CrossCulture - British Council - LearnEnglish

	crossculture archive

Here's where you will find all our previous articles. Come here to check your topic vocabulary, have another look at articles you've read or listened to before or catch up on the ones you've missed.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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		The Asian Overground This article describes the roots and progression of Asian pop. Listen to an interview with a traditional tabla player - who is also a DJ in his spare time!

Bagpipes
There are in fact many different types of bagpipes, played in slightly different ways. Read about the instrument and its origins, and listen to some young pipers being interviewed about their playing.

Brazil
How much do you know about modern Brazil? Do you think of clean cities, sustainable development, winning the battle against pollution? Find out more about areas in which this vast country is in the vanguard.

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		Cinema Does your local cinema show just Hollywood blockbusters, or can you see the latest from Bollywood or Shanghai? Read about the impact of Bollywood on Hollywood and listen to the owner of a cinema in Brighton that specialises in subtitled films.

Dating in the 21st century
Listen to a couple talk about their dating experiences and read some safety tips on how to plan a first date with an online acquaintance.

Drama
Do you like going to the theatre? An international drama festival is taking place in the city where Anna and Ursula study. Listen to them trying to choose which performance to attend and read about the art of Noh and its origins.

Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a major Arts event, one of the most important in the world. Read about the origins of the Festival and the difference between the official part and the Fringe.Listen to people discussing the advantages and disadvantages of being in Edinburgh at Festival time.

Education in the UK
Listen to an advisor outline the options for sending your children to a state school in the UK while you are studying there and read about the education system at work in England and Wales.

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		Film festivals Read about what the many film festivals have in common and listen to an interview with a film festival organiser.

I can't find any turmeric
Read this short story written by Atima Srivastava, a British writer who was born in Mumbai and moved to the UK when she was eight. She has written two novels, screen plays and short stories.

Identity
Benjamin Zephaniah is an international poet and novelist who grew up in Jamaica and Birmingham, renowned for his performance poetry. See his poem 'Knowing me'.

Liverpool - capital of culture 2008
The city of Liverpool, in the north-west of England, has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture 2008. Find out what cultural activities the city has to offer, what it has programmed throughout the year and what special events are already planned for 2008.

Local government in the UK
How does local government work in the UK? What is a mayor and what powers does he or she have? What is devolution? Read on ...

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		Notting Hill Carnival Every year the area of West London called Notting Hill hosts one of the biggest street carnival celebrations in Europe, if not in the world, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people, which is not appreciated by all the local residents...

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		The Olympic Games The fact that the Olympic Games originated in Greece and that they were back in Greece in 2004 is well-known but what do you actually know about the games?

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		Police in the UK The police forces in operation within the UK are actively recruiting police officers from ethnic minority backgrounds. Find out why this is so and listen to a senior officer who is black speak about his experience of being an officer.

Slow food
Find out what the Slow Food Movement is all about and listen to an interview with a representative of the movement - who knows, you may decide you'd like to join too!

Sports
English football fans have often received bad press. This article looks at the people who love the game and explains how and why they have tried to change this image.

Spotlight on England
The symbols which represent England, what it is like today and how England has changed over the centuries.

Spotlight on India
Listen to an extract from a radio programme talking about Indian expatriates going home and read about the introduction of western-style shopping into India.

Spotlight on Northern Ireland
Read about Northern Ireland's troubled past and listen to why it makes a good holiday destination.

Spotlight on Scotland
Read about Scotland and listen to an interview about that greatest of tourist attractions, the Loch Ness monster.

Spotlight on Wales
Read an article which introduces the seven wonders of Wales and find out about the Welsh language.

Storytelling
The tradition of storytelling exists all over the world, both as stories told aloud and in their written form. Find out more ...

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		Textiles Textiles, fabrics, cloth, materials, natural or man-made (often by women!) ....This article deals with different aspects of the textile industry...

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		Virtual Education Education is becoming more international through the use of technologies like videoconferencing. Listen to the report and read an article about children videoconferencing at school.

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		World music There are many different styles of music in the world which are relatively unknown outside of their homelands. Read about a Portuguese 'fado' singer, and check your music vocabulary. Listen to an extract from a lecture about different kinds of African music.