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Wales WORKSHEET A
• Wales is a small country that borders the west side of central England. It has a
population of slightly less than 3 million.
• Along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales is one of the four
countries in the United Kingdom. It has its own parliament in Cardiff, but it is not
completely independent.
• The adjective used for people and things from Wales is Welsh.
• The Welsh language is one of the oldest in Europe, and is very different from
English. All Welsh people can speak English, but about 20% of them can also
speak Welsh. Welsh has some very long words, for example, a village in the north
of Wales that has the longest place name in the UK:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch!
The actual meaning of this place name is, ‘The church of St Mary in the hollow of
white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St Tysilio’s of the red cave’.
• The red, white and blue flag of the United Kingdom is a mixture of flags
representing England and Scotland but not Wales. The Welsh flag has a red
dragon on a background that is half white and half green. The dragon has been a
symbol of Wales for more than a thousand years.
• The two other symbols of Wales are the daffodil and the leek. The daffodil is a
yellow flower that appears in spring, and some Welsh people attach one to their
coat on Welsh national day (St David’s Day), which is 1st March. The leek has
been a Welsh symbol since the seventh century, when the Welsh king told his
soldiers to attach leeks to their helmets so they could identify each other.
• The most popular sports in Wales are football and rugby. Many Welsh people are
very passionate about rugby, and are very happy when their national team beats
England!
• Wales has a strong musical tradition. Most towns in the south of the country have
at least one local choir, Welsh rugby crowds are famous for their singing, and in
recent years the country has produced successful pop groups such as the Manic
Street Preachers and Stereophonics.
EXERCISE 1
Team A
Here are the answers to some questions about the text on Worksheet A, but what are
the questions? When you have prepared the questions, Team B will have to answer
them as part of a quiz.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Team B
Here are the answers to some questions about the text on Worksheet A, but what are
the questions? When you have prepared the questions, Team A will have to answer
them as part of a quiz.
1. About 300,000.
2. The dragon, the daffodil and the leek.
3. About 20% of them.
4. There are three: red, white and green.
5. Football and rugby.
6. There are four: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
7. It is yellow.
8. Since the seventh century.
9. Red, white and blue.
10. For their singing.
EXERCISE 2
The short text below, written by a schoolchild, contains ten mistakes. Can you find
and then correct them?
This week, one of things we are learn about in school is Wales. I already
know a lot about the country, because my dad is Welsh.
I said the teacher about when I went with my dad to see the Wales vs.
England rugby game in Cardiff last year. It was a good game, and the crowd
was very passionate and singed a lot, but my dad was unhappy because
England win. Lots of the people at the game had Welsh flags, which are white
and green with a big red leek. Dad didn’t think Wales played well, and said the
nation teem was much better in the 1970s, when it was one of best in the
world and usually won England.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
EXERCISE 2 - Correction
This week, one of the things we are learning about in school is Wales. I
already know a lot about the country, because my dad is Welsh.
I said told the teacher about when I went with my dad to see the Wales vs.
England rugby game in Cardiff last year. It was a good game, and the crowd
was very passionate and singed sang a lot, but my dad was unhappy
because England win won. Lots of the people at the game had Welsh flags,
which are white and green with a big red leek dragon. Dad didn’t think Wales
played well, and said the national teem team was much better in the 1970s,
when it was one of the best in the world and usually won beat England.