Transcript Diapositiva 1 - TECHNO ENGLISH COURSE

The many faces of London
STAR
T
and Ireland
Great Britain
Queen Elizabeth
This is London
Religion
Cornwall
Sport
British Money
The lock mistery
The Tunnel under the sea
William Shakespeare
English education
Techno English Course
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
Great Britain and Ireland are two islands in the north-west of Europe.
They are separated from the continent by the English Channel in the
south and the North sea in the east.
Great Britain is made up of three countries: England, Wales and
Scotland. The capital of England is London, the capital of Wales is
Cardiff, the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. Ireland is divided in two
parts: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Southern Ireland is an
independent republic called Eire. Its capital is Dublin. The capital of
Northern Ireland is Belfast. Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and
England make up the United Kingdom, also called the U.K. London is
the capital of the U.K. Sometimes people call the U.K. simply “Britain”.
THIS IS LONDON
London is the capital of United Kingdom.
It is very, very big city. About seven million
people life there. In fact its population is four
times that of Roma. London is on the river
Thames. It is very important for commerce,
banking and finance. London has a very long
history. There are many historical buildings
in it, like the Tower of London, Westminster
Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and
Buckingham Palace. Other interesting places
to visit are Piccadilly Circus,Trafalgar Square
Hyde Park and St Katharine’s Dock.
Trafalgar Square, London
London is also famous for its shops. People
all over the world know Harrods, the famous
department store, and love visiting the
wonderful shopping centre of Convent
Garden.
River Thames, London
Tower of London
Buckingham Palace, London
Cornwall: the land of the Arthurian legend
Cornwall is a peninsula in the south west of England. It has a picturesque coastline and
miles of sandy beaches which attract hundreds of surfers. The extreme westerly point,
called Land’s End, is constantly swept by storms and offers an impressive view of the
North Atlantic Ocean.
On the north Cornwall coast there is Tintagel, a wild and romantic castle. A legend claims
that King Arthur built it for his wife Guinevere and for the Knights of the Round Table.
Merlin the Magician lived in a cave below the castle. The legend also claims that Arthur
,who is recognized King when he proves to be the only among several strong warriors
who can draw the magic sword Exalibur from a rock. Sir Launcelot of the lake is perhaps
the most famous Knight of all. He is secretly in love with Guinevere and she returns his
love. But they are both devoted to King Arthur and so their love is impossible. Launcelot
saves Guinevere when the wicked Mellyagraunce takes her prisoner in his castle. While
Merlin the Magician foretells that one day one of the Knights of the Round Table will
betray Arthur and that the King will die in battle fighting against the traitor.
BRITISH MONEY
British money consists of pounds (£) and pence ( p ).
There are a hundred pence in a pound. A pound is now about € 1,43 , but it changes.
In Britain there are seven different coins, from the one pence coin to the one pound
coin. In general British coins are very heavy, especially the 50p coin.
There are four banknotes: five pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds and also fifty
pounds, but you don’t see it very often. All British coins and banknotes have the
picture of the Queen.
AMERICAN MONEY
American money consists of dollars ($) and cents (c) .There are a hundred cents in a
dollar .A dollar is now about € 1, 34 , but it changes.
In the US there are four coins: the penny (1c), the nickel (5c), the dime (10c), and the
quarter(25c).
On American coins you usually find pictures of US presidents: Lincoln on
pennies, Jefferson on nickels, and F. D. Roosevelt on dimes. Quarters have a
picture of
President Washington on the front and the American eagle on the back.
All banknotes have the motto “In God we trust” on the back.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (Stratford-upon-Avon 1564-1616) is one of the greatest playwright of world
literature, besides being the greatest English poet. His works are famous for their deep analysis
of human condition. In this piece, a summary from “Othello”, the main character, Othello, noble
Moor in the service of the Venetian State, asks his beloved wife Desdemona to give him the
handkerchief he gave her as first gift…Both of them don’t know that Iago, Othello’s envious
Ancient, is hatching a secret plot to ruin their lives… Iago tells Othello that his wife is betraying
him with Cassio, Othello’s faithful Lieutenant, and that she gave him the handkerchief…Othello’s
jealousy leads him to kill her…
From “Othello”: Act iv (Shakespeare teaching theatre)
Characters: Desdemona , Othello
Othello: My head hurts. Please give me your handkerchief to wipe my face.
(Desdemona gives him a handkerchief)
Othello: No, not that one .The special handkerchief , the first gift I gave you.
Des: I’m sorry Othello, I don’t know where that handkerchief is.
Othello: What do you mean you don’t know where it is? Have you lost it, or did you give it to somebody?
