Tanit  +  567640 Thu, 18 Sep 08 08:50 PM Midsummer Night's Eve      In Europe, Midsummer Night's Eve, also known as St John's Eve, occurs on June 23rd. It Selectconceivesinitiatesterminatesoriginates from the pagan celebrations of the summer solstice which were held on June 21st. On that night throughout Europe bonfires were lit along hillsides to Selectcommiseratecelebratehonourcommemorate the shortest night of the year. It must have looked as if some kind of violent insurrection was taking Selectlocationsitespace place down the coast of Scotland and England, but these signal fires in fact had a very important purpose. Bones of farm animals Selectsacrificedassassinatedslaughteredrevived the previous autumn were burned and, when the fires had Selectdousedsmotheredextinguishedgone out , the remaining ash was put to good use: it was spread on the fields to enrich the land and Selectassureensuresafeguardendanger a good harvest. The word 'bonfire' is Selectderiveddecayedevolveddeveloped from 'bone fire'.       In Brazil too St John's Eve means bonfires and fireworks. Another quaint tradition involves the Selectpropellingejectinglaunchinglanding of small paper hot-air balloons, although they are Selectprohibitedsanctionedoutlawedbarred by law in the cities because of the fire Selectcertaintyhazardjeopardyperil . Bonfires mark the beginning of spring rather than the summer in Sweden and are lit on the last night of April. In the Swedish Midsummer's Eve Selectcustomtraditionceremonypractice , held on June 24th, a large pole, decorated with flowers and leaves, is placed in the ground.       Thistles also have a Selectserioussignificantdecisivetrivial role in the celebration of Midsummer's Night in Europe. In the past they were thought to Selectward offavertattractdeflect witches. The pretty, prickly plant was nailed over barn doors and used in wreaths, the circular shape being a Selectpasswordlogosignsymbol of the turning of the seasons. Wheels faced with straw and soaked in pitch were lit from the bonfires and then rolled down hills.       There is less risk of fire in a tradition Selectmutualprevalentuniquecommon to many Slavic countries. Young women and girls float little baskets of flowers and lighted candles down streams. Local boys swim out to Selectsalvagerescueset freeliberate a basket, find the girl it belongs to and claim a dance at the town's Midsummer's Eve Party. from S. Burgess and R. Acklam (2005) Advanced Gold Exam Maximiser. Harlow (UK): Longman. Tanit Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006 Senior Member 3,030 There is no greater pain than to remember a happy time when one is in misery. (Dante) Tests, CAE

	Pucca  +  567654 Thu, 18 Sep 08 09:29 PM I'm terrible, 12 out of 16.    But better than the last time, I must say! Grr, I wish I hadn't re-read it, I would have gotten correct 2 more Pucca Joined on Sun, Aug 27 2006 Spain Senior Member 2,972

	Fandorin  +  567679 Thu, 18 Sep 08 10:30 PM  It's terrible too.10 out of 16. It's far away for me to pass CAE. Fandorin Joined on Thu, Dec 20 2007 Moscow Contributing Member 1,382 Whatever happens, be yourself.

	Pucca  +  568307 Sat, 20 Sep 08 04:25 PM Hey Fandorin, do you know that no matter how badly you do in a paper, you can always pass it by balancing the marks? Pucca

	Doll  +  568507 Sun, 21 Sep 08 12:08 AM Yuppii! 15/16!   Hey by the way , what is the difference between extingusih and go out?    Thank you again Tanit and I have a question. I remembered Shakespeare when I read the title. I don't know why. Any guess? Doll Joined on Sat, Mar 10 2007 Senior Member 2,811 Difference Between

	Tanit  +  568580 Sun, 21 Sep 08 07:28 AM Hi Doll, Excellent! "Extinguish" is transitive, so for it to be grammatical we'd need " ... and, when the fire had been extinguished, ...". However, I also think (but I might be wrong, so you'd better double-check in the vocabulary section, if you wish) that they slightly differ in meaning. A fire is extinguished by somebody, but can go out without any external help ... I think. As for Shakespeare, you were obviously thinking of "A midsummer night's dream". Tanit Vocabulary

	Doll  +  568780 Sun, 21 Sep 08 05:41 PM Thank you Tanit.   Ah, that short story! I remembered it! Doll