Reading
1 Read the article quickly and answer the questions with the names of the countries.
1 What’s the oldest anthem in the world? ’s anthem
2 Which country has the same anthem as the UK? 3 Which country changed its anthem to make more people feel included? 4 Which country has the longest anthem in the world? 5 Which anthem is sung in the most languages? ’s anthem 6 Which anthem is one of the most difficult to sing? ’s anthem Singing the changes with national anthems H O M E A B O U T B L O G L A T E S T P O S T S A R C H I V E S
In 1997, South Africa combined its former national anthem, which it had had under apartheid, with Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika , a more inclusive anthem of resistance. Each verse is sung in a different language – Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English. It must be one of the few anthems that start in one tune and end in another, and the only one that is sung in five languages. Many anthems aren’t as old and traditional as you may think, either. The American national anthem was not confirmed as official until 1931! It could have taken longer if it hadn’t been for a cartoon in 1929, which pointed this out. Five million people petitioned Congress until The Star Spangled Banner became the official anthem. The American anthemmust be one of the most difficult to sing. Christina Aguilera managed to hit the high notes when she sang it at the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas. However, she couldn’t have foreseen the public’s anger when she got the words wrong. This could never happen with the Spanish national anthem. It’s one of only four in the world that has no official lyrics, so no problem there!
It’s usually at the Olympic Games, when gold medallists step onto the winner’s podium , that we get a chance to hear other countries’ national anthems. Some may be dull and others glorious, but they have all inspired more people than any other type of music you can name. Anthems originated in Europe. Holland’s 16 th century Het Wilhelmus is the world’s oldest anthem, followed by the UK’s God Save the Queen in the early 18 th century. The UK anthem’s melody became popular and was adopted by countries such as Denmark, Germany and Russia, each using their own lyrics. Later, these countries decided they must have a tune of their own, although Liechtenstein still shares the UK’s melody. Many countries have changed their anthem at least once, sometimes to strong opposition. A proposal to change the words in Canada’s anthem, from ‘sons’ to the more inclusive ‘us’, was defeated several times before a bill finally made it law in 2018, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Greece had the longest national anthem in the world, with 158 verses, until it was finally cut down to two. Now Uruguay’s anthem, which is more than five minutes long, is the world’s
2 40 Read the article and answer the questions. 1 According to the text, where can you hear national anthems? longest! Nepal changed its anthem when it turned from a kingdom into a republic. The anthem is now a happy pop song that praises its people.
3 Match the underlined words in the article with the definitions. 1 allowing more than just one kind of person to be part of something 2 requested the government to do something 3 predicted 4 proposed legislation that is not law until it is passed 5 platform 6 plan or suggestion Critical thinkers 4 Read the article again. Read the reasons for making changes to a national anthem and
2 What did many countries do with the British national anthem?
3 What was the reason for changing the word ‘sons’ in Canada’s anthem?
4 Name two ways the South African anthem helps to unite its people.
write the country for each one. 1 to reflect the whole nation’s culture 2 to reflect a change in government by focusing on the people 3 to make the country feel unique 4 to let all genders feel involved
5 Why did Nepal change its national anthem?
6 Why did the US anthem finally become official?
7 Why did Christina Aguilera make the public angry at a sporting event?
Unit 9 77
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software