"Britain's
a funny place," I said.
"What
do you mean, funny?" Mark asked.
I was
sitting at a table on the terrace of a bar in Madrid with my friend Mark, who's
from England. We were both drinking cold drinks and eating tapas and talking about
countries. "Well, it's ... different," I said. "There are
so many contrast and contradiction as about Britain. The people, for example. Sometimes
they're cold and distant.
When they
sit on buses or trains, especially on the Tube*, they don't usually look at
anybody and nobody talks. But they like travelling to different countries and
meeting different people. Another thing is their appearance. I've seen lots of
young people with red or blue hair and some of their clothes are, well,
strange!" "You're generalising," said Mark. "Not all
British people are reserved and not all young British people have red or blue
hair. And are you talking about the British or are you talking about the
English?
Because
we're not all English, you know. It's called Britain for a reason. It includes
the Scots and the Welsh as well." "Yes, I know, and I know that I'm
generalising. But I've seen some strange things in Scotland and Wales as
well," I explained. "Antonio, what are you trying to say?" Mark
asked with a smile. "I'm trying to say that I think Britain is a
fascinating place. I think the English, the Scots and the Welsh are fascinating
people and that Britain has a wonderful culture and history. Every time I go
there, something surprises me." "Well, you said you wanted to be a
writer. Perhaps you should write about Britain," laughed Mark. "Yes,
perhaps I should. That's quite a good idea, "I answered. My name's Antonio
and I'm Spanish, but my father is American and we spent a long time in the United
States when I was young. I've just finished university.
I studied
English and journalism in Salamanca. Salamanca University is probably the most
popular Spanish university [1]among
foreign students. Sometimes there were so many people from Britain around me
that I [2]almost
forgot that I was in Spain. I made some good British friends who were studying
in Salamanca and I love going to visit them in Britain. So, when Mark said I
should write about my experiences, I did.
I wrote
about my first impressions, the country, the people, the culture, the food and,
of course, the weather! Here's the book - I hope you enjoy it.
Summary:
Antonio (the author) is talking with Mark who is an
English man. The conversation is about Britain. Mark thinks that Antonio has a wrong
idea about Britain. Mark purpose to him to visit Britain. Antonio visited
Britain (Wales, Scotland and England). He wrote
about his first impressions, the country, the people, the culture, the food
and, of course, the weather!
Questions
Name three countries that are part of Britain
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