If the UK were a village of 100 people... - Features, Health & Families - The Independent

If the UK were a village of 100 people... - Features, Health & Families - The Independent

Qui est qui en Grande Bretagne aujourdh'ui, dans cet article de The Independant.

L2 Phonetics - Affricate consonant - Wikipedia

Affricate consonant - Wikipedia

This wikipedia article on affricates goes a little further into them than we do in class.

L2 Phonetics : Consonants: Fricatives

Consonants: Fricatives

You will find here a short summary concerning fricatives.

L2 Phonetics : English Plosives

English Plosives

This link takes you to a page which compares English plosive consonants with those of another language : Icelandic.

L2 Revision BBC - History - The Welfare State - Never Ending Reform

BBC - History - The Welfare State - Never Ending Reform

This BBC History site is useful revision -_in a few pages, it summarizes the history of the "welfare state".

L2 Libertés et devoirs syndicaux de Thatcher à Blair

Libertés et devoirs syndicaux de Thatcher à Blair 

Cet article, en français, décrit et analyse les lois introduites par Thatcher et ensuite par Blair concernant l'activité syndicale.

All students BBC - Radio - Podcasts - File on 4

BBC - Radio - Podcasts - File on 4

It is essential to practice listening to English. The BBC website offers a series of free programmes to download, including music, documentaries, and comedy (though comedy on the radio can be difficult for non-native speakers).
This link takes you to "File on Four" which is a weekly documentary. This week they look at cancer, and why, they say, treatment of cancer in Britain is not as effective as it is in other countries in Europe.
You always have to be a little careful with this kind of documentary - it can be a little sensationalist, and the desire to make "good radio" is evident. Nevertheless, you learn something, and of course you practice your listening skills.

If you right click and save, you can then transfer it onto an MP3 player and listen to it on the metro...

L2 - Beatles 1964_UK Variety Club Awards

YouTube - Beatles 1964_UK Variety Club Awards

In 1964 the Beatles were at the height of their career. This video from Youtube gives some of the atmosphere of the time. Notice that Harold Wilson, prime minister of the time, wanted to be seen on TV with the Beatles. This was very much a new approach at the time for a politician. More recently, however, Tony Blair made a point of being seen with Blur.

NB Youtube videos may not play on university network computers.

L2 British nuclear weapons today

BBC News Player - Newsnight
In the late fifties, the debate about Britain's nuclear weapons was very important.
Just this week in Britain, a new debate has broken out about Britain's nuclear weapons. In the United States and in Russia, nuclear weapons can only be launched by a code belonging to the president. In Britain, a military submarine commander can decide to launch a nuclear missile without a direct decision coming from the prime minister. The BBC TV programme Newsnight covers this story, and the link takes you to their video feed.