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Andalusia
1
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UPDATED editi
ESO

Contents
page
Across Andalusia 2
History – A Voyage Begins 4
Geography – Visit a Nature Reserve 5
Nature – The Amazing Agave 6
Trivia · Time to Talk 7
Nature – The Cave of Wonders 8
Technology – The Granada Metro 9
Sports – Carolina Marín 10
Trivia · Time to Talk 11
Culture – The Cordoba Guitar Festival 12
Art, Music and Dance – Antonio Banderas 13
Literature and Folklore – In Love with Andalusia 14
Trivia · Time to Talk 15

B Burlington Books
1
Across ANDALUSIA

b d

a c

1 Look at the photographs. There is one from each province in Andalusia. Do you
recognise any of the places? Tell the class about them.

2 Test your knowledge of Andalusia. Answer the questions.

1 Which provinces have got more than a million people?

2 The Guadalquivir River is in which five provinces?

3 Where are there airports?

4 Which capital cities are by the sea?

5 How many national parks are there in Andalusia? Where are they and
what are their names?

6 Can you name two mountains in Andalusia over 3,000 metres high?

2
 Across ANDALUSIA

f H

e g

3 Look at the map and the key below. Check your answers to the quiz in Exercise 2.

Pozoblanco
Aracena Jaen
Cordoba Pop: 638,099
Ubeda
Pop: 785,240 Linares
Cordoba
Pop: 325,708
Cerro Bonales Magina
(1,055m) Seville (2,167m)
Pop: 1,939,887 Jaen
Huelva Cordoba Pop: 113,457
Pop: 519,932 Airport
Seville Tiñosa Baza
Airport Ecija (1,570m)
Lepe Huelva
Seville Pop: 688,711
Granada
Pop: 144,258 Lucena Pop: 912,075 Huercal-Overa
Dos Hermanas Terril Granada
Doñana (1,132m) Antequera Pop: 232,208 Almeria
Mulhacen Pop: 709,340
National Chullo
Park Malaga (3,483m)
(2,611m)
Pop: 1,641,121 Veleta Almeria
Pico del Tejeda (3,394m) Airport
Jerez Airport Torreon (2,068m)
Jerez de (1,654m)
la Frontera Malaga
Marbella El Ejido
Cadiz Pop: 571,026 Motril
Pop: 116,979 Cadiz Malaga Airport
Almeria
Pop: 196,851
Pop: 1,238,714
Sierra de las Nieves Granada Airport
National Park
Sierra Nevada
Algeciras National Park

Key
Mountain National park Capital city

Airport Guadalquivir Other city

river system

3
 history
1 Read the text.

A Voyage Begins
In 1491, Christopher Columbus was in Palos de
la Frontera. His ships, the Niña, the Pinta and
the Santa María, were ready for the voyage to
the New World!
The Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María
But there was a problem. No sailors wanted to
go on the trip. Columbus asked three brothers,
Martín, Francisco and Vicente Pinzón, for help. The Pinzón brothers were important men
in Palos. They were fishermen and sailors, too. They used their influence and in the end,
many sailors agreed to go with Columbus. On 3rd August, 1492, they sailed from Palos.
Columbus was captain of the Santa María, Martín was captain of the Pinta and Vicente
was captain of the Niña.
< A monument to Columbus in Palos
Before the voyage, Columbus stayed
at La Rabida Monastery, near the
city of Huelva. You can see murals
of the explorer on the monastery
walls. You can see Martín Pinzón’s
tomb, too. It’s in a 700-year-old
church in the monastery.

Huelva has got many monuments

and museums about the famous
voyage, and every year thousands
of visitors come to see them.

A painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze:

The Departure of Columbus from Palos in 1492
voyage /'dQBb/ viaje (en barco)
sailor /'gMoL/ marinero/a
tomb /WIl/ tumba

2 Who is it? There may be more than one correct

answer.

Christopher Columbus • Martin Pinzón • Vicente Pinzón

1. He influenced sailors to go on the voyage.

2. He sailed to the New World.

Across 3. He was captain of the Pinta.

ANDALUSIA 4. He was captain of the Santa María.

Christopher Columbus died in 5. He stayed at La Rabida Monastery.

1506. His tomb is in Seville 6. His tomb is at the monastery.
Cathedral.

4
 geography
1 Read the brochure.

