Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Love You Forever Day

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* 26-page lesson
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* MP3 (20 questions)

* Dictation -
(10 sentences)

* Speed Reading
(200 - 500 wpm)

* Gap-fill

Thousands marry on "Love You Forever Day" (6th January, 2013)

Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date, 4th January 2013, sounds like "endless love until death" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The newlyweds hoped the day would prove to be an auspicious one on which to tie the knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the aisle in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully booked, hopeful brides and bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to lay on thousands of extra staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take the plunge. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage registries were fully booked by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife on Friday.

Dates that are numerically unique are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are considered to bring good fortune. The next such date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, if doomsday didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's middle class is booming. People spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an elaborate wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various locations wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual vows or exchanging of rings are not usually taken.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20909518
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2013-01/05/content_27586402.htm
http://news.sky.com/story/1033457/chinese-wedding-rush-on-love-you-forever-day

WARM-UPS

1. WEDDINGS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Weddings. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

couples / get married / endless love / newlyweds / auspicious / brides / fully booked / unique / good fortune / doomsday / big business / booming / elaborate / costumes

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. WEDDING DAY: Are these good days to get married? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Why it could be good	Why it could be bad
New Year's Day
Valentine's Day
April Fools' Day
Halloween
Christmas Day
New Year's Eve

4. LUCKY DAYS: Students A strongly believe the idea of lucky days is a superstition; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

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5. WEDDING DAY: What's best about it? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

the ceremony
seeing two happy people in love
wearing nice clothes
the party after

the vows
the photos
the food
meeting new people

6. ENDLESS LOVE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the phrase 'endless love'. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	"Love You Forever Day" is always around January 4 in China.	T / F
b.	Over 10,000 couples got married in Beijing on January 4.	T / F
c.	Couples tried to get married even though it was freezing cold.	T / F
d.	Hong Kong was one city that could accept many more bookings.	T / F
e.	The next date with matching days months and years is next century.	T / F
f.	A couple said they would marry on January 4 if doomsday didn't come.	T / F
g.	Wedding albums are fairly cheap when getting married in China.	T / F
h.	Photos of couples exchanging vows are common at Chinese weddings.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	endless	a.	fancy
2.	auspicious	b.	totally
3.	tie the knot	c.	promises
4.	walked down the aisle	d.	favourable
5.	fully	e.	distinctive
6.	unique	f.	infinite
7.	matching	g.	thriving
8.	booming	h.	get married
9.	elaborate	i.	got married
10.	vows	j.	corresponding

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	the day would prove to	a.	of extra staff
2.	At least 10,000 couples walked	b.	couple
3.	The government had to lay on thousands	c.	become man and wife
4.	people wanting to take	d.	unique are very popular
5.	The city saw 558 people	e.	be an auspicious one
6.	Dates that are numerically	f.	the plunge
7.	considered to bring	g.	exchanging of rings
8.	extravagant	h.	good fortune
9.	The happy	i.	down the aisle
10.	the actual vows or	j.	ceremonies

GAP FILL

Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date 4th January 2013 sounds like "(1) ____________ love until death" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The (2) ____________ hoped the day would prove to be an (3) ____________ one on which to tie the knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the (4) ____________ in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully booked, hopeful brides and bridegrooms (5) ____________ freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to lay on thousands of extra staff to (6) ____________ the increased number of people wanting to take the (7) ____________. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage registries were fully (8) ____________ by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife on Friday.

accommodate
auspicious
plunge
braved
endless
newlyweds
booked
aisle

Dates that are numerically (9) ____________ are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are (10) ____________ to bring good (11) ____________. The next such date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, if (12) ____________ didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's middle class is (13) ____________. People spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an (14) ____________ wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various (15) ____________ wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual (16) ____________ or exchanging of rings are not usually taken.

