Inglese Orale, life upper intermediate PDF

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Riassunti completi di tutti i testi e tutti i video presenti nel libro Life, upper intermediate. In preparazione all'esame orale di inglese 1...

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1 A confused Generation Bloodlines 2 A key moment Once Upon a Time 3 Is technology the answer? Appropriate technology

- “Lady Liberty” and Ellis Island - “How not to climb a mountain”

- “3D printed prosthetic limbs”

4 Reverse graffiti Why do We need music?

- “Art for the people”

5 From reality to Fantasy The Teenage Mind

- “Scandinavian mega-bridge”

6 Staycations Unusual places to stay 7 Cruel to be Kind Cultural conventions

- “The unexpected beauty of travelling solo” - “Eating insects”

8 Rise of the” rocket girls” Saving Madagascar

- “What would you do if money didn’t matter?”

9 A life revealed From hero to zero

- “News: the weird and the wonderful”

10 An ordinary Man The king herself

- “Queen of Egypt”

11 Innovation in learning Who’s a clever bird, then?

- “Paraguay shaman”

12 Saving for a rainy day Start up

- “The Farmery”

UNIT. 1 – meeting people A confused generation The text deals with different generations and values. The text brings the example of Bella, a young girl living with her parents in Shanghai. In modern Chinese society different ideologies are fighting against each other. Old values, the respect of the family and older generations, compete with the new values that make money the measure of success. This is partly due to China’s economic boom which brought enormous material benefits. In China, for example, caring for aged parents has always been a child’s duty, and when Bella says her ambition is to put her parents in “the best nursing home”, makes her parents feel like their child-raising has been a failure. Bella has overtaken her parents in spoken English, she chooses western brands when it comes to shopping and her parents feel like they have nothing they can teach her anymore. Blood lines The text deals with family tree tracking. The USA are well known for being a melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultures. A curious fact is that it’s not unusual for families to be willing to know their ancestral roots, and how their grandparents and great-grandparents arrived in America. The text also presents two typical Queens resident’s stories. Richard says his grandfather was a builder by trade. He came to America from Poland when he was young after his mother death. He got a job at the railroads in California, and one day by chance he saw an announcement on a newspaper: it was his brother looking for him. They had an emotional reunion in New York. Tanja says she’s a “first-generation” American, her parents came from Jamaica, where getting a goo education is a must. Both her parents worked as nurse in Jamaica, but her father’s ambition was to become a doctor in the USA. She followed them into the medical profession and now Tanja works as a doctor in a hospital in Queens. She says that the great thing about America is that it gives people the opportunity to live their dreams. “Lady Liberty” and Ellis Island

UNIT. 2 – reacting to stories A key moment The text deals with Niki Lauda’s car accident at the Nürburgring. It was July 1976 and Lauda was leading the world Formula 1 championship. The track was narrow, bumpy and in poor conditions, therefore many people including the driver himself considered it unsafe. A few days before the race Lauda tied to make the race stopped at a meeting of the drivers but at the end the decision to go ahead won by one vote. So, on august the 1st the cars set off, it had been raining and parts of the track were still wet, but as the race progressed the truck began to dry, and drivers came to change their tyres. Halfway around the track he came out of a left-hand corner too fast and lost control of the car which immediately burst into flames. Fortunately, other drivers following Lauda’s car stopped and ran to help. The managed to pull him free but he had been sitting trapped in the intense heat for over a minute. Lauda had suffered extreme burns and was fighting for his life. Most amazingly, six weeks later, after serious plastic surgery, Lauda got back into his racing car and finished fourth. Once upon a time The text tells the story of the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. Since they were young, they were fascinated by old books and tales, so they began collecting their own stories by listening to the folktales people told them. The Brothers Grimm named their collection “Children’s and Household Tales” and published it in Germany in 1812. Although the brothers claimed they were just recording the tales, they continued to improve and reshape them, to make the tales more acceptable to children’s parents. The moral of each tale was stressed to make the collection become a “manual of manners”. Despite the editing, often the unpleasant details of the stories, like the cruel treatment of children and the violent punishments handed out to the story’s villains, were left untouched. The collection was later translated in more than 160 languages and became a global publishing phenomenon that competes with the Bible, so that Grimm’s tales are part of the storytelling tradition worldwide. How not to climb a mountain The video shows two climbers telling the story of how they managed, the wrong way, climbing the Middle Palisade in California. One of them tells they were really unprepared, cause all they did was reading a description of how to climb that mountain on their phones. The climb was difficult, and as they reached the summit, by looking at the summit register, they discovered that they had been climbing the wrong mountain. To reach the real summit they had to walk along a dangerous ridge, the rock under their feet was peeling off so that the climb took them twelve hours in total, which left them exhausted. UNIT. 3 – dealing with problems