Experience the magic of the Cazorla,

Segura y Las Villas Nature Reserve
in Jaen. The park is in the mountains,
and it has got rivers, lakes and
forests. There are many types of birds,
reptiles and fish, and 51 species of
mammals live here, too.
During your stay, you mustn’t miss the music
You can do many activities in the park
concert at Cueva del Agua, the “Cave of
including horse riding, mountain climbing
Water”. The music is amazing, and the
and camping. You can also walk around the
cave is next to some magnificent waterfalls.
area, ride a bike or travel around in a jeep.
On your tour, visit some of the amazing old
castles or explore the caves. Thousands of
Enjoy your visi t!
years ago, people lived in some of the caves
nature reserve /'mMaL pBhKd/ parque natural
and you can see prehistoric cave paintings. mountain climbing /'lPmWLm YoOlBn/
alpinismo, escalada
waterfall /'rGWLcGo/ cascada, salto de agua

2 Complete the sentences with the words below.

There are more answers than you need.

mammals • castles • Cave of Water • river • mountains • bike • caves

1. The Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Nature Reserve is in the ... .

2. There are more than fifty types of ... . Across

3. You can travel in the park on a ... .
ANDALUSIA
The smallest nature reserve
4. There are paintings in some of the ... .
in Andalusia is the Parque
5. There are waterfalls next to the ... . Natural de la Breña y Marismas
de Barbate in Cadiz.

5
 nature
1 Read the text.

The Amazing Agave

These extraordinary plants grow in Andalusia. They are called agaves and they come
from Mexico. Spanish explorers returned to Spain with the plants about five hundred
years ago. The agave plant is very sharp and it has got long yellow flowers. Agave
plants can live for twenty-eight years. The flowers only grow once, then the plant and
the flowers die.

Here is an old story about the agave plant.

A Mexican king walked into an agave plant and injured his leg. The king was very
angry. So his men started to destroy all the agave plants in the country. But the king
noticed something unusual and stopped his men. There were long fibres inside the
plants. The king used the fibres to make strong rope.
From that time, agave plants were popular all over the world.

In some parts of the world, people still use agave

plants for rope. They also use them for medicine
and for cooking. The plants are beautiful, too.
But don’t walk into them!

Rope from an agave plant

sharp /iEU/ puntiagudo/a

injure /'BmbL/ herir(se), hacer(se) una
herida / daño
rope /pNU/ cuerda, soga

2 Match A to B to complete the sentences.

A B

1. Spanish explorers were in Mexico a. for twenty-eight years.

2. Agave plants b. because he injured his leg.
3. The plants can live c. the plant and the flowers die.
4. After the flowers grow, d. come from Mexico.
5. The king was angry e. about five hundred years ago.

Across 6. People use the plants f. to make rope.

ANDALUSIA

Andalusia has also got many

Spanish fir trees. Many of these
are in the Sierra de las Nieves
National Park in Malaga. These trees
can be up to 30 metres tall and can live
for 200 years. 6
 Trivia
True or False? Read the sentences and decide.

History Geography
1. Christopher Columbus sailed to the New 3. There aren’t many types of animals in the
World from Palos de la Frontera in 1492. Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Nature
Reserve.
2. Martín and Vicente Pinzón were captains
on two of Columbus’ ships. 4. You can see prehistoric paintings in caves
in the park.

Nature
5. Agave plants grow flowers once a year.

6. People make rope and medicine from

agave plants.

Time to Talk
1 Complete the dialogue between a tourist and a travel agent. Use the sentences below.
Then practise the dialogue.

That sounds very interesting. • Yes, please. We’d like some information about Cordoba.
What would you like to know?

Travel Agent: Can I help you?

Tourist: (1) ...

Travel Agent: (2) ...

Tourist: What can we do there?

Travel Agent: You can visit the Mezquita,

Cordoba’s Great Mosque. You can
see the Festival of the Patios, too.

Tourist: (3) ... Thank you.

2 Replace the words in bold in the dialogue with words of your own. Practise the new
dialogue with a partner.

7
 nature
1 Read the blog.

The Cave
of Wonders
My Andalusia Trip | Day 5:
Hi, everyone! I’m now in the pretty village of Aracena. There’s a lot to see, including Aracena Castle.
It’s about 800 years old. But my favourite sight here is the Cave of Wonders. It really is amazing!
The cave’s 12 “rooms” are famous for their beautiful rock formations, but that’s not all.
The cave has also got six beautiful lakes. I felt like I was in a mysterious fairy-tale
world!
There are different stories about who first found this cave, but
the story I like is that a boy found it when he was looking for a
lost pig! In 1913, this cave became the first in Spain to allow
visitors. Today, guides give tours in Spanish, but you can wear
headphones to hear explanations in English and other languages.
The tour takes about 45 minutes. My only complaint is that I
wanted more time in the cave!

fairy-tale /'cCLpiWMo/ de ensueño / fábula

allow /L'oP/ permitir (la entrada a)
complaint /YLl'UoMmW/ queja

2 True or False? Which words in the text gave you the answer?

1. Aracena Castle is 600 years old.

ACross
ANDALUSIA 2. The Cave of Wonders has got ten “rooms”.

Another beautiful cave to visit
is the Bats’ Cave in Zuheros in
Cordoba province. Today, two kinds
of bats live inside, but thousands of
years ago, people lived there. You can
3. No one knows for certain who first found the cave.
4. The cave opened to visitors more than 100 years ago.
5. The cave guides speak many languages.
6. The tours are less than an hour long.

still see drawings they made on the

cave walls!
8
 Technology
1 Read the newspaper article.

Granada Metro
The Daily Reporter Thursday, 2nd January 2020

Grows in Popularity!
Granada is a beautiful, historic city and it’s got a lot
of famous buildings. It has also got a serious traffic
problem! But the growing popularity of the city’s
metro will help. Nearly 12 million people used the
metro in 2019. The city expects this number to grow
in the coming years.
The metro wasn’t easy to build. Workers started
in 2007 and planned to finish in 2012. However, the
project stopped in 2011 because of money problems.

A driver on the Granada metro.

Building didn’t begin again until 2014. The Granada
metro finally opened on 21st September, 2017. The line
is 16 kilometres long and has got 26 stations, but only
three are underground. The metro serves Granada
and three neighbouring towns.
Granada’s residents are happy with the metro. “It’s
great!” says Dr Carla González. “It’s a fast, easy way to
get to work!” For tourists, it’s less useful, as it doesn’t
go near the Alhambra and many other popular sites.
Luckily, the city buses do!
Granada metro trams.

grow /ZpN/ aumentar, crecer

neighbouring /'mMVLpBn/ vecino/a, próximo/a

2 Complete the sentences.

1. The city believes more than 12 million people will use the metro ... .

2. Workers started to build the metro in the year ... .

3. Work stopped for years because there were ... . Across

4. The city’s metro didn’t open until ... .
ANDALUSIA
Granada’s metro was the third
5. The metro has got only three ... .
one to open in Andalusia. Seville
6. The metro isn’t helpful ... . opened the first one in 2009, and
Malaga’s opened in 2014.

9
 SPORTS
1 Read the text.

Carolina Marín
Carolina Marín has got it all! She’s talented, good-
looking and a world-class athlete. Her hometown
even named a sports arena after her.
Carolina was born in Huelva on 15th June, 1993.
She started playing badminton at age eight, and
soon began entering competitions. At Spain’s
national youth competition, coach Fernando Rivas
noticed her extraordinary talent. With her parents’
permission, Carolina moved to Madrid at age 14.
There, she attended school, practised hard and
competed in local and national competitions.
Carolina is the only woman in the sport to win three
world championships – in 2014, 2015 and 2018. And
in 2016, she won an Olympic gold medal, the first
European female badminton player to achieve this.
Carolina lives in Madrid and travels around the
world for competitions, but she never forgets her
background. She once said, “It’s great that a girl
from Huelva, a far corner of Spain, can suddenly
become the best in the world.” Carolina’s goal is
to be the greatest badminton player ever. Many
people think she already is!

good-looking /ZHX'oHYBn/
atractivo/a, guapo/a
youth /qIe/ juvenil
attend /L'WCmX/ asistir / ir a

2 Complete Carolina Marín’s fact file.

Across fact file

ANDALUSIA
Sport:
Another woman from Date of Birth:
Andalusia to win Olympic Place of Birth:
gold is windsurfer Marina Alabau. Coach:
Lives in (city):
She was born in Seville in 1985.
World Championship wins:
In addition to her 2012 Olympic
Olympic Medal and Year:
medal, Marina’s successes include Goal:
winning a world championship and five
European championships. She is one
of a growing list of female Olympic gold
winners from Andalusia. 10
 Trivia
Choose the correct answer.

Nature Technology
The Cave of Wonders is famous for its … .
1.  3. The Granada metro took a long time to build
a. rock formations because of… problems.
b. bats a. environmental
b. financial
2. The Cave of Wonders opened to visitors
in … . 4. The Granada metro has got … stations.
a. 2013 a. 26
b. 1913 b. 18

Sports
5. Carolina Marín is a top … player.
a. tennis
b. badminton

6. In 2016, she won a ... medal at the Olympics.

a. gold
b. silver

Time to Talk
1 Two friends are playing Guess the Person. Complete their dialogue with the sentences below.
Then practise the dialogue.

Is he an actor? • I don’t know. • Where is he from? • Oh, I know.

Carla: It’s a man. He’s famous.

Don: (1) ...

Carla: He’s from Camas, Seville.

Don: (2) ...

Carla: No, he isn’t.

Don: (3) ... Give me another clue.

Carla: He’s a famous football player.

Don: (4) ... Is it Sergio Ramos?

Carla: Yes, it is!

2 Think of another famous person. Replace the words in bold in the dialogue with
words of your own. Practise the new dialogue with a partner.

11
 CULTURE
1 Read the text.

The Cordoba
Guitar
Festival
Bob Dylan was once at the Cordoba
Guitar Festival. So were Sting, Vicente
Amigo, Tomatito and many other well-
known guitarists. For guitar players and
lovers of guitar music, this festival is the
place to be!
The famous Cordoba-born flamenco
guitarist and composer Paco Peña
started this annual festival in 1981. It
takes place for about 10 days in July and
now attracts more than 20,000 visitors
every year. It’s an exciting time in the
city. There are performances of all kinds
of music, from flamenco to classical, jazz
and rock. The festival also offers guitar
classes, exhibitions, films and lectures. And
of course, it’s a great place to meet music
lovers from all over the world.
Festival-goers also have time to sightsee.
Cordoba has got four World Heritage Sites
– more than any other city in the world!
These include the ancient mosque called
La Mezquita de Cordoba. Another is the
Old Town neighbourhood, with lots of
shops and lively cafés in its narrow streets.

exciting /BY'gOWBn/ emocionante

sightsee /'gOWgA/ visitar lugares de
interés turístico
narrow /'mDpN/ estrecho/a

2 Answer the questions.

1. When was the first Cordoba Guitar Festival?

2. How long is the festival?

3. How many people attend the festival?

Across
ANDALUSIA 4. Besides rock musicians, what other types of musicians perform?


Granada’s International 5. 
The festival has got other events in addition to concerts. What are
Festival of Music and Dance they?

is a three-week event in June and 6. There are four World Heritage Sites in Cordoba. Name two of them.
July. Performance venues include
parks and the historic Alhambra.
12
 ART, MUSIC AND DANCE
1 Read the text.

Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas’ first dream
wasn’t acting. He loved football
and wanted to be a professional
football player. But, at the age
of 14, he injured his foot and
stopped playing.
Antonio decided to study
drama in Malaga. Then he
moved to Madrid to find work
as an actor, but work was hard
to find. At first, he worked in Banderas studied with the
a restaurant, and sometimes he was a model. He joined Olympic fencing team in Spain
the National Theatre of Spain, and a famous film director for the film The Mask of Zorro.
discovered him.
Antonio’s first film in Hollywood was The Mambo
Kings, but there was one big problem: he didn’t speak
any English! Antonio learned all his words for the film
phonetically.
Soon, Antonio was in films with big Hollywood stars
such as Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and
Madonna.
Banderas is the voice of Puss in
In 1998, he was Zorro in The Mask of Zorro. Boots in the film Shrek.
Finally, Antonio was a big star.

fact file
Name: José Antonio Domínguez Banderas
Date of Birth: 10th August, 1960
drama /'XpElL/ arte dramático
Place of Birth: Malaga, Andalusia fencing /'cCmgBn/ esgrima
Height: 1.74 metres voice /dQg/ voz

Family: • Married Melanie Griffith in 1996,

divorced in 2015.
• One daughter.
Interests: He loves Real Madrid Football Club.

2 Choose the correct answer.

Antonio’s first love was acting / football / The Mambo Kings.

1. 

A famous film director discovered Antonio in Malaga /

2. 
Hollywood / Madrid.
Across
ANDALUSIA
The Mambo Kings was difficult for Antonio because he
3. 
was in Hollywood / injured his foot / didn’t speak English. Many other well-known actors
were born in Andalusia, including
Antonio studied acting / fencing / voice for the film
4. 
The Mask of Zorro. Paco León, Verónica Sánchez and
Paz Vega (Seville), Daniel de Levin
5. You can see / hear / speak to Antonio in the Shrek films.
(Cordoba), Nerea Camacho (Almeria)
13 and Esther Arroyo (Cadiz).
 LITERATURE AND FOLK LORE
1 Read the text.

