxing Day. It hasn’t always been a holiday. People used to go back to work on that day where their bosses gave them little Christmas presents in small boxes. That’s why the day is called Boxing Day.

Christmas in New Zealand

 

New Zealand is on the southern hemisphere. Our winter is their summer, so New Zealanders celebrate Christmas in the warm summer sun. Many flowers and trees are in bloom at this time of the year, for example the pohutukawa. The pohutukawa tree grows on the North Island, mainly in coastal areas and has lovely red blossoms. Therefore New Zealanders call the pohutukawa their Christmas tree.

As it is usually quite warm on Christmas Day, New Zealanders can eat their Christmas dinner outside. Many people have a picnic or a barbecue. And some people even have a traditional Maori hangi: they dig a hole in the ground and heat it with hot stones. Then they put meat and vegetables into this hole, cover the hole and let the food cook inside. The hangi is served in the afternoon or evening; after the delicious meal, people often sit around and sing Christmas carols.

Some New Zealanders can’t get enough of Christmas–they celebrate it twice each year: on 25 December and in July, which is mid-winter in New Zealand. So if you go to New Zealand in July, you may find hotels and restaurants fully decorated for Christmas.

Christmas in the USA

Christmas is Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For millions of Christmas throughout the world it is the happiest and the busiest time of the year. No one knows the exact date of Christ’s birth but most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25. The world Christmas comes from Christes maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ.

People of different countries celebrate Christmas in various ways. People in the United States and Canada decorate their homes with Christmas trees, wreaths and ornaments. City streets are filled with colored lights; the sound of bells and Christmas carols can be heard everywhere.

Children write letters to Santa Claus and tell him what presents they would like to get. Many department stores hire people to a Santa Claus costume and listen to children’s requests. People send Christmas cards to relatives and friends. Many companies give presents to their employees.

A Christmas tree is one of the main symbols of Christmas in most homes. Relatives and friends may join in trimming the tree with lights, tinsel, and colorful ornaments. Presents are placed under the tree. On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, families open their presents. Many children believe that Santa Claus arrives on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and brings present. Some children hang up stockings so Santa Claus can fill them with candy, fruits and other small gifts.

In many parts of the United States and Canada groups of people walk from house to house and sing Christmas carols. Some people give singers money or small gifts or invite them for a warm drink. Many people attend church services on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. They listen to readings from Bible and singing Christmas carols.

A traditional Christmas dinner consist of stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce a variety of other dishes. Some families have ham or roast goose instead of turkey. Pumpkin pie, plum pudding, and fruitcake are favorite desserts.

Christmas in Australia

 

Most Australians have been dreaming of a white Christmas for centuries. But the traditional European Christmas is just a myth for Australians. Santas wearing thick woollen clothes don't fit with Australia's thirty-degree heat. Thankfully things are changing fast. Now they have their own Christmas, Australian style.

Australia is a country which is largely made up of desert and sandy beaches. For the first settlers, two hundred years ago, a plate of corned meat and a mug of billy tea might have been the best Christmas dinner available. As a new nation developed and grew richer, people tried to recreate the kind of Christmas that they used to have in Europe.

Christmas in Australia happens in the summer. However, we tried our best to deny the reality of a summer Christmas. In the class-room, children learned songs like Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells. Up until recently, the only Christmas cards published portrayed white winter Christmases. All this was a bit ridiculous in a country where 80 per cent of the land has never witnessed a snowflake, even in winter.

However, the last ten years have witnessed some big changes in the Australian lifestyle. Many Australians now believe that the country should break its connections with Britain and the British Queen.

Now Australians see themselves as inhabitants of the Asia Pacific region. So now Christmas has got an Australian identity.

It's rare to find a flake of snow on Christmas cards these days. Now the publishers print Christmas cards with native Australian animals and landscape scenes of the Australian bush.

On Christmas day you'll find a large percentage of kids on the beach playing with their new surfboards, building sandcastles rather than snowmen. Indeed one of the most typical Australian Christmas presents is a beach towel.

it's not only with food and gifts that Australian Christmases differ from European ones. Because of the weather, the atmosphere of Christmas is different.

Instead of being a serious time where most families are indoors, Australians are usually outdoors in shorts and Tshirts, taking a cold six-pack of beer to a friend's barbecue.

There are loads of summer festivals with people celebrating Christmas in carnival style. What is unique though is something that most Australians are starting to dream of. That is a Christmas of sunshine, surf and sand. Although to many Europeans this may seem strange, to many Australians it's now the only Christmas worth dreaming of.

 

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS