新概念英语第二册 听力

Lesson 2 The dead return

1. First listen and then answer the question.

What happens to the lanterns at the end of the festival?

2. Listen again and answer the questions

How often is a Festival for the Dead held in Japan?

Why is the festival a cheerful occasion?

What are hung outside each house and why?

In the morning, how do people deal with the food?

3. listen and fill the blanks

A Festival for the Dead is _______ once a year in Japan. This festival is a ________ occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are _________ by the living. As they are _________ to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are _______ outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is ________ _______ a river or into the sea as it is _________ unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been _______ in the streets the night before, are _________ into the water when the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns _________ drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a _________ spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore ________ the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

New words and expressions

cheerful ['tʃɪrf(ə)l] adj. 快乐; 欢乐的

occasion [ə'keɪʒ(ə)n] n. 场合

hang [hæŋ] v. 悬挂

consider [kənˈsɪdə(r)] v. 认为

drift [drɪft] v. 漂流

spectacle n. 景象，壮观，场面