Final Test Paper The UK Today; Cities of the UK (vocabulary, grammar, reading/listening activities)

Final Test: Unit 4 (The UK today; Cities of the UK)

1. Matching:

1. geographical               a) attractions
2. north                           b) farming
3. diverse                        c) tribes
4. tourist                          d) borders
5. financial                      e) coast
6. extremely                    f) castles
7. Germanic                    g) position
8. share                           h) centre
9. medieval                      i) society
10. sheep                            j) popular

2. Choose the correct preposition:

with (1);   of (3);   to (3);   by (2);   after (1);    for (1);     from (2);     in (1);     into (1);    on (1)

1. consist ____
2. thanks ____
3. washed ____
4. refer ____
5. named ____
6. surrounded ____
7. known ____
8. date back ____
9. range ____
10. interested ____
11. fond ____
12. divided ____
13. proud ____
14. go ___ a tour
15. associated ____
16. differ ____

3.  Filling in the gaps.

a)entrance          b) due               c ) tube         d) escape        e) event       f)experience     g) filled        h)keep        i) attractions         j) single          k)crowded         l) tourist-filled         m) donations

At the moment I'm in London. It's my first 1)________ of living in the capital city of the UK - and in a busy, 2)_________ metropolis it's easy to feel like a small fish in a very big pond. 

I take the 3)_______ to work; the London Underground is a great transport network. However, first thing in the morning it's often very 4)_______ on the tube. The tube can be quite expensive, at £4 for a 5)______ ticket. Luckily, if you have an Oyster card you pay almost half that! 

As a capital city, London has loads of great 6)_________. Some of them require an 7)________ fee, but there are lots of things which you can do for free. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a well-known 8)______, which takes place daily at 11.30am between April and July. Most museums in London are free for everyone to enjoy, but 9)_______ are welcome. Last week, I visited the British Museum. I particularly liked the room 10)_______with old watches and clocks.

One thing I love about London is the free newspapers and magazines. The articles aren't too long, and it's a great way to 11)________up with the news! 

As much as I'm enjoying living in London temporarily, it'll be nice to 12)________the big smoke (a slang term for London, 13)_______to the amount of pollution) and return home!

4. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense and voice.

 Dear Helen,

I ________(to write) to you from Cambridge. We________(to arrive) to London on Tuesday and________(to be) in England for five days already. Our hotel_______(to situate) not far from the city centre. I________(to impress) by the beauty of Cambridge. It______(to know) as one of the oldest cities of the country. Its University_______(to found) in the 13th century.  I_______(already to take) a lot of wonderful pictures and________(to buy) some souvenirs for you. Tomorrow we______(to go) to Manchester. I hope our journey______(not to be) very tiring. The weather here_______(to be) very changeable. It_______(to rain) for some hours in the morning but now the sun______(to shine) and the sky_______ (to be) cloudless. Unfortunately, I can’t describe to you everything I________(already to see), but I think we______  (to have) enough time to discuss my journey when  I_______ (to return) home. See you next week!

Love,

Alice

Reading Activities:

Task A

Read, translate and complete with the missing parts of the sentences.

Bonfire Night is 1) ___________________________. It marks an important event in British history: the night that Guy Fawkes and a group of conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London.

Over four hundred years later, we continue 2) ________________ to celebrate the failure of the' gunpowder plot'. Last year, I was in Leeds for Bonfire Night. Leeds City Council puts on a fantastic firework display in my local park, 3)_________________________. Lots of people go to see the display which lasts for around thirty minutes. I went with a group of friends and neighbours. It was a cold evening, so we were all wearing hats, gloves and scarves! The bonfire was huge and gave off a bright orange glow. There were lots of different types of fireworks, such as rockets and fountains. Some of the fireworks were very loud and I had 4)______________. The fireworks were colourful and sparkly and I managed 5)_____________. It was a great evening and I'll definitely be going next year 6) _______________!

Often people eat toffee apples on Bonfire Night. These are apples on a lolly stick, 7)________________. They are usually eaten by children, but anyone can enjoy them! There are several variations of the toffee apple, such as caramel apples and chocolate apples.

As this is a British tradition, 8) ___________ while living in France. Luckily, there are other things going on here in Alsace and 9)__________________!

1. it is something I won't be experiencing this year
2. to cover my ears
3. which is free to attend
4. which have been dipped in toffee
5. when I'm back in the UK
6. it's not long until the famous Christmas markets
7. an event which takes place every year on the 5th November
8. to light bonfires across the United Kingdom
9. to take a few nice photos

Task B

Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false:

UK, GB, British Isles – What’s in a name? Nationality, or national identity, can be a complex issue for those of us from Britain. Take me for example. I was born in England, but my Mum is Scottish and my Granny is from Northern Ireland. Now I live and study in Scotland. So what am I? I am both English and British. But can I claim my Scottish and (Northern) Irish nationalities as well? And why don’t we all just say we’re ‘British’?

When we Brits travel abroad we often confuse people as we try to explain why we have such muddled identities. So let me try to shed some light on the issue… The skinny island that contains England, Scotland and Wales is called Great Britain (GB). When you include Northern Ireland (the country in the north-eastern part of Ireland) we call it the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). And the British Isles are both GB and Ireland as well as all the little places lying off the coast, like the Isle of Man.

But beyond these geographical terms, it’s impossible to separate nationality from national pride. Everyone’s passports describe them as ‘British citizens’ but many will choose to identify themselves as Welsh or Northern Irish, for example. Each of the ‘home nations’ (as we refer to the four countries – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) has a unique culture and heritage that means they stand apart. There are even different languages such as Welch and Gaelic, as well as different patron saints and national holidays. And perhaps the most important separation of all: each nation has its own football team!

People tend to be passionate about their nationality and most Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish hate being labelled as English! Many feel that their countries are forgotten or overlooked by people abroad. I’ve met lots of people who have real difficulty convincing people that Scotland is a country and not an area of northern England! Of course there are many other issues that play a part in determining your national identity. Many people have strong links to other countries, far from Britain. They might describe themselves as ‘British Asian’ or identify with the country that their parents or ancestors come from. And it is important to remember that Irish history makes the issue even more complicated and emotive.

Phew! So the next time you ask someone who speaks British English if they are indeed English, don’t be surprised if they say ‘no!’ At least now you’ll be able to understand why they’re able to be such a mix of nationalities!

1. National identity for people who live in the UK is not a controversial issue. _____
2. The author`s family are all from the same part of the UK. ____
3. People who live in the UK are called British. ____
4. People from all over the world have a clear vision of Brits` national identity. ____
5. The Isle of Man is a part of the British Isles. ____
6. People in the UK identify themselves only according to their geographical location. ____
7. `Home nations` differ in their culture. _____
8. People in the UK don`t like to be called English. _____
9. Being abroad British citizens often puzzle people by explaining their national identity. ____
10. All people abroad perceive Scotland as a separate country. ____

Listening (CD 1.43; MP3 89 - Get 200 Book1 The Stereotypes about the English)

Decide if the statements are true or false:

1. Only the English are considered to be stereotyping people. _____
2. The expert strongly believes in stereotypes. _____
3. The English are thought to be rude people. ____
4. The English have an ironical sense of humour. ____
5. There is a stereotype that the English food is horrible. ____
6. The expert doesn`t believe that all Scottish people are greedy. _____
7. All Scottish wear kilts. ____
8. The traditional food of the English is haggis. _____
9. The Welsh admire the English for their musical talents.____
10. All Scottish men love haggis. ____
11. There`s a stereotype that the Irish enjoy potato. _____
12. The Irish are good at dancing. ____