Text B.
Who are the British?
The UK is a confused nation when it comes to national identity, especially in relation to major sporting events. Commentators proudly refer to the country’s internationally successful sportspeople as ‘English’ if they come specifically from England Welsh and Scottish athletes, however, are usually given the general label ‘British’ without any recognition of their homelands. But it’s when the countries complete individually, especially against each other, that the idea of a ‘united kingdom’ becomes completely lost. At football and rugby matches there has been a strong revival of the individual flags, songs and symbols of England, Scotland and Wales – and there often isn’t a Union Jack to be seen. Away from the sports pitch, the national saints’days of St David in Wales and St Andrew in Scotland are starting to be marked with large celebrations in the same way that St Patrick’s Day has always been celebrated in Ireland And the flag of St George can be seen in England on public buildings and churches where the Union Jack used to be. With Scotland and Wales now having their own parliaments, there is even extreme talk of an ‘English Independence Movement’, and some people are wondering if the United Kingdom will last into the next century.
Complete the description with these verbs in the correct form. get at, ring up, get to, take off, get by, put up with, get on with, look forward to, check in
When I am abroad, I always (1) look forward to getting back home. I start feeling homesick as soon as the plane (2)________. When I (3)________ a new place, the first thing I do after I have (4)________ at the hotel, is to (5)_______ my family and have a chat with them. Unfortunately, I have to travel a lot on business and I often go to the States. I (6) ______ the Americans very well – they are always very friendly. I speak good English too, so I can (7) _______ in the States without any problems. I’m not very keen on American food but I can (8) _______ it. The problem is that I’m a stay-at- home. My sister always (9) _____ me she says I’m boring and unadventurous. But, as the saying goes, ‘home sweet home’.
Write a paragraph about your country. Write about the national flag, the national day and the national symbols. Is your country ‘united’, or are theresome parts of it that have a separate identity? APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER Read and practise. Text A "How old are you?" It's a simple question, and there is usually a simple answer: "sixteen years old," "twenty years old," "fifty-five," etc. But if someone is described as young or middle-aged or old, then how old is that person? It's difficult to know because these are words that have different meanings for different people. Except for the word teenager, which describes someone whose age ends in the syllable "teen" (such as fourteen, fifteen or sixteen), words which describe age are not exact. When, for example, does a baby stop being called a baby and become a young child? When does a boy become a young man and a little girl become a young woman? At what age does middle age begin? When do you call someone elderly and not simply old? At what age does someone become an adult? In some countries, it is when the government says a person is old enough to vote. Is that really the difference between a child and an adult? The answers to these questions partly depend on how old you are. There is a saying that old age is always ten years older than yourself. If you are fifteen, then you think someone of twenty-five is old. At thirty, forty seems old. If you are seventy, then you probably think someone of eighty is old. A recent survey showed that there was some truth in the old saying. People were asked. "What is middle age?" Those in their early twenties usually answered, "Between thirty-five and fifty," and people in their thirties answered, "Between forty-five and sixty."
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