Heathrow Airport has teamed up with Stephen Fry to welcome arriving passengers to the UK!
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1 How do the British call the island?
2 How often do the British talk about the weather?
3 What do the British love?
4 What may happen if you embark on a conversation?
5 How long can loops last?
6 What is the one golden rule?
Oh, there you are! Oh, well, I'm glad you could make it. Now that you've landed at Heathrow let me be the first to welcome you to this happy island we call "home".
Very soon, you'll be free to enjoy the many things that made the UK such a great place to visit. The majesty of our countryside, the majesty of... of her Majesty. The Scottish Highlands, the Giant's Causeway, St. Paul's cathedral, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch. You can look it up if you don't believe me. And you can spell it. All these await you.
But first... Remember that a staggering 91% of all verbal exchanges in the United Kingdom concern the weather. Bear in mind, however, the "agreement rule". Bit nippy out.
It's not too bad.
How dare you?
Oh, we Brits do love a queue. It's reassuring for us to know that the thing we've decided to do is so popular that we are unable to do it immediately. Nevertheless, if the queue should start to move particularly slowly, it may become necessary to turn to your companion and display your displeasure in the strongest possible terms.
I'm sorry that you had to see that.
I've no idea why we do that.
Who's next?
No, look what's happened here! By foolishly embarking on a conversation, the structure of the queue has broken down. This may well lead to the "after you" loop.
After you.
Uh...no, no, no, after you.
Please, after you.
See? These loops can sometimes continue for several hours. And that can call for desperate measures.
No, please, I insist.
Well...OK.
Unbelievable.
I know we look like an easy-going bunch, but...well, sometimes it feels like we've got more rules of etiquette than...a Japanese tea room. But you should be fine if you recall the one golden rule: make yourself at home.
Key:
1 home
2 it is the topic in 91% of the conversations they have
3 a queue
4 the queue may break down
5 several hours
6 make yourself at home