doomsday
vows
considered
elaborate
unique
fortune
locations
booming

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	the date, 4th January 2013, sounds like "endless ______
	a. love until death" b. love and death" c. love until dearth" d. lovely until death"
2)	the day would prove to be an auspicious one on ______
	a. which to tie the knot b. which to untie the knot c. which to tie a knot d. which to tie the not
3)	At least 10,000 couples walked ______
	a. up the I'll b. down the hill c. down the aisle d. up the aisle
4)	The government ______ thousands of extra staff
	a. had to lay off b. had to lay once c. had to lay one d. had to lay on
5)	the city's five marriage registries ______ September 20
	a. were fully booked by b. were full of bookings by c. were fully broke by d. were fully booked on
6)	Dates that are ______ very popular in China as people believe they are lucky.
	a. numerically unique are b. numerically unclear are c. new, merry or clear unique are d. numerical unique are
7)	We promised to get married today a long time ago, ______ first.
	a. if doomsday hadn't arrived b. if doomsday didn't arrived c. if doomsday hadn't come d. if doomsday didn't come
8)	People spend a lot of money ______ and receptions.
	a. on extravagant ceremonies b. on extravagance ceremonies c. on extravagantly ceremonies d. on extra vagrant ceremonies
9)	The happy couple is photographed ______ wearing different costumes.
	a. at a variety of locations b. at varied locations c. at various locations d. at vicarious locations
10)	Photos ______ exchanging of rings is not photographed.
	a. of an actual vows or b. of the actual bows or c. of the actually vows or d. of the actual vows or

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date 4th January 2013 sounds like "(1) ______________________" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The newlyweds hoped the day would prove to be an auspicious one on (2) ______________________. At least 10,000 couples walked down the aisle in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully booked, hopeful brides and (3) ________________________ weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to (4) ______________________ staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting (5) ______________________. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage (6) ______________________ by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife on Friday.

Dates that are (7) ______________________ very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are (8) ______________________ fortune. The next such date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, (9) ______________________ first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's (10) ______________________. People spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an (11) ______________________. The happy couple is photographed at various locations wearing different costumes. Photos (12) ______________________ exchanging of rings are not usually taken.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	On what date did thousands of couples get married?
2.	What kind of day did the couples hope it would prove to be?
3.	How many couples got married in Beijing?
4.	What did the government have to do?
5.	How many people got married in Hong Kong?
6.	What kind of dates do Chinese people think are lucky?
7.	When is the next combination of matching day, month and year?
8.	What is becoming big business in China?
9.	What is one of the biggest expenses at Chinese weddings?
10.	What things are not photographed at Chinese weddings?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What does 4th January 2013 sound like in Mandarin?	6.	What dates do Chinese people believe are lucky?
	a) You are the sunshine of my life b) endless love until death c) Love You Forever Day d) Will you marry me?		a) ones that are numerically unique b) ones with 12 in them c) ones that add up to 12 d) ones that are uniquely numerical
2.	What did newlyweds tie?	7.	When is the next day with matching days, months and years?
	a) their tongues b) the bride's veil c) a tie d) the knot		a) 2031 b) 2099 c) 2101 d) 2222
3.	How many couples got married in Beijing?	8.	Why is marriage becoming big business in China?
	a) over 10,000 b) less than 10,000 c) exactly 10,000 d) around 10,000		a) the middle class is booming b) the government is giving money to newlyweds c) love is in the air d) Chinese people buy a lot of gold
4.	How full were registry offices?	9.	What is one of the biggest wedding expenses?
	a) almost empty b) almost full c) fully booked d) double booked		a) an album b) a gold symbol of the zodiac c) food d) the wedding dress
5.	How many couples got married in Hong Kong?	10.	What is not usually photographed?
	a) 558 b) 279 c) none d) 20		a) the marriage certificate b) the bride's mother c) the wedding cake d) vows or exchanging of rings

WEDDING PLANS

Plan your perfect wedding

	Answer	Why?
Number of guests?
Where?
What to wear?
Honeymoon?
Gifts for guests?
Date?
Clothes?
Food?

