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Tourist Britain
Britain is a very popular place for tourists. Thousands of people come to Britain every year from all over the world. Britain has got lots of tourist attractions, but what are the most popular places?
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T4.20Ascolta e leggi i testi. Prendi nota dei luoghi più popolari nel Regno Unito. Poi abbina le foto ai testi.2
1 3 5 7 4 6 2 Edinburgh London Cambridge Bath Stratford-Upon-AvonPlays
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In gruppi di quattro rispondete alledomande seguenti:
• Conosci il nome di quattro
posti / monumenti famosi in Italia? • Dove si trovano?
• Che cosa si può vedere? Ora scrivi un breve paragrafo
(25 – 35 parole) e poi riferisci alla classe.
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Cambridge
Cambridge is a university town. There are 31 colleges in Cambridge. The most famous are King’s College, Magdalene College and Jesus College. You can hear the King’s College Choir every day at 5.30 p.m. You can have a picnic by the River Cam or try punting too!EdinburgH
Further north, you can visit the city of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Edinburgh is famous for its castle and for the arts festival. The castle dates back to the 11th century and stands on volcanic rock. From the castle walls, you can see the whole of the city. Every August, thousands of people come to Edinburgh for its famous arts festival. It is a festival of music, drama, concerts and comedy.Bath
Bath is a Roman town. There are Roman ruins, famous Roman baths and souvenir shops at the Roman museum. Another museum is the Museum of Costume. There is a famous exhibition of fashion here. It displays 400 years of British fashion.Stratford-upon-Avon This is the
home of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is the most famous playwright in English literature and the writer of many famous plays: Romeo and Juliet,
Macbethand Hamlet. You can see Shakespeare’s house and visit the Shakespeare Museum. You can even watch a play by the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
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Rileggi il testo e rispondi alle domande. 1 What are three popular places for touriststo visit in London?
2 What is Buckingham Palace? 3 What is Big Ben?
4 Why is Big Ben important on New Year’s Eve? 5 What can you see at the Tower of London? 6 How many colleges are there in Cambridge? 7 What can you see from Edinburgh Castle? 8 What is the Edinburgh Festival?
9 What are the origins of Bath? 10 Who is the writer of Hamlet?
London
London is the number one city for tourists. Here are three popular places in London:Buckingham Palace
The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace when she’s in London. The Queen is often at the palace. You know she is there when the royal flag is flying. Tourists can visit parts of Buckingham Palace. You can also see the Changing of the Guard every other day at 11.30 a.m.The Houses of Parliament
and Big Ben
The Houses of Parliamentare the centre of government. Politicians meet here and make important decisions for the country. You can go inside and listen to the debates. Next to the Houses of Parliament is the famous bell tower and clock, Big Ben. This dates back to the early 19th century. On New Year’s Eve, Londoners wait for Big Ben to signal the beginning of the New Year.
The Tower of London
This Norman castle is one of the oldest in Britain. It dates back to the 11th century. It is an impressive building and home to the famous guards, the Beefeaters. You can also see the Queen’s Crown Jewels here.A D E F G B C
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A tale of three cities
London is the capital of England, but Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are also very important because they are capital cities, too. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. They are all ports. They’ve all got big castles: Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle and Stormont Castle (Belfast).
Population
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Completa le frasi scrivendo i nomi delle città e il numero di abitanti in cifre.Indizio:
Cardiff ha più abitanti di Belfast. Edinburgo ha più abitanti di Cardiff.
a has got three hundred and six thousand inhabitants. ( ) b has got two hundred and
eighty thousand inhabitants.( ) c has got four hundred and
fifty-four thousand inhabitants. ( )
Three famous authors
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Leggi le informazioni su questi autorifamosi, poi scrivi il nome delle città capitali di origine.
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1 Roald Dahl is the Welsh author of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
( )
2 Arthur Conan Doyle is the Scottish author of the Sherlock Holmes
stories. ( )
3 CS Lewis is the Irish author of
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
( )
306,000
Cardiff
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Glossary
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It is in the south east of Scotland. The city of Edinburgh is divided into two: the Old Town and the New Town. The main street in the Old Town is the Royal Mile. This goes from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (one of the Queen’s Scottish houses). Edinburgh has also got a university and a cathedral (St Giles). There are modern shops, hotels, bars and cafés in the New Town. There are also two art galleries: the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy. Edinburgh Castle is one of the most famous castles in Britain. It is over 900 years old.
Cardiff
Cardiff is a large city. Its population is about 306,000. The city has got two castles and two universities. It is also famous for its love of music. The world-famous Welsh National Opera performs frequently in the Millennium Opera House in Cardiff. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has got a roof that opens and closes – the only one in the UK. There are many different events at the stadium: rock concerts, operas and sports events, for example rugby games.
Belfast
There are many beautiful things to see in Belfast. It has got a castle and a university. Most people don’t know Belfast for its tourist attractions. It’s more famous for the political troubles between its Protestant and Catholic communities.
