The Changing UK - Southampton

You are going to

• watch a clip from a BBC documentary about the effects of immigration on the city of Southampton
• do a gap fill exercise
• discuss / write about immigration

1) Discuss

• How has your life changed in the last few years? 
• Has your city / town / country changed much in the last 10 years? How?
• What are the biggest changes in the world in the last 10 years?

2) Watch
You are going to watch a clip from a BBC documentary called the "The Truth About Immigration". The clip talks about the  changes in the population in the UK city of Southampton in the last 10 years. Southampton is a port on the south coast of England with a population of around 250,000.



Watch and answer

• How has Southampton been transformed in the last 10 years?
• What is special about the school in the clip?
• What nationalities are mentioned?

3) Practise
Do the gap-fill exercise. Watch the clip again if you need to check any answers.

Printable worksheet here

4) Discuss

• Do / Would you like to live or work in another country?
• Why do many people emigrate?
• What problems do you think people have when they emigrate?
• Why do you think so many immigrants have come to the UK in the last 10 years?
• What are the positive contributions that immigrants make to the economy and society?
• Do you think that immigrants have a responsibility to adapt to their new country? Should they learn the language and adapt to local customs?
• What are the effects of migration on both the migrants and the natives? How does it affect culture?
• What can be done to avoid problems in the future? What can politicians do? What should society do? How do you think the media should report immigration?

Many of these questions are discussed in the complete BBC documentary "The Truth About Immigration". If you have time you can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHplEJgevqM

A summary of the documentary is here http://ampp3d.mirror.co.uk/2014/01/08/the-truth-about-the-bbcs-the-truth-about-immigration/

5) Write (IELTS)

Choose one
1) To what extent will migration from the developing world to the developed world become a social and political issue in the 21st century? (250 words) (IELTS Task 2 Academic)

Plan your essay.

• Think about population, work, housing, education, health... What can be done to avoid problems in the future? Also think about culture - what are the effects of migration on both the migrants and the natives?

2) One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. The developed nations in the world should tackle this problem by taking in more refugees. To what extent do you agree with this opinion? (IELTS Task 2 Academic)







More

• Katie Melua on the BBC's 'This Week' discussing migration Advanced, Discussion Activities, IELTS, Katie Melua, Life in the UK, Listening, Migration, Writing

• Describe a city - Superlative Southampton Comparatives and Superlatives, Describing a place, Intermediate, Reading, Southampton, Upper Intermediate, Webquest  

• Icing on the Cake FCE, Gerunds, Intermediate, Listening, Past Habits, Remember + Gerund, Migration, The Icing On The Cake, Used to, Would

• The Terminal Discussion Activities, Film and TV, IELTS, Intermediate, Listening, Migration, Modal Verbs, Reading,  Upper Intermediate, Writing

How much have the British changed?

You are going to

• watch a video and read about recent changes in British social attitudes on marriage, relationships, religion and welfare
• practise numbers, percentages, fractions, the language of graphs and statistics
• listen to people giving opinions

1) Discuss

• What are the British like? 
• Are we conservative and traditional or liberal and tolerant?
• Do you think the UK has changed in the last 30 or 50 years?
• Has your country changed in the last 30 or 50 years?
• What changes do you think have happened in the UK in the last 30 or 50 years?

2) Discuss
Look at the opinions in the exercise below.
How many do you agree with?

3) Watch
Changes in British social attitudes since 1983

Watch the video.

1) Put the opinions in the exercise above in the order you hear them.
2) What other information does the video tell you about British views on marriage, religion, welfare and relationships?

source http://www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/





3) Watch again and answer these questions.

4) Discuss
What language do we use to describe graphs, data and statistics?
Look at the words in the questions above. In 60 seconds how many more words or expressions can you think of?
In pairs write a list.
eg  a sharp rise, drop, double, per cent ...







5) Read  
A) How many of these words do you understand?

B) Look carefully at the diagram and do the exercise below.

Changing Attitudes - The 1980s and 2012

6) Read
A) Read the text below and answer these questions. 
Compared with 50 Years ago;

1. Is class still important in British life?
2. Are the British more or less interested in politics?
3. Are the British of today more or less optimistic?
4. Do people think the Queen is still important?

