From Old English
Many basic English words come from Old English, e.g. England, house, woman, man, child, bird, water.
They sometimes have irregular pronunciation.
From Latin
Other English words come from Latin, e.g. family, wine, number, school, educate.
From French
Some English words come from French, e.g. royal, hotel, menu, beef.
From other languages
Today English is an international language. Thousands of English words come from other languages, e.g. siesta (Spanish), judo (Japanese)/
New words
Every year hundreds of words come into English from new technology, e.g. Internet, text message, e-mail, modem.
1. Nicole from Romania works in a pub in Manchester.
"British people are children but not in restaurants or pubs. In my pub we have a rule:
"No children under 12."
People in Britain drink a lot of coffee - cappuccino and espresso are very popular.
They drink a lot of beer too - men and women".
2. Alexandra from Russia is a student at Bristol University.
"This is not a good country for smokers! Many coffee bars and restaurants are "non-smoking" . I live with three British students and they don't smoke.
When I want a cigarette I go into the garden."
3. Carlos is a tourist from Spain.
"People read the newspaper everywhere - on the train, on the bus, at the bus stop. And the newspapers are really big!
Cars stop in Britain when you stand on the crossing - it's incredible. Cars don't stop for you in Madrid."
4.Martilla from Brazil works as "au pair" in Cambridge.
"I think my British family is typical.
The woman doesn't cook - she just puts a pizza in the microwave. But she watches cooking programmes on TV every day!
The man cooks at the weekend - he makes fantastic Indian curries.
The child has a terrible diet. She eats"fish fingers" and chips and she goes to Burger King every week."
- What do you do?
I'm an artist. I draw and paint pictures from magazines, books, CD covers - all kinds of things.
- Where do you work?
I work at home. I have a room just for working in.
- How many hours do you work?
I usually work about eight hours a day, from 9.30 to 5.30.
Sometimes I work again in the evenings or at weekends,
when I 'm in a hurry to finish a picture.
- Do you earn a lot of money?
It depends. I earn from about $250 to $3,000 for a picture.
Sometimes I have a lot of work but sometimes I don't.
That's a problem. And I don't have paid holidays.
- Do you like your job? Why?
Yes, I love it, because every day is different, and I like using my imagination.
- What don't you like about your job?
It's stressful when I need to work fast and the ideas don't come.
And sometimes it's lonely when you don't work with other people.
- How do you relax after work?
I play the bass in a band called International Airport.
We play at weekends in pubs and clubs.
Stephen Richardson, a social psycologist, studies the lifestyles of young people in Britain and the USA.
He says that today many young people live at home when they are 25 or more.
They are happy to live with their parents, go out at night and spend their money on mobile phones and designer clothes.
It's not only university students, but also young people who have jobs and earn money.
In many other European countries children leave home later.
In Italy, for example, 30% of men and 18% of women between 30 and 34 live with their parents.
This week in Naples a judge decided that Giuseppe Andreoli, aged 70, must pay $750 a month to his ex-wife for their son Marco.
Marco lives with his mother - but he is not a child, he's a 30-year-old lawyer!
He says that today many young people live at home when they are 25 or more.
They are happy to live with their parents, go out at night and spend their money on mobile phones and designer clothes.
It's not only university students, but also young people who have jobs and earn money.
In many other European countries children leave home later.
In Italy, for example, 30% of men and 18% of women between 30 and 34 live with their parents.
This week in Naples a judge decided that Giuseppe Andreoli, aged 70, must pay $750 a month to his ex-wife for their son Marco.
Marco lives with his mother - but he is not a child, he's a 30-year-old lawyer!
The Tomatina festival takes place on the last Wednesday in August in Bunol, Spain.
The "tomato battle" starts at 11 o'clock in the morning, and continues for two hours.
During the Tomatina 35,000 people throw 125,000 kilos of tomatoes!
