Advanced English reading

New in print.....
 Includes new resources, more exercises and answers

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 ► TOPICAL   Who killed Martin Luther King?
   It was sixty years ago, in August 1963, that Martin Luther King made one of the great speeches that defined the United States of modern times. The I have a Dream speech was made in August 1963; five years later, King had been assassinated by someone who did not share that dream.....
    ► Who killed Martin Luther King?  - with audio  

 NEW   ►  Mahatma Gandhi 
   Mahatma Gandhi has gone down in history as one of the most influential people of the twentieth century.
    ► Gandhi - his life and legacy - with audio

 NEW   ► TOPICAL   KIng Charles and the British Monarchy
   What future is there for the British monarchy? Under Queen Elizabeth it had its ups and downs, finishing on a high note. Can King Charles ensure its survival?
    ► The King, the Monarchy and their future -   with audio

TOPICAL   Time to talk of Energy shortages. A global problem.
   One way of reducing CO² emissions is to move from petrol / gas powered cars to electric vehicles. It's something that most countries want to achieve. But are the goals attainable? That is by no means sure......
    ► The electric car revolution, realistic or optimistic? with interactive worksheet.

TOPICAL    Time to talk of American Democracy...

President Biden has told Americans that they have to stand up for their democracy; it is not a guaranteed right. Here is an article that looks at the origins of US democracy and its roots in medieval England.
►   From Magna Carta to American democracy  with interactive worksheet.

 NEW   ► Los Angeles - city on the brink -   with audio

• NEW ► Article with audio podcast . ► A short guide to phonetics - the sounds of British English

• For lots of ideas for using reading resources in the classroom see Reading Comprehension
  
• To select articles by classroom activity,  see ► Thematic exercise and classroom activity index.

1. Reading comprehension - articles on life and issues in  North America

Life in  America 

• NEW   ► The decline of WASP America - from Kennedy to Trump. The USA has changed massively since the time of Kennedy
• NEW   ► Los Angeles - city on the brink -   with audio
• NEW   (UK / USA)   From Magna Carta to American democracy  President Biden says that US democracy is at risk; this text looks at the historic origins of the Anglo-Saxon democratic tradition
• (Technical)  NEW audio   The electric car revolution, realistic or optimistic?  With interactive worksheet. Can the world really convert to electric vehicles by the middle of the century?
• Mark Twain and the frogs of Calaveras County. With audio and interactive worksheet. A California festival is a tribute to Twain's famous short story.
• The American way of eating. With audio and interactive worksheet. A short look at the origins of fast food.
• Steaming on the Mississippi. With audio and interactive worksheet.  The Mississippi's famous paddleboats.
• Aeroponics. Agriculture for tomorrow's world. (Technical English)
• Nevada and its Extraterrestrials. Have aliens from another planet really been seen near the township of Rachel ?
• Log cabins and the White House. Now with audio   Many US presidents have come from humble roots.
• Gettysburg - the terrible battle. A dark page in US history - with four exercises and activities
• Awaiting the Big One. Another massive earthquake could hit California very soon
• The story of Ellis Island, With audio  - The gateway to America through which millions once passed.
• Skyscrapers  Now found in cities worldwide, skyscrapers were once symbols of America.
• Wall Street Culture - One could call it America's most popular street culture.
• Thanksgiving  With audio  - a very American festival.
• Mardi gras in New Orleans - the most colorful festival in the USA, by John Robillard
• College sport USA - Sport is part of US campus life, but at what cost?
• Rodeo - the sport of the American West .
• The Yukon Quest - The 1000 mile race that is the toughest race in the world..
• And among  new texts available only in the Linguapress paperback or hadcover collection  ► A Background to America
  
• Harriet Tubman and the Underground railroad -  the lady whose face will soon be on the new $20 bill - With  audio
• The settling of the Cherokee Strip - how the West was opened - With  audio
• American and Chinese - the story of Chinese America  - With  audio

America : people and society

• NEW   Thinking it over with baby. With  audio  and interactive worksheet.  Being a teenager and a mom at the same time is usually not a good idea.
• The Man who changed America. With audio Henry Ford did more than anyone else to shape 20th century life.
• Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
• Hillary Clinton - the early years . by Nicole Bernheim.
• Citizen Welles - a short biography of Orson Welles, the greatest unsuccessful Holywood director.
• Who killed Martin Luther King? With audio  Mystery still surrounds the assassination of America's greatest civil rights leader.
• Rosa Parks - the young lady whose defiance helped start the Civil rights movement
• So just who is Angelyne ? - the Hollywood celebrity who's famous just for being famous
• America's Amish; model society?  A look at some Americans with an unusual lifestyle
• America's teen courts - Where teenage offenders are judged by other teens..
• Crime-time Basketball - Midnight basketball aims to keep young people off the streets..
• America's Drive-in Movie theaters - how much longer will they last?
• Americans fat and thin - A third of Americans are seriously overweight.
• The Mormons, a curiously American phenomenon.  One of America's biggest fringe religions. 

