RCH LO A Why is the Spanish language spoken in so many countries EBRD DO NOTICE DID YOU KNOW With all the rock stars that have come from the United States and England you mist think that the guitar was invented there The modern electric guitar was averted in the States but the guitar itself probably originated in Spain in the early
S PAIN A Distinctive European Country Spain is a country in the southwestern corner of Europe The capital city is Madrid Spain borders Portugal and France but most of the country lies along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean The country's beautiful beaches are favorite European holiday spots Spain's rich and complex history has differed in many ways from other western European countries For instance several Islamic states were formed on its territory some lasting for centuries Most other Islamic states lie farther to the east or south in the Middle East or North Africa Modern Spain's cultural variety shows in the different languages spoken there including Catalan Basque Gallego and of course Spanish In the 1500s and 1600s Spain was a world power It had a powerful navy called the Spanish Armada and it was the first country to colonize much of the Americas That s why so many people in South America Central America Mexico and the United States speak Spanish and are of Hispanic heritage Spain features seafood in much of its cooking with dishes such as paella a fish and rice dish Spanish farmers produce lots of pork poultry beef and lamb They also grow wheat barley corn sugar beets beans and olives Spain also grows grapes for its large wine industry Bullfighting has long been a favorite pastime of Spaniards And football soccer is also very popular Another activity found in Spain is the music and dancing known as flamenco Flamenco came to Spain with the Cald Gitano people more commonly known as Gypsies It is played on guitar as the dancers click wooden castanets and stamp their feet rhythmically LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES FRANCE ITALY PORTUGAL Madrid This village in Spain overlooks one of the country's many vineyards O Patrick Wardcores Sensue a se jam seſsuosna sueds fuel paydope Kenyuana seaе аso4L so09 pue so0ST a uy asy upon sy upunp puOM a p sease appo Ruu panbu00 useds 11
DID YOU KNOW The English language has changed a lot over the years The following are two versions of the same sentence from the story Beowulf Old English Wes se grinna gest Grendel haten Modern English Grendel was the name of this grim demony FD NHI The English countryside contains many small villages such as this one in the south central Cotswold district Nik Wheeler Cortis Find and correct the error in the following sentence William Shakespeare was a famous English
ENGLAND Heart of a Language and Culture English is one of the world's most widely spoken languages This is partly because it was the language of the British Empire The empire once controlled so U much of the world that it was said that the Sun never set on the British Empire England the birthplace of English takes up most of the island of Great Britain It is one of the four lands that form the United Kingdom The English that people speak there today is quite different from the English that was spoken long ago If you were to read a book by Geoffrey Chaucer one of the early writers of English someone would have to explain to you what many words mean England has produced many famous writers since Chaucer They include such poets as John Milton and Percy Bysshe Shelley and such novelists as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens England is also known for its theater That art has remained important since the time of playwright William Shakespeare some 400 years ago England's Oxford and Cambridge are two of the oldest universities in the world The country's contributions to classical and folk music as well as to rock and roll are also important It s hard to imagine what rock would be like if there hadn't been English performers such as the Beatles the Rolling Stones and David Bowie The English also invented two of the world's most popular sports football known as soccer in the United States and cricket LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES IRELAND SCOTLAND WALES London 13 WSHMC yesug snouey a sem awadayevs euNAM Easy