In January ( the exact date changes every year) you can go to Ivrea in Italy and take part in the Carnevale d'Ivrea,
where people throw oranges at each other.
If you don't want people to throw an orange at you, you have to wear a red hat.
Thailand has a Water Festival (Songkran) every April to celebrate the New Year.
It starts on 13 April and lasts for two days.
People throw water at each other all day and also at night.
We all know that exercise is good for health.
So on January 1st we often start the New Year with a good resolution - to go to the gym three times a week.
But what happens?
The first week we go three times, the second week we go twice, and the third week we stop going.
The same thing happens with diets.
After Christmas we start a new healthy eating plan.
We are very enthusiastic, at first - but after two or three weeks, we stop.
Carl Harris, a personal trainer, says this is because winter is the wrong time of the year to start new exercise routines and diets.
"In the winter the days are short and dark, and it's cold outside. Our bodies want food and sleep, not diets and exercise".
His advice for people who want to start a healthy lifestyle in January is to make small changes.
" Try to cut out chocolate and cakes for three days a week - but don't eliminate them completely. Go for short walks during the day when it's light. But when March comes and spring begins, that's the time to get up at 7.00, have a yoghurt and fruit juice for breakfast, and go jogging."
So on January 1st we often start the New Year with a good resolution - to go to the gym three times a week.
But what happens?
The first week we go three times, the second week we go twice, and the third week we stop going.
The same thing happens with diets.
After Christmas we start a new healthy eating plan.
We are very enthusiastic, at first - but after two or three weeks, we stop.
Carl Harris, a personal trainer, says this is because winter is the wrong time of the year to start new exercise routines and diets.
"In the winter the days are short and dark, and it's cold outside. Our bodies want food and sleep, not diets and exercise".
His advice for people who want to start a healthy lifestyle in January is to make small changes.
" Try to cut out chocolate and cakes for three days a week - but don't eliminate them completely. Go for short walks during the day when it's light. But when March comes and spring begins, that's the time to get up at 7.00, have a yoghurt and fruit juice for breakfast, and go jogging."
My Fair Lady
She sells flowers and he is a professor. He teaches her to speak English 'like a princess'. She falls in love with him but he thinks she is only an interesting pupil. She gets angry and she leaves him. In the end he says he loves her.
An Officer and a Gentleman
He's an American Marine. She works in a factory. Her family are very poor. They go out together, and they fall in love. She wants to get married, but he's very ambitious, and he leaves her. But in the end he can't live without her.
Romeo and Juliet
He meets her at a party and they fall in love, but his family hate her family. They spend one night together. She says 'I love you but our love is impossible'. They want to go away and get married, but in the end they die.
A recent study shows that 60% of British young people can't boil an egg. A lot of adults also can't cook. They buy pre-cooked meals from the supermarket or take-away food. And if a mother hates cooking, then she doesn't teach cooking - they prefer to teach computer skills and foreign languages.
This is very sad. Cooking is a very important skill. Everybody loves having a delicious meal but restaurants are expensive, so people who can cook well always have a lot of friends. Men love women who can cook - and women love men who can cook. Who would you prefer as a partner? Somebody who can use a computer, or a good cook?
This is very sad. Cooking is a very important skill. Everybody loves having a delicious meal but restaurants are expensive, so people who can cook well always have a lot of friends. Men love women who can cook - and women love men who can cook. Who would you prefer as a partner? Somebody who can use a computer, or a good cook?
Chopin was born in Mazovia in Poland in 1810. When he was seven years old he was already a brilliant pianist. He was a great composer and his piano music is world-famous and very popular.
Joan of Arc was born in 1412 in a small village in France. She was only a young girl but she was also a soldier and a famous leader in the war against the English.
Nelson was born in Norfolk, England, in 1758. He was a great sailor. He was famous for his victory against the French at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. His statue is in Trafalgar Square.
Garibaldi was born in 1807. His family were from Genoa, in Italy. He was a famous politician and soldier, and a great leader.