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'tie' and 'knot'.

tie

knot

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

date
prove
tie
weather
lay
saw

unique
good
2101
first
middle
rings

WEDDINGS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Weddings in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WEDDINGS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'wedding'?
c)	What is your idea of a perfect wedding?
d)	What do you think of "Love You Forever Day"?
e)	Is it important to get married on a lucky day?
f)	How important is one's wedding day?
g)	Where is the best place to get married?
h)	Why do many people not like weddings?
i)	Do you think it's easy or difficult to plan a wedding?
j)	What's the best and worst wedding you've ever been to?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	Would you feel your wedding was off to a good start if it was on 12/12/12 or a similar date?
c)	Should people spend a lot of money on weddings?
d)	What should be the biggest wedding expense?
e)	What is the best part of a wedding: the ceremony or the reception?
f)	Do you think that one day, weddings will become a thing of the past?
g)	Do you think your wedding is the happiest day of your life?
h)	Which celebrity wedding would you really like to go to?
i)	What do you think of royal weddings?
j)	What questions would you like to ask one of the Chinese newlyweds?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE - LANGUAGE

Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date 4th January 2013 sounds like "(1) ____ love until death" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The (2) ____ hoped the day would prove to be an auspicious one on which to tie the knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the (3) ____ in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully (4) ____, hopeful brides and bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to (5) ____ on thousands of extra staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take the plunge. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage registries were fully booked by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and (6) ____ on Friday.

Dates that are numerically (7) ____ are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are (8) ____ to bring good fortune. The next such date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, if doomsday didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's middle class is (9) ____. People spend a lot of money on (10) ____ ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an (11) ____ wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various locations wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual vows or (12) ____ of rings are not usually taken.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	endured	(b)	ending	(c)	ended	(d)	endless
2.	(a)	newsmakers	(b)	new bloods	(c)	newborns	(d)	newlyweds
3.	(a)	corridor	(b)	aisle	(c)	path	(d)	memory lane
4.	(a)	booking	(b)	books	(c)	booked	(d)	bookable
5.	(a)	lie	(b)	play	(c)	lay	(d)	lieu
6.	(a)	wife	(b)	woman	(c)	spouse	(d)	men
7.	(a)	unclear	(b)	unique	(c)	uncool	(d)	unadorned
8.	(a)	considered	(b)	considers	(c)	considering	(d)	consider
9.	(a)	beaming	(b)	booming	(c)	boozing	(d)	blaming
10.	(a)	extraterrestrial	(b)	extracurricular	(c)	extravagant	(d)	extravert
11.	(a)	reprobate	(b)	ameliorate	(c)	elaborate	(d)	deteriorate
12.	(a)	extinguishing	(b)	extinguished	(c)	exchanged	(d)	exchanging

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	prove to be an psiausociu one
2.	tie the ktno
3.	walked down the eaisl
4.	amecmtoacod the increased number of people
5.	take the ugnlpe
6.	the city's five marriage rgitisrese
Paragraph 2
7.	numerically nueiqu
8.	edwneywl Chen Foshan
9.	a lot of money on antarxtvage ceremonies
10.	an rteboelaa wedding album
11.	photographed at sorvuia locations
12.	svow or exchanging of rings

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	five marriage registries were fully booked by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife on Friday.
( )	staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take the plunge. In Hong Kong, the city's
( )	bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to lay on thousands of extra
( )	class is booming. People spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest
( 1 )	Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date, 4th January 2013, sounds
( )	like "endless love until death" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The newlyweds hoped the day would
( )	ago, if doomsday didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's middle
( )	months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are considered to bring good fortune. The next such date will be January 1st in the
( )	year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time
( )	aisle in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully booked, hopeful brides and
( )	wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual vows or exchanging of rings are not usually taken.
( )	Dates that are numerically unique are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days,
( )	expenses is an elaborate wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various locations
( )	prove to be an auspicious one on which to tie the knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	to auspicious The prove an would be one day .
2.	10,000 couples walked down the aisle At least .
3.	weather freezing braved bridegrooms and brides Hopeful.
4.	had to lay on thousands of extra staff The government.
5.	man become people 558 saw city The Friday on wife and.
6.	are that very are popular numerically unique Dates.
7.	will next 2101 in be such the January date The year 1st.
8.	get married today a long time ago We promised to.
9.	of extravagant People lot on a money ceremonies spend.
10.	or rings of vows of Photos actual exchanging the.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

Thousands of Chinese couples / couple got married on Friday because the date 4th January 2013 sounds / sound like "endless love until death" when spoken at / in the Chinese language Mandarin. The newlyweds hoped the day would prove / proven to be an auspicious one on which to tie the string / knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the aisle in Beijing lonely / alone. Even though registry offices were fully bookings / booked, hopeful brides and bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to lie / lay on thousands of extra staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take / have the plunge. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage registries were fully booked by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife / woman on Friday.

