Guy Fawkes Day

• What does Guy Fawkes celebrate?
• What was the religion of the plotters?
• What happened to then?
• Why are the celebrations called Bonfire night?
• What is a ‘guy’ according to the speaker’s explanation?
• Where do the children throw their guy effigies?

Fireworks on bonfire night

listening guyfawkes

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	blow up the Houses	a.	down
2	the first examples	b.	burned to death
3.	bring the government	c.	colonies
4.	his plan was called the	d.	of Parliament
5.	He was put on a bonfire and	e.	of terrorism
6.	former British	f.	Gunpowder Plot

 

Paragraph 2

1.	the biggest outdoor	a.	treats
2	takes place	b.	celebration in Britain
3.	a happy	c.	accidents
4.	in the middle	d.	at night
5.	the most popular	e.	occasion
6.	children are injured in fireworks	f.	of the town

LISTENING GAP FILL

Guy Fawkes Night _______________ celebration. It celebrates a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament (that’s where Big Ben is) in London. This was probably _______________ examples of terrorism, only it didn’t work. It all happened on November the fifth, 1605. A group of Catholics who were _______________ Protestant rulers wanted to bring the government down. Their leader was a man called Guy Fawkes _______________ called the Gunpowder Plot. Fortunately, _______________ saw Guy Fawkes and his followers with the gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was arrested. _______________ bonfire and burned to death. In Britain and former British colonies, this day is also called Bonfire Night.

Bonfire Night is perhaps _______________ celebration in Britain. Unfortunately, it is in winter and takes _______________. You have to brave the cold, but it is a happy occasion. Every town and village puts on a fireworks display. There is usually _______________ in the middle of the town. People gather at it to watch the fireworks and eat traditional Guy Fawkes Night food. Baked potatoes and toffee apples are the most popular treats. There is _______________ guy on the bonfire to represent the real one that died 400 years ago. Many families have smaller celebrations and will _______________, private fireworks display in their garden. There are many warnings to be careful because every year, children are injured in _______________.

QUESTIONS 

known as = recognized as bonfire = a large outdoor fire, either for burning waste or for a party

 firework = a small container filled with powder that burns or explodes to produce coloured lights and noise in the sky

 gunpowder = an explosive substance used in bombs and fireworks

 plot = a secret plan by a group of people, to do something harmful or illegal

 plotter = someone who makes and organize a plot beneath = in or to a lower position than something, or directly under something 

House of Lords = the part of the British parliament whose members are not elected but have positions because of their rank or title

 lit = the past tense and past participle of the verb “to light”, which means to start to burn, or to make something start to burn, or to provide light for a place 

thanksgiving = the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits orfavors, especially to God

 failure = nonperformance of something due, required, or expected

 at present = in this time period What do you think about it? Do you celebrate a special tradition in your city/country? 

Read more at: https://blog.abaenglish.com/reading-comprehension-bonfire-night/