Is technology the answer? The text deals with overpopulation issues. Overpopulation consists in a situation where there are more people than there are resources like food, water, land or energy, to support them. The main consequences that overpopulation may produce include hunger, pollution increasing, rising unemployment and limited resources in general. But overpopulation is an issue that divides opinions: some say that the population must be controlled, others scientific experts say that people will always find a technological solution to such problems. The question is: have we reached a point where we cannot simply rely on science to provide the answers? Should we instead make serious efforts to reduce consumption? Appropriate technology The text deals with technology, and whether there’s an appropriate way to use it. The term “appropriate technology” was first used by Schumacher in his famous book “Small is beautiful” to promote his own philosophy of technological progress. He suggested not to start from technology to find out what it can do for people, but instead to find out fist what people need to help them doing it better. Appropriate technology is the one that suits the needs and abilities of the user and also takes into account environmental and cost considerations. Examples include solar powered lamps, and water purifiers. The principle of appropriate technology doesn’t only apply to developing countries, but also to developed ones. Finally, appropriate technology needs to be culturally appropriate: it needs to fit in with people’s customs and social practices. An example of technology that didn’t fit the social environment was the one thought to help women in a Guatemalan village to shell corn with a mechanical device which made the work faster. After a few weeks, women returned to the old manual method because they enjoyed time spent hand shelling: it gave them the opportunity to chat and exchange news. 3D printed prosthetic limbs The video shows a young girl who had an illness, septicemia, that affected her limbs when she was younger. Despite this she her mobility skills are on a par with other kids her age, and she is quite independent. Charlotte uses prosthetic limbs to help her in caching things, but her mother in concerned about the costs, cause as the girls grows up, the components have to be changed to adapt to her body. At the moment children are a bit under-served by the prosthetic industry, but things might change: experts are studying a new technology to make prosthetic limbs more affordable by using a 3D scan to “print” and construct them bit by bit. This solution could really help out the cost component. It is still at the prototype stage, but it is not so far off from the future.

UNIT. 4 – describing likes and dislikes Reverse graffiti The text deals with the concept of “reverse graffiti” which is a growing movement in the last fifteen years. The idea is to create images by removing the dirt instead of spray-painting, which is also usually prohibited because of the permissions. Each artist has their own style, but they usually share a common aim: to draw attention on the pollution in our cities. The text also presents the case of a Brazilian artist who turned one of Sao Paulo’s car tunnel into a rather scary mural by scarping away the dirt caused by pollution from cars. Made up of shite skull, the artwork reminds drivers of the effect that their pollution is having in the planet. The authorities were annoyed but since the artist didn’t commit any crime, they only had two choices: to remove the graffiti or leave it. At the end they decided removing it, but the artist, encouraged by this, continued making reverse graffiti in other tunnels, and this convinced the authorities to clean every other tunnel in the city. Why do we need music? The text deals with the importance of music in our lives. A neuroscientist has researched the effects of music on the brain and believes that the importance comes from the music ability to stimulate as both emotionally and intellectually. On an emotional level music has the power to excite or smooth us in a very efficient way. Just like are coming lullable can stop tears or help babies to sleep. Music produces emotions that are immediately felt and understood, but that we find it difficult to explain with words. Music’s emotional power comes from the fact that it can make a verbal message stronger just like American rap songs which brought a social message. On an intellectual level music challenges our brains to understand and recognize certain systems and patterns. Just as with languages music has patterns that are culturally specific and when we understand them, we experience the same satisfaction when we begin to understand the new language. Humans have various needs physical emotional and psychological and well music may not fulfill the first it clearly plays an important role in satisfying the others. Art for people The video deals with public art. At the beginning of the video we see a man trying to remove some wooden boards that cover a famous artwork by Banksy next to a public telephone box in Cheltenham, UK. The Mural tries to make funny point about the government surveillance. Locals are asked whether it's right or wrong to remove or graffiti which was first for everybody to see it, in order to bring it in somebody's private propriety. A resident believes that people shouldn't take. The artist’s work, who isn't involved himself in the debate, is very valuable and that's why they're trying to sell it.