Dates that are numerically / numeral unique are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching / Matches days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are considering / considered to bring good fortune. The next such / so date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, if doomsday didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big / large business in China because the country's middle class is booming / boomed. People spend a lot of money on extravagant / extravagance ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an evaporate / elaborate wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various / variety locations wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual vows / bows or exchanging of rings are not usually taken.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th__s_nds _f Ch_n_s_ c__pl_s g_t m_rr__d _n Fr_d_y b_c__s_ th_ d_t_ 4th J_n__ry 2013 s__nds l_k_ "_ndl_ss l_v_ _nt_l d__th" wh_n sp_k_n _n th_ Ch_n_s_ l_ng__g_ M_nd_r_n. Th_ n_wlyw_ds h_p_d th_ d_y w__ld pr_v_ t_ b_ _n __sp_c___s _n_ _n wh_ch t_ t__ th_ kn_t. _t l__st 10,000 c__pl_s w_lk_d d_wn th_ __sl_ _n B__j_ng _l_n_. _v_n th__gh r_g_stry _ff_c_s w_r_ f_lly b__k_d, h_p_f_l br_d_s _nd br_d_gr__ms br_v_d fr__z_ng w__th_r _n th_ h_p_ th_ r_g_str_rs c__ld f_t th_m _n. Th_ g_v_rnm_nt h_d t_ l_y _n th__s_nds _f _xtr_ st_ff t_ _cc_mm_d_t_ th_ _ncr__s_d n_mb_r _f p__pl_ w_nt_ng t_ t_k_ th_ pl_ng_. _n H_ng K_ng, th_ c_ty's f_v_ m_rr__g_ r_g_str__s w_r_ f_lly b__k_d by S_pt_mb_r 20 l_st y__r. Th_ c_ty s_w 558 p__pl_ b_c_m_ m_n _nd w_f_ _n Fr_d_y.

D_t_s th_t _r_ n_m_r_c_lly _n_q__ _r_ v_ry p_p_l_r _n Ch_n_ _s p__pl_ b_l__v_ th_y _r_ l_cky. M_tch_ng d_ys, m_nths _nd y__rs - l_k_ 12/12/12 _nd 11/11/11 - _r_ c_ns_d_r_d t_ br_ng g__d f_rt_n_. Th_ n_xt s_ch d_t_ w_ll b_ J_n__ry 1st _n th_ y__r 2101. N_wlyw_d Ch_n F_sh_n t_ld th_ ch_n_._rg w_bs_t_: "W_ pr_m_s_d t_ g_t m_rr__d t_d_y _ l_ng t_m_ _g_, _f d__msd_y d_dn't c_m_ f_rst." M_rr__g_ _s b_c_m_ng b_g b_s_n_ss _n Ch_n_ b_c__s_ th_ c__ntry's m_ddl_ cl_ss _s b__m_ng. P__pl_ sp_nd _ l_t _f m_n_y _n _xtr_v_g_nt c_r_m_n__s _nd r_c_pt__ns. _n_ _f th_ b_gg_st _xp_ns_s _s _n _l_b_r_t_ w_dd_ng _lb_m. Th_ h_ppy c__pl_ _s ph_t_gr_ph_d _t v_r___s l_c_t__ns w__r_ng d_ff_r_nt c_st_m_s. Ph_t_s _f th_ _ct__l v_ws _r _xch_ng_ng _f r_ngs _r_ n_t _s__lly t_k_n.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