Poll shows our views on class, politics, unions and royalty have all moved on since 1963

Britons are more interested in politics than 50 years ago, but less convinced that the government pays much attention to their views. The survey also found that while trade union power has become less of a concern, the influence of big business persists as an issue for 61% of people, slightly up on half a century ago.

Half a century on, the survey suggests, the influence of class over British politics has diminished, along with a feeling of engagement with Westminster, but it has not been accompanied by a loss of interest in politics – rather the reverse. Significantly, in 2013 only 17% think that "having elections makes government pay a good deal of attention to what people think", against 46% in 1963. Yet in contrast, 28% now say they take "a good deal" of interest in politics, up from 16%, while 43% take "some" interest, compared with 37% in 1963. Politics is alive and well, it appears, but the House of Commons is not the focus.

Among the findings, the 1963 and 2013 polls also underscore the shift in public opinion on social security. In 1963, 77% thought the government should spend more on pensions and social services, while that figure is now 42%. However, given the choice between tax cuts and increases in social services, there has been a small decline in support for tax cuts, from 52% to 46%, and only a similar fall in support for more social services, from 42% to 37%.

The comparative figures reveal a sharp decline in optimism. Today 11% think they are better off than they were a year ago, and 38% feel worse off. The figures for 50 years ago were 33% and 21% respectively.

In 1963, 36% of British people thought Britain should have very close ties with the US. That has fallen to 14% in 2013.

The survey also underlines the decline in support for the monarchy as a political entity – 63% thought the Queen and the royal family were very important to the nation in 1963, compared with 41% now.

Adapted from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/17/1963-opinion-poll-westminster-public



B) Vocabulary. Look at the text again and do the exercise below.

Printable worksheets here




More
Practice.
The language of graphs. 
Look at the presentation. Try and describe the graphs.

IELTS Task 1 vocab from David Mainwood

Reading.
NatCen Social Research site http://www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/

News
http://www.channel4.com/news/british-attitudes-towards-health-family-sex-and-benefits

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/british-social-survey-shows-changing-5873917





More on EFL SMARTblog

• How much does the internet weigh? Advanced, Describing Graphs and Charts, IELTS, IELTS Writing Task 1, Internet, Reading, Relative Clauses, Upper Intermediate, Writing  

• UK goes online shopping Advanced, Business, IELTS, Listening, Technology, Upper Intermediate 

• Visit Britain - Webquest (Reading / Scanning) Elementary, Intermediate, Life in the UK, Reading, Scanning, Visit Britain, Webquest

• Visit Britain - You're invited. Adjectives, Advertising, Describing a place, Intermediate, Life in the UK, Listening, Visit Britain

What is beauty?

You are going to

• discuss fashion, beauty and health
• practise words to describe people
• listen to someone talking about ideas of fashion, beauty and health

1) Discuss in pairs / write a list
In 60 seconds how many words can you think of which describe a person's appearance?
Make a note / write a list of them
eg tall, short...










2) Match
A) Choose the right category for each of the words below. Is it Build, Hair, Height or Opinion?







B) Now make a table and put all the words from the exercise and your list in the right column

Build	Hair	Height	Opinion
		tall

3) Discuss

• What is beauty?
• What makes someone beautiful or attractive?
• Where do we get our ideas of beauty from?
• Do ideas of beauty vary around the world?

4) Watch
Watch the clip "Food for Thought" below.
You are going to watch a woman called Mable talk about the first time she came to the UK.
A) Listen and answer

• Where does Mabel get her idea of beauty from?
• Why is she scared of coming to England?
• What does she learn about the British?

B) Watch again and fill in the gaps in the sentences

5) Discuss

• Why does Mabel think that beauty is what she sees in the magazines?
• What do you think “junk in the trunk” means? Junk = rubbish. Trunk (American) = the place where you put the bags in a car (boot in UK English). Can you guess what she means when describing people?
• Why do you think it is easier for an African to eat well and be healthy than for the British?
• Is it easy to eat healthily in your country? 
• Do you eat healthily?
• She says "the magazines show what the British want to look like."  Do you think this is true for all nationalities?
• Why do we want to look like the people in the magazines?
• Why does Mabel think she is lucky at the end?

6) Do the crossword

Click on a number and type in your answer. Click check to see the answers.

All the words are used to describe people.