UNIT. 5 – debating issues From reality to fantasy The text deals with Dubai. Dubai was once a small village inhabited by pearl divers and fishermen. The incredible growth of the city of Dubai, we all know today, it’s due to Sheik Rashid, who was lent many millions of dollars by a neighbour, and used them to build roads, schools and homes, so that people came. Sheik Mohammed, his son, carried on his father’s vision by transforming Dubai into an air-conditioned fantasy, he built the world’s tallest high rise (the Burj Khalifa), the world’s biggest shopping mall and the world’s largest motorway intersection. He made Dubai become the shopping capital of the Middle East. It’s curious how, it’s most famous landmark, the palm Jumeirah, an artificial island built in the shape of a palm, couldn’t manage to sell its holiday villas after the financial crisis of 2008, which made people feel nervous about investing. But more recently property in Dubai has been increasing in value again. The teenage mind The text deals with adolescence, the most difficult stage in human development. The word teenager is bond to certain stereotypical behaviors like doing silly things or not wanting to communicate with adults in general. At around the age of fifteen we reach a peak of what scientist call “sensation seeking”, the hunt of new and unusual experiences. That doesn’t mean being impulsive, which is more a characteristic of toddlers, because teens often plan their thrills. This behavior might seem dangerous but can also be a positive thing because trying out new things can expand your world. Teens generally take more risks than adults not because they don’t recognize them, but they value the reward of getting something they want more highly. The willingness to take risks is believed to be linked to the human need to adapt to new surroundings. Another typical teenage feature is that they prefer the company of their peers, but the reason is that they need to invest in future rather than the past. Scandinavian mega bridge This bridge

UNIT. 6 Staycations The term “staycation” stands for spending holydays at home. Staycations involve things you might do on holiday, like sightseeing, in your local area. The term was born around ten years ago, when people were looking for a cheaper kind of holiday trying this way to avoid the costs related to the travel and the staying. Other benefits include no packing and bringing money to the local economy. The staycation has some rules like fixing a definite start and end, planning activities in advance and avoiding normal routine. The text also gives an example, the one of Karen Ash, who lives in New York, she decided not to go to Japan, but instead she took a weeklong Japanese vacation in her own city. Her activities included eating ramen, speaking Japanese, participating to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and even watching Japanese soap operas on DVD! Unusual places to stay The text offers the reader a guide about four unconventional hotel types. The first one is the “Prison” hotel, this building originally hosted badly behaved Russian sailors and now offers its guests the opportunity to stay overnight. The hotel website describes it as unfriendly, unheated and uncomfortable and they are not lying because this is more a reality jail experience than a hotel. The second unusual hotel is the “Period” one which is in Virginia city, Montana. This type of hotel can take you back in America's Wild West with the rooms feature period furniture and downstairs there's a real wild west saloon. By the weekend the city comes to life when actors walk around dressed as a sheriff or cowboys. The third type of hotel is the “Cave” one. This might sound like a more primitive accommodation but “Le Grotte della Civita” in Matera is anything but uncomfortable, just a little expensive. Fourth and last hotel type is the “Art” hotel where the rooms look like a modern art gallery. This hotel is a collection of individually designed rooms and the decoration is so extreme that you are forced to get into the spirit of it. The unexpected beauty of travelling solo The video starts with a missed call, what we hear is the answering machine asking to leave a message at the tone. A woman, Daniela, leaves a message, she says she is in Scotland and she is sorry she couldn’t come with him, but she is happy he’s gone by himself. Meanwhile typical images of journey pass on the screen. Daniela calls a second time and she leaves another message at the tone, she says that she has been trying to figure out where he is, and she has been trying to contact him through Skype. She says she is sorry about something that might have hurt the man, because she knows he blamed her. Daniela leaves a third, and last, message at the tone and as the images on