Des: No, I just don’t know where it is. Please my lord, Cassio is here to speak to you.
(Cassio enters)
Cassio: My lord…
Othello: Not now. Find me that handkerchief!
Des: You couldn’t find a better man than Cassio…
Othello: The handkerchief!
Des: Cassio loves you so well: he help you so much.
Othello: Silence! Desdemona go to bed!
(Desdemona is very upset and leaves)
English education
Education is compulsory in England between the ages of 5 and 16.
After nursery school the first school attended by a child is primary school (from 5 to 11 years of
age), which gives elementary education.
After primary school children attend secondary school (from 12 to 16 years of age) and can choose
among several different types of education according to their particular academic standards(
grammar school, modern school, comprehensive school).Apart from these schools, there are still
the so-called “public schools”, a very expensive type of private school with a long classical
tradition behind them. At the end of secondary school those who want may take an exam according
to their plans for the future and their education level (work or university). The most prestigious
English universities are: Cambrigde University, Oxford University and Trinity College in Dublin.
Cambrigde University
Oxford University
Trinity College-Dublin
THE TUNNEL UNDER THE SEA
People who live in islands are sometimes insular. British people were
very insular: they did not feel European. But things are changing.
Now there is a tunnel linking Britain and the continent of Europe. You
can go all the way to London by train. The Channel Tunnel is the
longest undersea tunnel in the world. Perhaps this tunnel will bring
Britain nearer to Europe.
THE LOCH NESS MYSTERY
In the north of Scotland there is a very large lake called Loch Ness.
Its waters are not blue, but dark and often black. The lake is very deep and has many
underwater caves. People say that something strange lives at the bottom of Loch Ness.
In 565 ST Columbia, an Irish saint, saw the monster for the first time.
Fourteen centuries later a London doctor took the first photo of it. The scientific world
was shocked. What was that strange animal with a long thin neck?
Some people think it is an enormous snake.
Other people say it is a sort of dinosaur.
Others say it does not exist. But it is not so simple. There are report of lake monsters
also in Ireland, in Sweden, in Iceland and across the Atlantic, but at the same latitude,
in Canada. It is all a mystery.
1 grotte sott’acqua
2 segnalazioni
Loch Ness, Scotland
“Nessie” ( computer reconstruction )
“ Nessie” the monster ( digital picture )
SPORT
The most popular sport in Britain is football or “soccer”(to be distinguished
from Rugby football or “rugger ). Football started life in England last century.
The English Football League (Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own
separate leagues) includes over 90 professional clubs, and of course there
are many more amateur clubs. The English season is from August to April
and professional matches are played on Saturdays, not on Sundays as in
Italy. At the end of the season the Cup Final is played at Wembley Stadium.
Famous English Football teams are: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal
and Tottenham Hotspur. Other popular sports in Britain: are Polo, Rugby,
Cricket and Golf.
A Cricket match
Eric Cantona wearing the.
Manchester United jersey
Polo players in action
RELIGION IN ENGLAND
Britain is a country where everybody has the right of religious freedom.
The official church is the Church of England (Anglican Church), whose head is the Queen.
There are two Archbishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York.
There is also a strong presence of Catholics, specially in Ireland.
The Church of England is “catholic” and “reformed” at the same time, because it doesn’t
accept the Roman Pope’s authority but retains several catholic creeds and sacraments.
But Clergymen may marry and raise a family.
There is another official church, the Church of Scotland, which is based on Calvinist
doctrines. We also find numerous other churches, the so-called “free” “or non-conformist”:
the Methodist Church, the Baptist Churches, the Presbyterian Churches, the Quakers, and
a number of other protestant denominations. With immigration there is the presence of
various other non-Christian communities: Jews, Moslems and Buddhists.
Cathedral of Canterbury-London
QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND
Elizabeth II is the present Queen. She lives in Buckingham Palace with her family. She
has four children. The oldest I s Prince Charles and so he is the hire to the throne. He
was married to Diana (who died in 2000) and he’s got two children William and Harry.
Now he is going to marry Camilla.
The queen is the head of the state and of the Church of England, but she has very little
power. In fact Parliament makes the political decisions: She is the symbol of the
country at home and aboard. She is also the queen of Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, which were British colonies.
The many faces of London
It is very exciting to walk down a London street. You can see people wearing very
strange types of clothes. There are pucks with leather jackets and green hair and
city gentlemen with bowler hats and black umbrellas. You can also meet Indian
women wearing saris, young West-Indian with exotic hairstyles and Chinese
families from Hong
Kong. These people were originally from different parts of the world, especially
from ex-colonies. But they are not foreigners.
They are all British and they were probably born in London. The only foreigners
are the many, many tourists!