Valentine's Day | General English - Magazine Valentine's Day is on 14 February, and it can seem as if the world is full of couples who are celebrating their love. Some couples might celebrate with dinner at a nice restaurant, flowers, chocolates or other presents. Some single people might put a post on social media about why they hate 'V-Day' or maybe they just avoid it completely. But it's impossible not to know that Valentine's is happening. And that's not surprising when over half of all Brits and Americans celebrate Valentine's in some way. The price of love For most of these romantic people, Valentine's Day means spending money. The beginning of modern Valentine's Day Today Valentine's is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, France, Denmark, Italy and Australia as well as the USA and England. Vinegar valentines At about the same time as this, another kind of valentine card was popular. Further back in history Valentine's Day has been celebrated in some way for 600 years.
United Kingdom country profile - Overview 12 November 2014Last updated at 07:38 ET The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has a long history as a major player in international affairs and fulfils an important role in the EU, UN and Nato. The twentieth century saw Britain having to redefine its place in the world. Two world wars and the end of empire diminished its role, but the UK remains an economic and military power, with considerable political and cultural influence around the world. Britain was the world's first industrialised country. The Palace of Westminster is home to one of the world's oldest parliaments Continue reading the main story At a glance Politics: Prime Minister David Cameron, from the centre-right Conservative Party, heads a coalition with the UK's third party, the Liberal Democrats. Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring Special Report: United Kingdom Direct But this did not stop the centrifugal trend. Diversity There has also been a debate about immigration.
England England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together with Scotland and Wales, these three countries are the island of Great Britain. The English Channel is in the south between England and France. People travel to France by ferry across the English Channel or by train through the Channel Tunnel which goes under the sea. Over 50 million people live in England, that’s around 80% of the total UK population. Other large cities in England are Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol. Language The official language of England is English, which is spoken today by millions of people all over the world. Music English people love music. Sport The most popular sports in England are football, rugby and cricket and most towns have a football, rugby and cricket ground where teams can play. Food England is a very multicultural country and this has a big influence on the food people eat. Symbols The national flag of England is white with a red cross.
Webquest: Bonfire Night By Gabrielle Jones This webquest by Gabrielle Jones includes activities about the history of Bonfire Night and the traditions which are practised today. Activity 1: Warmer Bonfire Night is a British tradition which is celebrated every year on 5 November. It is also known as Guy Fawkes Night. We’ll be learning more about this tradition but before we begin take a look at these words – do you know what they mean? barrelsbasementblow upbonfirecellarseffigyexecutionfireworksgunpowderparliamentplottreason Activity 2: The gunpowder plot Bonfire Night is an event to celebrate the anniversary of a famous event in British history. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. When you have finished, compare what you found out in small groups. Activity 3: The people involved in the Gunpowder Plot Now, go to this website and find out more about the people who were involved in the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament: Student A: Read and choose three things you want to tell your group about Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy. 1. 2.
Scotland Scotland is a country in Great Britain, to the north of England. Scotland has nearly 800 islands, but people only live on some of them. Scotland is a very beautiful country with many mountains, forests, beaches, rivers and lochs (the Scots word for lakes). In the north of Scotland it is light until 11.30 p.m. in summer and in winter you can sometimes see the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which are spectacular lights in the sky. Energy from the sun turns the Earth’s sky green, red and other colours. Scotland has its own parliament which makes laws for Scottish people. Language There are three languages in Scotland. Scotland is ane o the fower kintras that maks the Unitit Kinrick. A minority (around one percent of the Scottish population) speak Scottish Gaelic, an old Celtic language which is very different from English. Music At public and cultural events you can often hear traditional music and see traditional dancing. Sport Food Symbols
Wales Wales is one of the countries in Britain and the United Kingdom. It’s a small country with England to the east. Wales has got a continuous coastline, around 1,300km long, which means there are a lot of beaches! It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the UK and is a popular destination for holidaymakers and water sports fans. The population of Wales is just over three million people, around 5% of the total UK population. Language The Welsh language is an old, Celtic language which is very different from English. Music The Welsh people love music and there are a lot of singing festivals and competitions in Wales. Sport The Welsh enjoy watching and playing sport, especially rugby union and football. Food There are lots of sheep in Wales, so people eat a lot of lamb. Symbols If you ever go to Wales, you will see dragons everywhere!
