Eating in Britain
Do you know anything about British food? what kinds of British food do you know? Read on ..
Years ago a Frenchman said that the only way to eat well in Britain was to eat breakfast three times a day. And, let's be honest, most British food was terrible -overcooked vegetables, greasy sausages, boring sandwiches. For a lot of people, eating was something you had to do to survive; it was certainly not an enjoyable experience. But things have changed . . .
• Food has become very important in Britain. TV cooks are more famous than writers and their recipe books are bestsellers.
• More of us eat out regularly and we can get excellent food in lots of different kinds of restaurants -French, Indian, Italian, Greek, Thai, Indonesian ... even British!
• Traditional British pubs serve surprisingly good meals at good prices.
■ British supermarkets are now full of exotic cooking ingredients, sauces, pasta, cheese, fruit and vegetables.
• The British love all kinds of 'international' food. The most popular is now pizza and, according to a recent survey, 40% of British families have a curry for Sunday lunch, instead of traditional dishes like roast beef.
• We eat less meat and more fresh fruit and vegetables. A growing number of people are
becoming vegetarians. Even children know about sugar-free sweets.
That is the good news. Unfortunately, there is also some bad news. As we work harder and have less time, we are eating more and more fast food and doing less exercise. For lunch, many of us have a hamburger or sandwich and when we come home in the evening we put our ready-made dinner into the microwave before sitting down in front of the TV. Meals are no I longer family occasions.
1> Find the Key Words in the text and try to guess their meanings. Then match them with their definitions.
cook, dish, food, lunch, meal, recipe, curry
1 general word for things you eat
2 food you eat at a specific time of the day, e.g. breakfast, dinner
3 ingredients and instructions for making a particular meal
4 a person who prepares food
5 the food you eat between 12.00 and 2.00 p.m. in Britain
6 an Indian dish of meat or vegetables with lots of spices
7 specific type of prepared or cooked food, e.g. beef stroganoff, spaghetti boLognese
2} Read the article. List three 'good' changes and three 'bad' changes in British eating habits.
3y List some differences between eating habits in Britain and your country.
Example Curries are not popular in my country.
4) Write a description of food and eating habits in your country for a foreign visitor.
Scotland is famous for its own culture. Here are some of the ways in which visitors to Scotland can join in the fun:
Scotland celebrates Hogmanay, New Year, with bagpipe music and dancing in the street throughout the night. At midnight, there are fireworks and everyone sings 'Auld lang syne', a song by Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet. Around the New Year period, Scottish families go 'first footing', visiting the houses of friends and relations to continue the celebrations!
Robert Burns is Scotland's national poet and Scottish people have a big dinner every year to celebrate his birthday. The dinner begins with the sound of bagpipes and the 'haggis', Scotland's national dish, a kind of sausage made from the heart and other organs of a sheep. Then everyone reads poems and sings songs written by the great 'Rabbie Burns' himself.
Scotland
Area: 78,769 sq km Population: 5,200,000 Capital: Edinburgh
Political: Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. It has its own parliament, legal system, education system and even its own international football team. History: The Romans never conquered Scotland. Between AD 120 and 140, they built Hadrian's Wall, a huge wall of 118 km, to protect their Empire south of the Scottish border. In the middle ages, Scotland became a united country. There were many wars between England and Scotland. In 1603 the Scottish king, James VI, became king of England and a century later Scotland and England were united.
Nearly every weekend in the summer there are highland games somewhere in Scotland, but the biggest games are at Cowal. People from all over the world come to watch or take part. Over three thousand bagpipers and drummers play all day and there is a wonderful atmosphere. There are highland dancing competitions as well as events like throwing the hammer or 'tossing the caber' -throwing a large tree as far as possible. All the athletes wear traditional kilts.
Edinburgh is famous all over the world for its arts festival. There is an Official Festival for theatre, opera and classical music, and a 'Fringe' festival, where you can see a big variety of plays, concerts, dance performances and films. Finally, there is the Military Tattoo, a parade, held in Edinburgh Castle.
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kl/ Read the text. Which of these sentences are true?
1 Scotland has a big population.
2 Scotland is an independent country.
3 Scottish schools are different from schools in England.
4 Scotland has its own football team.
5 The Romans conquered Scotland.
6 England conquered Scotland and the two countries were united.
Read the factfile and check your answers.
2^ Read about Scottish celebrations. Which would these people probably like most?
1 Kinga loves the theatre and classical music.
2 Karol is a sports fanatic and is interested in Scottish culture.
3 Asia loves parties and dancing all night.
4 Piotr is interested in poetry and eating different food from around the world.
3j Which celebration would you like to go to? Why?
Ay Write about two celebrations in your country that visitors from abroad could enjoy.