Crossword printable version here

Printable exercises here






7) Play a game
20 questions.
Someone in the class thinks of a famous person. The others ask Yes / No questions to guess the name of the person.
- Is it a man? Yes it is
- Is he tall? - Yes he is.
- Has he got long hair? Yes he has

Continue until you guess. If you can't guess in 20 questions you lose!








8) Discuss / Write

A) In Pairs. Describe someone. Talk about their appearance and their personality. Don't say their name. Read your description to your partner or to the class. Can they guess who you are describing?


B) - IELTS

• The Fashion and clothing industry is becoming increasingly important in modern society. Is this a good or bad thing?

• Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life. To what extent do you agree?

More

• What Britain Loves Advertising, Beginners, Gerunds, Life in the UK, Present Simple, Travel and Tourism

• What's cooking? - 1. "Bubble and Squeak" Crossword, Elementary, Food, Imperatives, Instructions, Listening, Recipes

• Life in the UK; The British and how to understand them Discussion Activities, Elementary, Intermediate, Life in the UK, Present Simple, Reading, Webquest, Writing a report

• What is the weight of the human race? Advice, Crossword, FCE, Food, Health, IELTS, Jamie Oliver, Listening, Obesity, Obligation, Writing, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate 

 

What's so special about the Beatles?

You are going to

• do a listening comprehension exercise on the Beatles
• look at some vocabulary connected to culture / music
• read about the Beatles

1) Discuss

It's 50 years since the Beatles released their first album Please Please Me. They recorded the whole album in only one day.

• What do you know about the Beatles?
• Why were they important or special?

The first track on the album was called I Saw Her Standing There
Listen. Do you like it?

2) Before you listen
You are going to listen to someone talking about why the Beatles are "special".
Here is some vocabulary from the clip. Match the words to their definitions.

3) Listen
Listen below to an interview by Nick Ellerby with Phil Alexander, the editor-in-chief of the music magazine Mojo.
Why were the Beatles special?

listen to ‘50 year anniversary of The Beatles' Please Please Me with MOJO magazine’ on Audioboo

Now answer the questions below.

4) Read / Webquest
Click on this link and then do the question / answer matching exercise below
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/9946799/The-Beatles-Please-Please-Me-50-years-on-10-facts-about-the-debut-album.html

Printable worksheets are here




More
The Beatles  Listening, Music, Past Simple, Quizzes, Reading 

The Beatles official web page http://www.thebeatles.com/






Here are the Beatles in November 1963 at the Royal Command Performance attended by the Queen Mother. At 04:45 John Lennon makes a request. "For our last number I'd like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'd just rattle your jewellery."

150 Years of The Tube

You are going to 

• listen to a radio clip about the London Underground
• do a comprehension activity

Discuss

• Does your city have a metro or underground railway?
• How old is it?
• Have you ever been on the Tube in London?
• What do you know about it?

Listen

• What was London like 150 years ago?
• What effect did the Tube have on London?

listen to ‘Celebrating 150 Years of the Tube’ on Audioboo

Listen again and do the quiz below




Alternative vocabulary gap fill exercise here


Printable worksheets here






Read

Interesting Facts about the Tube

• Each year, every Tube train travels 114,500miles/184,269km.
• The average speed of a train is 33km/20.5 miles per hour.
• Only 45 per cent of the network is actually in tunnels.
• There are 426 escalators. Waterloo has the most: 23.
• The total number of lifts, including four stair lifts, on the Underground network is 164.
• The deepest lift shaft is at Hampstead station and is 55.2m.
• The total number of carriages in the Underground’s fleet is 4,134.
• The total number of stations currently served is 270.
• The total number of staff on the Underground is approximately 19,000.
• The total length of the Tube  network is 402km/249 miles.
• The deepest station below street level in central London is Bank, which is 41.4m deep.
• In outer London, Hampstead is the deepest station below street level, at 58.5m.

From http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/150-facts-for-150-years-of-the-london-tube-8444153.html






More
Facts
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/150-facts-for-150-years-of-the-london-tube-8444153.html
Pictures
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2013/jan/09/150-years-london-underground-pictures

London Tube map
Click on the map to see an enlarged version

Mind the gap!

