Watch the video and answer the following questions:
For more information you can visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
If you want to practice your English you´ve got here a very interesting link with reading, listening and song activities. I hope you enjoy it
( easy listening)
Young children seem to be able to learn languages with a lot less difficulty than adults. But why is this? In this programme we take a short and simple look at a very complex topic and hear a number of expert opinions. We also cover some useful vocabulary for talking about this topic
Before you listen to the programme look at the comprehension questions below. You can hear the answers in the programme.
1: What is the Critical Period Hypothesis?
2: What does Professor White think of this theory?
3: Why does Dr. John Coleman think children learn languages better than adults?
4: What does Erik Thiessen believe causes problems for adult language learners?
height=”240″]http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/weekender/audio/weekender_language_070216.mp3[/video]
Listen to the video and answer the following questions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/video/88000/nb/88101_16×9_nb.asx
Key
CLIMATE CHANGE.INUITS
1.How important is for a young hunter to learn from older people?
Very important so that he could pass their culture to his children and grandchildren.
2. What do scientists say?
Artic ice has been going down steadily by 40 per cent in the last 2 decades.
3.What do they get from icebergs and the wilderness?
Drinking water from ice and the wilderness supplies all the necessities for survival.
4.What does the wildlife ranger say about people from the industrialised world? Why?
They make him angry. In the cities there are a lot of cars, planes, they’re polluting the earth I feel that something should be done.
5.What do hunters search for?
Seal holes
6.What’s their fear?
That climate change will push more inuits into the town when they travel they´re cut off from their family and culture.
7.What has happened to those who have already gone to towns?
They are often caught between two worlds. Their suicide rate is 6 times the national average.
8.What do hunters eat?
Frozen caribou meat, cut off and eaten raw.
9.What did their forefathers foretell?
The North will be summer all year.
Frank Sinatra, Pavarotti and The Beatles all performed at the Royal Albert Hall - and even Winston Churchill spoke there.
But when and why was it built and who does the Hall hope will fill its 7,000 seats?
Before you listen to the programme, have a look at these comprehension questions. You’ll hear the answers during the programme.
1: Who is the Royal Albert Hall named after?
2: The area where the Royal Albert Hall was built has a special name; what is it?
3: The suffix ‘polis’ is used to form a combined noun. What does it mean?
4: The Chief Executive Officer says the Hall is not ‘elitist’. What does he mean by that?
Tapescript
BBC Learning English
London Life
Royal Albert Hall
London Life © BBC Learning English
Page 1 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
Yvonne: Frank Sinatra, Pavarotti and The Beatles all performed here - and even
Winston Churchill spoke here. Today, join me, Yvonne Archer on a visit to the
Royal Albert Hall with London Life from bbclearningenglish.com!
The Royal Albert Hall is a wonderful, round building in London which was
officially opened in 1871. It was named after and ‘commissioned’ by Queen
Victoria’s husband and Consort, Prince Albert - so he arranged for it to be built
and paid for it. Prince Albert’s dream was that the country should always have
a place to celebrate the arts, industry and sciences. But did The Royal Albert
Hall make his dream come true? Let’s hear from a tour guide…
CLIP FROM GUIDED TOUR
Everything Albert dreamed of came true. And do you know, even today, this area is still
known as Albertopolis. Isn’t that lovely? I want one of them. What do you think?
Yvonne: Sadly, Prince Albert died 10 years before the Royal Albert Hall was finished,
but as it’s still being used today, I think it’s fair to say that his dream did come
true! Here’s another chance to hear that short clip again, but this time, try to
catch the unofficial name for the area where The Royal Albert Hall was built…
CLIP FROM GUIDED TOUR
Everything Albert dreamed of came true. And do you know, even today, this area is still
known as Albertopolis. Isn’t that lovely? I want one of them. What do you think?
London Life © BBC Learning English
Page 2 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
Yvonne: Hmmm - I don’t think Yvonneopolis has quite the same ring as Albertopolis,
do you? As we heard, the area where The Royal Albert Hall is built is still
known as ‘Albertopolis’. This suggests that it’s one of the most important
buildings in the area - and that Albert was a man of the people.
The suffix ‘polis’ - spelt P-O-L-I-S… comes from the Greek for ‘city’ and the
Latin for ‘belonging to the people’ - so as the tour guide suggested, it’s a lovely
suffix to add to a name. Other places which also make use of the suffix ‘polis’
include the Acropolis in Greece, Teresópolis and Petrópolis in Brazil, which
are believed to have been named after Teresa and Peter of the Portuguese royal
family. And of course, who can forget the Metropolis in the film “Superman”?!
Is there an important place or building where you live that uses the suffix ‘polis’?
Who’s it named after? And is there anyone who you think should be honoured
in this way?
IDENT
Yvonne: Linda Clifford is the longest serving steward at the Royal Albert Hall and is
now Head Steward. She started working there in 1986 and told us about two
very special ladies who visit the Hall once a year. Who are they - or at least -
who do you think they were?
Linda Clifford
There are several ghosts. Two ladies that walk just below us on a certain day in the year. Now
I’ve been here when the lights have been switched off. I have to admit, it’s quite creepy. The
doors creak and you could turn around and - maybe there was something there?
London Life © BBC Learning English
Page 3 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
Yvonne: Perhaps the two ladies were performers who appeared at the Royal Albert Hall
in the past. And maybe one of them could even be Queen Victoria?! Well,
whether you believe in ghosts or not, Linda says there are several at the Royal
Albert Hall… it’s ‘haunted’! So with the lights off, the ghosts and the creaking
doors, it’s a ‘creepy’ building - it’s a bit frightening and eerie.
Linda Clifford
There are several ghosts. Two ladies that walk just below us on a certain day in the year. Now
I’ve been here when the lights have been switched off. I have to admit, it’s quite creepy. The
doors creak and you could turn around and - maybe there was something there?
Yvonne: Probably best known as the venue for the Proms, the Royal Albert Hall can
seat 7,000 people and over 300 performances take place there each year. But
what type of people do they hope will come to those performances? Listen out
for the terms ‘cross section’ and ‘narrow section’ which mean opposite things as
the Chief Executive at the Royal Albert Hall explains…
Chief Executive, Royal Albert Hall
What we’re looking for is a balance of programming over the course of a year that enables us
to provide something for everybody so that we can reach young, old - really, an entire crosssection.
Because the one thing the hall is not about is being elitist and only appealing to a
narrow section of the audience.
Yvonne: Performances at the Royal Albert Hall are carefully designed to ‘reach’ or
attract all types of people. The Chief Executive says it isn’t ‘elitist’ - so it isn’t
just for very rich, powerful and privileged people to use. And that was
certainly Prince Albert’s dream!