thousands of chinese couples got married on friday because the date 4th january 2013 sounds like "endless love until death" when spoken in the chinese language mandarin the newlyweds hoped the day would prove to be an auspicious one on which to tie the knot at least 10000 couples walked down the aisle in beijing alone even though registry offices were fully booked hopeful brides and bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in the government had to lay on thousands of extra staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take the plunge in hong kong the city's five marriage registries were fully booked by september 20 last year the city saw 558 people become man and wife on friday

dates that are numerically unique are very popular in china as people believe they are lucky matching days months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are considered to bring good fortune the next such date will be january 1st in the year 2101 newlywed chen foshan told the chinaorg website "we promised to get married today a long time ago if doomsday didn't come first" marriage is becoming big business in china because the country's middle class is booming people spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions one of the biggest expenses is an elaborate wedding album the happy couple is photographed at various locations wearing different costumes photos of the actual vows or exchanging of rings are not usually taken

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

ThousandsofChinesecouplesgotmarriedonFridaybecausethedate4thJanuary
2013soundslike"endlessloveuntildeath"whenspokenintheChineselanguage
Mandarin.Thenewlywedshopedthedaywouldprovetobeanauspiciousoneonwhich
totietheknot.Atleast10,000coupleswalkeddowntheaisleinBeijingalone.Even
thoughregistryofficeswerefullybooked,hopefulbridesandbridegroomsbraved
freezingweatherinthehopetheregistrarscouldfitthemin.Thegovernmenthadtolay
onthousandsofextrastafftoaccommodatetheincreasednumberofpeoplewanting
totaketheplunge.InHongKong,thecity'sfivemarriageregistrieswerefullybooked
bySeptember20lastyear.Thecitysaw558peoplebecomemanandwifeonFriday.
DatesthatarenumericallyuniqueareverypopularinChinaaspeoplebelievetheyare
lucky.Matchingdays,monthsandyears-like12/12/12and11/11/11-areconsidered
tobringgoodfortune.ThenextsuchdatewillbeJanuary1stintheyear2101.Newlywed
ChenFoshantoldthechina.orgwebsite:"Wepromisedtogetmarriedtodayalong
timeago,ifdoomsdaydidn'tcomefirst."MarriageisbecomingbigbusinessinChina
becausethecountry'smiddleclassisbooming.Peoplespendalotofmoneyon
extravagantceremoniesandreceptions.Oneofthebiggestexpensesisanelaborate
weddingalbum.Thehappycoupleisphotographedatvariouslocationswearing
differentcostumes.Photosoftheactualvowsorexchangingofringsarenotusually
taken.

FREE WRITING

Write about weddings for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Marriage is forever. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about weddings around the world. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. WEDDINGS: Make a poster about weddings. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. LOVE YOU FOREVER DAY: Write a magazine article about this day. Include imaginary interviews with people who got married on it.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to a wedding expert. Ask him/her three questions about Love You Forever Day. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	endless	a.	fancy
2.	auspicious	b.	totally
3.	tie the knot	c.	promises
4.	walked down the aisle	d.	favourable
5.	fully	e.	distinctive
6.	unique	f.	infinite
7.	matching	g.	thriving
8.	booming	h.	get married
9.	elaborate	i.	got married
10.	vows	j.	corresponding

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	Friday 4th January, 2013
2.	An auspicious one
3.	More than 10,000
4.	Lay on extra staff
5.	558
6.	Numerically unique ones
7.	January 1st, 2101
8.	Marriage
9.	Wedding albums
10.	Vows or exchanging of rings

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

10.

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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* 26-page lesson (40 exercises)

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* MP3 (UK male)

* MP3 (USA female)

* MP3 (20 questions)

* Listen & spell

* Dictation - (10 sentences)

* Speed Reading (200 - 500 wpm)

* Text jumble 15

* Text jumble 24

* No spaces

* Text Jumble

* Grammar gap-fill

* Articles gap-fill

* Prepositions

* Word order

* Consonants

* Vowels

* Missing letters

* Initials only

* No letters

* Word pairs

* Missing words

* Gap-fill

MY e-BOOK

See a sample

* 26-page lesson
(40 exercises)

* 2-page MINI lesson
(PDF)

* Dictation -
(10 sentences)

* Speed Reading
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