What Britain Loves

You are going to

• discuss countries and stereotypes
• watch and listen to a TV ad.
• listen and order words and expressions
• talk about what your country / region / city loves

 


1) Discuss

• What is the British stereotype?
• What do the British love?
• Think of some things we love

2) Watch the clip

What  does Britain love?
Can you guess before you watch?

3) Put the words and expressions in order
Look at the list of words and expressions in the exercise below
Do you understand all of them?
Watch the youtube clip again. While you listen, use your mouse to drag the expressions into the right order on the lines.

4) Discuss / Writing

• Do you think the ad is true?
• What do you love doing?
• What do people in your country love doing?

What does your country love?
Make a list of things
Read them out to the class or make a poster.

Grammar
Don't forget -  "... loves + a NOUN or VERB +ing"
eg Britain loves a celebration 
or
Britain loves gardening

Never Left Home: Chandra from India - What is "traditional" Britain?

You are going to 

• discuss tradition and change
• watch a short clip about a man who is looking for "traditional Britain" and answer some comprehension questions
• discuss some IELTS writing questions on tradition and change
• write an IELTS / argument question on tradition and change 

1) Discuss

• Has your country changed much in the last 50 years?
• Is life for you different to when your parents or grandparents were young?
• What are the differences between now and the past?
• Do you think change is a good thing? Why / Why not?

Before you watch the video

• Have you been to Britain? / Would you like to visit Britain?
• How do / did  you imagine Britain?
• What do you think is "traditional Britain"?
• Do you think traditional Britain is the same as modern Britain?
• Do you think this poem describes modern or traditional Britain?  

 I wandered lonely as a Cloud    
That floats on high over Vales and Hills,    
When all at once I saw a crowd    
A host of dancing Daffodills;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

(William Wordsworth)

2) Watch

Answer

1. How does Chandra feel about his first visit to the UK?
2. What kind of education did he have?
3. Why was he surprised when he came to the UK?
4. How many Indians live in the UK?
5. What percentage of them live in London?
6. Why does he go to "Chaucer's" Canterbury?
7. What is he worried about?
8. What are the answers to his question about “traditional Britain”?
9. What does he find strange in the countryside?
10. What does he say about modern Britain?

Answers - highlight below

1. Excited
2. British influenced
3. He found so many Indians
4. More than 1.8 million
5. 35%
6. Maybe he’ll find the Britain he’s looking for
7. Has traditional Britain gone forever?
8. Countryside, “difficult to pin down”, Fish and chips, bad summer, tea…
9. The British don’t seem to know what he’s looking for. He thinks he learnt more about English history in India than the locals.
10. Modern Britain is full of global brands. Immigration has made it multicoloured. There is something for everyone

3) Discuss

What do you think?

• Why don't the British people in the video know what he's looking for?
• What are traditional values? Are they worth keeping?
• What is globalization? Is it a good thing?
• Should people know more about their history and traditions or should we look more to the future?
• Are we losing traditions and traditional values in the race to be modern? Is that good or bad?

4) Discuss / Write

Look at these IELTS writing topics. Discuss them and choose one to write (250 words).

1. Some people believe that visitors to other countries should follow local customs and behaviour. Others disagree and think that the host country should welcome cultural differences. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
2. People nowadays work hard to buy more things. This has made our lives generally more comfortable, but many traditional values and customs have been lost and this is a pity.
3. Society advances most when people break from the traditions of their predecessors. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
4. Cultural traditions today are often used for money making purposes, especially in the tourism industry.  Do you feel this development is more positive or negative?
5. It is inevitable that as technology develops so traditional cultures must be lost. Technology and tradition are incompatible – you cannot have both together. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
6. There are many different types of music in the world today, why do we need music? Is the traditional music of a country more important than the international music that is heard everywhere nowadays?

Remember to plan your essay.
Look here for advice on introductions IELTS: Writing introductions for task 2

Read

Chandra mentions 3 famous British writers / poets; Shelley, Wordsworth and Chaucer. 
Search on the net and find out about them. When did they live? What did they write?





More
Find out more about the UK here Life in the UK; The British and how to understand them
here  Visit Britain - Webquest
and here  Visit Britain - You're invited

Visit Britain - Webquest (Reading / Scanning)

You are going to look at the Vist Britain website and answer some questions about Great Britain

Instructions
You only need to scan for information. Don't read everything. You only need to look for words which will help you find the answers.
Try and do it as quickly as you can.
Scanning is an important skill to learn especially for reading texts in exams.

