[00:04.83]Section3 Section 3(1)
[00:07.63]You will hear a student asking an English person
[00:13.04]about the differences between Scotland,England,Northern Ireland and Wales.
[00:21.94]Hiro:Excuse me sir,my name is Hiro,
[00:26.04]and I noticed that your rucksack has a British flag patch on it.
[00:31.14]May I ask you if you are British?
[00:34.74]Liam:My rucksack?Oh,yes the union Jack.
[00:39.84]Well,that's bit of a joke actually.
[00:44.04]However,yes I am English. Why do you want to know?
[00:49.42]Hiro:I am doing a report on the issue of identity in the U.K.
[00:54.70]I want to know how people from England,
[00:58.98]Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland see themselves.
[01:04.57]What I mean to say is,
[01:07.87]being that all four of the countries are part of the United Kingdom,
[01:13.74]how different could they possibly be?
[01:17.64]Liam:Well,they are nothing at all alike,really.Culture,
[01:24.14]ancestry and language all differ quite considerably from region to region.
[01:30.33]Hiro:How so? Liam:Let's start with England.
[01:34.43]The U.K.has a population of about 59 million.
[01:39.74]Of those people,about 49 million live in England.
[01:44.72]London is the capital and a very metropolitan city.
[01:49.92]About a fourth of all those living in England reside in London.
[01:55.12]It is the most multicultural city in the United Kingdom.
[02:00.61]It has many immigrants from all over the world.
[02:05.00]London is very exciting,and there is always something to do day or night.
[02:11.29]The influence that London has on the rest of England makes the capital city
[02:17.27]unlike the rest of the U.K.
[02:20.77]It is very modern and future minded.
[02:25.08]Hiro:You would of course say this because you are British!
[02:31.07]Liam:Well,what would you expect!
[02:34.75]By the way it is quite good of you to say "British".
[02:40.44]When you are talking to people from Britain,
[02:44.62]it is safest to use 'Britain'when talking about where they live
[02:51.34]and'British' to describe their nationality;
[02:55.33]you will be less likely to offend anyone.
[02:59.23]I mean you can be from England and not consider yourself english.
[03:04.32]Hiro:Why is that? If you are all citizens of England,
[03:09.62]then why isn't your identity first English and then Scottish or whatever?
[03:16.13]Liam:There has been long history of emigration to England from Scotland,
[03:22.81]Wales and Ireland.
[03:26.50]As a result,there are millions of people who live in England
[03:32.11]but who would never describe themselves as English.
[03:36.19]They may have lived in England all their lives,
[03:40.37]but as far as they are concerned they are Scottish,Welsh or Irish.
[03:45.99]These people support the country of their parents or grandparents
[03:51.29]rather than England in things such as sporting events.
[03:56.28]Questions 20-25 according to section 3 (1).
[03:58.26]20.England,Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland are...
[04:00.22]A on the same island B have very similar cultures
[04:02.23]C have very different cultures D enamored with the Union Jack as their flag
[04:04.22]21.What is England's population?
[04:06.23]A 39 million B 49 million C 59 million D 69 million
[04:08.22]22.London is ( ). A the capital of England,but very small
[04:10.20]B not very exciting C filed with immigrants from all over the world
[04:12.19]D a very traditional city
[04:14.17]Questions 23-25 Complete the summary.
[04:16.18]Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
[04:18.17]Summary All people from England would not necessarily describe themselves as (23)
[04:20.18]When speaking the someone from Britain it is better to use the term English.
[04:22.16]This is because there are those who may have lived in England
[04:24.18]their entire lives,but still prefer to support the (25)...
[04:26.16]of their parents or grandparents when it comes to such things as sporting contests.
[04:28.15]Liam and Hiro continue to discuss the United Kingdom.
[04:30.16]Hiro:Doesn't this constant switching of loyalties ever cause problems?
[04:36.04]Shouldn't people who were born or
[04:39.51]who have lived in one country for a very long time support only that country?
[04:46.30]Liam:Actually,it has caused quite a few problems,
[04:51.00]especially in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
[04:55.89]Hiro:Yes,I have heard something of the so-called Irish Troubles.
[05:01.79]Isn't there,at this moment,a civil war going on in Northern Ireland?
