2015英语课程设计.ppt

Unit Six 1.Leading in and exploring the topic: Celebration of Holidays 2.Section A: Happy New Year 3.Section B: Christmas Traditions 4.Section C: Practical Writing Writing Personal Letters Leading In and Exploring the Topic 1.What do holidays mean to you? 2.How do you usually spend your holidays? 3.Which holiday is most important to you? Why? You can imagine that after all that celebrating, many Americans begin the first day of the New Year a little tired. They are usually quite happy to spend a quiet day at home, watching the most popular New Years Day activities on television.  　For millions of people around the world, the very word Christmas brings warmth and joy to their hearts and homes. To some, it is simply a very popular holiday. But for many, it honors the birth of Jesus Christ. Here is a brief history of Christmas and some of the traditions connected with it.  ? Why December 25th? Well, during the first two centuries after Jesus death, Christmas was not celebrated at all. Various attempts were made to determine the date of birth of Jesus, and at first, May 20th became the favored date. By the middle of the fourth century, however, Pope Julius selected December 25th as the day on which to celebrate Christs birth. Before that, December 25th had been a widely celebrated day in the Roman world. On that date, people honored a Roman sun god. Many modern Christmas customs, such as having a tree in the house and preparing special meals, came from this ancient celebration.  ? Lets decorate the tree! The Christmas tree tradition was started in Germany in the late fifteenth century. At that time, there was a popular theater play which included a fir tree hung with apples. Today, more than 80 percent of American families buy and decorate a tree at Christmas.  How many Christmas cards do you usually send?  The first commercial Christmas cards were made in London in 1843. A rich man paid an artist to design a car