Test 1 Reading F Read the text. Decide which of the statements 40-47 are T (1 - True), F (2 - False) or NS, meaning that you can't give a clear answer to them (3 - Not stated).…

Test 1 Reading F Read the text. Decide which of the statements 40-47 are T (1 - True), F (2 - False) or NS, meaning that you can't give a clear answer to them (3 - Not stated). Hanami: A Flowering Celebration! The beginning of spring (March-April) is a very special time in Japan, because this is when Japan's famous cherry trees come into flower. The Japanese celebrate this happy time with festivals and flower-viewing parties. At the end of winter, everyone's excitement starts to grow. The whole country wants to know the exact day when the cherry flowers ('sakura') will appear. Starting in February, weathermen try to guess when this day will be. In fact, the Hanami festival is only planned after the announcement of the blossom forecast. When the first flowers open on the trees, national joy breaks out! There are rides and games for children in the street, music and dance performances, tea ceremonies, flower displays, and much more. But the most special thing that people do at this time is have 'hanami' parties. Hanami means flower watching. In hanami parties, families and friends take a picnic and go and sit under a cherry tree to look at and admire the flowers. Hanami parties take place during the daytime and also at night, because when it is dark, lights light up the cherry trees. Hanami at night is called yozakura, 'night sakura'. In many places temporary paper lanterns are hung for the purpose of yozakura. On the island of Okinawa, decorative electric lanterns are hung in the trees for evening enjoyment. It is a strong Japanese tradition that Hanami is very important to the Japanese. goes back to 710-794 . This time-honored tradition symbolizes the welcoming of spring and admiration of natural beauty. In the past centuries there was a deep belief that gods lived in the sakura trees, like the god of the mountain and the god of the rice fields. Traditionally, farmers would pray to cherry blossoms in order to increase their harvest. Cherry blossoms appear on trees for only one week before they fall to the ground and die, and for the Japanese this symbolises the short nature of childhood and life. So, hanami is a time when Japanese people like to think about how important life is. Many artists and poets celebrated the pink cherry blossoms in a variety of art works. 40 Spring is the Japanese people's favourite time | of the year. 44 People take food to eat while looking at the flowers. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 41 It is not easy to know the day the cherryflowers will open. 45 Hanami parties don't take place after the sun goes down. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 42 The celebrations start before the first flowers blossom. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 46 The cherry flowers do not stay on the trees for very long. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 43 Hanami is a celebration about the nation's children. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 47 When the cherry flowers appear, people hope for long lives. 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated 1 True 2 False 3 Not stated Marks: 16 8x2 11 © Express Publishing © Prosveshcheniye Publishers PHOTOCOPIABLE