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Nčw Zealand Factfile
Government
New Zealand is a democratic country with its own parliament. However, it is part of the British Commonwealth, and therefore the official head of state is Elizabeth II, the queen of England, Scotland and Wales. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give the vote to women in 1893, to have old age pensions and the eight-hour working day. Geography
New Zealand, in the South Pacific, consists of two large islands plus other smaller islands with an area of 270,000 sq km. North Island has a warm climate and there is quite a lot of volcanic activity. South Island is cooler and has a higher rainfall. In the South Island there are the Southern Alps with Mount Cook (3754 m) the highest mountain in New Zealand. Economy
New Zealand has some industry but agriculture is more important - there are 55 million sheep, 8 million cows and 1 million goats in New Zealand!
New Zealand was cut off from the rest of the land Earth for 80 million years and has some unique animals and plants. The tuatara is a reptile that has survived from the era of the dinosaurs. The weta is the largest and heaviest insect in the world and theldwi (the symbol of New Zealand) is a large bird which cannot fly.
1, Read the text and complete the table below.
Location:	Languages:
Population:	Weather:
Look at the factfile and check your answers. 2   Read it again and answer these questions:
1 In what ways was New Zealand advanced in the area of human rights?
2 What is the most important part of New Zealand's economy?
3 Why are there some strange animals in New Zealand?
4 What kind of lifestyle do most New Zealanders have?
5 What is there for tourists to see in New Zealand?
The People
Over 80% of the 3.6 million people are of European (mainly British) origin. Around 9% of the population are Maoris -who came to New Zealand from Polynesia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The two official languages in the country are English and Maori. Lifestyle
New Zealanders, who are also known as 'Kiwis', are relaxed people who love the outdoor life. It is not surprising that New Zealand is successful at many sports. Its national sport is rugby and its team, 'The All Blacks', are often the best in the world. Before every game, the All Blacks perform a 'haka', a Maori war dance, to frighten the opposing team! Places to visit
New Zealand has beautiful landscapes. In North Island, the Bay of Islands has lovely old forests and beautiful beaches and the Coromandel is perfect for sailing and watersports. Rotorua is the centre of Maori culture and has wonderful hot springs. In South Island, the Southern Alps, the West Coast region and the national park of Fiordland all have beautiful scenery.
3^ Find these names in the factfile.
New Zealand's national rugby team, New Zealand people, the highest mountain in New Zealand, the largest insect in the world, the first people of New Zealand
4 List five differences between New Zealand and your country.
5 Write information for a factfile for your country.
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London Timeline
• 43 AD When the Romans arrived in Britain, London was already a small town. Under the Romans 'Londinium' became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia.
• 886 King Alfred the Great united England. He captured London from the Danes and made it capital of his kingdom.
• 1666 The Fire of London destroyed much of the city. The reconstruction was organised by the architect Christopher Wren who designed St Paul's Cathedral.
•1850 By the middle of the nineteenth century, London was the largest city in the world and the most important port. In this period it was famous for its terrible pollution.
• 1939-45 In World War II, London was seriously damaged by German bombing.
• 1980 In the last twenty years, the old port area has been rebuilt. There are big, new skyscrapers and the Millennium Dome, the largest dome in the world, which was finished in 1999. In 2000 it held the millennium exhibition.
Would you like to go to London? What would you like to see and do there?
2y Put these events from London's history in the correct order.
a) damaged by bombing
b) founded by the Romans
c) fire destroyed much of the city
d) many high buildings built
e) was the biggest city in the world
f) became capital of England
g) St Paul's Cathedral rebuilt
Over two hundred years later, Dr Johnson is still right! London is the place to be, with so many different things to do and places to visit. Here are a few. Royal London
You can visit Buckingham Palace, the Queen's London home and see the Changing of the Guard at 11 a.m. every day. In the Tower of London, you can see the Crown Jewels and visit the place where many famous prisoners lived and died. You can take a boat trip on the Thames to Hampton Court, where Henry VIII lived with five of his six wives. In the gardens of the palace is a famous maze, which is easy to get into but not so easy to get out of! Rainy Days
London is one of the best places to be on a rainy day (which is quite often!), because of all its museums and galleries. If you like machines, you must go to the Science Museum. Next door you will find the Natural History Museum with its excellent dinosaur exhibition. The British Museum is one of the world's great museums with its excellent collections from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Art-lovers can visit the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery or the National Portrait Gallery. Shopping
London attracts shoppers from all over the world for the latest fashions. The main shopping area is in the West End, around Oxford Street. There are also famous street markets at Portobello Road, Camden Lock and Petticoat Lane where you can buy anything from bargain jewellery to expensive antiques. Going Out
There is always a wide choice of plays to see at London's many theatres in the West End around Covent Garden. There are many clubs with modern music like house or jungle or more traditional music like salsa and samba. Music lovers can also find many places for top quality classical, jazz and pop music.
Read the London timeline and check your guesses.
3, Teresa is going to visit London. Use the brochure to answer as many of her questions as you can.
shopping - interesting street markets? names of good dubs? palaces to visit?
names of important art galleries? good/cheap places to stay -where?
a boat trip on the Thames? a museum for ancient civilisations? .4, Make a list of places for a tourist to visit in your area.
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