Audioscripts

Text 1

“Why was it so important to study in the UK?”

Speaker 1: Angelina
I went to study in the UK last semester. I met students from all over the world who wanted to learn
English. I studied English with experienced, qualified teachers and practised with other students of
different nationalities, which was just awesome! We had lots of speaking practice to improve our
communication skills. When you learn English with native speakers, you learn about British accents,
phrases and vocabulary. English is a global language and it is interesting to learn different styles of
speaking. Being immersed in real everyday situations was very important for the success of this
experience.

Speaker 2: Donald
The time I spent in the UK was the best time of my life, so far. I improved my fluency because I was in
real-life situations – I kept hearing and speaking English all the time, both inside and outside the
classroom.
The UK is a small country with good public transport. It is easy to explore the UK and Europe by bus,
train and plane. I had the chance to spend weekends in Scotland, in Paris, in Ireland, in Barcelona and
in Amsterdam. The language center organised regular trips with groups of students.
Something I will never forget is the visits to medieval castles, royal palaces, calm lakes, green spaces
and beautiful old cities. We do not have that in the US.

Speaker 3: Laura
The UK has culture for every taste. I visited fantastic museums, famous filming locations and saw live
music and theatre. I spent the summer in London and did a fantastic holiday English course.
I lived on a University campus, learning and having fun together with other students who shared the
same interests. There were lots of great activities, including sports, art, music and visits to local
attractions. Being under 18 we were well-protected: they always had supervisors and there were strict
rules to ensure students stayed safe while they were in the UK.

https://www.englishuk.com
(accessed in August 2019)

Editable and photocopiable © Texto | Link up to you! 10 1

 Text 2

The English Language

It’s the official language of 54 different countries and it’s spoken by over a billion and a half people
worldwide. Adding together native speakers, people who speak English as a second language or an
additional language and people who are learning English, it’s the most commonly spoken language
across the globe. So what makes English so great? And why do people want to learn English? This is the
British Library in London. It’s the national library of Great Britain and there are over a hundred and fifty
million items here from every age of the written word.
Let’s go inside. The library’s collection has developed over two hundred and fifty years and it keeps on
growing. There are books, magazines and manuscripts, maps, music and so much more. Every year, 3
million new items are added, so an extra 12 kilometres of shelves have to be put up. Roger Walshe is
the Head of Learning.
Richard: Roger, why is the British Library a good place to come to find out about the English language?
Roger: Well, there are lots of reasons. We’ve got a hundred and fifty million items from all over the
world, so we capture a snapshot of what the language is like. But I think perhaps more importantly, we
have documents here that go right back a thousand years, to the beginning of the language. And so
what you can see is how this changed and evolved over time. And when you see it changing like that
you get a feel for where it might be going in the future.
Richard: And what impact does technology have on the English language?
Roger: Well, it has two big impacts: one is that lots of new technical words come into the language. We
see this in the industrial revolution over a hundred years ago. But the other, bigger, influence is that it
enables people all over the world to speak English to communicate with each other.
Richard: That’s great, Roger. Is there something you can show me?
Roger: Yes, this is one of the treasures in the British Library’s collections. English goes back about a
thousand years to Old English. This is Middle English, about five hundred years ago, and it’s the first
book ever printed in the English language.
Richard: So who actually printed this?
Roger: This was printed by William Caxton. Very famous. He went on to print Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales, the first bestseller in the English language.
Richard: That’s really amazing.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
(abridged and adapted; accessed in August 2019)

2 Editable and photocopiable © Texto | Link up to you! 10