FOOD AND DRINK

SECTION A: Quiz

1. What kind of cooking is involved in traditional national dishes in Britain?

a. boiling
b. frying
c. roasting
2. Which of these is sometimes regarded as the modern national dish in Britain?
a. chicken tikka
b. chicken tikka masala
c. roast chicken
3. What kinds of dishes does a ‘greasy spoon’ most typically serve?
a. fry-ups
b. soup
c. roasts
4. Which kinds of dish on a restaurant menu are most likely to be given English names?
a. starters
b. main dishes
c. puddings
5. Which of these drinks is most frequently served in a pub?
a. beer
b. spirits
c. wine
6. What would be the reaction of most British people if you said ‘I got very drunk last
night’?
a. amusement
b. envy
c. pity
7. If a British person mentions ‘the local’, to what is he or she probably referring?
a. the neighborhood pub
b. the neighborhood restaurant
c. the neighborhood shop

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 SECTION B: SUMMARY

Put the following clauses in order to complete a paragraph summarizing British

attitudes to food.

British life does not revolve around food. This is because of the attitude to food which
prevailed fifty years ago.

1. (5) British people are now very open to ‘foreign’ food.

2. (4) By now, the prevailing attitude has changed.
3. (3) and there was a reluctance to try anything new.
4. (6) and you can get ingredients from all over the world in the shops.
5. (9) as witnessed by numerous cookery and food programmes on TV.
6. (1) This attitude placed little importance on the pleasures of the table.
7. (8) In addition, much more attention is now paid to the enjoyment of food.
8. (2) Indeed, too much interest in food was regarded as suspiciously ‘foreign’.
9. (7) In fact, the most popular dishes in the twenty-first century in Britain are not British
ones!

SECTION C: BRITISH WORDS OR PHRASES

1. A kind of food or drink which is regarded as essential

a. → a staple
2. Not really tasting of anything
a. → bland
3. A day trip to France or Belgium mainly for the purpose of buying alcohol
a. → a booze cruise
4. An old-fashioned name for a pub which also provides rooms for the night
a. → an inn
5. Th social phenomenon whereby people drink a very large amount in one night
a. → binge drinking

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 Sport AND Competition

SECTION A: Quiz

1. Before the 1970s, when amateur cricketers were called ‘gentlemen’, what were
professional ones called?
a. players
b. staff
c. workers
2. Which of these sports is the most popular in Britain?
a. cricket
b. football
c. golf
3. In which of these sports are Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Middlesex top-class teams?
a. cricket
b. rugby league
c. rugby union
4. In which of these sports are ‘test matches’ played?
a. cricket
b. football
c. golf
5. In England, which of these sports was traditionally confined to the middle classes?
a. cricket
b. rugby league
c. rugby union
6. In England, at which of these sporting events is crowd trouble a possibility?
a. a cricket match
b. a football match
c. a rugby match
7. By what name is the practice of killing birds with guns generally known?
a. tracking
b. rifling
c. shooting

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8. What is the name given to fishing when it is done competitively?
a. angling
b. baiting
c. reeling
9. Which of these has been called ‘the sport of kings’?
a. athletics
b. greyhound racing
c. horse racing
10. If someone asks ‘Who won the 3.30 at Chepstow?’. to what sport are they referring?
a. athletics
b. football
c. horse racing
11. Which of these names is not used for people who organize gambling on sport
events?
a. bookmarkers
b. cardmarkers
c. turf accountants
12. How many times has a British team won a football World Cup?
a. never
b. once
c. twice
13. If a British person thinks that something is unfair or unjust, what might they say?
a. ‘It is not cricket’
b. ‘It’s not football’
c. ‘It’s not sporting’
14. Which two national teams often compete for ‘the Ashes’?
a. England and Australia
b. England and Scotland
c. England and the USA

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 SECTION B: SPORTING ASSOCIATIONS

BOXING CRICKET FOOTBALL HORSE RACING RUGBY TENNIS

- On the ropes - The Ashes - The FA - The Grand - Oval ball - Racquet
- Saved by the - Lords - Hampden Park National - Pacific islands - Wimbledon
bell - The Oval - Wembley - Royal Ascot - the Six
- A straight bat - Steeplechase Nations
- Village green - Twickenham
- Wicked

SECTION C: BRITISH WORDS OR PHRASES

1. The achievement of doing something three times in a row or within a certain period
(e.g. scoring three goals in the same match)
a. A hat trick
2. Football (the word used in America, but also sometimes in Britain)
a. Soccer
3. In a difficult situation (from cricket)
a. On a sticky wicker
4. A reliable person (from sports involving a ball)
a. a safe pair of hands
5. A long life (from cricket)
a. A good innings
6. A low-ranked team or player who beats a high-ranked team or player very
unexpectedly
a. A giant killer
7. A person who is good at coopering i a group
a. A team player
8. A person who goes to watch sporting events
a. A spectator
9. People (sometimes dressed in silly costumes) who take part in sporting events such
as the London Marathon in order to raise money for charity
a. Fun runners

