Britain has a long tradition of drama. British theatre began in the thirteenth century, before the time of Shakespeare, with a series of short stories from the Bible called the Mystery plays. Even today, every four years in York and chester, ordinary people still perform these plays.
Acting, both by amateurs and professionals, is still very much alive in Britain. British professional actors are usually highly respected and well-trained. The most famous British theatres are the National theatre and Barbican. The Royal Shakespeare company performs at the Barbican in London and in Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. These theatres receive money from the government so that they can perform several different plays a year. In spite of this money from the government, many theatres, including the National theatre and the Barbican, find it difficult to survive. There are many smaller theatre groups in Britain. Some of them receive money from the government to perform plays which are contemporary and experimental.

Commercial theatres do not receive any money from the government. They usually perform very popular plays. If a play is successful, the company will perform it for many years.
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Machu Picchu is a place of magic and mystery and really a wonder of the world. It is an Inca city high in the Andes Mountains
Machu Picchu is a place of magic and mystery and really a wonder of the world. It is an Inca city high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Spanish conquistadors destroyed other Inca cities, but never found Machu Picchu. It was only discovered in 1911. Machu Picchu was built more than 500 years ago. It is said that the Inca ruler Pachacuti covered the buildings in the city with gold. About 750 people lived there and used the city for astrological and religious ceremonies.

The most important buildings in the city are the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows.

1.  What is Machu Picchu?

2.  Where is it situated?

3.  Why didn’t the Spanish conquistadors destroy it?

4.  When did people discover it?

5.  When did the Incas build Machu Picchu?

6.  How did the Incas use it?

7.  Why did people want to find it?

CURLING

1.  curling, born in Scotland in the first half of the 16^th century, was played in frozen ponds using simple stones. It’s known since 1511. Examples of this sport can also be found in the paintings of flemish artists. In the 17^th century players started to use suitably treated stone discs and sticks to sweep the snow. Since 1775 the game has become popular in Northern America, where it was introduces by immigrants.

2.  The first Olympic Winter Games curling tournament was held at chamonix in 1924. After Lake Placid in 1932, curling was absent from the Olympic programme for 50 years; it appeared again as a demonstrative at calgary in 1988. It was reinstated as a competitive discipline at Nagano in 1998. That year the men’s event was won by the Swiss team and canada won the gold in the women’s.

3.  curling is a team game that is performed on a frozen pitch, the concept of which is very similar to bocce (traditionally played balls on natural soil or asphalt courts). It consists of sliding 19.92 kg blocks of stone (called rocks) which have a handle so that they stop as close as possible to the centre of a target drawn on the ice (called the house).

4.  Each team consists of four players. The lead is the one that makes the first throw. The second is a good point maker, but also good at taking off the opponents stones that are in the way. The third is faced with a more tricky game. The fourth player, the skip, is the most experienced player, who devises tactics, advises his teammates on each throw and throws last.

a)  curling at the Olympics.

b)  The team.

c)  from the history of curling.
d)  Rules of curling.

1. Competitions on curling are held only in winter.

2. Curling is known since the 15^th century.

3. Curling players need an ice pitch to play.

4. Nowadays this game is popular not only in Europe.

5. Curling tournaments have been held on each Olympic Games since the beginning of the 20^th century.
6. Women’ teams as well men’s take part in curling competitions.

7. Curling player throw a ball.

8. The players should slide the rock to the house as close as they can.

9. There are more than three players in each team.

10. The skip makes the first throw.