Listening activity

6 minute English


Reading the classics

In this programme, Alice and Yvonne discuss why people today don't seem to read the classics as much as they did in the past, and we hear how the Royal Spanish Academy is using modern technology to get more of us excited about reading the classic Don Quixote.

This week's question:
In 2005, the BBC announced the UK's best loved - or favourite book. What was it?
a) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
b) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
c) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Listen out for the answer in the programme. At the bottom of the page you 'll find a Vocabulary section.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/10/101014_6min_classics_page.shtml



The London Tube

Yvonne and Alice discuss the experiences different people have when using The Tube, the London Underground train system, and hear about what some people thought after using it for the first time.
This week's question:

During the last financial year, how many kilometres did Tube trains travel? Was it about equal to:
a) 72 trips to the moon and back
b) 85 trips to the moon and back or
c) 90 trips to the moon and back

Listen out for the answer in the programme. At the bottom of the page you 'll find a Vocabulary section.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/11/101125_6min_tube_page.shtml


Tea drinking in the UK

Yvonne and Alice talk about how tea became a very popular drink in the UK and and we hear how many cups of tea British people drink every day.
This week's question:

Some people say Britain is a nation of tea drinkers. According to the UK Tea Council, how many cups of tea are drunk by the British everyday? Is it:
a) 12,000
b) 120,000
c) 120,000,000
Listen out for the answer in the programme. At the bottom of the page you 'll find a Vocabulary section.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101209_6min_tea_page.shtml


Population explosion

Alice and Finn talk about a population explosion in the world - and how engineers suggest it can be dealt with.
This week's question:
How many zeros are there after the 1 in a billion?
a) 12
b) 9
c) 6
Listen out for the answer at the end of the programme!
At the bottom of the page you 'll find a Vocabulary section.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/01/110119_6min_populations_page.shtml

Credits Gabi T.