Unusual British Festivals

1. Preparation: matching Do this exercise before you listen. Match the two parts of  the phrase to make common festival activities. Write a–f next to the numbers 1–6.

1…d….. follow                                    a. a firework display

2…f….. cook and eat                         b. as a special character

3…a….. watch                                    c. your house or street

4…e….. take part in a             d. ancient traditions

5…c….. decorate                                e. competition

6…b….. dress up                                f. special food

Score: 6/6

2. Check your understanding: true or false Do this exercise while you listen. Circle True or False for these sentences.

1. Many of these festivals are actually races or competitions.                             True False

2. The Burning of the Clavie brings good luck for the new year.                          True False

3. On Shrove Tuesday in Scarborough people dance with ropes.                         True False

4. Cheese rolling involves running away from a big, round cheese.                     True False

5. Snail racing started in the UK.                                                                      True False

6. The competition to pull the ugliest face is an old tradition.                               True False

7. The Burning of the Clocks festival marks the summer solstice.                        True False

8. The Burning of the Clocks festival ends with people throwing water.                True False

Score: 8/8

3. Check your understanding: multiple choice Do this exercise while you listen. Circle the best phrase to complete these sentences.

1. The Clavie is a whisky container / a wooden cross / a bonfire made of things people don’t need .

2. In the Up Helly Aa festival, they burn a wooden man / a Viking boat / a line in the grass .

3. During a pancake race, you have to eat as many pancakes as possible / run as fast as possible while tossing a pancake in a pan / run and jump over the ropes without dropping the pancake .

4. Nowadays, the people who win the cheese rolling competition are usually top athletes / people from the village / visitors from all over the world .

5. The fastest snail in the Snail Racing is cooked with garlic and butter / rescued from the barbecue / given a prize of extra lettuce .

6. Black pudding throwing is similar to pancake tossing / Olympic sports like javelin and shotput / bowling .

7. To win the best gurner competition, one man had all his teeth removed / grew a really long beard / had a lot of facial piercings .

8. The Burning of the Clocks festival is 2 years old / 20 years old / 200 years old

Score:8/8

What kind of student are you?

Preparation: matching Match the two parts of the question and write a–h next to the numbers 1–8.

1…d….. When do you usually get                                a. to do when you finish school?

2…e….. When do you usually do                                 b. with the staff at school?

3…g….. What is your average mark                             c. an exam?

4…c….. How do you feel before doing                        d. to school?

5…b….. What kind of relationship do you have            e. your homework?

6…h….. Where do you usually sit                                f. studying before an exam?      

7…f….. How much time do you spend                         g. in tests?

8…a….. What do you want                                         h. in class?

Score: 8/8

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice. Circle the best answer to these questions.

1. At the beginning the teacher asks the students to think carefully about …

a. the questions. b. their answers. c. where they sit.

2. The answers the students choose will be seen by …

a. the other students. b. the teacher. c. nobody.

3. The first question is about the time …

a. students arrive at school. b. students spend at school. c. students leave.

4. The teacher asks about …

a. where students do their homework. b. how much time students spend doing their homework. c. when the students do their homework.

5. In question three, students who normally get half marks should answer …

a. A. b. B. c. C.

6. Question four is about the students’ relationship with …

a. people in their lives outside school. b. people working at the school. c. people studying at the school.

7. The teacher thinks some students prefer to sit in the middle of the class so that …

a. they can hear the teacher without being right at the front. b. they can have pleasant thoughts without following the lesson. c. no one will notice them using their phones.

8. Question six is about students’ …

a. exam results. b. future career c. plans for the future.

9. Students with mostly As have a good …

a. attitude towards studying. b. idea about what they want to do in the future. c. network of support at school.

10. Students with mostly Bs need to …

a. become excellent students. b. increase the time they spend studying. c. change some of their habits.

11. Students with mostly Cs are probably …

a. wasting a lot of their time. b. unable to do any better. c. going to be unemployed in the future.

12. Students with mostly Cs should …

a. join the homework club. b. try to change as soon as possible. c. leave school at the first opportunity.

Score:12/12