Module 4 Carnival（ Reading—The Magic of the Mask）

d: later on, the government realised that wearing masks had become a problem. their use was limited by laws, the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century. b: i believe men were not allowed to wear masks at night; and they were not allowed to dress up as women. d: in later times more laws were passed. people who wore masks could not carry firearms; and no one could enter a church wearing a mask. if they broke the laws, they were put into prison for up two years. b: finally, when venice became part of the austrian empire, at the end of the eighteenth century, masks were banned completely, and carnival became just a memory.a: what a pity it is not to have a carnival!b: but in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students. they began making masks and organising parties, and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists. the town council realized that carnival was good for business, and the festival was developed for tourists.d: today, carnival in venice is celebrated for five days in february. people arrive from all over europe to enjoy the fun. b: hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes. c: i hear that german, french and english seem to be the main languages. b: you are right at that. but the spirit of venice carnival is not quite the same as the great american carnivals. if the key to rio is music and movement, then in venice it is the mystery of the mask. d: as you wander through the streets, you see thousands of masks -- elegant or frightening, sad or amusing, traditional or modern—but you have no idea what the faces behind them look like. nobody takes them off. if the masks come off, the magic is lost.a: i’d like to go to the next carnival, by air, of course.step 7 closing down by learning about “masks”a mask is a piece of material or kit worn on the face. masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes. the word "mask" came via french masque and either italian maschera or spanish máscara. possible ancestors are latin (not classical) mascus, masca = "ghost", and arabic maskharah = "jester", "man in masquerade".

additional materialscomplete the article with one word in each blank:carnival is always connected ___1__ crowds，costumes，and confusion. “carnival” is a __2___ words，meaning “no more meat”. at the beginning __3___ would like to have fun at end of winter season. for _4____ on end people walked round the streets wearing __5___.