Big City Small World – Meet the Cast – Olivia http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-olivia
Meet Olivia Introduction This support pack accompanies: Meet the Cast – Olivia To watch Olivia’s animation and complete the exercises online, go to: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-olivia This support pack contains the following materials: Before you listen: Vocabulary match up Audio script Comprehension Task: True or false Olivia’s Season 1 – Can you remember what happened to Olivia?
Before you listen We suggest you do the vocabulary activity below before you listen. Then listen to the episode and do the first task to check your understanding. Finally, practise some vocabulary and grammar. Match the words and phrases in the boxes to their definitions. 1. grandparents
2. lots to offer
3. a little bit
4. craftsmen
5. posh
6. funky
7. online
8. nephew
Definitions: a. Trained professionals who use their hands to make things b. Your mother’s or father’s mother and father c. Fashionable and cool d. Your brother’s or sister’s son e. A large number of options f.
Fancy and expensive
g. Via the internet h. A small amount or to a small extent
© The British Council, 2010 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
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Big City Small World – Meet the Cast – Olivia http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-olivia
Audio script Hi everybody - welcome to London. My name's Olivia, pleased to meet you. My surname is Barbieri which is an Italian name because my grandparents were from Italy, but I'm English. I've always lived in London because I really like it here. It's an expensive city but it has lots to offer. I don't think I'd like to live anywhere else. I'm 28, which means I'm a little bit older than most of my friends and sometimes I think they see me as their mum or aunt or older sister, especially because a lot of my friends are a long way from their families. They're always asking me to help them out with their problems, but I don't mind it at all. In fact, I quite like it. I work in a small shop. It doesn't sound like a very exciting job, but I love it. I own the shop and we sell shoes, but they're not ordinary shoes. They're all special shoes, hand-made by craftsmen. We have lots of different kinds of shoes, some very posh ones for parties and
some everyday shoes. But they're all unusual; funky I call them. It's not easy to get shoes like this so some of them are quite expensive. Business is good at the moment but sometimes I get bored of my job and dream about doing something else, but I'm not sure what else I'd like to do. I really want to start up a website so I can sell our shoes online all over the world and so I can spend less time in my shop. What else can I tell you? Oh well, ah, in my free time I like reading and going to the cinema, and going for walks in the park, oh, and I hate sports of any kind. I really like my life here. I guess because I've got so many good friends. We all hang out together in Tony's cafe, which is right next door to my shop, fortunately, and ugh, by the way, I have a small nephew called Joe. He's five and he's a bit of a terror. I often look after him when my sister is busy - so watch out for him.
Comprehension Task Read the sentences and decide if they are true or false 1. Olivia comes from Italy. 2. Olivia doesn’t want to live anywhere apart from London. 3. Olivia is older than most of her friends. 4. Olivia’s friends are always helping her. 5. Olivia runs a small business. 6. The shoe shop sells shoes for craftsmen. 7. Olivia would like to spend less time in her shop. 8. Olivia likes reading, going to the cinema and playing tennis in the park. 9. Olivia’s nephew Joe is polite and well behaved.
© The British Council, 2010 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
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Big City Small World – Meet the Cast – Olivia http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-olivia
Olivia’s Season 1 Read the questions about Olivia’s life throughout season 1. Try to answer the questions. You might have to go back and listen to some of the earlier episodes again if you can't remember. 1. In episode 1,who are Olivia’s new friends? a. Fadi and Magda b. Johnny and Sarah c. Harry and Magda 2. In episode 2, what advice did Harry give to Olivia ? a. To sell her shoes on the web b. To quit her job c. To take a break 3. In episode 3, how much did Harry say he would charge Olivia for making a website for her shop? a. A thousand pounds b. Eight hundred and fifty pounds c. Seven hundred and fifty pounds 4. In episode 6, which of Olivia's relatives do we meet? a. Her cousin Frank b. Her nephew Joe c. Her uncle Salvatore 5. In episode 6, how does Olivia feel about babysitting Joe? a. She’s is happy to do it. b. She is looking forward to it. c. She is unhappy about it. 6. In episode 7, where’s Olivia’s shop? a. Next to Fadi’s flat b. Next to Tony’s cafe c. Next to her flat
Answers
© The British Council, 2010 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
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