Exercise 1
1. Listen, do the quiz. Choose A, B or C.
Women in history
1 Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt and the last pharaoh, …………
A in 180 BCE.
B in 70 BCE.
C in 30 BCE.
2 Marie Curie ………… the Nobel Prize in chemistry
A in December 1911.
B in December 1925.
C in December 1950.
3 Valentina Tereshkova ………… into space
A on 12th August 1961.
B on 3rd April 1962.
C on 16th June 1963.
4 Amelia Earhart ………… the Atlantic Ocean, alone, by plane
A in 1932.
B in 1941.
C in 1950.
5 Coco Chanel ………… her first shop in Deauville, France
A in the 18th century.
B in the 19th century.
C in the 20th century.
6 Frida Kahlo ………… her self-portrait with parrots
A in 1920.
B in 1935.
C in 1941.
7 Serena Williams ………… her first match at Wimbledon
A in 1996.
B in 1998.
C in 2000.
8 Junko Tabei ………… Mount Everest.
A on 16th May 1975.
B on 5th April 1977.
C on 12th May 1980.
9 J.K. Rowling ………… her first Harry Potter book
A in March 1985.
B in June 1997.
C in July 2004.
10 Ella Fitzgerald ………… her first song
A in 1928
B in 1930
C in 1936
Answer & Audioscript
1 C 2 A 3 C 4 A 5 C 6 C 7 B 8 A 9 B 10 C
Audioscript
Women in History.
1 Man: Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt and the last pharaoh, died in 30 BCE.
2 Man: Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in December 1911.
3 Man: Valentina Tereshkova travelled into space on the 16th of June 1963.
4 Man: Amelia Earhart crossed the Atlantic Ocean, alone, by plane in 1932.
5 Man: Coco Chanel opened her first shop in Deauville, France in the 20th century.
6 Man: Frida Kahlo painted her self-portrait with parrots in 1941.
7 Man: Serena Williams played her first match at Wimbledon in 1998.
8 Man: Junko Tabei climbed Mount Everest on the 16th of May 1975.
9 Man: J.K. Rowling published her first Harry Potter book in June 1997.
10 Man: Ella Fitzgerald recorded her first song in 1936.
Exercise 2
1. Listen to the radio programme Living History – I was there!
Dave Brown is talking to Janet about a moment in history she remembers. What moment does Janet remember?
2. Listen again. Are the sentences right (✓) or wrong (✗)?
1 Janet lived with her family in a house in Manchester.
2 There were computers but no mobile phones in the 1960s.
3 Black and white televisions only show black and white pictures.
4 Janet’s dad telephoned the shop to buy a colour television.
5 Her dad and uncle carried it to the flat.
6 The first programme they watched in colour was sport.
Answer & Audioscript
1 getting a colour TV
2 1 ✗ (Janet lived in a flat)
2 ✗ (There were no computers or mobile phones.)
3 ✓
4 ✗ (Janet’s dad went to the shop to buy a colour television.)
5 ✓
6 ✓
Audioscript
Dave: And welcome to Living History: I was there! My name is Dave Brown and today’s caller in Janet from Manchester, in the north-west of England. Hi Janet.
Janet: Hello Dave.
Dave: So Janet, tell us about the moment in history you remember.
Janet: Well Dave, I remember something that happened in the 1960s. I lived with my mum and dad and older brother in a flat in the city. There were no computers, or mobile phones in those days, you know. There were televisions, but only black and white ones.
Dave: What do you mean Janet, black and white ones?
Janet: I mean the televisions only showed black and white films and programmes; there was nothing in colour!
Dave: That’s not like today, Janet!
Janet: I know. You didn’t know what colour people’s clothes were, or anything like that! Anyway, the day I want to tell you about was in 1967. It was the day colour televisions arrived in the shops. My dad wanted to get one of the first ones. So he and I waited outside the shop early in the morning. Then when it opened, we hurried in to buy one. My dad and uncle carried it back to our flat in its box. It was big and heavy, and it was hard work for them to carry it up the stairs to the flat. We were all so excited. When everything was ready, Mum turned on the TV, we waited and then – there was the picture … in colour!
Dave: A great moment!
Janet: Yes, and the first programme we watched was tennis – green grass, white balls – it was fantastic.
Dave: And now everything we see on TV is in colour, and we don’t think about it.
Janet: Yes, I know. Things change so fast.
Dave: Well, thank you Janet for sharing your memory with us.
Janet: Thank you Dave. Bye.
Dave: Goodbye Janet.
Exercise 3
1. Listen to the TV programme, Our History, and match the audience members to the people they ask about.
1 Robert ……
2 Lisa ……
3 Rachel ……
4 Leon ……
a Valentina Tereshkova
b Henry VIII
c Marie Curie
d Pelé
2. Listen again. Tick (✓) the facts you hear.
1 King Henry VIII of England died in 1547.
2 Henry VIII had six wives.
3 The footballer Pelé played for Santos 638 times.
4 Pelé played international football for Brazil 92 times.
5 Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in 1930.
6 Marie Curie died in 1934.
7 Valentina Tereshkova went to space in 1963.
8 Valentina Tereshkova’s husband was also an astronaut.
Answer & Audioscript
1 1 b 2 d 3 c 4 a
2 You hear facts 2, 4, 5 and 7. The other facts are all true.
Audioscript
Host: Good evening and welcome to Our History. Today, we’ve got a special guest, Harry Harper. Harry teaches at a university and he knows everything about history!
Harry: Hello.
Host: So, who has a question for Harry? Yes? What’s your name?
Robert: Um, I’m Robert.
Harry: Hello, Robert. What do you want to know about?
Robert: Can you tell me a fact about Henry VIII of England?
Harry: Yes, of course, Robert. He had six wives! OK, another question? Yes?
Lisa: Hi, Harry. I’m Lisa. Can you tell me an interesting fact about the footballer Pelé?
Harry: Well, Lisa. I can tell you Pelé played international football for Brazil 92 times! Who’s next? Yes, you.
Rachel: I’m Rachel. What do you know about the scientist Marie Curie? What is interesting about her?
Harry: A lot of things, Rachel! Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in 1903. But maybe you don’t know that her daughter was also a scientist and she also won a Nobel Prize in 1935! All right. Who wants to go next?
Leon: Me! I’m Leon and I want to know about women and the history of space travel.
Harry: OK. Everybody knows that Yuri Gagarin was the first man to travel to space, but who was the first woman? Well, she was an astronaut and her name was Valentina Tereshkova. She travelled to space in 1963. OK, another question. Yes, you? What’s your name?
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