Advanced Spoken

Class 14

New Year’s Day 1…………. of course first day of the year. It is a national holiday in most
countries around the world. It is a time when families 2……….. together and celebrate with a
meal. Many people make new plans for the rest of the year. These plans are called New Year
resolutions. People decide to 3_.............. get fit, stop smoking, study English every day or
save lots of money. I think most people are 4………… about plans on January 1st, but then
forget about them before the end of the week. Then one year later, it’s New Year’s Day all
5………… again people make the same resolutions again. I guess people all around the
world make the same kinds of plans. I guess they also break resolutions at the same time.

One 6_.............. I like New Year’s Day are the TV programmes that look back at the
previous year. They are like highlights shows of the news. These always 7………….. me
how lucky I am because a lot of the news is about wars, famines, natural disasters, plane
crashes and other 8_............... things. The shows also look back at the lives of people who
died that year. Hmmm… That was 9_............... a bit depressing really. But then there are
happier things, like the top sports and music stories. Another thing that happens on New
Year’s Day is lists. The top ten movies of the year, the ten best sporting achievements of the
year, etc. There is even a list for the top ten new English words of the year. Previous
10………… of this are the words ‘blog’ and ‘podcast’.

How to extend answers

where so but If because
I like going shopping There is a large but he doesn’t If I need to buy because she
with my sister. There shopping mall like shopping! something expensive always pays
is a big shopping too, so like new shoes then I for them.
centre in the town sometimes I go with my mum,
where I live. take my younger
brother,

IELTS Speaking Part 1… New Year

1. How do most people celebrate New Year in your country?

2. Do you believe New Year is a day to be celebrated?
3. Do you take resolutions in New Year? How many of them do you follow?
4. Is there anything you would like to carry from the last year to the new one?
5. What is your opinion on having to work on New Year’s Day?

93
 Advanced Spoken
Class 14

Reading & Speaking on “New Year”

New Year Parties

Most people celebrate the New Year, and many of them do that by attending a party.
Some parties may be small while others will be quite big. Some parties will be at a
person’s home while other might be outside in a city center.

The simplest and smallest New Year parties are those that a single family will have in
their own house. This is where the parents and children will just spend time together.
Some years a family will spend time like this and then in other years they will go to
other types of parties. Often the family at a house party will eat a meal together and
then wait for midnight. While waiting they play games, watch television, or talk to
each other.

Another type of party will be where someone will invite a group of friends to their
house for a celebration. This will be a bit of a bigger party, and depending on the size
of the house ten to thirty people may attend. If there are not many people at the party
they may sit down and eat a formal meal, while for a bigger party it will be a buffet
where people stand up and help themselves to food. Often the people who come to the
party will each bring something to share that everyone can eat.

The biggest parties that happen are public parties in the middle of some cities. For
these parties, groups of friends will spend the evening and night outside, often visiting
several different pubs and bars. They might have a drink in one pub and then walk to
another pub where they will have another drink. When it is getting close to midnight
most of the people will finish their drink in the bar or pub and go to some central point
in the city. At this place there will be a big countdown to midnight and the start of the
New Year. After midnight the people will then either go home or go to a nightclub so
they can celebrate for even longer.

As people get older the type of party they attend may change. A young person may go
out to a big city center party while an older person may just want to spend time at
home with their family.

1) Who attends the smallest type of party?

2) When a part has a buffet, who supplies the food?
3) Who most often attends city center parties?
4) When people go to a city center party, what do they do all night?
5) How do people know when it is midnight at a city center party?

94
 Advanced Spoken
Class 14

'For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.' – TS Eliot

There have been celebrations to mark the beginning of a new year for thousands of
years. Sometimes these were simply an opportunity for people to eat, drink and have
fun, but in some places the festivities were connected to the land or astronomical
events. For example, in Egypt the beginning of the year coincided with when the River
Nile flooded, and this normally happened when the star Sirius rose. The Persians and
Phoenicians started their new year at the spring equinox (this is around 20 March
when the Sun shines more or less directly on the equator and the length of the night
and the day are almost the same).

The city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was where the first New Year's
celebrations were recorded about 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians held their
celebrations on the first new moon after the spring equinox and called this festival
Akitu (which comes from the word the Sumerians used for barley). Barley was cut in
Mesopotamia in the spring, and during Akitu there was a different ritual on each of the
11 days that the celebration lasted. Statues of the gods were carried through the streets
of the city, and in this way the Babylonians believed that their world had been cleaned
to prepare for the new year and a new spring.

In many cities all over the world, spectacular fireworks displays take place as soon as
the clock passes midnight on 31 December. In recent years, Sydney in Australia has
been the host to one of the first of these celebrations as New Year arrives there before
most other major international cities. The display takes place in Sydney Harbour, with
the Opera House and Harbour Bridge making it a stunning setting. Fireworks light up
the skies in hundreds of cities as 12 midnight strikes around the globe.

There are a number of strange and interesting New Year's traditions around the world.
In Scotland, New Year's Eve is called Hogmanay and 'first footing' remains a popular
custom with people visiting friends' and neighbours' houses just after midnight. The
first person who visits your house should bring a gift as this will mean good luck. In
Spain, it is the custom to eat 12 grapes as the bells sound for midnight on 31
December. One grape is eaten at each sound of the bell and each grape is supposed to
bring good luck for each month of the year ahead. In Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia,
Venezuela and some other Central and South American countries, people wear special
underwear of different colours on New Year's Eve. Red is supposed to be good for
bringing love in the new year, while yellow is supposed to bring money.

95
 Advanced Spoken
Class 14

Many years ago, new year celebrations were almost always held at the time of an astronomical

event.

True / False

During Akitu in ancient Mesopotamia, a variety of rituals took place.

True / False

The way Sydney welcomes the new year is very different from other important cities.

True /False

'First footing' in Scotland involves people giving presents.

True / False

In Spain, people eat a number of grapes just after midnight during New Year celebrations.

True / False

Researchers have found out that many people do not succeed in keeping their New Year's

resolutions.

True / False /Not Given

Describe a new year celebration that you still remember.

You should say:

when it was

 what you did

 who was with you

and explain how you celebrated this new year.

96
 Advanced Spoken

Class 14

I
In public –
Interior ministry-
In human crime –
Inordinate daily –
In memory of –
In front of –
In city –
Important issue –
Immediate action –
Immediate past –
In grip of election fever-
Insecurity and discrimination –
Irrespective of –
Inter district –
In the chain –
J
Jute grower –
Jilted lover –
Joint conveners –
Joint convener -
Joint ownership -
Joint secretary -
Judicial Inquiry -
Jurisdiction of the court -
Jwelery lifting -
Jungle and marshes –
Judicial inquiry –
Jail term –
K
Keep contribution –
Keep under and lock key –
Keep ticking –
Key player –
Killing spree -

97
 Advanced Spoken
Class 14

K
Knee injury –
Keep this city clean and beautiful
Knock at the door
Keep him away from me
L
Legal action –
Lack of proof –
Long run –
Labour force production –
Leakage of the question papers –
Leading leader –
Look after –
Lodge complaint–
Local source –
Loot cash –
Last forth night -
Look in sack –
Leg, head and throat –
Legal procedures –
Legal battle –
Late night –
Law and parliament affairs minister –
Life long security –
Law upto exception –
Launce on the route –
Lay foundation –
Long-term program –
Luxuries bus -
Latest reification –
Local side –
Left flank -
Low profile –
Low rate inflation –
Long-term solution –

98