[05:07.59]I believe is because some citizens want to remain as part of the United Kingdom,
[05:14.20]but other people want to become part of the republic of Ireland.
[05:19.40]Liam:That is a subject that is difficult to discuss.
[05:24.10]Some people in Northern Ireland want to be unified with Ireland.
[05:30.40]However over the years many immigrants from Britain
[05:34.89]as well as Irish loyal to the crown
[05:39.10]want to continue to be ruled by the British government.
[05:43.48]This is a subject that the British prefer not to talk about.
[05:48.37]Hiro:Sorry.I didn't mean to offend you.You aren't Irish,are you?
[05:54.17]Liam:No.Actually my hometown is Glasgow in Scotland.
[05:58.97]Hiro:Oh Scottish! Does that mean that sometimes you wear a skirt?
[06:05.98]Liam:I think you mean a kilt,which is not the same as a skirt at all.
[06:12.56]Hiro:Sorry.There is so much about U.K. culture I do not understand.
[06:18.64]If you don't mind me asking,
[06:22.54]why do the Irish want independence from Britain,but the Scottish do not?
[06:29.36]Liam:There are some people from my hometown
[06:33.35]that would disagree with you,but the truth is that Scotland and England
[06:39.26]have a long history of immigration and communication.
[06:44.14]Perhaps you've heard of Mary Queen of Scots,who once ruled England as well.
[06:51.85]The Irish,on the other hand,
[06:55.35]partly due to the fact that Ireland is a separate island were always more isolated,
[07:02.95]and had almost no political power.
[07:06.95]Hiro:Oh,that makes a lot of sense to me,
[07:11.26]I come from a very isolated island country as well.
[07:16.35]Liam:Really,where is that?
[07:19.54]Hiro:Well,I'm Japanese My hometown is Okinawa.
[07:25.54]Liam:I can't say I've ever been there,
[07:29.25]but I've always wanted to visit Japan.
[07:33.04]I wonder if it is anything like the U.K.
[07:37.53]Hiro:Well,because England and Japan are islands importing goods
[07:43.12]is therefore very expensive.
[07:46.91]Yeah,and the U.k.and Japan are the only countries
[07:51.82]where the driver sits on the right side of a car.
[07:56.21]Hiro:Hey,you're right!
[07:59.01]Liam:So,how much longer will you be on holiday here?
[08:02.90]Hiro:Unfortunately, I leave in two days.
[08:07.18]Liam:That's too bad.
[08:09.98]There is a huge music festival taking place this weekend in Reading.
[08:15.57]If you do decide to stay longer,you really ought to attend it.
[08:21.47]Hiro:That sounds fun!
[08:24.66]Question 26-29 according to section 3 (2).
[08:26.67]26.Loyalty has caused a few problems,especially ( ).
[08:28.66]27.Liam is from where?( )
[08:30.64]28.The Scots have a long history of ( ).
[08:32.63]29.In England,importing goods is ( ).
[08:34.61]That is the end of Section 3.
[08:36.62]Section 4 (1) Now listen to the lecture and answer questions 30-35.
[08:44.83]Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
[08:48.33]Today's topic in our series of lectures on the development of British socialism
[08:54.73]is health care.
[08:57.70]Some believe that the current system is the world's greatest.
[09:02.48]This morning I will present the facts
[09:07.08]and let you decide if this statement is true.
[09:11.78]The National Health Service Act of 1946-7
[09:17.58]was based on the Beveridge Report recommendations.
[09:22.39]It established the NHS
[09:26.70]to replace the precious private system of payment for health care.
[09:32.29]The NHS now provides an comprehensive range of free medical
[09:38.59]and some free dental services for the whole country.
[09:43.68]It includes hospitals,doctor,dentists,nursed and other health facilities,
[09:50.37]and is financed out of public taxation
[09:54.86]and some contributions from the national insurance scheme.
[10:00.37]At first,the NHS was opposed by the medical profession,
[10:05.96]which wished to retain private medicine.
[10:09.96]But such objections were countered by the Labour government.
[10:14.97]In its first years of operation the NHS covered 95 percent of the population
[10:22.26]and cost some 400 million pounds a year to run.
[10:27.46]This cost currently stands at 36,000 million pounds,
[10:34.57]or some 14 percent of total government expenditure,
[10:40.37]and the NHS is also the biggest single employer of labour in Western Europe.