Belfast is also famous because it has got the world’s largest docks. The famous ship, the Titanic, was built here.
Belfast
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T4.21Ascolta e leggi le informazioni sulle tre città a sinistra e poi rispondi alle domande. 1 Where is Edinburgh?2 What is the Palace of Holyroodhouse? 3 Where are the modern shops in
Edinburgh?
4 What is Cardiff famous for? 5 Which ship is Belfast famous for?
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Leggi le informazioni su questa canzone famosa.Auld Lang Syne(‘Times Gone By’) is an old Scottish song by the poet Robert Burns. Traditionally, people sing it at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Britain.
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T4.22Ascolta la canzone e cantala in coro.Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take the cup of kindness yet,
for the sake of auld lang syne.
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Nomina una città italiana che...• è la città natale di un famoso scrittore. (L’autore si chiama .) • ha un castello famoso.
(Il castello si chiama .) • ha un porto famoso.
(Il porto si chiama .) • ha una zona portuale.
• ha una strada famosa.
(La strada si chiama .) • ha un festival famoso della musica.
(Il festival si chiama .) • ha uno stadio famoso.
(Lo stadio si chiama .) Scegli uno di questi posti turistici e scrivi un breve paragrafo (25 – 30 parole).
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Stormont Castle, Belfast
Princes Street, Edinburgh
Welsh National Opera, Cardiff Edinburgh
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The typical British teenager
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Pensa a dei ragazzi tipici italiani e discuti con il compagno queste domande. • What do they like?• Who are their favourite stars? • What do they do in their free time?
• How are teenagers the same all over Europe?
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T4.23Ora ascolta e leggi le informazioni sui ragazzi tipici inglesi. Poi rispondi alle domande su di te.6
And you?
쩝
Have you got a TV in your bedroom?쩝
How many hours a week do you watch TV?쩝
Have you got a computer / a games console?쩝
Do you like music?쩝
What kind of music do you like? Around 50% of teenagers do sports forthree hours a week or more. 75% of British boys play a team sport or game. But only 40% of girls do any sport. Favourite sports for boys are football, cricket, swimming and cycling. Favourite sports for girls are hockey, swimming, dancing and aerobics.
Most teenagers are not very active. Their favourite pastime is watching TV. Over 60% of British children aged 5 –16 have got a TV in their bedroom. Boys watch TV for about 20 hours a week. They also like computer games. 65% play computer games and use a games console. 11% of teenagers have got a computer in their bedroom. Another favourite pastime is listening to music. 78% of teenagers like listening to music and 54% have radios in their rooms.
Sport
Leisure time activities
And you?
쩝
Do you play a team sport or game?쩝
What sport do you play?쩝
How often do you play it?쩝
Do you watch sport on TV?쩝
What’s your favourite sport?g
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Osserva queste affermazioni sui ragazzi italiani. In coppie, discutetene e cerchiate la risposta più adatta.Teenagers in Italy...
• often / sometimes / neverwatch TV. • often / sometimes / neverplay cricket. • often / sometimes / neverlisten to music. • often / sometimes / neverhave lunch
at school.
• often / sometimes / nevergo to ‘clubs’ after school.
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And you?
쩝
Do you go to school on Saturdays?쩝
Do you have lunch at school?쩝
Do you wear a uniform?쩝
Has your school got after-school clubs?Riguarda le domande e le tue risposte dell’es. 2 e prendi appunti. Confronta i tuoi appunti con quelli del compagno e poi scrivi un breve profilo di un ragazzo tipico italiano (25 – 35 parole).
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We live in a consumer world and today’syoung people have got many things. These are the favourite possessions of British teenagers:
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their mobile phone쩝
their MP3 player쩝
their video games쩝
their trainersAnd you?
What are your three favourite possessions?
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쩝
쩝
British school children usually go to school from Monday to Friday. Sometimes they go to school on Saturday when they are in a school sports team. The school day is usually from 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. School children often have lunch at school in the canteen. British school children usually wear a uniform. Schools sometimes have ‘clubs’ after school or during the lunch hour. These are usually music clubs
(singing in a choir or playing an instrument in an orchestra), sports clubs or language clubs. 90% of British children go to state schools. Only 9% go to private schools.
Possessions
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Food
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T4.24Ascolta e leggi le informazioni sul cibo inglese e abbina l’immagine al testo corrispondente.A
short
history of
British food
1 3 5 7 8 4 6 2Plays
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Pensa all’Italia...
Con il tuo compagno prepara una lista delle pietanze tradizionali regionali. Scrivi un breve paragrafo in cui descrivi le pietanze tipiche regionali (25 – 35 parole).
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Rileggi i testi e rispondi alle domande.1 What food do the Romans introduce to Britain?
