READING & LISTENING EXTRA 9 ADVANCED UNIT 9 1 2 Work in pairs or small groups and discuss. 1 What icons traditionally symbolise your country or culture? 2 Do you think these icons truly represent where you live, or are they simply stereotypical? Why/Why not? 3 What alternative icons can you think of? Read the article about cultural icons of the UK. Which is the best summary of the article? 1 Apart from buildings, food and people, most people in the UK don’t argue about the icons which represent their country. 2 The choice of icons in the UK has always been sexist and it seems like it will continue that way. 3 There is some controversy in the UK about choosing icons that truly represent the country, but progress is being made. IS IT ICONIC? Recently, the English were asked to vote on which icons represented their country. The results proved quite controversial. For some things, like food and drink, there was no debate whatsoever: ‘cup of tea’ and ‘sandwich’ went to the top of the list. These were considered quintessential English symbols, despite the fact that they almost certainly have been replaced in the high street by their Italian equivalents – the cappuccino and the panini. However, there was some debate about the nation’s favourite dish. ‘Fish and chips’ now seems to have been replaced by the ‘chicken tikka masala’ – an example of an arrival from another nation, in this case India. The latter has been heralded as an important icon specifically for that reason – it symbolises the extraordinary melting pot that is the UK today, a country with one of the highest immigrant populations in the world. Some people objected to the red double-decker bus, the black cab and the tube map because they said these represent a strong bias towards the capital. There was a strong feeling that modern examples should also be used. Why always include Big Ben (London again!) when you could equally choose Sir Anthony Gormley’s striking contemporary sculpture Angel of the North, found in the far north of the country? At 20 metres tall and over 50 metres wide, Gormley’s work was a very popular choice, probably because its monumental appearance already feels iconic. However, very few people really know what it symbolizes. The concept behind the sculpture is threefold – to honour the coal miners who used to work nearby, to express the transition from an industrial to an information age and to serve as a focus for our future hopes and fears. An icon that looks to the future and not the past – now that is a step forward! The same controversy also applies to the choice of representative people. If you were British, who would you prefer to represent the country? Recently, there has been a great debate about who appears on the nation’s banknotes. Campaigners have been canvassing for more female representation, as well as the inclusion of people that the population really felt stood for something important. It’s about time the country did away with putting ex-governors of the Bank of England on their banknotes, they say! © Pearson Education Limited 2016 Until recently, apart from the Queen herself, the only women to appear on the UK’s money were the prison and social reformers Elizabeth Fry and Florence Nightingale. The others were all men – the naturalist Charles Darwin, the economist Adam Smith and the inventor James Watt. In the last fifty years, of the eighteen people to appear on banknotes, only two have been women. For this reason, the fact that the novelist Jane Austen will appear on the new £10 banknote (replacing Darwin) has been seen as an enormous victory. But there is some way to go, it seems. The new British passport, which purports to be a celebration of UK success in innovation, architecture, art and performance, features only two women against seven men – and Shakespeare appears on every page. The debate and controversy will no doubt continue for some time. READING & LISTENING EXTRA 9 3 Read the article again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false sentences. 1 The author implies that the British drink more coffee than tea these days. 2 The popularity of chicken tikka masala is a symptom of Britain’s multicultural identity. 3 A lot of icons are popular only with Londoners. 4 The Angel of the North is a popular icon but people interpret it wrongly. 5 The author believes that the Angel of the North transmits a positive message. 6 Campaigners are only interested in seeing more women represented on banknotes, stamps, etc. 7 The inclusion of Jane Austen on the £10 banknote is great but more needs to be done in terms of female representation. 4 7 a) Perhaps another icon is rivaling this one. b) Another version of the icon was created for a specific reason. c) The powerful thing about the icon is its versatility. d) It sums up what the USA is all about. e) It’s a very powerful image with an inspiring message. f) It’s the most familiar symbol of the USA around the world. g) The imitations of the icon do not matter. h) The icon could not have been an easy thing to create. i) It was created only a few decades ago. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box. quintessential herald melting pot object to bias canvass stand for purport 1 I really the British government’s decision to put mainly male figures on banknotes. I don’t agree at all. 2 It’s important to include people on stamps and banknotes something important, who represent who really important values. British 3 I would agree that the cup of tea is a symbol – it’s the perfect example of Britishness. of different cultures and 4 London today is a real races. I think it’s great. 5 Some people say that the British icons show a towards London. An example is the black cab. 6 If you praise something in a very expressive way, you it. 7 When people want you to vote for a particular candidate, they your support by, for example, knocking on your door. to be a celebration of everything 8 The festival British, at least that is its intention. 5 8 Work in pairs or groups and discuss. 1 What do you think of the British icons described in the article? 2 Which of them had you heard of before? 3 Which others do you think you could add? 6A 9.1 Listen to three people talking about their favourite American icons and complete the table. Glenda Favourite icon Year created Barack Obama campaign poster 2009 Peter Patricia B What three things do the icons they mention have in common? © Pearson Education Limited 2016 Listen again and match the facts a)–i) to the different people’s icons. There are three facts per person. 1 Glenda , , , , 2 Peter , , 3 Patricia 9 Underline the correct alternative. 1 The Coke bottle is a highly recognisable/compelling image. Almost everybody is familiar with it. 2 The I ♥ NY logo stands for/conveys a happy, fun image that people want to have on their clothes. 3 The Pepsi logo is not as accessible/ eye-catching as the Coke one – it doesn’t attract your attention as much. 4 All these logos have inspired countless/curious imitations, but this is all part of becoming an icon. 5 The Obama poster features a long-shot/close-up of his head and shoulders. 6 Even if you can’t actually see these images, I think they must be easy for you to encapsulate/visualise. 7 Iconic images really represent/ capture people’s imagination. 8 Although they seem related to marketing, all these images epitomise/resonate the USA in some way or another. Work in pairs or groups. Look at the questions in Exercise 1 again. Have you changed your mind about the icons that represent your country? Think of new icons that could convey something different about where you live and perhaps challenge stereotypes.
