On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving. Today Thanksgiving is a very important holiday in the USA, families get together around a traditional meal and give thanks. What are the origins of […]
On the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 hijackers took control of four commercial passenger jets flying out of airports on the east coast of the United States. Two of the aircraft were deliberately flown into the main two towers (the Twin Towers) of the World Trade Center in New […]
One of the most covered topics in the news at the moment is the US Presidential Elections. So to start off this new school year let’s take a look at the process: An election for President of the United States occurs every four years on Election Day, held the first […]
The fifth of November in the UK is Bonfire Night. What exactly is Bonfire Night and why do we celebrate it? Here are a few articles and videos to explain: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11976634/Bonfire-Night-2015-Why-do-we-celebrate-tonight-and-who-was-Guy-Fawkes.html
On Thursday 7th May the General Elections take place in the UK. It is traditionally held on the first Thursday in May once every five years in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The 650 members of parliament (MPs) will be elected through 650 individual elections for a constituency. Each […]
On Friday 13th March 2015 it’s Red Nose Day in the UK! But what exactly is Red Nose Day and why does it take place? The first Red Nose Day (RND) was held on 5 February 1988, when it was launched as a National Day of Comedy, and since then […]
One of the less-well known Christmas traditions in the UK is the countdown to the Christmas « number one »: which song will be number one in the charts for Christmas? It may seem surprising but the British take a great interest in the charts, more so than any other country in the […]
A great site with lots of videos about different aspects of British and American culture with comprehension exercises: http://www.letshavefunwithenglish.com/videos.html
The Scottish independence referendum takes place on September 18th 2014. The voters will be asked one question: « Should Scotland be an independant country? » The result of the referendum should be known on the 19th September. Today a poll (sondage) shows the « yes » side in the lead for the first time. Many people […]
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th March – but what are the myths surrounding this religious festival? ST. PATRICK Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as […]
