Learning English Through
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Learning English through a r n e t p e t e S 2 g g O B n C o n t e n t s Introduction 4 Timeline 5 Chronological chapters Civilizing the barbarians: The Romans in Britain 6 1066 and all that: The Norman Conquest 12 Majesty and marriages: King Henry VIII 18 4 Good Queen Bess: Elizabeth I 24 5 Roundheads and Cavaliers: The English Civil War 30 6 Fire and plague: Samuel Pepys' London 36 7 The longest reign: The Victorians 42 8 A long way from Tipperary: The First World War 48 9 Britain can take it: The Blitz 54 10 From the cradle to the grave: The welfare state 60 11 Cultural revolution: The swinging sixties 66 12 The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher 72 Thematic chapters 13 From barons to ballot box: The long road to democracy 78 14 The Bard of Avon: William Shakespeare 84 15 The sun never set: The British Empire 90 16 A special relationship? Britain and the USA 96 17 A funny old game: Cricket 102 18 Seen and not heard: British childhood 108 19 Auld enemies: England and Scotland 114 20 That cloud in the West: Ireland 120 21 A safe haven? Immigration to Britain 126 22 An enduring obsession: Social class in Britain 132 Glossary 138 Index 142 INTRODUCTION ‘Life is one-tenth here and now, nine-tenths a history lesson/ Graham Swift (English novelist) This book is based on the idea that learning about a country's history is a wonderful way to learn its language. English was born in Britain, and has both shaped and reflected British history over many centuries. History and language are intimately bound together. You cannot truly understand one without knowing something about the other. History is traditionally narrated in the past simple tense of our title, but its richness and variety mean that all sorts of other language and structures are used, too: idioms and conditionals, for example, as well as the full range of perfect and continuous tenses. All of these (and more) appear and are explored in the book. Past Simple consists of 22 chapters on selected aspects of British history, 12 of them on key episodes or periods such as the Elizabethan Age or First World War, the other 10 on some of the big themes (imperialism, the growth of democracy) that run through the story of these islands. Each chapter is based around a central reading text, which is followed by comprehension and critical thinking exercises, additional primary source material and a focus on relevant language points. Plenty of opportunity is also given for skills work - speaking and writing as well as reading - and there are follow-up research tasks to be done on the Internet and in libraries. Within this regular structure, the texts themselves are presented in different ways - as conventional factual accounts, as magazine-type articles, and in the style of webpages - to ensure a varied diet for the learner. Our aim has been to create a book on British history for learners of English, and not in any sense a definitive History of Britain. We have included the material that we consider most interesting and useful for learners of English to know, keeping the needs of would-be British citizens in mind. The book can be dipped into at will - and the timeline should help anyone doing so to keep their bearings - but the largely chronological arrangement means that learners can acquire an overall sense of the development of British history by starting at the beginning and working through to the end. That way they will also cover most of the main English language areas studied at intermediate level and above. People learn best when they are engaged by the subject matter. Past Simple delivers English through the culturally vital medium of British history, which offers so much stimulating material that the hard part for us was choosing what to leave out. In our view, history's great advantage as a language-learning topic is that it is just so much more interesting than the typical subject matter you find in most English language textbooks. Our message to anyone using this book is: enjoy and learn. David F\onder, Peter 'Thompson INTRODUCTION of key events in British history This timeline is selective, focusing on the key events and reigns covered in Past Simple. We suggest you build on it and create your own, more extensive timeline of British history. 55 £r 54 BC ^ J ia1aaa& CaeM*r leod^estyedAttimfrofKornxxn/yyldiery into-Britain/ from/ QcuaL ( franee/) AV 43 4- Emperor Claudiayleady a full Rom an int/ation/ of Britain/ 410 — The/Romans abx^ndon/Britain 1066 - - The/Battle/ofHaytin^y 1215 — ThJe/ bigntnty o f the/Magna/ Carta/ 1509-47 -- The/reignof King'Henry VIII 1558-1603 - - The reign/ of Queen/ EU^aheth/1 1 5 6 4 - - The/birth of WiMlam/Shakespeare 1588 - - The/Spanish/Armada/ 1642-48 -- The/English/Civ CL War 1649 -- The/ execution/ of Kings Charley I 1665-66 -- The/GreatPlague/ 1666 -- The/ Great Tire/ of London/ 1707 -- The/Act of Unlon/between/England a n d Scotland 1757 3 rita in take& p oUttcal control/ of I nd ta through/ the/ Eayt I ndia Company 1800 The/Act of Unlon/betM)eenBritain a n d Ireland/ 1807 The/ abxylitUyn/ofthe/ UaA/e trade/ in/ the/ B ritiyfa Empire/ 1832 The/ Great Reform/ Act 1837-1901 The/ reign/ ofQueen/Victoria 1886 Tlw first Iribh/Howie Rude/Bill/ 1903 The/foundation/of theW omeny Social and/Political/Union/ 1916 The/ Battle/ o f the/ Somme/ 1927 The/eytahlUhvvient o f the/ British/ Broadcayting^ Corporation/ 1940-41 The/Battle/ of Britain/ and/ the/ Blit# 1947 I ndCa/ gainy independence/ from/ B rCtaln 1948 The/ foundation/ of the/National/ Health/ Service/ 1952 Theytartof the/ reign/ of Queen/ Elizabeth/ II 1973 Britain/ joints the/ European/ Economic/ CommAAnity 1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes Britcuny firyt female/ Prime/ M inlyter 2003 A vnerica and/Britain/ irwade/Iracj « « a THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN Section 1: Reading A Before you read — think and discuss The Roman Conquest was the first major invasion of the British Isles. Britain at that time was not a unified country. It was populated by a collection of tribes known as the Celts. ■ Who were the original inhabitants of your country? ■ Does your country today have any connection with its ancient inhabitants? ■ Did the Romans ever rule your country? ■ What, if anything, do you know about the Romans and the Celts in ancient Britain? B Read the text WHAT THE ROMANS DID FOR US 1 1From the year 400 to the year 1900, Although the occupation of Britain lasted nearly 400 no one had central heating ayid very years, it remained incomplete. The more developed south east was conquered quickly, though there were later few had hot baths.' Winston Churchill rebellions. This success was due to diplomacy as well as 20 arms. The Romans benefited from alliances with n 1980, the National Theatre in London staged a play sympathetic native rulers, who then enjoyed favoured that caused outrage for its violent and explicit scenes. status. The advancing Roman army built fortresses, camps I Although it was called The Romans in Britain, it told and roads and helped with construction in towns such as only part of the story. A truly historical play would feature Camulodunum (Colchester), Britannia’s first capital. The much more in the way of dull practical achievement; there earliest towns, dating from the mid-1st century, reveal would be graphic road-building scenes, shockingly good wooden houses and shops as well as stone public buildings engineering, and all the drama of flushing toilets. such as temples and administrative headquarters. The Julius Caesar made the first official contacts between Romans also brought their particular style of architecture Rome and Britain in 55-54 BC, but the full Roman Conquest to the countryside in the form of villas, the most impressive 30 10 came nearly a century later. The Emperor Claudius decided of which contained garden-courtyards, mosaics, wall to invade in AD 43 because he was the new Emperor of paintings and Mediterranean statues. Rome and needed to prove he was a strong ruler. In order Many of the native tribes in Britannia - including the to be sure of defeating the Celts, Claudius landed with Iceni, the Brigantes and the Atrebates - were initially given 50,000 men at the site of modern-day Richborough in Kent. semi-independence by the Romans. In AD 60, the king of The Roman occupation of ‘Britannia’ (most of modern-day the Iceni died, and the Romans decided to remove this England and Wales) was to last from AD 43-410. independence. They seized property and raped his CIVILIZING THE BARBARIANS: THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN daughters. The girls’ mother, the tall, flame-haired Queen Boudicca, rose up in fury against the Romans. The Iceni 40 destroyed the towns of Camulodunum, Verulanium (St Albans) and the flourishing port of Londinium (London). The Romans eventually defeated the rebels in a battle during which, according to one Roman report, 80,000 Britons and just 400 Romans were killed, though it is difficult to judge the accuracy of this report. After the battle, Boudicca was determined not to be captured. She gave her daughters deadly poison before taking her own life. According to popular legend, she is buried under Platform 9 of Kings Cross. To this day, Boudicca remains so a symbol of revolt against occupation. After the Boudiccan revolt, the Romans began to expand their area of control. The Roman province now included Wales, northern England and, briefly, southern Scotland.