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Traditions
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Traditions
传统

Learn the Simple Future Tense

Date: Sep 07 2012

Themes: Family

Grammar: Simple Future Tense

Intro

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Billions of people lived and died before you were born. It’s strange to think about isn’t it? All of those people whose lives helped shape the world we live in are gone. What is our connection to them?

For some, traditions provide a valuable connection to the past. It can be rewarding to do the same things that your parents did, and their parents, and their parents, and so on. A tradition can be as simple as celebrating a holiday in a particular way or as big learning a particular occupation.

Traditions aren’t just a connection to the past. They are also a connection to the future. If you continue a tradition or even start one of your own, people many years from now will have you to thank for it. Listen to Amy and Mason talk about traditions.

在你出生前,数十亿人曾在这个世界生活、死去。这么想来是不是很奇怪?那些曾塑造了我们眼前的这个世界的人们,全都不在了。是什么将我们和他们联系在一起?

某种程度上,传统是与过去岁月相连的宝贵纽带。你的父母、祖父母,以及他们的上一辈、上上辈……可能一直在做同一件事情,这是很有意义的。传统可以如同以一种特殊方式庆祝节日这样简单,也可以博大到对一门特殊职业的钻研。

传统并不只是传承过去。它们还维系着未来。如果你继续保留一种传统或开创自己的传统,那么多年以后,人们会因此对你念念不忘。请听 _ 和 _ 谈论传统。

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Amy

Amy

Mason:  Funny enough, I don’t have many traditions.

Amy:  Do you think it’s fun to have traditions, or do you purposely not have traditions?

Mason:  I mean, the ones that I do keep I love dearly. So, like, every year I sit down with my friends and I watch all the Lord of the Rings movies back to back.

Amy:  That’s very nerdy.

Mason:  In one day.

Amy:  Wow.

Mason:  And it’s awesome. I will do that forever. Best tradition anyone’s ever had. But outside of that, there’s not really a whole lot.

Amy:  It’s kind of funny, because once you get married, you sort of start to think about, “What are our family traditions gonna be?” It seems like a lot of…Like, within in a family, you start those traditions more, like for your kids and stuff like that.

Mason:  Sure. A lot of traditions very quickly can become like, ugh, I’m doing this because I have to. It’s kind of a chore, rather than something you look forward to and you want to kind of keep participating in.

Amy:  It’s true. We should just destroy all those old traditions. Out with the old, in with the new.

Mason:  Maybe there needs to be an evaluation period for traditions. Like every three to five years you need to do a review period and sit down and say, like, “Hey, this tradition’s not really working out for us anymore. We’re gonna have to let you go.”

Amy:  I like that.

 

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Discussion

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Mason tells Amy that he does not have many traditions. One tradition he does have is a little unusual. He and his friends watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies back to back each year. Amy thinks this sounds like a fun but dorky tradition.

Amy recently got married, and she says that once a couple gets married, they start developing their own traditions. Most traditions that people have come from their families. They might be traditions that they started with their parents when they were kids and have continued to keep up as adults.

Mason thinks that some traditions are too much of a burden. He says people keep up some traditions because they feel like they have to, not because they really want to. He thinks we should all reevaluate our traditions every few years and decide whether or not we really want to keep them going.

What are some of the traditions that you and your family observe? Do you have any traditions that you don’t really enjoy anymore?

 

Comments

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The Last Joke

Yemen

fol


 



Joy : it’s okay ! May she get well soon !


Joy : see you later !

01:56 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Englishty

Englishty

Egypt

Eariler my family and some of my relatives used to meet on Fridays to have dinner and spend good time together and we maintained this tradition for a while and it was a nice tradition.

01:55 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Joy900

Joy900

Japan

 


Baset : I’m sorry to reply to you too late ,  have been busy with my mother , today she is soooo sick . Baset ; Hashi is Chopsticks (hashi) came to Japan from China  and for a long time were made of bamboo.  There are a lot of different forms and sizes of reusable chopsticks that are sometimes real pieces of art. They are painted, covered with varnish and decorated by different patterns. Modern hashi can be made of bone, wood (bamboo, pine tree, cypress, plum, maple, sandal wood),


ho


It is considered that chopsticks train small muscles developing mental ability. That’s why in Japan people are taught to use hashi since early years. Japanese researchers say that children who started to eat with chopsticks at the age of one develop faster than their counterparts who continue to eat with spoons.


Chopsticks for the Japanese are not just their personal thing of everyday use (it is not the custom to give them to others) but a holy symbol. According to legends they bring fortune and long life, so no wonder that chopsticks are considered good present.


Baset : you should learn the right manners of using chopsticks (Hashi )  when eating

01:47 PM Sep 07 2012 |

The Last Joke

Yemen

Hey Joy : what is Hashi ??

12:45 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Joy900

Joy900

Japan

Baset ; sorry I forgot to tell you ! we must use Hashi when eating ?

12:43 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Joy900

Joy900

Japan

 


Baset ; Meals in Japan traditionally begin with the phrase itadakimasu (いただきます?) . The phrase is  saying grace to give thanks before a meal. It is said to express gratitude for all who played a role in preparing, cultivating, ranching or hunting the food. This also acknowledges that living organisms have given their life to human beings ... Upon finishing a meal, the Japanese also use the polite phrase Gochisōsama-deshita (ごちそうさまでした?) . Sama is the honorific word which gives respect to the person, therefore, this phrase gives respect for making the meal. It is considered polite to clear one’s plate, down to the very last grain of rice.


meal


Note :  One should chew with the mouth closed.


When using toothpicks, it is good etiquette to cover one’s mouth with the other hand. Blowing one’s nose in public is considered rude, especially at a restaurant; cloth handkerchiefs should never be used for this purpose. Conversely, sniffling is considered acceptable, as an alternative to nose-blowing. When sneezing, it is polite to cover one’s nose with a hand, or excuse oneself to the restroom first.

12:41 PM Sep 07 2012 |

The Last Joke

Yemen

Joy : very well ! but what about Meals in Japan ??

12:33 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Joy900

Joy900

Japan

Baset ; before we start eating , it must be Esyaku , Esyaku is a Japanese greeting. It is a bow with straighten fingers. Hands with slightly drawn fingers are placed near knees. Three bows are made. A body bends so that finger tips touch tatami.


eat


Greeting.


Words of greeting are pronounced before sitting down on zabuton (flat cushion for seating). Having finished greeting one must make a deep bow. A bow is done one time from all the heart.

12:30 PM Sep 07 2012 |

The Last Joke

Yemen

Joy : it’s so great ! this is about Tea ceremony in Japan ! what about Eating in Japan ??

12:25 PM Sep 07 2012 |

Joy900

Joy900

Japan

 


Baset ; in a few lines , the tea ceremony is a relatively popular hobby. Many Japanese, who are interested in their own culture, take tea ceremony lessons. Tea ceremonies are held in traditional Japanese rooms in cultural community centres or private houses


tea


 


 


The ceremony itself consists of many rituals that have to be learned by heart. Almost each hand movement is prescribed. Basically, the tea is first prepared by the host, and then drunk by the guests. The tea is matcha green tea made of powdered tea leaves.


.

The Last Joke

Yemen

Joy : would you please tell us in a few lines some tradition in Japan ? (tea ceremony or drinking tea ) ??

12:13 PM Sep 07 2012 |

bellaboo2422

Pakistan


no i am not very much into it. i think traditions are for us we are not for these. threre are many traditions in my near abouts some are social some cultural some belongs to my family and forfathers. list is very long with usefull and useless traditions, i observe some of them of course which are compaitable to me. Allah almighty has given us brain to differentiate between right and wrong and good or bad, its on us now to choose the right path. we should not follow anything blindly. we should not get nerdy. we have to evaluate first if there is something rewarding then go for it. we have to avoid to be a part of any atrocity under the heading of tradition. if we are observing some wicked or cruel customs then its not too late, say goodbye to them.

11:41 AM Sep 07 2012 |

ali behzad

ali behzad

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Over the time, cumbersome traditions and those people don’t enjoy will be removed and desired ones will be kept. we should decide about them.

07:43 AM Sep 07 2012 |

1 person likes this

Jullieta

Jullieta

Russian Federation

In my small family there are no any traditions yet, but I work on it!

07:17 AM Sep 07 2012 |

Zari

Zari

Azerbaijan

Actually, under TRADITIONS i don’t understand my own tradition, or some person’s tradition,  i understand this word more globally like  TRADITIONS of PEOPLES, NATIONs.


And i like our traditions,eg to stand when an old man enter the room, to  see a guest as far as a door, wedding traditions even when you should pay for the bride and many others exept the traditions which hurt somebodi’es health. But my people , my nation does not have such traditions.


 By the way, traditions keep us pure, because these traditions came to us from the past, and at that times there were no so much depravity in the world.


 

06:28 AM Sep 07 2012 |

8312016

8312016

Switzerland

Traditions often are good and useful in our worlde. there are many Traditions. some Traditions is bad for example in my country when men wana get marrige. they should pay a money so its so expensive in many country for example india and iran. in these countrys we have many Traditions in wedding ceremony.


some is good and some is bad.


how many special  ceremonys do u have?    


what Traditions u have in wedding ceremony in ur country?



enjoy ur life 

04:14 AM Sep 07 2012 |

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