Section3 Section 3(1)
You will hear a student asking an English person about the differences between Scotland,England,Northern Ireland and Wales.
Hiro:Excuse me sir,my name is Hiro,and I noticed that your rucksack has a British flag patch on it.
May I ask you if you are British?
Liam:My rucksack?Oh,yes the union Jack.Well,that's bit of a joke actually.However,yes I am English. Why do you want to know?
Hiro:I am doing a report on the issue of identity in the U.K.I want to know how people from England,Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland see themselves.What I mean to say is,being that all four of the countries are part of the United Kingdom,how different could they possibly be?
Liam:Well,they are nothing at all alike,really.Culture,ancestry and language all differ quite considerably from region to region.
Hiro:How so? Liam:Let's start with England.The U.K.has a population of about 59 million.Of those people,about 49 million live in England.London is the capital and a very metropolitan city.About a fourth of all those living in England reside in London.It is the most multicultural city in the United Kingdom.It has many immigrants from all over the world.London is very exciting,and there is always something to do day or night.The influence that London has on the rest of England makes the capital city unlike the rest of the U.K.It is very modern and future minded.
Hiro:You would of course say this because you are British!
Liam:Well,what would you expect!By the way it is quite good of you to say "British".When you are talking to people from Britain,it is safest to use 'Britain'when talking about where they live and'British' to describe their nationality;you will be less likely to offend anyone.I mean you can be from England and not consider yourself english.
Hiro:Why is that? If you are all citizens of England,then why isn't your identity first English and then Scottish or whatever?
Liam:There has been long history of emigration to England from Scotland,Wales and Ireland.As a result,there are millions of people who live in England but who would never describe themselves as English.They may have lived in England all their lives,but as far as they are concerned they are Scottish,Welsh or Irish.
These people support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in things such as sporting events.
Questions 20-25 according to section 3 (1).
20.England,Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland are...
A on the same island B have very similar cultures
C have very different cultures D enamored with the Union Jack as their flag
21.What is England's population?
A 39 million B 49 million C 59 million D 69 million
22.London is ( ). A the capital of England,but very small
B not very exciting C filed with immigrants from all over the world
D a very traditional city
Questions 23-25 Complete the summary.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Summary All people from England would not necessarily describe themselves as (23)When speaking the someone from Britain it is better to use the term English.This is because there are those who may have lived in England their entire lives,but still prefer to support the (25)... of their parents or grandparents when it comes to such things as sporting contests. Liam and Hiro continue to discuss the United Kingdom.

Hiro:Doesn't this constant switching of loyalties ever cause problems?
Shouldn't people who were born or
who have lived in one country for a very long time support only that country?
Liam:Actually,it has caused quite a few problems, especially in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Hiro:Yes,I have heard something of the so-called Irish Troubles. Isn't there,at this moment,a civil war going on in Northern Ireland? I believe is because some citizens want to remain as part of the United Kingdom,but other people want to become part of the republic of Ireland.
Liam:That is a subject that is difficult to discuss. Some people in Northern Ireland want to be unified with Ireland. However over the years many immigrants from Britain as well as Irish loyal to the crown
want to continue to be ruled by the British government. This is a subject that the British prefer not to talk about.
Hiro:Sorry.I didn't mean to offend you.You aren't Irish,are you?
Liam:No.Actually my hometown is Glasgow in Scotland.
Hiro:Oh Scottish! Does that mean that sometimes you wear a skirt?
Liam:I think you mean a kilt,which is not the same as a skirt at all.
Hiro:Sorry.There is so much about U.K. culture I do not understand. If you don't mind me asking, why do the Irish want independence from Britain,but the Scottish do not?
Liam:There are some people from my hometown that would disagree with you,but the truth is that Scotland and England have a long history of immigration and communication. Perhaps you've heard of Mary Queen of Scots,who once ruled England as well. The Irish,on the other hand, partly due to the fact that Ireland is a separate island were always more isolated, and had almost no political power.
Hiro:Oh,that makes a lot of sense to me, I come from a very isolated island country as well.
Liam:Really,where is that?
Hiro:Well,I'm Japanese My hometown is Okinawa.
Liam:I can't say I've ever been there, but I've always wanted to visit Japan. I wonder if it is anything like the U.K.
Hiro:Well,because England and Japan are islands importing goods is therefore very expensive. Yeah,and the U.k.and Japan are the only countries where the driver sits on the right side of a car.
Hiro:Hey,you're right!
Liam:So,how much longer will you be on holiday here?
Hiro:Unfortunately, I leave in two days.
Liam:That's too bad. There is a huge music festival taking place this weekend in Reading. If you do decide to stay longer,you really ought to attend it.
Hiro:That sounds fun!