Introduction

Discuss
What can you do or see in Great Britain?

Watch the video.
How many activities and places can you see?
Note as many as you can. Whoever gets the most is the winner!

Reading.

Click on the links and read the pages to find the answers. Try and do it as quickly as you can.

1) Britain
What is Britain?
Go here

2) Food

What's Britain's national dish?
Go here

3) History

A) When did "Britain" start to exist?
B) When did the Romans arrive?
C) How old was Queen Victoria when she became queen?
D) What achievements happened between 1901 - 1944?
Go here

4) Cities and Towns

What are the 4 capital cities in Great Britain?
Go here

5) Myths and Legends

A) Where was Robin Hood from?
B) Where can you see a monster?
C) How old is Stonehenge?
Go here

6) London

A) How many languages can you hear in London?
B) How many attractions are there?
C) How many shops are there?
Go here

7) England

A) What's the population of England?
B) What attractions can you see?
Go here

8) Northern Ireland

A) What's the capital of Northern Ireland?
B) What's the population?
Go here

9) Scotland

A) What is Scotland's largest city?
B) What is the population?
C) Why is it Scotland's "style capital"?
Go here

10) Wales

A) How many languages do the Welsh speak?
B) Why is it called "the land of castles"?
C) What is the Welsh national sport?
D) Where is the Millennium Stadium?
Go here

11) Government

What's the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords?
Go here

12) 2012
What happened in 2012?
Go here

13) Football

How old is the FA Cup?
Go here

14) Music

What can you do and see at the British Music Experience?
Go here

15) Things to do

Go here  Click on any of the links on the page.
Choose 3 things you would like to do and say why you want to do each activity.

1
2
3





Finished? Now try the Visit Britain - You're Invited activities



Answers - Highlight below

1) Britain Britain is made up of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland	8) Northern Ireland A) Belfast B) 1.7 million
2) Food Curry	9) Scotland A) Glasgow B) 580,690 C) Its innovative buildings, stylish shops, cultural centres, more than 30 art galleries and museums and an annual programme of performing arts and festivals
3) History A) around 6500 BC B) 43 AD C) 18 D) the invention of the television; the founding of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC); the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming; and insights into the structure of the atom, which led to the development of nuclear weapons and energy.	10) Wales A) 2 B) It is home to 641 famous fortresses - more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world C) Rugby D) Cardiff
4) Cities and Towns Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London	11) Government The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament. It’s a democratically elected body consisting of 646 members called Members of Parliament (MPs). The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament, and here members called ‘Lords’ meet to debate, change Bills and scrutinise the work of the Government. Members of the House of Lords aren’t elected; they either inherit their title or are appointed by the Government or shadow cabinet.
5) Myths and Legends A) Nottingham B) Loch Ness C) 50,000 years	12) 2012 The Olympics
6) London A) Over 300 languages B) 238 C) 30,000 shops	13) Football 140 years (founded in 1872)
7) England A) 50 million B) Historical sites like Stonehenge, ecological attractions such as the Eden Project and family attractions ranging from zoos and safari parks to picnic spots and beaches	14) Music Learn about music’s influence on art, fashion and politics and download music from the BME archive. You can also live your rock ‘n’ roll dreams and play guitar, piano or drums in the fully equipped Gibson Studio. There are also infamous, irreplaceable pieces of British music memorabilia.

Visit Britain - You're invited.

You are going to

• watch 3 tourist adverts for Great Britain
• do some listening and vocabulary activities
• look at adjectives to describe feelings and places
• write or present a descriptive advert for your country

Discuss

What do you know about Great Britain?

• What is it famous for?
• What famous British people do you know?
• What are the famous places in Great Britain?
• How do you feel when you visit new places?

Watch Advert 1

You are going to watch an advert for Great Britain. 

1) What adjectives can you hear?

Source http://www.visitbritain.com/en/GB/

2) Now look at the exercise below. Match the correct meaning to the participles on the left.
You can drag and drop the expressions into the right place.

Answer these questions
How do you feel when you go on holiday?
How do you feel when you watch a good film?
How do you feel when you fall deeply in love with someone or something?
How do you feel when you see a magic trick?
How do you feel when you do something dangerous?
How do you feel when your teacher tells you that you are a brilliant student?

