Culture - Oxford University Press

Culture
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?
1
Ascolta e leggi i testi. Prendi nota dei luoghi più popolari
nel Regno Unito. Poi abbina le foto ai testi.
2
T4.20
1
3
4
5
Edinburgh
Cambridge
6
Stratford-Upon-Avon
London
7
Bath
2
London
London is the number one city
for tourists. Here are three popular places
in London:
A
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 Parliament
B
are 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.
C
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.
2
D 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!
E
EdinburgH
F
Bath
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 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.
G 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,
Macbeth and Hamlet. You can see Shakespeare’s
house and visit the Shakespeare Museum. You
can even watch a play by the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
Rileggi il testo e rispondi alle domande.
1 What are three popular places for tourists
to 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?
Portfolio
In gruppi di quattro rispondete alle
domande 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.
3
Culture
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
1
Completa le frasi scrivendo i nomi delle
città e il numero di abitanti in cifre.
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.
Indizio:
Cardiff ha più abitanti di Belfast.
Edinburgo ha più abitanti di Cardiff.
a
Cardiff
.
Cardiff has got three hundred and six
thousand inhabitants. ( 306,000 )
has got two hundred and
eighty thousand inhabitants.(
c
has got four hundred and
fifty-four thousand inhabitants. (
b
)
Three famous authors
2
)
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.
Leggi le informazioni su questi autori
famosi, poi scrivi il nome delle città capitali
di origine.
1 Roald Dahl is the Welsh author of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
(
)
2 Arthur Conan Doyle is the Scottish
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.
author of the Sherlock Holmes
stories. (
)
Glossary
3 CS Lewis is the Irish author of
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
(
4
)
docks
roof
event
was built
zona portuale
tetto
evento
fu costruita
Belfast
3
Ascolta e leggi le informazioni sulle tre
città a sinistra e poi rispondi alle domande.
T4.21
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?
4
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.
Stormont Castle, Belfast
5
T4.22
Ascolta 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.
Edinburgh
Princes Street, Edinburgh
Portfolio
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
.)
Cardiff
Scegli uno di questi posti turistici e scrivi
un breve paragrafo (25 – 30 parole).
Welsh National Opera, Cardiff
5
Culture
The typical British teenager
1
Pensa a dei ragazzi tipici italiani e discuti con il compagno queste domande.
•
•
•
•
2
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?
Ora ascolta e leggi le informazioni sui ragazzi tipici inglesi. Poi rispondi
alle domande su di te.
T4.23
Leisure time activities
EEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEE
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.
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?
Sport
uuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuu
Around 50% of teenagers do sports for
three 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.
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?
6
Possessions
H HHHHHHH
HHHHHHHH
H H H H H HH
We live in a consumer world and today’s
young people have got many things.
These are the favourite possessions
of British teenagers:
쩝 their mobile phone 쩝 their MP3 player
쩝 their video games 쩝 their trainers
And you?
What are your three favourite possessions?
쩝
쩝
쩝
School
g
ggggggggggggggg
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.
ggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggg
3
Osserva queste affermazioni sui ragazzi
italiani. In coppie, discutetene e cerchiate la
risposta più adatta.
Teenagers in Italy...
• often / sometimes / never
• often / sometimes / never
• often / sometimes / never
• often / sometimes / never
at school.
• often / sometimes / never
after school.
watch TV.
play cricket.
listen to music.
have lunch
go to ‘clubs’
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?
Portfolio
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).
7
Culture
Food
1
Ascolta e leggi le informazioni sul cibo inglese e abbina l’immagine
al testo corrispondente.
T4.24
1
4
6
8
2
A
short
history of
British food
7
3
5
8
A
The Romans
E
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.
C
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).
D
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.
2
G
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.
Between AD 43 – AD 450 the
Romans introduce wine, cabbage,
peas, cherries and olive oil to Britain.
B
Mid 1800s – 1950
F
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 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.
H
Glossary
factories
rationing
queue
The 1960s – 1980s
fabbriche
razionamento
fare la coda
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.
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?
Portfolio
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).
9
Culture
Summer sports
1
Ascolta e leggi il testo sugli sport estivi. Poi usa le parole nel riquadro
per completare le frasi su questi avvenimenti sportivi famosi dell’estate.
T4.25
strawberries
white
years
famous
Tennis
Wimbledon
weeks
The All England Tennis and Croquet Club is almost
old. It’s in Wimbledon, in south
140 1
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
clothes. Traditionally
players wear 4
and cream at Wimbledon.
spectators eat 5
Rowing
University Boat Race w Henley Regatta
March
Windsor
five
University
River
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
, race on the Thames near London.
one from Cambridge 3
The second is The Henley Regatta in July in a town called Henley-on-Thames,
. The Regatta lasts for 5
days. There are
near 4
100 races on the first day of the Regatta.
10
Horse Racing
Royal Ascot
Queen
horse
clothes
family
five
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.
The third day of the races is called Ladies’ Day and 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
2
at Ascot.
Portfolio
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?
Pensa a un avvenimento sportivo
importante 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?
11