Talk2Me English : My Valentine - A fun lesson for Valentine's day I discovered the song 'My Valentine' by Paul McCartney this week and thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's day lesson. The song is so romantic ♥ My lesson ended up being rather funny and very lively, I hope your students will enjoy it as much as mine did :-) Level: IntermediateLesson activities: Talking about Valentine's day, using sign language to learn vocabulary, listening practice and fill the blanks exercise. Warm up questions: 1. Task 1Tell students that you are going to show them a You Tube video of a song by Paul McCartney called 'My Valentine'. Task 4Hand out the 'fill the gaps' exercise, play the song again from the beginning and get the students to complete the missing words. Task 5 - DiscussionDiscuss what the general meaning of the song is. Quick quiz - Look at the lyrics and:1. Happy Valentine's day ♥
Four Nations Nick: This is London and behind me are the Houses of Parliament. Parts of these buildings are more than nine hundred years old. This is where the laws of the UK are debated and created. The United Kingdom is actually made up of four different countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The population of England is around fifty million people. But what are we really like? Priest: The English are a tolerant people. Woman 1 : They’re just enchanting. Woman 2 : The English people are very nice. Woman 3 : They’re so polite and so friendly. Nick: Scotland is in the north of Britain. It’s been part of the UK since 1707. Scotland has some unique customs: wearing tartan kilts … playing the bagpipes … and tossing the caber, a very large post. For over sixty years, the Edinburgh Festival has celebrated art, theatre and culture. Wales is on the western edge of Britain. It also used to be a separate country but has been part of the UK for over four hundred years.
Views #1405 Meg's Travels Todd: Hey, Meg. We are talking about traveling and visiting other countries. What countries have you traveled to? Meg: I've been to quite a few different countries, for example, Spain, Belize and Indonesia. Todd: Wow, three different continents. Meg: Yeah, pretty far apart. Todd: Wow, that's cool. Meg: Spain is really beautiful. Todd: Oh nice. Meg: Yes. Todd: Oh, that's great. Meg: Spanish food is delicious. Todd: Oh, I love fish and shrimp. Meg: Me too. Todd: Now, Spain is really warm, right? Meg: Yes. Todd: Oh yeah? Meg: It got up past 40 Degrees Celsius during the summer. Todd: Wow. Meg: Yeah. Todd: Does it rain? Meg: It does rain. Todd: So what about Belize? Meg: Belize is very small, but it's also hot similar to Spain in the summer. Todd: Why did you go to Belize? Meg: I went to Belize on a study trip for school, and I stayed there for about two weeks. Todd: Okay. Meg: Belize also has good food. Todd: Oh really? Todd: So the last country is Indonesia. Todd: Oh wow. Todd: Oh yeah? Todd: Yeah.
Full List Тop 20 Iceland, the best aerial panoramas New 7 Wonders of the World Petra, Jordan Great Wall of China Grand tour of Moscow, Russia Barcelona, Spain Everest, Himalayas, Nepal, Part II, December 2012 Santorini (Thira), Oia, Greece 360 video, Plosky Tolbachik Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia, 2012 Iguasu Falls, Argentina-Brazil. Grand tour Flight to Stratosphere Volcano Plosky Tolbachik, Kamchatka, Russia, 2012 Taj Mahal, India Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt Grand tour of Manhattan, New York, USA Angel Waterfall of Venezuela - The World's Highest Waterfall Saint Petersburg, Russia Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi, India Hong Kong - the City Where Dreams Come True Las Vegas at Dusk and Night Machu Picchu — the ancient city of the Inca Empire Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe border Virtual Tour of Dubai City, UAE St.Moritz, Swiss Alps, Virtual Tour
Interesting Facts About Australia - Things you don't know What You Don’t Know About the Land Down Under What do you think of when Australia is mentioned? Crocodile Dundee, Steve Erwin, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, kangaroos, crocodiles, the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Aborigines, wine, or vegemite? Australia is much more than this. So much more to offer! Melbourne topped 140 rivals to be crowned the world’s most livable city 2 years in a row since 2011. The sports capital of the world has 70 percent of its total population participating at least once a week in a particular recreational activity or sport.Despite having a convict colony history, Australia’s homicide rate is 1.2 per 100,000 population compared to the 6.3 per 100,000 in the United States.Australians refer to English people as Pome, which is actually the acronym for Prisoners of Mother England. Approximately 1.35 trillion bottles of wine are produced by Australia. Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.