Watch Advert 2

You are going to watch Jamie Oliver. Jamie is a famous TV chef.

1) Here are some adjectives. Watch the advert and match them with these topics;

cities  |  countryside |  seaside |  food

• amazing = cities
• busy
• bustling
• (really) special
• lush
• green
• amazing
• (absolutely) incredible
• great
• some of the very best (in the world)

Now do the exercise.

2) Jamie says the UK is "steeped in loads of tradition" but also we are a "magpie culture"

• What does he mean by "magpie culture"? (A magpie is a bird. It can also describe a person who collects and keeps many things)
• What examples does he give?

Answers - highlight below

• We are very multicultural. We take and embrace bits from different cultures.
• Food. Music. Fashion. The arts. 

Watch Advert 3

You are going to watch Dev Patel in London's Leicester Square. Dev Patel starred in the film Slumdog Millionaire

1) Before you watch. What do these expressions mean?  Double click on each word to find out.

cutting edge, forefront, really into, a melting pot, diverse, chilled out, buzzing, energetic, boisterous

2) Read his introduction. Why does he like Leicester Square?

Coming from the suburbs most exciting thing about central London for my friends and me was the energy of Leicester square. I always wanted to be an actor and this is the place where all the big premieres happen and I dreamt of one day having one of my films here too. My dream did come true. The British "Slum Dog Millionaire" film premier was down in Leicester Square.

3) Watch the advert. What adjectives does he use to describe Britain?

4) Now put these sentences from the video in the correct order. Watch again if you need to.
 You can drag and drop the sentences into the right place

Writing / Presentation

Write or present a short advert for your country, city or region
Look on the internet to find important information
Talk about the cities, countryside, food, culture and customs


Don't forget to use lots of adjectives

• Past participles say how something makes you feel - invigorated, involved, inspired...
• Adjectives describe something - amazing, busy, bustling, really special, lush, green, amazing, absolutely incredible, some of the very best, cutting edge, diverse, chilled out, buzzing, energetic, boisterous...

Reading and practice

More infomation and reading about Great Britain

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/GB/
Look at the Cities and Towns. Where would you like to go?
Choose 3 places. Say why you would like to go there.

More on participial adjectives http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/passive3a.html

The Truth About British Rain - The Great British Weather

You are going to 

• watch a clip about British weather
• look at some True / False sentences
• look at a paragraph which describes a process / cycle and do a vocabulary gap-fill
• look at an IELTS task 1 question

Discuss

What do you think is the typical weather in the UK?
Do you think the UK has a lot of rain?
Why is it so rainy?

Before you watch

Decide if these sentences are true or false

1. The UK has 189 days of rain a year.



The Lake District in the UK

2. All our rain comes from the Atlantic Ocean
3. Much of our rain starts 4000 miles away in the Atlantic
4. Every drop of our fresh water comes from the oceans
5. It's a never ending cycle
6. Swansea is the wettest city in the UK
7. The Lake District gets 69 inches of rain a year
8. It rains on average 111 days a year there
9. Rainguage Cottage is probably the wettest cottage in England
10. Emily Pratt feels proud of living in the wettest place
11. The floods of 2009 happened after 5 days of heavy rain
12. It was described as a once in a thousand year weather event
13. The power of the great British weather should never be under-estimated.

Now watch the clip to find out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jd19w


Now do the true or false exercise

Correct sentences. Highlight below
1. The UK has 199 days of rain a year.
7. The Lake District gets 79 inches of rain a year
8. It rains on average 211 days a year there

11.The floods of 2009 happened after 3 days of heavy rain

Watch again

Fill in the gaps in the text. Watch the clip (0:39 - 1:18) and listen again to check.

Printable worksheet here

Find out more

about UK weather here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/
Is it raining in the UK today? Look here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_weather.html

More weather practice 

here http://efllecturer.blogspot.com/2011/09/bbc-weather-forecast.html

Writing for academic IELTS task 1

IELTS Task 1 practice - Describe the picture in 150 words
Try this question from ielts-simon.com 
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/04/ielts-writing-task-1-water-cycle-essay.html

IELTS Writing Task 1: "Water Cycle" essay

The diagram below shows the water cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth.

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