Quotes about the United Kingdom
First set of quotes
UAE - When young people say about the British that he's unpleasant or old, it is an impression we have from the time when Great Britain was a great power together with Portugal.
ITALY - I particularly liked the spirit, the liveliness, the people and their open-mindedness.
HUNGARY - It's so fantastic that they are able to look at themselves with self-irony. I think this is exceptional. They write books and make movies that tell a negative picture about them and they show it.
HONG KONG - A lot of them are drunk and cause trouble.
JAPAN - There are bad points such as discrimination but also good points such as the parliamentary government.
KENYA - It's believed that if you go for further education in Britain, you get quality education.
THAILAND - They seem so cold in general.
BANGLADESH - Heritage from Britain, technology and dynamism from the United States.
SINGAPORE - The British always give me the idea of old and boring.
KOREA - Underlying the British people's ideologies is their deeply rooted tradition, long history, long history of the royal family and democracy, and the class structure.
GREECE - I am thinking about music. It's not by accident that the most innovative trends in music come from England.
VIETNAM - UK is a small island but it has a global trading system.
Second set of quotes
MEXICO - The British are limited. They don't try new things.
JAPAN - British scientists are enthusiastic, almost manic, in particular categories. But they are doing something that really doesn't matter.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Britain was the first country with a constitution, I think. So there is a real democratic tradition in Britain.
SPAIN - Out of the European countries I think the closest to the US is England; but you can't separate them from Europe.
SINGAPORE - They have a group of white trash, you know, skinheads. That group is very, very racist. But I think the majority is fine. In fact, I know there are some community leaders that are black.
FRANCE - There are many differences between the English, the Irish and the Scottish. Irish and Scottish are much more friendly.
HUNGARY - Their mistrust with strangers is also a characteristic. Usually this is said for the Germans but it is far more true for the English.
NIGERIA - A British product is very high quality. You'll use it and use it until you are tired.
RUSSIA - People are very involved in the life of society, politics. They are very well aware of what is going on.
GERMANY - The really crazy people all come from England.
SAUDI ARABIA - They don't have any famous artists. They like soccer.
Faça primeiro a tarefa Preparation. Depois, vá ao Text e leia o poema ou história (você pode também ouvir o áudio enquanto lê). Finalmente vá ao Task e faça a atividade.
A survey commissioned by the British Council gave rise to a number of quotes from people across the globe on their perceptions of the UK.
We suggest you read or listen to the quotes and do the first two tasks, which practise comprehension and vocabulary for the first set of quotes. Then do tasks 3 and 4, which practise comprehension and vocabulary for the second set of quotes.
