04 08 language and culture u4b

Module 4B The Way People Live Would you like to participate in a really wild race? Then you should not miss the Cooper’s Hill CheeseRolling Festival This annual event takes place at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester, England The competition is fairly simple: from the top of the hill a round of cheese is rolled and all participants have to race down the slope trying to grab it This can become really dangerous because the hill is so steep that the cheese can reach more than 100 km/h, making the task very difficult to fulfill Consequently, the first person to cross the finishing line wins the cheese This festival is over 200 years old and has become so popular that people from all over the world participate every year The hill is decorated with colourful banners and British flags, and people are asked to wear a special attire and shoes for the occasion There are always ambulances from local hospitals nearby because people get hurt very often and require medical treatment Racers will sometimes lose control on their way down the steep hill and will suffer different injuries, from simple sprains to broken bones Even the cheese itself becomes a deadly weapon! Rolling down at such speed, it can easily knock spectators over and injure them Say cheese! The cheese used for this unusual festival is a Double Gloucester Cheese that weighs around pounds (2.73 kgs) So if you manage to catch it, you will have cheese for quite some time! Curious fact: During the Second World War, there was food shortage, so a wooden cheese was used instead! English Toolkit - Language & Culture Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 The Cheese-Rolling Festival Module 4B Activities 1 Scan the text and complete the following sentences a Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Festival is an annual event that b The competition consists of c In case of accident, d As grabbing the cheese is very difficult, a Racers frequently lose control when running down the hill because the slope is extremely (steep / flat) b The cheese becomes dangerous because it gains speed and becomes extremely (heavy / light) c There is (a good chance / little chance) that participants might suffer serious injuries 3 Have you ever heard about the Tomatina Festival in Spain? What about the San Fermin Festival? In groups of three or four people discuss about it and tell the rest of the class what you think about them Then write two or three sentences giving your opinion about each of the festivals I think In my opinion 4 Project Work: working in groups of three, make some research about different festivals in your country and prepare a brochure for tourists You can include pictures! English Toolkit - Language & Culture Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 2 Choose the right option