Last April two British teenagers wanted to go to Australia for their summer holidays. Raoul Sebastian and Ema Nunn, aged 19, looked for cheap tickets on the Internet. They were lucky, and they booked two tickets to Sydney.
On August 4th they arrived at Heathrow airport. They checked in and waited for the plane to leave. Six hours later they landed at a big ariport and changed planes.
Emma: 'I was a bit worried because the second plane was very small, but I didn't want to say anything to Raoul.'
Raoul: 'After only an hour the plane landed. We looked out of the window. It was a very small airport. We walked to the information desk and I showed our tickets to the woman.'
'When is our next flight?' I asked.
She looked at our tickets. 'The next flight?' This is the end of your journey. Where did you want to go?
Inspector Granger arrived at about 9.00. He was a tall man with a big black moustache. Amanda, Barbara, Claudia, and Gordon were in the living room. The inspector came in.
'Mr Travers died between midnight last night and seven o'clock this morning,' he said. 'Somebody in this room killed him.' He looked at them one by one but nobody spoke.
'Mrs Travers. I want to talk to you first. Come into the library with me, please.'
Amanda Travers followed the inspector into the library and they sat down.
'What did your husband do after dinner last night?'
'When we finished dinner Jeremy said he was tired and he went to bed.'
'Did you go to bed then?'
'No, I didn't. I went for a walk in the garden.'
'What time did you go to bed?'
'About quarter to twelve.'
'Was your husband asleep?'
'I don't know, inspector. We sleep in separate rooms.'
'Did you hear anything when you were in your room?'
'Yes, I heard Jeremy's bedroom door. It opened. I thought it was Jeremy. Then it closed again. I read in bed for half an hour and then I went to sleep.'
'What time did you get up this morning?'
'I got up at about 7.15. I had breakfast and at 8.00 I took my husband a cup of tea. I found him in bed. He was dead.'
'Tell me, Mrs Travers, did you love your husband?'
'Jeremy is... was a difficult man.'
'But did you love him, Mrs Travers?'
'No, inspector. I hated him.'
This week our interview is with Ben Silverstone, a young actor with a great future.
'When was the first time you went out with a girl?'
'When I was 12. I took a girl from school to the cinema and then to McDonald's - very romantic! But I didn't have a serious girlfriend until I was 18.'
'When was the last time you cried in the cinema?'
'A long time ago! I don't remember the film. But I remember seeing Dead Poets' Society with father when I was about ten. I didn't cry at the end, but he did!'
'When was the last time you went to a party?'
'Last Saturday. It was a barbecue. When summer comes, the English love barbecues in the sun. But as usual it rained, and in the end we ate hamburgers and sausages in the kitchen.'
'When was the first time you went out with a girl?'
'When I was 12. I took a girl from school to the cinema and then to McDonald's - very romantic! But I didn't have a serious girlfriend until I was 18.'
'When was the last time you cried in the cinema?'
'A long time ago! I don't remember the film. But I remember seeing Dead Poets' Society with father when I was about ten. I didn't cry at the end, but he did!'
'When was the last time you went to a party?'
'Last Saturday. It was a barbecue. When summer comes, the English love barbecues in the sun. But as usual it rained, and in the end we ate hamburgers and sausages in the kitchen.'
| The London Eye was opened on New Year's Eve 1999 to celebrate the Millennium. It is 135 meters high, and from the top you can see all of London. On a clear day you can even see Windsor Castle, which is 40 kilometers away. The London Eye has 32 capsules, each with room for 25 people. Each trip lasts 30 minutes. It moves quite slowly, at a speed of about 15 meters a minute, but it never stops. Passengers have to get on when it's moving. Tickets: In advance online or by phone. A limit number of tickets are available on the day from the Ticket Office in County Hall (the building next to the Eye), but go early because you often have to queue. How to get there: five minutes' walk from Waterloo underground station. |
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