Look at the pairs of sentences below.Both of them are grammatically correct.Choose one sentence in each pair,a or b,that is more logical. 1.a)I had a bath when the phone rang.
b)I was having a bath when the phone rang.
2.a)How fast did he drive when the accident happened?
b)How fast was he driving when the accident happened?
3.a)The students stopped talking when the teacher walked into the room.
b)The students were stopping talking when the teacher walked into the room.
4.a)We had a picnic when it began to rain.
b)We were having a picnic when it began to rain.
5.a)We ran to the car to keep dry when it started to rain.
b)We were running to the car to keep dry when it started to rain.
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Some holidays and special days in Britain

January 1 – New Year’s Day

On December 31 people usually visit their friends. There is a lot of dancing and eating. In Scotland people bring a piece of coal for good luck in the New Year.

February 14 – St. Valentine’s Day

People buy or make Valentine cards and send them to people they love. They should not write their names on the cards. Those who get them must guess who sent them.

March – Mother’s Day

On Mother’s day children help their mothers at home and give or send them cards and presents.

April – Easter

At Easter children eat chocolate Easter eggs. Sometimes parents hide them in the house от in the garden and the children look for them.

June —Father's Day

On Father's Day children give or send their fathers and grandfathers cards or presents.

October 31 —Hallowe'en

They say ghosts and witches come out on Hallowe'en. Children make lanterns out of pumpkins. Some people have Hallowe'en parties and dress as witches and ghosts.

December 25 — Christmas Day

In the weeks before Christmas people are busy. They make or buy Christmas cards and send them to their friends, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. They also buy Christmas presents. Many children make their Christmas cards at school. People buy Christmas trees and put them in their living rooms. The children decorate the Christmas tree with toys and little coloured lights. There are beautiful Christmas decorations in the streets.
On Christmas Eve everybody puts their presents under the Christmas tree. People say that at night Father Christmas puts presents into the stockings which children usually hang on their beds.
The traditional Christmas meal is roast turkey and Christmas pudding.

HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN
There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.The most favourite holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway present the city of London a big Christmas tree and it stands in the Trafalgar Square.Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charities and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold a service on the Sunday before Christmas.The fun starts the night before, on the 24th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down thechimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets.Christmas is a family holiday. All the family usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas. It's the time to visit friends and relatives. This day postmen and servants receive their presents in the boxes.New Year's Day is less favourite in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland Hogmanay, New Year's Eve is the biggestfestival of the year.Besides public holidays, there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. He didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head.Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November. They burn a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, in abonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a "guy" (like Guy Fawkes).