DISCOVERING THE FILIPINO CULTURE
READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following text about the Filipino culture and
answer the questions below:
Filipino culture and tradition:
First of all, the Republic of the Philippines was
named after King Philip II of Spain in 1543. Filipinos are originally from the
southern part of Asia but they easily adapt to different parts of the world.
Regarding the language, there are 175 estimated
languages spoken in the Philippines. For more than three centuries, Spanish was
the official language. However, the use of Spanish began to decline after the
United States occupation in the early 1900's. In 1935, the Constitution of the
Philippines named English and Spanish the official languages. The present
Constitution names Filipino and English as joint official languages.
In the field of arts, we must say that Filipinos are
very fond of music. They use various materials to create sound. They love performing
dances and group singing during festive celebrations. People are also fond of
folklore, which was influenced by Spanish literature. For example, Jose Rizal is famous for
his literature.
And what about their celebrations and traditions?
Well, Christmas is one of the most loved celebrations by Filipinos. Families
and relatives gather on the 24th of December, to celebrate food prepared for
"Noche Buena". New Year is another celebration that gathers the
Filipino families.
Furthermore, Filipinos are very skilled in sports. The
national sport of the Philippines is called arnis and it is a form of martial
arts. Filipino sport star, Manny Pacquiao, has been put on a pedestal due to
his skill in boxing.
With regards to food, Filipinos are big eaters. They
love dishes such as plain rice matched with salted fish, chicken and meat.
Filipinos have a very regular eating schedule: morning, mid-morning, lunch,
afternoon (merienda) and dinner. They enjoy a variety of sweets as well.
In conclusion, the Philippines has a very unique
culture due to the influences of colonization and the surrounding countries. Filipino people are also very
hardworking.
Circle
the correct answer (a, b, c) for the following questions (1-5):
1. The name of Filipines comes from:
a) The cookies
b) King Philip II
c) None of the previous choices.
2. The official language(s) of Filipines is/are:
a) Spanish and English
b) Filipino
c) Filipino and English
3. The most important celebration for Filipinos is:
a) Christmas
b) Carnival
c) Thanksgiving
4. Arnis is a sort of:
a) Football
b) Martial art
c) Dance
5. The main food in Filipinos’ culture is:
a) Rice
b) Soup
c) Pasta
Find
words in the text to match the definitions below:
A. To
gradually become less, worse or lower.
B. The
traditional stories and culture of a group of people.
C. The
members of your family.
D. Having
the abilities needed to do an activity or job well.
E. Containing
or covered in salt.
F. Someone
who puts a lot of effort and care into his/her work.
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