II. Listening Comprehension

Tapescript 2

Some useful vocabulary: genuine - ___________________, counterfeit – __________________, fake - ______________, waxy - _____________________, watermark - ___________________, hologram - ____________________, 3D (3-dimensional) - ______________________________,

to tilt - _______________________, magnifying glass - ________________________________, fluorescent - _______________________, supermarket checkout - _______________________,

to forge- __________________________, feature - __________________, wallet - __________.

Task 4. Fill in the gaps with the missing words:

Fortunately it’s very hard to make ________________ these days. However, there are a few

______________ out there, so how can you understand that a ten-pound note, for example, is the real thing?

First of all, just feel the note with your ______________. The paper is very good quality. It shouldn’t feel too thin or ___________. If you run your fingers over the words Bank of England you can feel the __________ are raised.

Second, look for the strip of metal that goes through the ____________________________.

There is also a ___________________. A watermark is a very, very light text or drawing on the

________________. You can only see a watermark if you hold the note up to the light. On a _________________, the watermark shows a picture of the Queen’s head.

There is also a hologram. That’s a special 3D picture made with ____________. The hologram on a ten-pound note shows Britannia, the Roman goddess. But if you tilt the note slightly, the hologram changes and shows the number ten.

If you look at the pound sign on the note with a ___________________________, you’ll see that it is not drawn with lines. It is drawn with tiny, tiny words that say ______. This is called microlettering and it is very hard to copy.

Finally, if you put the note under a _____________________________ a hidden number ten, written in bright red and green, will appear. You often see shop assistants checking for this at the supermarket checkout when you hand them notes.

All of these features make modern banknotes very hard to forge, so you can be sure of what you’ve got in your wallet.

Task 5. Answer the questions on the text:

1) Is it easy nowadays to make counterfeit money?

2) How can you understand that a 10-pound note is not a fake?

3) What quality must the paper be?

4) What can you feel if you run your finger over the words “Bank of England”?

5) What is there on the middle of the note?

6) What is a watermark?

7) Whose picture does the watermark show on a 10-pound note?

8) What is hologram?

9) What things does a hologram show on a 10-pound note?

10) What can you see if you look at the pound sign on the note with a magnifying glass?

11) Why and how do often shop assistants check notes at a supermarket checkout?