Exercise: Listen to the interview and complete the following questionnaire. Part 2
Passages
Passage one welcome to London
Welcome to London! You and seven million other tourists will fill Britain's
capital city this season, jostling* each other along Oxford Street, getting
lost on the Underground, staring at Buckingham Palace, and complaining about the food and the weather.
What can you do when you're here? There are the obvious tourist attractions of royal London, the London of pageantry* and soldiers in fancy uniforms. There is historical London, with the ancient buildings and magnificent churches. A good introduction to all this can be found in the London Museum in the Barbican*. You can spend a lot of money, in shops from aristocratic* Knightsbridge* to democratic Marks and Spencer*, all of them anxious to receive travellers' cheques in almost any
currency. There are many hotels at your service, and your chambermaid
may Well be able to talk
to you in your own
language — though probably not in English, Restaurants are here by the
hundred. You can eat your way round the world in London, from China
to Argentina*, though you may have a bit of a job
finding good English food
Exercise: Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each of the
following
questions.
I.A 2. A 3. D 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. B
Passage 2 entertainments in London
You come, of course, from all over the world, attracted by the comparative
cheapness of London and its relatively new reputation as a good place to
have fun — a reputation
which really only dates from the mid 1960's, that era* of Swinging
London,\
photographers and dress designers.
There's certainly no lack of entertainment. The British Theatre is world famous,
and offers
everything from Shakespeare to West End comedy*. There's a large number
of cinemas presenting films from all over the world. Every night of the
week there are concerts.
Classical or pop, take your
choice. And of course night clubs will be happy to take large quantifies of cash
from you in return for the illusion* of being sophisticated* and perhaps slightly wicked*. When it
rains (and it will rain) there are museums and art galleries to give you
shelter— and they're free!
When it's fine, take a boat trip along the River Thames, downstream to
Greenwich* or upstream to
Hampton Court*.
You may be exhausted by London; you may be cheated in London; you may not be able to get a drink when you want one, thanks to the ridiculous licensing laws; you may get wet and catch a cold; but you're not likely to be bored.
Exercise: Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
I.C 7. B
2. A 8. D
3. D 4. B 5. D 6. C
Part 3 News
News Item 1
Russian Foreign Minister Igor lvanov* says he and American Secretary of State Colin Powell* will meet February 24th in Cairo. The meeting will be the first face-to-face talks between the two officials. Mr lvanov says Russian opposition to President Bush's plan to build a missile defense system will be discussed during the meeting. The announcement of the meeting followed the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin* and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer*. Mr Fischer was in Moscow to discuss arms issues. In Washington State Department officials confirm the meeting. Secretary Powell will visit the Middle East and Belgium* from February 23rd through the 27th.
Exercise A: Listen to the news item and complete the following summary.
This news item is about the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister and American Secretary of State on February 24th in Cairo. Exercise B: Listen to the news item again and decide whether the following statements are true or false. Write T or F in the space provided. Discuss with your classmates why you
think the statement is true or false.
F 1. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will meet American Secretary of State Colin Powell on February 21st in Cairo. (Russian Foreign Minister Igor lvanov will meet American
State Colin Powell on February 24th in Cairo.)
F 2. The meeting will be the fourth face-to-face talks between the two officials. (The meeting
between the two officials.)
T 3. Mr lvanov says they will discuss Russian opposition to President Bush's plan to build a
missile defense system during the
dent
will be the first face-to-face talks
Secretary of
meeting. (Mr Ivanov says Russian opposition to Presi-
Bush's plan to build a missile defense system will be discussed during the meeting.)
T 4. Russia announced the meeting followed the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. (The announcement of the meeting fol-
lowed the talks
between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.)
F 5. Mr Fischer was in Washington to discuss arms issues, (Mr Fischer was in Moscow to
discuss arms issues.)