Step by Step 3000 Unit 10

I'm a pig, my son is a rabbit, I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about our Chinese zodiac signs. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That's why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon.

February the 18th is Chinese New Year and 2007 is the year of the pig, so let's take a closer look at this interesting animal.

Pigs were first domesticated by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don't just use pigs for their meat—almost every part of the animal is used. The bones and skin are used for glue and footballs. The hair is used for artists' brushes and insulation. The fat is used in the manufacture of insecticides, floor waxes, rubber and plastics. Amazingly, pigs are a source of nearly 40 pharmaceutical drugs and their heart valves can be used in surgery to replace human ones.

Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film Babe starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for 6 more.

In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by staging pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People just don't want to eat pigs, it seems!

Pigs also feature in the English language. To say that something is unlikely to happen you can say "Pigs might fly!" A man that thinks men are superior to women is a "chauvinist pig". Hungry? Well then, you can "pig out" and eat lots of food. And what about if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they "saved your bacon".

If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune. Happy Chinese New Year!

Tapescript:

"Kung Hei Fat Choi ! " That's a phrase that has been heard many times in London's Chinatown over the last few days. Why? Because it's Chinese New Year, and the UK's Chinese community are celebrating the Year of the Dog.

This year the celebrations have been more spectacular than ever with more than 200,000 people congregating to watch a huge parade of lions, dragons, drums, and ribbon and fan dancers. The procession made its way from Chinatown to Trafalgar Square, the very heart of London.

London has a proud history of multiculturalism, and the Chinese community is one of the oldest in the city. Chinese immigrants first came to London in the mid-19th Century, consisting mainly of seamen involved in the tea trade via Canton. For that reason Cantonese is still spoken more widely in the UK than Mandarin.

A more recent wave of immigration took place in the 1960s when many workers came from Hong Kong to find work in the flourishing restaurant business. One part of the central London neighborhood of Soho became synonymous with Chinese restaurants and began to be known as Chinatown.

Today more than 60,000 people of Chinese descent live in London which means that there are plenty of people to conduct the New Year festivities.

This year's celebrations include more than 100 events from lion-dancing to elephant chess, whilstLondon's museums, art galleries and theatres are running special Chinese-themed seasons.

Much of this has been organized through partnerships between Chinese community groups and the Mayor of London's office. Indeed, London's Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been an outspoken advocate of strengthening ties between the UK and China. In his Chinese New Year speech he said, "To everyone in China, think of London as your second home. "

So whether you are in London, Beijing or Hong Kong, have a happy Chinese New Year.

7.At the turn of the 20th century dozens of time balls were being dropped around the world.

8. A few time balls are still ceremonially dropped around the world, ranging from New Zealand to the Old

Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

B Listen to a news report about the lowering of the time ball. Answer the questions with key words.

1.Why is it said that many places around the world will mark the start of the New Year in an

old-fashioned way?

time ball dropping / 19th century naval tradition

2.How many places in the world will observe the naval tradition? 20 sites / 6 continents

3.What was the real function of the time balls in the past?

visual time signals / give the time

4.Who dropped the first time ball and when?

British Navy / 1829

5.What is the difference between the time ball dropping this year and the usual practice?

normally at noon / this year midnight

6.What were the first time balls made of?

wood & leather

7.When is the real start of the new millennium according to Steven Dick?

year 2001

C Now listen to a faster presentation of the material. Check your answers.

Tapescript:

In this age of ultra-high technology, many places around the world will mark the start of the New Year in an old-fashioned way. They will revive a 19th century naval tradition by dropping time balls when 2000 ar-

nves.

Twenty sites on six continents will observe a tradition best exemplified by the lowering of the lighted time ball in New York City. "As the New Year sweeps around the world, beginning at the Inter-

national Date Line, we are going to have the time balls dropping. " Steven Dick is a historian at the U. S. Naval Observatory, the institution that maintains the U. S. master clock.

" Everyone is familiar with the time ball in New York's Times Square, but they had a real function in the past. In the 19th century these were visual time signals which were used to give the time. "

Mr Dick says the British Navy dropped the first time ball in Portsmouth, England in 1829. The first U. S. time ball fell in Washington in 1844."This remained a viable signaling method through much of the 19th century. They were dropped well into the 20th century. At the turn of the century 100 years ago there were approximately two dozen in the United States that were still in use. "

Time balls normally fell at noon local time in the United States and at 1: 00 p. m. in Europe, the beginning of the fall marking the exact time. But this year would see them drop at midnight locally.

The first time balls, about one and half meters in diameter, were made of wood and leather and hoisted manually by rope to drop by gravity. Eventually in several instances, electrical motors or mechanism using water or air pressure were employed. And in some time, materials changed. The Greenwich ball is now aluminum. For this New Year some time balls will have a local flavor.

"Miami will be raising an orange. I understand Atlanta will drop a peach. "

Steven Dick said San Francisco is to join the event next year when the U. S. Naval Observatory again sponsors an international time ball drop to signal what he says is the real start of the new millennium.

Part What's your New Year's

resolution?

Key words:

New Year celebration resolution

. f t

Hogmanay parties alcohol celebration pub

resolution health shopping bargain sales

Tapescript:

New Year in the UK usually starts with a celebration on New Year's Eve (31st December) . Some people spend the evening at home with their family, or have a party for friends at their house.

Others go to a pub to celebrate, or spend the evening in a large public space, for example Trafalgar Square in London.

The beginning of the New Year is signified by the chiming of Big Ben, the famous London clock, at midnight, which is also shown on TV for those who are staying in.

In Scotland, New Year is called Hogmanay, and for some people, it's a bigger celebration than Christmas. In big cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow there are street parties with around 100 , 000 people, enjoying music, entertainment and fireworks at midnight.

One Scottish tradition which is now popular throughout the UK as well as in the USA, is the singing of a traditional folk song. Auld lang syne, reminds us to think of old friends and remember the good times of the past, as we look to the future.

Although New Year's Eve involves drinking alcohol for many people, New Year's Day signals the start of a healthier life, as some people make New Year's resolutions.

Often these are connected with fitness and health, for example giving up smoking or drinking, takingmore exercise or losing weight. Other people make a resolution to improve their life in other ways, such as spending more time with family, learning something new, or getting out of debt.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to stick to your resolutions, especially if they are related to saving money. The January sales can provide shopaholics with far too much temptation.

Almost every shop is full of special offers and bargains, which can make it hard to just go window shopping.