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 ARTS

SECTION A: Quiz

1. In which city is a famous annual international festival of the performing arts held?
a. Cardiff
b. Edinburgh
c. London
2. Where is the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company?
a. Cambridge
b. Oxford
c. Stratford-upon-Avon
3. Which previously out-of-print Victorian novel sold 500,000 copies after a TV
adaptation?
a. The Forsyte Saga
b. Great Expectations
c. Oliver Twist
4. How does the balance of public and private financial support for the arts in Britain
compare with the European average?
a. About the same
b. More public but less private
c. More private but less public
5. In general, how much does it cost for admission to museums and galleries in Britain?
a. Nothing
b. Just a little
c. Quite a lot
6. In general, how much does it cost for admission to museums and galleries in Britain?
a. Sight (e.g. painting, sculpture)
b. Sound (i.e. music)
c. Words
7. Which of the following is not generally regarded as part of ‘the arts’ in Britain?
a. Cinema
b. Sculpture
c. Theatre

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8. Which of the following exemplifies the American influence on British music in the
popular idiom?
a. The accents of the singers
b. the topics of the songs
c. the musical structure
9. Which of the following is not a famous auction house for art collectors?
a. Christie’s
b. Sadler’s Wells
c. Sotheby’s
10. Where is the annual Royal National Eisteddfod held?
a. London
b. Scotland
c. Wales
11. What is Glyndebourne?
a. A famous opera
b. An opera festival
c. An opera house
12. Which of the following is not regarded as part of ‘fine arts’?
a. Music
b. Painting
c. Sculpture
13. What is another word for the arts often used in Britain?
a. Culture
b. Crafts
c. Invention
14. Which book, according to a 2003 BBC poll, is Britain’s favorite book?
a. 1984
b. Pride and Prejudice
c. Lord of the Rings

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 SECTION B: ASSOCIATIONS

FINE ARTS MUSIC NOVELS POETRY THEATRE

- The Angel of the - Glastonbury - Man Booker Prize - Seamus Heany - Harold Pinter
North - Glyndebourne - 1984 - William - The Mousetrap
- The Royal - The Proms - William Golding Wordsworth - The Old Vic
Academy - Womad
- The Tate Modern
- Turner Prize

SECTION C: BRITISH WORDS OR PHRASES

1. Pottery, weaving, needlework, basket work, and the making of small objects.
a. Handicrafts
2. A work of fiction which is so bad and has so little meaning that its main value is in the
paper it is written on (which can be mashed up and used for something else).
a. Pulp fiction
3. A work of detective fiction, presented mainly as a puzzle.
a. A whodunnit
4. A book which sells lots of copies very quickly.
a. A bestseller
5. The kind of fiction which is neither ‘literature’ nor pulp fiction.
a. Middlebrow fiction

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 HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS

SECTION A: Quiz

1. About how much paid holiday does the average employee in Britain get each year?
a. Two weeks
b. Four weeks
c. Six weeks
2. Which of these is not a well-known seaside resort town?
a. Blackpool
b. Brighton
c. Bristol
3. Very roughly, what proportion of Britain’s population takes a holiday abroad each
year?
a. 10%
b. 30%
c. 50%
4. Which country is the most popular holiday destination for British tourists?
a. France
b. Spain
c. the USA
5. Which of these is a common greeting to another person around Christmas time?
a. ‘Good Christmas!’
b. ‘Joyous Birthday!’
c. ‘Merry Birthday!’
6. Which of these is a common greeting to another person on the anniversary of their
birth?
a. ‘Congratulations!’
b. ‘Happy Birthday!’
c. ‘Merry Birthday!’
7. What is the common name in Britain for public holidays?
a. Bank Holidays
b. Council Holidays
c. Office holidays

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SECTION B: ASSOCIATIONS

1. Boxing Day → Winter sales

2. Bank holidays weekends → Traffic jams
3. Christmas dinner → Brussel Sprouts
4. Christmas lights → Oxford Street
5. Christmas stockings → Santa Claus
6. Easter → Eggs
7. April the first → Jokes
8. Good Friday → Hot cross buns
9. Gretna Green → Marriage
10. Guy Fawkes → Fireworks
11. Halloween → Trick or Treat
12. New year → Auld Lang Syne
13. Pantomime → Principal boy
14. Remembrance Sunday → Poppies
15. Shrove Tuesday → Pancakes

SECTION C: BRITISH WORDS OR PHRASES

1. An event with merry-go-rounds and other rides and amusements, mainly for children.
a. A fun-fair
2. A fold-out chair made of wood and canvas, associated mainly with beaches.
a. A deck chair
3. A long platform extending out into the sea on which are placed various leisure
facilities.
a. A pier
4. Walking for pleasure in the countryside, often in mountains.
a. Hiking
5. Religious songs with a Christmas theme.
a. Carols

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