Question 26-29 according to section 3 (2).
26.Loyalty has caused a few problems,especially ( ).
27.Liam is from where?( )
28.The Scots have a long history of ( ).
29.In England,importing goods is ( ).

That is the end of Section 3.Section 4 (1) Now listen to the lecture and answer questions 30-35.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today's topic in our series of lectures on the development of British socialism is health care. Some believe that the current system is the world's greatest. This morning I will present the facts and let you decide if this statement is true.The National Health Service Act of 1946-7
was based on the Beveridge Report recommendations.It established the NHSto replace the precious private system of payment for health care.The NHS now provides an comprehensive range of free medicaland some free dental services for the whole country.It includes hospitals,doctor,dentists,nursed and other health facilities,and is financed out of public taxation and some contributions from the national insurance scheme.At first,the NHS was opposed by the medical profession, which wished to retain private medicine. But such objections were countered by the Labour government.In its first years of operation the NHS covered 95 percent of the population and cost some 400 million pounds a year to run. This cost currently stands at 36,000 million pounds, or some 14 percent of total government expenditure, and the NHS is also the biggest single employer of labour in Western Europe. Yet total health expenditure in Britain as a percentage of the gross domestic product(GDP)is some six percent, and lower than in other major western industrialized countries. The NHS in England is divided into central government, regional and district health authorities. The Secretary of State for Health has overall responsibility for policy, and for supervising the regional and district authorities. Secretaries of state do a similar job in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland. The district authorities in England and Wales,health boards in Scotland, and health and social service boards in Northern Ireland organize health in their local areas. In England,because of its size,the additional 14 regional authorities ( which the government wants to abolish ) are centered on university medical schools, and are a link between the Department of Health and the districts. It was originally intended that the NHS would be completely free of charge in its provision of consultations,treatment and medicine.

Question 30-35.Write no more than one number or three words for each.e.g.
The National Health Service of 1946-7
was based on the(Beveridge Report recommendations
The birth of the National Health Service system:
The NHS now provides a comprehensive range of free(30)( )
and some free(31) ( ) for the whole country.
Oppositions to the NHS:At first,the NHS was opposed by the (32) ( ).
But such objections to the NHS were defended by the (33) ( ).
Divisions of the NHS:
The NHS in England is divide into a central government,(34)( )health authorities.
(35)do a similar job in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland
Section 4(2)Answer question36-40 according to the information given in the lecture.
But prescriptions,which are written notes from a doctor enabling patients
to obtain drugs from a chemist,now have to be paid for,
as do some dental work,dental checks and eye tests.
Such payments are,however,dependent upon employment stathus,age and income,
so that children under 16,recipients of social security benefits
and most old-age pensioners usually receive free health services.
In practice,some 80 percent of medical prescriptions are supplied free.
Similarly,hospital care and treatment under the NHS
is free for British and European Union citizens.
The NHS occupies an ambivalent position in the public imagination.
On the one hand,it is praised for its work and status as a free service,
and for its achievements.
It is perceived to be a success in terms of consumer demand,
especially when contrasted with earlier provisions for medical care.
Today,people in general receive help when they need it,
and many who would preciously have died or suffered
are surviving and being cared for.
The standards of living and medicine have risen,
better diets have been devised
and there is a greater health awareness among the population at large.
On the other hand,the NHS is criticized for its alleged
inadequate standards and bureaucracy.
Its objectives are sometimes considered too ambitious for the money spent on it.
The media are constantly drawing attention to shortcomings and forecasting breakdowns
Workers within the NHS,such as doctors,nurses and non-medical staff,
have frequently complained about low pay,long hours,
bureaucracy and inadequate levels of staffing.
They and other critics seem to feel that many of the problems
could be solved simply by injecting more finance into the NHS.
It is also argued that the government is cutting services and resources.
The NHS is in many ways a victim of its own success,
and the demands that the British place upon it as of right.
It is inevitable that a free,
consumer-led service will dither require increasing levels of expenditure,
or better management of existing resources.
Yet,despite these problems the NHS had worked well and gives great value for money.
Foreign observers feel that the British do not always appreciate
what a good health system they have compared with those of many other countries.