04 08 language and culture u4b

Module

4B

The Way People Live

Would you like to participate in a
really wild race? Then you should
not miss the Cooper’s Hill CheeseRolling Festival. This annual event
takes place at Cooper’s Hill, near
Gloucester, England.
The competition is fairly simple: from
the top of the hill a round of cheese
is rolled and all participants have to
race down the slope trying to grab it.
This can become really dangerous
because the hill is so steep that the
cheese can reach more than
100 km/h, making the task very
difficult to fulfill. Consequently, the
first person to cross the finishing line
wins the cheese.
This festival is over 200 years old
and has become so popular that
people from all over the world

participate every year. The hill is
decorated with colourful banners and
British flags, and people are asked
to wear a special attire and shoes for
the occasion.

There are always ambulances from
local hospitals nearby because
people get hurt very often and
require medical treatment. Racers
will sometimes lose control on their
way down the steep hill and will
suffer different injuries, from simple
sprains to broken bones. Even the
cheese itself becomes a deadly
weapon! Rolling down at such
speed, it can easily knock spectators
over and injure them.
Say cheese!

The cheese used for this unusual
festival is a Double Gloucester
Cheese that weighs around 6
pounds (2.73 kgs). So if you manage
to catch it, you will have cheese for
quite some time!

Curious fact: During the

Second World War, there was
food shortage, so a wooden
cheese was used instead!

English Toolkit 1 - Language & Culture

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

The Cheese-Rolling Festival


Module

4B
Activities
1Scan the text and complete the following sentences.
a Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Festival is an annual event that


.

b The competition consists of

.

c In case of accident,

.

d As grabbing the cheese is very difficult,

.

a Racers frequently lose control when running down the hill because
the slope is extremely (steep / flat).
b The cheese becomes dangerous because it gains speed and becomes
extremely (heavy / light).

cThere is (a good chance / little chance) that participants might
suffer serious injuries.

3Have you ever heard about the Tomatina Festival in Spain? What about the
San Fermin Festival? In groups of three or four people discuss about it and
tell the rest of the class what you think about them. Then write two or three
sentences giving your opinion about each of the festivals.

I think...

In my opinion...

4Project Work: working in groups of three, make
some research about different festivals in your
country and prepare a brochure for tourists. You
can include pictures!

English Toolkit 1 - Language & Culture

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

2Choose the right option.