READING
LANGUAGE LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
DIANA’S LEGACY
A. It has been 10 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and commemorative events have already begun. Last month, the British public celebrated her memory with a special concert in the new Wembley Stadium. Over 60,000 people attended the Concert for Diana on July 1st, organized by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, “to celebrate and remember her in a fun way, giving her the best birthday present she ever had”. July 1st would have been her 46th birthday. Many of Diana’s favorite artists, such as Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry and Elton John, played at the concert, which was seen on TV by millions around the world. There will also be a memorial service for the Princess on August 31st, the anniversary of her death, in The Guard’s Chapel at Wellington Barracks in London, attended by the Queen, the Prince of Wales and members of Diana’s family.
B. The Princess of Wales lost her life in a horrific car accident in Paris on the night on August 31st 1997, when her chauffeur lost control of the car while being chased by paparazzi in motorbikes. The British public awoke to the news with a mixture of shock and disbelief. The grief of millions of Britons who had lost their “fairytale princess” turned into anger against the Royal Family, seen as uncaring and blamed, together with the gutter press, for the sad ending to her marriage to Prince Charles. They even criticized the Queen, who finally made a live broadcast lamenting Diana’s death.
C. The funeral service for the Princes took place on September 6th, in Westminster Abbey. More than one million people lined the streets to the Abbey. The funeral was attended by the worlds, royalty, film stars, pop singers and people representing Diana’s favorite charities. Her brother, Earls Spencer, read a dramatic tribute attacking the press and the Royal Family. It was the event of the decade, though many considered the TV coverage to be excessive and over-emotional. Diana’s hold on the public imaginations is no longer the same, but she is still the subject of films, documentaries and books. Opinion is divided, some seeing the self-appointed “Queen of Hearts” as self-publicising, promiscuous and mentally unstable, while others see her as a victim of a dysfunctional Royal Family, and some who had “a rare compassion and influence for good” (The Guardian). What is impossible to deny is that Diana had a deep impact on the image of the Monarchy. Her beauty, charm and charitable work helped to humanize what was seen as a cold, unfeeling institution. However, as her marriage turned into a soap opera, the public’s respect for the Monarcy was increasingly questioned. Prince Charles has been most affected - in a poll last year, just 37 per cent thought he should succeed his mother. The Queen is almost the only Royal to maintain the respect of the public.
Teacher Marcela Tavera
D. Prince William was one of the prime movers behind the Concert for Diana at Wembley. He has been there not long before at the FA Cup Final, as President of the Football Association, but fans ignored his opening speech, chanting in preparation for the match. Such disrespect would have been hard to imagine a decade ago. He and his father may have their work cut out keeping the Monarchy relevant to the British public, when the Queen finally leaves the throne.
1.- CHOOSE THE MOST APPROPIATE TITLE FOR EACH PARAGRAPH
· THE FATAL CRASH
· THE LAST GOOD BYE
· A SPECIAL GIFT
· ROYAL FAMILY, NO RESPECT
2.- DECIDE WHETER THE FOLLOWING FACTS ARE “TRUE” OR “FALSE”
· Not many people enjoy Diana’s concert.
· Elton John attended Diana’s funeral.
· Diana was 35 years old when she died.
· Diana’s concert was organized by TV sponsors.
· Diana’s sons thought the concert would be a nice way to celebrate her birthday.
· Diana’s lost control of her car.
· Diana wasn’t loved by the general public.
3.- FIND OUT 6 COMMONLY ADJECTIVE/NOUN COLLOCATIONS USED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.
· __________________________________
· __________________________________
· __________________________________
· __________________________________
· __________________________________
· __________________________________
Teacher Marcela Tavera
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario