7/25/2025
1. Make sure you know this vocabulary.
voting age = volební věk
parliamentary elections = parlamentní volby
to lower = snížit
Deputy Prime Minister = místopředseda vlády / vicepremiér
pay taxes = platit daně
make bad decisions = dělat špatná rozhodnutí
2. Practice the vocabulary here.
3. Listen and click the words that you hear in the listening. They are in chronological order.
| Not in the listening | In the listening |
|---|---|
| age | |
| also | |
| elections | |
| the biggest | |
| lowering | |
| Deputy | |
| pay taxes | |
| critics | |
| cigarettes | |
| old people | |
| decisions | |
| facts | |
| Ireland | |
| Wales |
4. Read the questions in the quiz. Then listen and choose correct answers.
Questions:
1. What is the voting age in the UK now?
2. Who will also vote in the next parliamentary elections?
3. What was the voting age before 1969?
4. Who is Angela Rayner?
5. Does Angela Rayner agree with the change?
6. Why are some people criticizing the change?
7. Where can young people aged 16 and 17 vote now?
5. Read the text and drag missing words into the gaps. Then listen and correct the words.
New Voting Age in the UK
6. Read the text and type in missing words. Then listen and correct the words.
New Voting Age in the UK
Transcript
New Voting Age in the UK
The voting age in the UK is now 18. 16 and 17-year-old people will also vote in the next parliamentary elections. This change is the biggest since 1969, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says: "At 16 you can work and pay taxes, so why can't you vote?" But critics say at 16 you can't buy alcohol and cigarettes or marry. They also say that young people often make bad decisions because they listen to emotions and not facts. Now, 16 and 17-year-olds can vote in local elections in Scotland and Wales.
Translation
Nový volební věk ve Velké Británii
Volební věk ve Velké Británii je nyní 18 let. V příštích parlamentních volbách budou moci volit i 16- a 17letí. Tato změna je největší od roku 1969, kdy byl volební věk snížen z 21 na 18 let. Místopředsedkyně vlády Angela Raynerová říká: „V 16 letech můžete pracovat a platit daně, tak proč byste nemohli volit?“ Kritici však namítají, že v 16 letech nemůžete kupovat alkohol a cigarety ani se vdávat či ženit. Tvrdí také, že mladí lidé často dělají špatná rozhodnutí, protože se řídí emocemi a ne fakty. Nyní mohou 16- a 17letí volit v místních volbách ve Skotsku a Walesu.
Sources
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628ep4j5kno