Learning about Britain

[Т А Кузнецова]

Learning about British culture

If you are interested in British culture and much more, this site is free, a lot of listening and video resourses for using in the classroom.

www.esolcourses.com

You will find graded materials, this is a sample about one of the singers who became a star after Britain’s Got Talent competition, there exercises for comprehention and even grammar activities.

Britain's Got Talent - Susan Boyle

This reading text about the popular Scottish singer Susan Boyle for English language learners will help you to practise your reading skills.

 

Susan Boyle is a 47 year old singer from Scotland who achieved overnight fame when she appeared as a contestant on the ITV reality TV show Britain's Got Talent.

 

At her audition for the show in April 2009, Susan sang the song "I Dreamed a Dream", from the musical Les Misérables. At the end of her performance, she received a standing ovation and all three judges voted for her to go through to the next round.

 

Susan proved to be very popular with the public and within a week of appearing on the show, videos of her audition and interviews with the press had been watched millions of times. The actress Demi Moore said on Twitter that watching Susan's performance "made her teary".

 

The actress Amanda Holden, one of the judges on the show, has said that she thinks the reason why people love Susan is because "she just looks like anybody else who could live on your street". In interviews, Susan has said that her ambition is to be like her favourite singer, Elaine Paige.

 

Despite her popularity with the pubic and the media coverage she received, she didn't win Britain's Got Talent and in the end and she was beaten to second place by the dance group, Diversity.

 

Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released in November 2009 and has since become Amazon's best selling album. The first single from the album is a cover version of the song "Wild Horses", by the band The Rolling Stones.

 

Despite her fame, Susan has stayed true to her roots. She still lives in her modest family home with her cat, Pebbles, and continues to work as a volunteer for her local church when she isn't busy touring.