Complete the sentences below with the correct Scottish word.

The Highland Games

Meet the Highland Heavyweights

Read the text below and do the activity that follows.

For many foreign people the classic image of summer sport in the UK is that of English gentlemen dressed in white flannelsplaying cricketall day in the village park.

However, if you travel north of the border, to Scotland, you may find a very different kind of sporting entertainment – enormous men wearing kiltstrying to throw tree trunkshigh into the air, or beautiful girls dancing gracefully on top of swords, all accompanied by the haunting musicof the bagpipes.

This is the Highland games, a celebration of Scottish and Celticculture which takes place every summer in the north of Scotland. Although many Highland games take place around Scotland each summer, they all share certain common characteristics.

At the heart of any Highland games are the heavy events. These traditional sports are designed to let competitors show off their physical prowessand require great strength.

The most emblematicof the heavy events is known as ‘tossingthe caber’ – in this event a strong man throws a tree trunk (or caber), which is around 5.5 meters in length and weighs 55kg, into the air. In order to win the caber must turn over in the air and land at a good angle to the thrower.

If burlymen throwing giant pieces of wood around are not your cup of tea, then perhaps the musical aspect of the Highland games would be more to your taste.

Music and dance form an enormous part of Scottish and Celtic culture, and traditional Scottish music is immediately identifiablebecause of its use of traditional instruments such as the bagpipes, drums and fiddle.

Highland dancing is a competitive event in which kilted dancers try to outdo each otherin terms of grace and technical achievement.

And if that isn’t enough, you can enjoy the sight of mockbattles as historical societies recreate famous battles from Scotland’s history. If you enjoyed ‘Braveheart’ at the cinema, you’ll love the Highland games in real life.

Reading Quiz

Are these sentences true or false? Circle the correct answer.

1. All Scottish people love to play cricket in the summer. True / False

2. A kilt is a kind of pair of trousers. True / False

3. A caber is a very long piece of wood. True / False

4. Scottish music is played on the bagpipes and violin. True / False

5. Real battles often break out during Highland games and many people are killed. True / False

Scottish Vocabulary

Look in the box below. All of these words are Scottish.

kilts caber fiddle bagpipes whisky drizzle tam o’shanter

Complete the sentences below with the correct Scottish word.

1. I love the sound of the _______. It always makes me think of my holidays in the Highlands of Scotland.

2. In Scotland there is often a light rain that we call _______.

3. The musician played so hard he broke a string on his _______.

4. On special occasions, such as weddings and New Year, many Scottish men wear their _______.

5. Only the strongest men can toss the _______.

6. Traditional Scottish clothing includes the kilt and a special kind of hat known as a _______.

7. _______ is one of Scotland’s biggest exports. It is drunk all over the world.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 907