Lịch sử của ngày Halloween:
Ngày Halloween rơi vào ngày 31/10 hằng năm. Không chỉ ở phạm vi Bắc Mỹ, ngày lễ này ngày càng trở nên phổ biến trên phạm vi toàn cầu. Bạn có tổ chức ngày lễ này không? Sau đây là một bài đọc về lịch sử của ngày lễ Halloween. Trước khi làm bài đọc, bạn có thể tham khảo một số từ mới sẽ xuất hiện trong bài sau đây:
1. to evolve (v): to change little by little (tiến triển, tiến hóa)
2. spirit (n): ghost, some people believe the spirit and body separate when a person dies (ma, linh hồn)
3. holy (adj): sacred, very good, related to religion (thần thánh, linh thiêng)
4. Hallow (v) (comes from the word holy): thần thánh hóa, linh thiêng hóa
5. saint (n): an honored, holy person (vị thánh)
6. evil (adj): very, very bad (độc ác, xấu xa)
7. lantern (n): lamp or enclosed light that can be carried around (đèn lồng)
8. turnip (n): a purple and white vegetable that grows in the ground (cây củ cải)
Đọc bài đọc sau và kiểm tra khả năng đọc hiểu của bạn bằng cách quyết định xem 8 câu sau đó là True hay False (Đúng hay Sai):
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Like many other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.
More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1 All Saints Day (also called All Hallows.) This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.
Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.
The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o lanterns today.
These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and say "trick or treat." The owner of each house gives candy or something special to each trick or treater.
Sau khi đọc bài, bạn kiểm tra khả năng đọc hiểu của mình bằng cách làm bài trắc nghiệm True/False sau đây:
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