[10:47.26]Yet total health expenditure in Britain
[10:51.65]as a percentage of the gross domestic product(GDP)is some six percent,
[10:59.75]and lower than in other major western industrialized countries.
[11:05.13]The NHS in England is divided into central government,
[11:10.22]regional and district health authorities.
[11:14.51]The Secretary of State for Health has overall responsibility for policy,
[11:21.01]and for supervising the regional and district authorities.
[11:26.21]Secretaries of state do a similar job in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland.
[11:32.61]The district authorities in England and Wales,health boards in Scotland,
[11:38.41]and health and social service boards in Northern Ireland
[11:43.50]organize health in their local areas.
[11:47.47]In England,because of its size,the additional 14 regional authorities
[11:54.55]( which the government wants to abolish )
[11:58.26]are centered on university medical schools,
[12:02.55]and are a link between the Department of Health and the districts.
[12:07.82]It was originally intended that the NHS would be completely free of charge
[12:14.72]in its provision of consultations,treatment and medicine.
[12:20.60]Question 30-35.Write no more than one number or three words for each.e.g.
[12:22.58]The National Health Service of 1946-7
[12:24.59]was based on the(Beveridge Report recommendations
[12:26.58]The birth of the National Health Service system:
[12:28.59]The NHS now provides a comprehensive range of free(30)( )
[12:30.58]and some free(31) ( ) for the whole country.
[12:32.59]Oppositions to the NHS:At first,the NHS was opposed by the (32) ( ).
[12:34.52]But such objections to the NHS were defended by the (33) ( ).
[12:36.51]Divisions of the NHS:
[12:38.49]The NHS in England is divide into a central government,(34)( )health authorities.
[12:40.48](35)do a similar job in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland
[12:42.49]Section 4(2)Answer question36-40 according to the information given in the lecture.
[12:51.37]But prescriptions,which are written notes from a doctor enabling patients
[12:58.16]to obtain drugs from a chemist,now have to be paid for,
[13:03.96]as do some dental work,dental checks and eye tests.
[13:09.26]Such payments are,however,dependent upon employment stathus,age and income,
[13:16.66]so that children under 16,recipients of social security benefits
[13:23.27]and most old-age pensioners usually receive free health services.
[13:29.67]In practice,some 80 percent of medical prescriptions are supplied free.
[13:35.96]Similarly,hospital care and treatment under the NHS
[13:41.34]is free for British and European Union citizens.
[13:46.62]The NHS occupies an ambivalent position in the public imagination.
[13:53.72]On the one hand,it is praised for its work and status as a free service,
[14:00.02]and for its achievements.
[14:03.13]It is perceived to be a success in terms of consumer demand,
[14:08.72]especially when contrasted with earlier provisions for medical care.
[14:14.41]Today,people in general receive help when they need it,
[14:20.00]and many who would preciously have died or suffered
[14:25.31]are surviving and being cared for.
[14:29.69]The standards of living and medicine have risen,
[14:34.00]better diets have been devised
[14:37.90]and there is a greater health awareness among the population at large.
[14:43.51]On the other hand,the NHS is criticized for its alleged
[14:51.30]inadequate standards and bureaucracy.
[14:56.00]Its objectives are sometimes considered too ambitious for the money spent on it.
[15:02.19]The media are constantly drawing attention to shortcomings and forecasting breakdowns
[15:10.37]Workers within the NHS,such as doctors,nurses and non-medical staff,
[15:16.56]have frequently complained about low pay,long hours,
[15:21.86]bureaucracy and inadequate levels of staffing.
[15:26.85]They and other critics seem to feel that many of the problems
[15:32.26]could be solved simply by injecting more finance into the NHS.
[15:38.76]It is also argued that the government is cutting services and resources.
[15:45.06]The NHS is in many ways a victim of its own success,
[15:50.96]and the demands that the British place upon it as of right.
[15:55.95]It is inevitable that a free,
[15:59.74]consumer-led service will dither require increasing levels of expenditure,
[16:06.63]or better management of existing resources.
[16:11.31]Yet,despite these problems the NHS had worked well and gives great value for money.
[16:20.30]Foreign observers feel that the British do not always appreciate
[16:25.99]what a good health system they have compared with those of many other countries.
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