Theme 7

Theme 7 Food and Festivals 

Listening 

Tapescript (Track 24)

Dorothy : I’m interested in festivals. They always bring happiness to a place.

Mehmet : I’m always excited about our festivals, too. The most important ones are two religious

festivals.

Dorothy : Can you tell me about them?

Mehmet : Sure. They are the Ramadan Feast (Eid al Fitr) and the Sacrifice Feast (Eid-al-Adha). The Ramadan Feast is celebrated at the end of Ramadan with a three-day festival.

Dorothy : What do you do then?

Mehmet : People dress in their finest clothes, make their homes beautiful and visit family members and friends. Sweets are always offered. Children are given some money, so they like religious festivals.

Dorothy : What about the Sacrifice Feast?

Mehmet : On the first, second or third day of the festival, sheep, goats or cows are sacrificed

according to Islamic traditions.

Dorothy : Do you eat all the meat during the feast?

Mehmet : No. Some part of the meat is given to the poor. Fried meat “kavurma” is prepared and eaten in almost all families at lunch time on the first day of the Sacrifice Feast. Different

meat dishes are cooked and eaten, too. People visit each other and go out because it is

a public holiday.

Dorothy : How often are festivals celebrated?

Mehmet : They are celebrated once in a year. Now, it is your turn to talk about a festival.

Dorothy : Chinese New Year celebrations are really interesting. It is an annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world. It is celebrated when the new moon

occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20.

Mehmet : How do they celebrate it?

Dorothy : Red clothes are worn and red decorations are used. Young people are given money in red envelopes. Family members are also visited.

Mehmet : I like it. Thank you.

Theme 7 - Facts about Türkiye 

Listen to the phone conversation and tick the correct pictures. (Audio 7.1)
Which tourist attractions did Roy visit yesterday?

Tracy: Hey, Roy. How’s it going?

Roy: Great, Tracy. I’m walking on air in

İstanbul. My holiday here is wonderful.

Tracy: Really?

Roy: Yes. İstanbul is a fascinating city. It’s

one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen.

Yesterday I joined a sightseeing tour.

Tracy: How was it?

Roy: It was very nice.

Tracy: Were you with your parents?

Roy: No, I wasn’t. Mum was under the

weather, and dad stayed with her. Now she’s

well.

Tracy: Good.

Roy: Yes. On the tour, I saw lots of

must-see attractions like the Topkapı Palace,

the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Ayasofya

Mosque.

Tracy: Did you like them?

Roy: Sure. They were terrific! After the

tour, I also visited the Galata Tower, which

is near our hotel. It’s among the city’s most

popular sights, too.

Tracy: Was it attractive?

Roy: Yes, it was. It was amazing. I found

the history of the tower very interesting as

well.

Tracy: Really? Can you tell me a little bit?

Roy: Of course.

Tracy: Thanks.

Listen to the second part of the phone conversation and correct the
mistakes in the following extract from a travel brochure. (Audio 7.2)

Roy: Tracy, I’ll read you a little from this

travel brochure.

Tracy: All right.

Roy: The Galata Tower is located in the

center of the city. It’s around 67 meters tall,

so it provides a spectacular view of the city.

The tower was built in the 14th century by the

Genoese colonies, and it was used to watch the

area nearby for any signs of danger.

Tracy: Sounds interesting.

Roy: Yes. In 1509, the tower was badly

damaged in an earthquake. Then it was

restored by the famous Ottoman architect

Hayreddin. In the 16th century, it was used as

a prison. It was opened to the public in 1967.

Nowadays, it’s a very popular attraction, and it’s

visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Tracy: How nice! I want to see that place.

Roy: You should come to İstanbul as soon

as possible. It’s worth seeing.

Tracy: Right.

Roy: And there’s a story about the tower.

Do you want to hear it?

Tracy: Yes, of course.

Roy: In the 17th century, a man called

Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi wanted to fly, so he

made wings and attached them to his arms.

Tracy: Really?

Roy: Yes. Then he jumped off the Galata Tower and flew over the Bosphorus for about 6

kilometers. Finally, he landed in Üsküdar on the

Asian side.

Tracy: What an incredible story!

Roy: Absolutely. Tracy, I feel exhausted. I

think I’ll hit the sack.

Tracy: OK, Roy. Take care. Good night.

Roy: See you. Good night.

***

The Galata Tower is located in the center

of the city. It’s around 67 meters tall, so it

provides a spectacular view of the city.

The tower was built in the 14th century by the Genoese colonies, and it was used to

watch the area nearby for any signs of danger.

In 1509, the tower was badly damaged

in an earthquake. Then it was restored by the

famous Ottoman architect Hayreddin.

In the 16th century, it was used as a

prison.

It was opened to the public in 1967.

Nowadays, it’s a very popular attraction, and it’s

visited by thousands of tourists every year.

In the 17th century, a man called Hezarfen

Ahmed Çelebi wanted to fly, so he made wings

and attached them to his arms.

Then he jumped off the Galata Tower and

flew over the Bosphorus for about 6 kilometers.

Finally, he landed in Üsküdar on the Asian side.

Listen to Nisa and choose the correct picture. (Audio 7.3)

My classmates and I went on a 2-day trip

to Çanakkale in March. On the first day, we

saw the Ancient City of Troy. The historic site

was great. And on the second day, we went to

Gelibolu and visited a lot of must-see attractions

like the Kilitbahir Castle, which is next to the

sea. After that, we visited the Çanakkale

Martyrs’ Monument. It’s a memorial that was

erected to remember the brave Turkish soldiers

who died in Çanakkale in 1915.

It was opened to the public in 1960. There

is a museum underneath, which was opened in

1975. There are also the Mehmetçik Monument

and the Turkish Martyrs’ Cemetery nearby. We

visited them all. I believe the whole area is so

impressive. I’ll always remember that school

trip. And I’ll never forget those heroes who died

for our homeland. You should definitely go to

Çanakkale. It’s worth seeing.

Listen to the information about Anıtkabir and complete the sentences.
(Audio 7.5)

Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa

Kemal Atatürk. It is located in Anıttepe in

Ankara. When Atatürk passed away on 10

November 1938, the Ankara Ethnography

Museum became his first mausoleum until

Anıtkabir was built in 1953. It was designed

by the architects Professor Emin Onat

and Associate Professor Orhan Arda. Its

construction began in 1944. Anıtkabir is an

excellent example of the Turkish architecture,

and it has Seljuk and Ottoman architectural

characteristics as well. The Monument Block

consists of 3 main parts: The Lions Road, the

Ceremonial Ground and the Mausoleum. The

Lions Road is 262 meters long and it has 24

lion statues, which were made by the sculptor

Hüseyin Özkan. Within the Anıtkabir site, there

are 10 towers like the Independence Tower,

the Freedom Tower, the Peace Tower and the

Victory Tower.