the screen start changing faster and more anxiously, we finally hear the phone ringing and a man answering “Hi”. UNIT. 7 – traditional rulers of behavior Cruel to be Kind The text deals with parenting and more specifically with the “tiger mother” approach to bringing up children. Chua, a Chinese lawyer, professor and mother, blames the western parenting approach for being too soft. The Chinese approach of the tiger mother is very different: in fact, mothers shouldn't praise their children with any reward but with punishment to push them doing better. Children are encouraged to follow a strict routine of work before play, and after that no Television or computer Games are permitted. Chua is convinced that as long as she keeps pushing her children, they will have successful careers like hers.

Cultural Conventions The text deals with cultural differences in communication and more specifically it takes in consideration two main areas: personal space and turn talking. Different cultures perceive personal space differently, in fact the distance can be greater or smaller depending on the familiarity grade or the geographic area. In certain cases, not respecting the correct distance between people could lead to misunderstanding or worse offence. The amount of space we need depends on many more factors than just cultural background like the age, the gender, the place we live, social position or the personality. Anthropologists also took into consideration cultural difference in turn talking in conversations. Nordic cultures are reported to have long delays between one turn and the next, on the other hand asiatic cultures are reported to have very little pause between one turn and another. Human beings are very sensitive to any variation from the norm when it comes to personal space and waiting for a response. Eating insects The video shows a candy store in Pismo Beach, California which offers their customers special desserts made from insects, just like bugs or worms. The Candyman promotes an unusual food source rejected by many Americans. The reason why Americans hardy accepted eating insects is that children, from the young age, are taught to avoid them, even though entomophagy is part of a healthy diet in Asia, Africa, Australia and Latin America. Studies have proved insects to provide vitamins and minerals but despite that most Americans can't stomach that.

The owner also serves special meals prepared with insects his restaurant. UNIT.8 -discussing preferences, hopes and ambitions Rise of the rocket girls The text deals with the importance of the work made by female mathematicians working at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab during the 60s. They were called “computers” because before today's digital devices you needed humans to do mathematical calculations that had to be extremely accurate, because any mistake would be paid by someone in outer space. The rocket girls had an incredible influence on almost every NASA space mission and now must be inspirational to new generation of the female engineers. Saving Madagascar The text is about Madagascar which is the fourth largest island in the world. The island is incredibly gifted with a large variety of trees and animals that you can find nowhere else but there. Despite this Madagascar is a very poor country: on average a native lives with only a dollar a day. Because of the cut down of the trees, for use as timber, ecologist identified Madagascar as a region in danger and demanded the cutting to stop but the new government, needing money, made it legal to sell wood from hardwood trees which had already been cut down or had fallen during storms. The main targets of this environmental crime are rosewood and ebony which are very valuable. The cutting down disturbs the natural habitat of the island’s animals and puts their survival at risk. The only solution is believed to be giving local people economic alternatives like collecting medicinal plants instead or guiding tourists to photograph animals. Natives would certainly prefer doing this rather th...