American music

• Woodie Guthrie. The Dustbowl baladeer.
• The Story of the Blues - with audio  -  by Robert Springer
• Interview with Leonard Cohen . A Linguapress exclusive.
• Jewel, the voice from Alaska - the singing sensation from America's far north.
• Mississippi music - Jazz, blues, soul and rock 'n' roll, they all originated in the Mississippi valley.
• John Lennon- Remembering the death in New York of the Beatle who changed the world..

USA : places and environment

• NEW   ► Los Angeles - city on the brink -   with audio
• Highway 66 revisited -- with audio - A trip down America's legendary "Route 66"
• Mighty Mississippi - the river that links and divides the USA
• Bodie - where the West was once wildest - Visiting a ghost town in the mountains of California.
• America's bald eagles - a story of success . How the emblematic bird of the USA has been saved from extinction.
• Save the Everglades - Florida's unique wetlands are in serious danger.
• California's Water Wars - Larry Wood reports on a critical issue facing Californians.
• Deserts of America - with audio - A large part of the western USA is covered by desert, and it is getting larger.
• A town called Sturgis - Mecca for Harley Davidson riders.

International themes,  language

• NEW  The electric car revolution, realistic or optimistic?  With interactive worksheet. (technical English)
• NEW   A rose by any other name. - with audio - Words, meaning and political correctness
• Accents and dialects. - with audio  - An introduction to varieties of spoken English
• Aeroponics. Agriculture for tomorrow's world. (Technical English)
•  Globalization? What globalization?  It's here to stay, but changes are needed

• NEW  King Charles, the Monarchy and their future Is there a future for the British monarchy?. with audio
• NEW  Guy Fawkes and bonfire night The nearest thing that Britain has to a National day celebration.
• NEW  The Oxford and Cambridge boat race This great amateur sporting event is almost 200 years old.
• NEW  Just who are the English ? Trying to define Englishness is not a very easy task.
• Britain - at any cost ? Human traffickers are waiting to exploit people who want to come to the UK.
• English pub signs  What lies behind the  sometimes strange names of English pubs ?
• From smugglers to people trafficking: old activity, new phase - Smuggling has long been an illicit activity on England's south coast
• Tea and the British - with  audio  - Tea has been Britain's favourite drink for more than two centuries
• Life in Umbridge - Finding a place to live in rural Britain can be hard for ordinary folk.
• London's Notting Hill Carnival - Europe's biggest street carnival
• Britain's Chinese come out on top - they are the most successful group in modern Britain
• All you need is Love -With audio A true story from Ireland, by Leanne Meyer
• Nature / wildlife: the Bird Man of the Isles - an interview from the Scottish isle of Skye.

Britain : people

• Charles Darwin - a genius remembered with audio and interactive worksheet. A scientific text for general readers.
• Topical   Queen Elizabeth II - 1926 - 2022  The Queen who almost wasn't with audio and interactive worksheet. Queen Elibath II was not born to be Queen...
• Agatha Christie - She died in 1976, but she's still a worldwide bestseller.
• Stephen Hawking - the world's greatest scientist - who died in 2018
• J.R.R. Tolkien - the Oxford professor who wrote the Lord of the Rings
• Shakespeare's enduring heritage  With audio and interactive worksheet. Shakespeare died over 400 years ago, so why is he still so important ?

Interview

• Drugs: Days in the death of Francis X - interview with a heroin addict

• More resources coming

3. Technical English, short stories and word games

Technical English

• NEW   The electric car revolution, realistic or optimistic?  With interactive worksheet. Can the world really convert to electric vehicles by the middle of the century?
• NEW   Aeroponics. Agriculture for tomorrow's world. 
• Fox Talbot and the origins of photography  , The first photo was taken in... 1835 !
•  GM crops: Frankenstein food?  Are genetically modified crops a huge risk, or the future of agriculture?
• Skiing in the wind  How science and technology help skiers go faster
•  The story of the jet plane  With audio
• Charles Babbage, the father of the computer  (short text).
• Meet Robodog  (hard): 

Advanced English short stories and games

• NEW  A suitable job - by Lindsay Townsend. A short story from Britain
• A few good reasons - by Sue Quinn. A short story from the USA   with audio
• For Elise - by Pamela Garza. A short story from the USA  with audio
• Short story: The Car  - by Andrew Rossiter. A short story in advanced level English  with audio
• Short story: Blue Gum Tree - by Pat Boyle. A short story from New Zealand  with audio
• Short Story: Lucky Jim - by Walda Cameron. A short story from the USA.  with  NEW  audio
• The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain (Appendix to Mark Twain and the frogs of Calaveras County)
• Language games and puzzles
• Quiz: Famous Americans

4. The English language (information texts)

• Accents and dialects  -   with audio   different varieties of English
• Word stress in English   with audio how to know how to stress words correctly
• A rose by any other name. - with audio - Words, meaning and political correctness
• A short history of the English language  from the Middle Ages to today