2 When do the British first drink tea? 3 What is on Henry VIII’s menu? 4 What is Anglo-Indian cuisine?
5 Why do people have simple diets during the Second World War?
6 Why do people begin to cook foreign food between the 1960s and 1980s? 7 What is organic food?
8 How many vegetarians are there in the UK?
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The Romans
Between AD 43 – AD 450 the Romans introduce wine, cabbage, peas, cherries and olive oil to Britain.
The Age of Discovery
British sailors travel to the East and in 1290 British people eat oranges and spices for the first time. In 1563 British people have their first potatoes from America and in 1650 they drink tea from China for the first time.
The Tudors
In the 16th century, King Henry VIII has big parties. Roast swan is on the menu. Only rich people eat fruit and vegetables. Their favourite drink is ale (a type of beer).
The Industrial
Revolution
During the Industrial Revolution (1750 – 1850) people move from the countryside to towns. Children go to work in factories. Their diet is not healthy and their food is not fresh. They don’t eat much fruit or many vegetables.
Mid 1800s – 1950
In 1858 the first fish-and-chip shop opens in London and by 1900 there are 30,000 fish-and-chip shops in Britain. Between 1860 and 1950, India is an important part of the British Empire. British people start to eat Indian dishes (curry) for the first time. This creates ‘Anglo-Indian cuisine’– a mixture of English and Indian food.
The Second World
War
During World War II (1939 – 1945), there is food rationing: there isn’t much sugar, butter, meat or cheese for families and people queue for their food. People have a simple diet. At this time, some people become vegetarians. At the end of the war there are about 100,000 vegetarians in the UK. People eat poor quality food for many years. They forget how to cook interesting meals.
The 1960s – 1980s
In the 1960s tourists say “English food is boring!” People start to eat international dishes. Around this time, a lot of ethnic restaurants open and British people begin to eat Indian, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Mexican food. More people go on holiday to places like France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. When they return to England, they want to cook foreign food. Supermarkets begin to sell foreign food and ingredients, like pasta, Indian sauces and feta cheese.
The 1990s – today
This is the decade of the British food crises – mad cow disease and the foot-and-mouth epidemic. More people become vegetarians and more farms begin to sell organic food (food produced without chemicals). There are about four million vegetarians in the UK. You usually find vegetarian food on restaurant menus or in supermarkets. Food becomes important for British people. There are food programmes on TV almost every night in the UK. British restaurants often receive big international prizes.
A C H E D G F B factories fabbriche rationing razionamento
queue fare la coda
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Summer sports
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T4.25Ascolta e leggi il testo sugli sport estivi. Poi usa le parole nel riquadro per completare le frasi su questi avvenimenti sportivi famosi dell’estate.10
Tennis
R
owin
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University Boat Race
w
Henley Regatta
March Windsor five University River
strawberries white weeks
years famous
Wimbledon
The All England Tennis and Croquet Club is almost 140 1 old. It’s in Wimbledon, in south
west London and it is the home of the famous Wimbledon Tennis Tournament each summer. The tournament begins in June and lasts for two
2 . The tournament is 130 years old.
500,000 people go to the tournament but millions watch it on TV.
Players from over 60 countries come to Wimbledon. There are 128 male tennis players and 128 female tennis players in the tournament. There’s a Royal Box on the Centre Court, the most important court, where members of the royal family and
3 people can sit. But the unique thing in
Wimbledon is that they play tennis on grass and all players wear 4 clothes. Traditionally
spectators eat 5 and cream at Wimbledon.
There are two famous sports events on the 1 Thames. The first is the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race in 2 or April. Two boats, one from Oxford University and one from Cambridge 3 , race on the Thames near London. The second is The Henley Regatta in July in a town called Henley-on-Thames, near 4 . The Regatta lasts for 5 days. There are 100 races on the first day of the Regatta.
Plays
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Rispondi alle domande.1 How many male and female tennis players are there in the tennis tournament? 2 What is the Royal Box?
3 What do spectators traditionally eat at Wimbledon?
4 What two famous sporting events are on the River Thames?
5 When is the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race?
6 How many days is The Henley Regatta?
7 What is Royal Ascot? 8 What is Ladies’ Day?
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Pensa a un avvenimento sportivoimportante in Italia. Rispondi alle
domande con il tuo compagno. Poi usa le risposte per scrivere un breve paragrafo (25 – 35 parole).
• Come si chiama? • Quando ha luogo? • Dove ha luogo? • Da chi è frequentato?
• Da quanto tempo viene organizzato? • Perché è famoso?
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Royal Ascot
Ask people ‘What is Royal Ascot?’ and 90% say ‘Big hats’; the other 10% say 1‘ racing’. Horse racing at
Ascot is almost 300 years old. The most important race at Ascot is called ‘The Gold Cup’. Ascot lasts 2
days and is very popular. It’s in June each year. All the women dress in beautiful 3 to watch the races.
Queen horse clothes family five
The third day of the races is called Ladies’ Dayand all the ladies wear big colourful hats. The men wear black suits and top hats. The royal 4 loves horse
racing. The Queen and her family are often at the races. Newspapers often show photos of the
5 at Ascot.
