Reading
1 Read the text quickly. Is the author enjoying the festival?
Festival update
It’s that time of year again! It’s the last weekend in July and our festival fan Jessie Hayes is at Charlton Park in the south of England. Here she tells us all about the Wonderful World of WOMAD…
Every year, the WOMAD Festival (World of Music and Dance) brings us a great selection of music and culture from around the world, with shows from Europe, Africa, Asia, the USA and Australia. There are more than 50 bands, so it isn’t always easy to choose! At the moment I’m trying to decide between the Spanish flamenco band Chambao and the Tanzanian acrobats The Black Eagles. Or shall I go to a samba class?
In addition to the concerts, there are lots of different activities including film shows, art and drama workshops, drumming and circus skills. There’s a big amusement park too, and there are lots of places to eat everything from curry to vegeburgers.
This is a fantastic summer festival and I definitely recommend it. That flamenco band is starting now so I’m going! Don’t forget, if you miss the festival here in the UK, there are more WOMADs in Spain, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand!
2 Read the text again and answer the questions.
1 Where does the WOMAD festival take place in Britain?
2 What does WOMAD mean?
3 In addition to concerts, what other activities are there?
4 Are there places to eat at the festival?
5 Does the author decide to watch Chambao or The Black Eagles?
6 In which other countries are there WOMAD festivals?
Listening
3 (60) Listen to a TV report from the WOMAD festival in Caceres, Spain. Choose the correct answers.
1 When is the festival in Caceres?
a) March
b) May
c) August
2 Where does the festival take place?
a) in a park
b) at a stadium
c) in the city centre
3 How much does it cost to go to the festival?
a) It’s free.
b) It isn’t expensive.
c) It’s very expensive.
4 How many bands are there?
a) 12
b) 25
c) 50
5 What is Paul waiting to see?
a) a singer from Cuba
b) dancers from India
c) a band from Africa
6 When does the festival finish?
a) on Friday evening
b) on Saturday afternoon
c) on Sunday morning
Текст аудирования:
(S = Sally P = Paul)
S: Hello! Well, now ifs May — the start of the summer festival season — and we’re beginning today’s programme with a live report from Spain. Paul is in the beautiful city of Caceres, in a region called Extremadura, near Portugal… Hello, Paul? Are you having fun?
P: Hi, Sally! Yeah, it’s fantastic, I’m at the WOMAD festival — the festival of World Music and Dance. As you can imagine, the sun’s shining and everyone’s having a great time! The festival is right here in the city centre, in the streets and the squares of Caceres — and it’s free! There are about 25 bands from lots of different places — like South Africa, America, Cuba and the UK. At the moment, I’m waiting for a concert of African music — the band are called ‘One Drum’, and they’re from Ghana. … Here they come now — they’re wearing some fantastic costumes, and they’re carrying big African drums. There are hundreds of people here … the atmosphere is amazing!… everyone’s dancing in the streets … here they are… OK -back to you, Sally, the concert is starting now …
S: Thanks. Paul, it sounds great!… Well, Paul’s enjoying WOMAD in Spain! The festival in Caceres finishes on Saturday afternoon with a procession through the square. There are thousands of people in the city for the weekend — ifs one big party!
Speaking
4 Work in pairs. Ask and answer.
Do you ever go to concerts?
How often do you listen to music?
What are your favourite bands?
Do you know any world music?
Do you download music from the Internet?
Prefect
You’re going to plan a music festival for your school or your town. Listen to your teacher’s instructions.