In Love with Andalusia

People from around the world love Andalusia. They

love the beauty and culture of the region. International
authors sometimes write about it in their books.

Washington Irving (1783 – 1859) was an American author

and diplomat. He loved history. In 1829, he travelled from Seville to
Granada. Irving’s books Conquest of Granada and Tales of the
Alhambra are about these places and the people of Andalusia.
Today, you can go from Seville to Granada on the Washington
Irving Trail.

Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) was a famous American

author. In 1954, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He visited
Malaga in 1923 and experienced the excitement and fervour of
bullfighting. His famous novel Death in the Afternoon is about
bullfighting. Hemingway loved Andalusia and he celebrated his last
birthday there.

Laurie Lee (1914 – 1997) was an English poet and novelist.

Lee loved the Spanish culture, the beauty of the land and the
wonderful weather. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
(1969) describes Lee’s trip to Spain. He walked across the country
from Vigo to Granada. In his stories, he talked about the amazing
spirit of the people.
conquest /'YFnYrCgW/ conquista
trail /WpCBo/ camino, ruta
bullfighting /'VHocOWBn/ toreo

2 Write the following information about each of the

people in the text.

Across • Years he lived

ANDALUSIA
• Nationality
Chris Stewart from England
• Profession/s
is a modern-day writer about
Andalusia. He lives on a farm in • Places he visited

the Alpujarras. He is the author of • Likes and interests

the international best-seller Driving • Subject/s of books
Over Lemons and three other books
about his life there.
14
 Trivia
True or False? Read the sentences and decide.

culture Art, music and dance

1. Bob Dylan visited the Cordoba Guitar 3. Antonio Banderas wanted to be a football
Festival. player, but now he is an actor.

2. The festival lasts one week. 4. Antonio’s first film in Hollywood was
difficult for him because it was in English.

Literature and folklore

5. Washington Irving, Ernest Hemingway and
Laurie Lee are from Andalusia.

6. Some of their books are about people and

places in Andalusia.

Time to Talk
1 Elaine and her father are making plans for the weekend. Complete their dialogue. Use the
sentences below. Then practise the dialogue.

That’s a great idea! • I don’t think so. • Have you got an idea • Why don’t we go

Father: Good morning, Elaine.

(1) ... for a trip this weekend?

Elaine: Yes, I have. (2) ... to the beach?

I love the beach!

Father: (3) ... You go to the beach

every weekend.

Elaine: OK, I’ve got another idea. Let’s

go to the nature reserve in Cazorla.

Father: (4) ...

2 Replace the words in bold in the dialogue with words of your own. Practise the new
dialogue with a partner.

15
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the following for providing photographs:
age fotostock / Alamy Stock Photo: page 11 (cave); Angelo DeVal - Travel Photography /
Alamy Stock Photo: page 8 (building); ASAP Creative/Bridgeman Art: page 4 (Columbus’
ships, the painting); Axarquia / Alamy Stock Photo: page 3 (F); Cazorla Tourism: cover (top),
page 5; Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection: page 13 (Zorro); Courtesy Everett Collection:
page 14 (Ernest Hemingway); Corel Corp: page 7 (globe); De Agostini/Getty Images: page 7
(Columbus’ ships); EPA: pages 12, 15 (guitar festival); Faith O'Connor / Alamy Stock Photo:
page 6 (agave tree); Hafiz Johari / Shutterstock.com: page 10 (main picture); Homer Sykes
Archive / Alamy Stock Photo: page 14 (Laurie Lee); Howard Sayer / Alamy Stock Photo:
page 2 (C); José Julián Rico Cerdá / Alamy Stock Photo: page 2 (D); Kiev.Victor /
Shutterstock.com: page 9 (trains); Marion Kaplan / Alamy Stock Photo: page 4 (Columbus
monument); Nicola Campbell / Alamy Stock Photo: page 6 (agave plant); People Picture/
Jens Hartmann/Shutterstock: page 13 (Antonio Banderas); Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo:
page 13 (Antonio Banderas and Puss in Boots); Photos. com / Jupiter Images: pages 4 (map),
10 (notebook); Silvia B. Jakiello / Shutterstock.com: page 2 (B); Shutterstock, Inc.: pages 2-3
(A, E, G, H, map), 6 (green background, rope), 7 (travel agent scene except globe), 8 (cave),
9 (driver), 11 (friends), 14 (Washington Irving), 15 (father and daughter); Zuma Press /
Alamy Stock Photo: page 10 (top)

IH-017-527

B Burlington Books