Objective To improve your reading and listening skills.

Think about it What is your country famous for? What do you think your country is number-one at? Why? What is the USA famous for? What do you think it’s
number-one for? Which country do you think eats the least meat as a proportion of its population? Which country eats the most? Which country do you think is the
most generous in the world? Why? Which country receives the most tourists?
Exams This reading and listening activity will help prepare you for English exams such as KET and TOEFL.
TRACK 2: ENGLISHMAN & SCOTSWOMAN

WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY

NUMBER-ONE FOR?
A
n article in the survey of around 50 items, railways (224,792km) and
Telegraph newspaper including clothing, taxi billionaires (540). Americans
looked at what fares, mobile phone bills also eat the most meat
countries are most famous and food and drink from (120kg per person, per year)
for. Here are some of both supermarkets and and own the most guns
the results. restaurants. (112.6 for every 100 residents.
The US also has the most
1 France 4 Mexico volcanoes: 173.
France receives the most According to the OECD, the
tourists in the world, with average citizen in Mexico
WE’RE
84.5 million having visited works 2,246 hours a year, or
NUMBER
ONE!
the country in 2015. The USA 43.2 hours a week. This is
comes next, followed by more than any other nation.
Spain, China, and Italy. The other countries in the
list of the top five hardest-
working nations (in order)
are Costa Rica, South Korea,
Greece and Chile. Mexico
also has fewer bank holidays 7 Venezuela
(just seven) than any other Venezuela has the cheapest
nation. petrol in the world, at $0.01
a litre, against the global
average of $0.97. The country
has also produced the most
2 San Marino Miss World winners (6),
San Marino is the safest ahead of the UK (5), India
place in the world to drive, (5) and the USA (3). Finally,
Answers on page 44
with zero deaths per 100,000 it also has more protected
inhabitants according to land (53.9% of its territory),
1 Pre-reading figures by the World Health as a percentage of total land
Look at the questions below. Organization. area than any other nation.
See if you can answer them. 5 Myanmar Slovenia comes next
Which country do you Myanmar (Burma) is the with 53.6%
think... world’s most generous
...eats the least meat country. According to the
per person? Charities Aid Foundation’s
...has had the most 2016 World Giving Index,
Miss World winners? 91% of Myanmar residents
...has the most guns gave money to charity in the
per person? past year, 62% said they had
... has the least road helped a stranger, and 55%
deaths? 3 India claimed they’d done some
...has the most tourists? India eats less meat than volunteer work.
...has the most anywhere else on the planet How interesting!
billionaires? (just 4.4kg per person).
...gives the most to India is also the cheapest GLOSSARY
charity? country in the world safe adj
according to a Numbeo something “safe” isn’t dangerous
2 Reading I a figure n
a number or statistic
Read or listen to the article the OECD abbr
the Organization for Economic
once to compare your ideas Cooperation and Development
a bank holiday n
from the Pre-reading activity. a public holiday
generous adj
3 Reading II 6 The United States
someone who is “generous” gives things
(time, money, etc.) to other people
Read the article again. Then, The USA is number-one a charity n
an organisation that helps poor people,
write the name of a country for lots of things: flight people with no homes, etc.
volunteer work n
next to each of the questions in departures (9,553,214 in work you do for a charity for free (you don’t
the Pre-reading activity. 2014), roads (6,586,610km), receive a salary)

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Objective To improve your reading and listening skills.
Think about it What books have you read lately? What did you think of them? What types of books do you like
reading? Why? What are some of the best books you’ve ever read? Why were they so good? What books did you read as
a child? Why did you like them? What do you like or dislike about reading?
Exams This reading and listening activity will help prepare you for English exams such as KET and TOEFL.
TRACK 3: ENGLISHMAN & SCOTSWOMAN

CLASSIC BOOKS
WHERE
AM I?

THAT HAVE BEEN

BANNED! content”, which involved a
fantasy about kissing a boy.

W
hat were some in the 1960s because it was All public
of your favourite seen to promote drug use. libraries
books as a child? in Chicago
Incredibly, many seemingly Where the once banned
inoffensive books have been Wild Things The Wonderful
banned in the US, often by Are (by Wizard of
parental groups*. Maurice Sendak) Oz (by L.
was banned Frank Baum) because of its
Where's in most “ungodly” influence “for
Waldo? southern states because it depicting women in strong
(by Martin promoted “witchcraft and leadership roles”. Others
Handford) supernatural events”. took offence to the “ungodly”
was once characters such as witches
banned A Colorado and flying monkeys.
because it library
showed a topless beachgoer. removed Incredible!
Charlie
Winnie-the- and the
Pooh (by Chocolate *PARENTAL GROUPS
A. A. Milne) Factory It’s relatively simple to ban
was removed a book in the States. First, a
Answers on page 44 (by Roald Dahl) because book is challenged by a parent
from libraries it encouraged a “poor or a parental group. Then, the
1 Pre-reading because philosophy of life”. library decides whether to ban
Look at the names of the some people the book or not.
books in the article. Which consider talking animals to A 1987 version
ones have you read? Which be an “insult to god”. of Little Red GLOSSARY
ones do you recognise? Riding Hood seemingly modifier
Why do you think they were James and (by the Brothers if something is “seemingly” true, it appears
to be true, even though it probably isn’t
banned? Make notes. the Giant Grimm) caused inoffensive adj
Peach (by offence something “inoffensive” won’t make
2 Reading I Roald Dahl) was because it
anyone angry, sad, upset, etc.
to ban vb
Read or listen to the article banned from showed Little Red Riding if you “ban” something, you tell people
they can’t have or use it
once to compare your ideas an elementary Hood carrying a bottle of topless adj
with no shirt or top on
from the Pre-reading activity. school in wine in her basket. to remove vb
Texas because it included the if you “remove” something from a library
3 Reading II word “ass”. Lord of the
(for example), you take it away from the
library
Read the article again. Flies (by an ass n US
the part of your body you sit on. An “arse”
Then, answer the questions. Harriet the William Golding) in British English
to talk back phr vb
1. Why was Where’s Spy (by Louise was banned if a child “talks back”, he/she talks to a
Waldo? banned? Fitzhugh) was because it parent in a rude and disrespectful way
to curse vb
2. Why didn’t some removed implies that to say bad words (swear words)
people like James and from several humans are to challenge vb
if you “challenge” something, you question
Giant Peach? schools nothing more than animals, it and try to change it
supernatural adj
3. What did some people because it which is the whole point of “supernatural” things or forces are magical
think Where the Wild taught children to “lie, spy, the book! to encourage vb
if you “encourage” someone to do
Things Are promoted? talk back and curse”. something, you try to make them do it
4. What was wrong The 50th to cause offence exp
to make someone angry, sad or upset
with an image of a Alice in anniversary the point n
the “point” of something is the reason for it
basket in Little Red Wonderland edition of a fantasy n
Riding Hood? (by Lewis The Diary of a dream or nice situation you think about
and want to happen
5. What was the “sexual Carroll) was a Young Girl to depict vb
content” some people challenged (by Anne Frank) to show
to take offence exp
didn’t like in Anne by many was removed if someone “takes offence”, they become
angry, sad or upset about something
Frank’s book? institutions because of its “sexual

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