Prime Time 4, Coursebook

b) Read the text again and highlight the phrases “a little” and “a few”. Which words can you use with “a little” (uncountable) and which with “a few” (countable)? Make a list in your notebook. c) Look at the grammar box. Then complete the sentences with “a little” and “a few”. 1. There are a few new students from New Zealand at our school. 2. We had snow when travelling to New Zealand last year. 3. pupils were interested in the history lesson on Maori culture. 4. Our teacher from New Zealand spends time playing rugby. 5. My mum has got relatives in New Zealand and Australia. 6. I need sleep. I am so tired from our trip to Mount Cook. 7. Could you buy bottles of water for our hiking tour tomorrow? Reading: Maori legends and stories a) Read the article about Maori stories and legends. 5 Grammar See 1 G 16 Quantifiers: a few (for countable nouns) – a little (for uncountable nouns) I have got a few friends in New Zealand. There are a few hiking tours that we could do. She needs a little money for her flight to Polynesia. All we need is a little luck to catch our flight. G Maori legends and stories New Zealand’s indigenous people came from the islands of Polynesia a little more than 1000 years ago. Learning to live in New Zealand formed their thinking and their beliefs until they became “Te Māori”, a race clearly distinct from other Polynesian cultures. Maori oral history names a few people in their stories, but “Kupe” was the first explorer to discover New Zealand. He and his companion, “Ngahue”, captained a few canoes, and sailed south from “Hawaiki” to see what was beyond the horizon. The story of Kupe’s great voyage, and other such adventures, were passed on from one generation to the next by storytelling and song. The tradition of oral history – the telling of a few ancient stories, myths and legends – continues till today. Prose narrative – non-verse literature – forms a great part of Maori stories and legends. A few of these stories are said to be sacred, but many of the legends are well-known stories told as entertainment in the long nights of winter. However, these stories aren’t simply a few fairy tales or stories which are told by adults. They are important, not only as entertainment, but also because they present a few of their beliefs, such as the origin of fire, death, and the land in which they have lived. A few stories even have a moral lesson, for example understanding right from wrong or the importance of keeping promises as in the story “The Wanderers”. Statue of “Kupe” in Wellington 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 83 10 eighty-three Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv