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Part I: Listen and Read: Read along with the audio recording.
>> My father passed away about two years ago, but our family often goes to the cemetery to pay our respects to his memory. During the burial service at the cemetery, our church leader offered a prayer, and some of the family said some parting words. It was heartbreaking to see my mom in so much pain after losing her best friend and companion for so many years. After the service, the casket was lowered into the ground and covered, and then a headstone was placed over the grave with an inscription of my father's name, date of birth and death, and his favorite short poem. My mom's name was also inscribed on the headstone because she will eventually be buried next to my father. Today, we often go to the cemetery and clean the headstone, leave freshly cut flowers, and recount stories about his life. No one is ever really gone as long as their memory lives on within you.
Part II: Discussion
Describe a typical cemetery in your country and then discuss how people honor their dead. Do they visit the cemetery on specific holidays throughout the year? Do they leave anything or do anything at the grave?
Part III: Online Investigation
Burial services and ways of honoring the dead vary depending on the practices of individual families as well as the influences of culture and religion. Choose a country which interests you of which you have little knowledge and then use the Internet to understand their burial practices better. How are these similar or different than your own.
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