Here is the link to a BBC radio programme. 
A History of Britain in Numbers - Population


Listen to the podcast and do these things:

1. Make a list of the main ideas introduced in the talk or discussed in the programme. Make sure you understand them and can discuss them in class. 

2. Record the vocabulary you will need to discuss the topic.

3. Choose 3 phrases you found worth learning and want to remember, add an example sentence and, write them in your notebook.

Here is a listening task to help you focus:

A History of Britain in Numbers: Population 

1. The scene described at the beginning 

a. couldn’t be happening in our times

b. is a communal festivity 

c. is a religious holiday

2. A visitor from 200 years ago would be surprised by

a. how many old people there are now

b. the huge number of people now

c. the big number of children

3. In 1841 the number of children per one hundred people was

a. 21 

b. half of what it was before

c. twice what it is now

4. Until the end of the 17th century, the population of Britain didn’t grow very much because

a. women gave birth too rarely

b. women were not very fertile

c. there were occasional plagues

d. a lot of children died

5. What was the population growth in 18th century caused by?

6. How did it influence the industrial revolution?

7. How did the population of Britain change in the 19th century?

8. The family and social life 80 years ago differed from today in that

a. people did a lot of things together with others

b. boys and girls played a lot together

c. boys and girls were brought up separately

d. mothers felt responsible for the upbringing of the boys