Maicaenglish: December 2012

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

LISTENING

Do you want to listen to real English conversations by native speakers?

In this website you will find several conversations about different topics with the audio script. There are plenty of everyday expressions and vocabulary that may help you:

http://www.focusenglish.com/dialogues/conversation.html

4th ESO. SCOTLAND

As you already know when we return from Christmas holiday a Scottish person will visit our highschool to teach us some aspects about Scottish culture.

Therefore, here you have some relevant information about this beautiful country:

Where is Scotland?

Scotland is in north-west Europe and is part of Great Britain, an island country ( See map ) and the United Kingdom (UK) .

Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England and is bounded by the North Sea on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. Its capital city is Edinburgh.

Scotland has some 790 islands - 130 inhabited.

Scotland is Famous for....

Its fresh water lochs (lakes) – there are over 600 square miles of them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water.

It is also famous for its clans, kilts, medieval castles, as well as poetry and songs of Robert Burns.

Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for its famous theatres festival.

Famous People of Scotland

Famous Scots include: Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume and the actor Sean Connery.

Famous musicians of Scotland include Annie Lennox, Wet Wet Wet, Travis and Simple Minds.

Government

On 1 July 1999, the Scottish Parliament was opened by HM the Queen, the first Scottish Parliament for 300 years. Scottish parliament responsibilities include social work services, health, local government and education.

Interesting Facts

Edinburgh was the first city in the world which had its own fire-brigade.

Edinburgh – the capital of Scotland, like Rome, was built on seven hills.

Until 1603, Scotland (like England) had its own Monarch. In 1603, the King of Scotland became also the King of England ruling both countries.

The National Flag of Scotland

Country Facts

Motto:	Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity)
Flag:	Cross of St Andrew
National Day:	30 November
Area:	78,789 sq km
Population:	5,054,800 (2002)
Capital City:	Edinburgh
Major Cities:	Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow
Official Language:	English (Scottish Gaelic is spoken by 1.4 percent of the population)
Nationality :	Scottish and British Find out more
Anthem (song) :	Flower of Scotland
Main religions:	Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) Scottish Episcopal Church, Roman Catholicism
Currency:	Pound Sterling (£)
Highest point:	Ben Nevis (1,343 m)
Lowest point:	Bed of Loch Morar, Scotland 987 ft (300 m) below sea level
Longest river:	Tay 193 kilometres (120 miles ) long
Largest Lake:	Loch Lomond (60 sq km) 40 km (24 miles) long
Official Animal	Unicorn