Riassunti libro Life orale 1 inglese PDF

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UNIT TESTO PAGINA VIDEOUNIT 1 A confused generation P 12 Lady Liberty and Ellis IslandBloodlines P 15UNIT 2 A Key moment P 22 How not to climb a mountainOnce upon a time P 27UNIT 3 Is technology the answer? P 34 3D-printed prosthetic limbsAppropriate technology P 39UNIT 4 Reverse graffiti P 46 Art f...

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UNIT UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

UNIT 4

UNIT 5

UNIT 6

UNIT 7

UNIT 8

UNIT 9

UNIT 10

UNIT 11

UNIT 12

TESTO A confused generation

PAGINA VIDEO P 12 Lady Liberty and Ellis Island

Bloodlines

P 15

A Key moment

P 22

Once upon a time

P 27

Is technology the answer?

P 34

Appropriate technology

P 39

Reverse graffiti

P 46

Why do we need music?

P 51

From reality to fantasy

P 58

The teenage mind

P 63

Staycations

P 70

Unusual places to stay

P 75

Cruel to be kind

P 82

Cultural Convention

P 87

Rise of the “rocket girls”

P 94

Saving Madagascar

P 99

A Life Revealed

p 106

From Hero to Zero

p 111

An ordinary mind

p 118

The king herself

P 123

Innovation in learning

P 130

Who’s a clever bird, then?

p 135

Saving for a rainy day

P 142

Start-Up

Pag 147

How not to climb a mountain

3D-printed prosthetic limbs

Art for the people

Scandinavian mega- bridge

The unexpected beauty of travelling solo

Eating insects

What would you do if money didn’t matter?

News: the weird and the wonderful

Queen of Egypt

Paraguay shaman

The Farmery

This text DEALS WITH/ REPORT/ DISCUSS/ IS ABOUT UNIT 1, Relationship “A confused generation” This text is about the different ideologies that every country has, and that are constantly in contrast with each other. It takes an example the life of Bella and her family. They are the example of the “confused generation” that the text wants to underline. In modern Chinese society, there are different ideologies that are fighting against each other: the old values and the new values. The old values are the respect of family and older generations. The new values focus more on money and success. The Chinese society is questioning itself about this situation and is trying to find a balance between the “new” and the “old”. Bella’s purpose is to teach her parents “the nowadays life”, like the “right” western brands, like Pizza Hut, and she teaches them the latest slang. There is a very deep difference between Bella’s and her parents’ life: Bella, who is only eleven-yearold, have learned more about outside than her parents. In conclusion, the text claims that Bella, when she was a child, she agreed with all her mother ideas. Now she is a teenager, and says nothing, she only glares. Her parents know that she is not a rebel but that she disagrees with some of their decisions. 1

“Bloodlines” The USA is well known for being a melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultures, but this diversity is particularly evident in Queens, New York. Here, different generations of Puerto Ricans, Greeks, Korean etc. are proud of their American identity, but also curios and interested about their ancestral roots. There are two typical Queens resident’s stories of how their ancestors arrived in America, what brought them there and how they can best honour their memory: Richard, 38 → his great-grandfather Tomas was a builder by trade like him. He came to America from Poland when he was fifteen with nothing and got a job on the railroads in California. One day, by chance, he saw an announcement of his brother looking for Tomas. After being reunited, the two started working together in construction. This is the story that Tomas’s grandmother passed down to all her family, so now they all have a strong sense of belonging to a group that fought together to succeed. Tanja, 29 → she is a first-generation American and both her parents came from Jamaica where getting a good education is a must. Her father was a nurse and he studied in America to work as a doctor, while her mother worked as a nurse and helped she and her sister with their studies and careers. Both she and her sister have followed them into the medical profession and now Tanja’s working as a doctor at the Mount Sinai hospital in Queens. Tanja thinks that they learn from their parents that desire to get ahead and that America gives them the opportunity to live their dreams. VIDEO Lady Liberty and Ellis Island In this video we have several people who talk about their immigrated family’s experiences related to Ellis Island. The first person who speaks is the last resident of Liberty Island, explaining how beautiful is to walk around the island at night and looking up at the Statue of Liberty. Then, he says that his grandparents that came through Ellis Island would be proud to see him working as the steward of the Statue of Liberty in Ellis Island. After he explains the situation of immigrants who came to Ellis Island, he underlines how hard was to go to a different country without knowing the language, with all the objects that you possess enclosed in a bag and only with the hope that everything will be fine on your side. Judith Leavell, the second speaker, claims that everybody in America came from some place and it is important to keep that alive. She doesn’t know if her generation would be as gutsy as her ancestors’ (her grandma was 20 when she came to America from Italy). Pablo Chacon, even if born there, gets very emotional every time he crosses Ellis Island, thinking about all the boats sailing just to see the Statue of Liberty as first thing, giving them hope and welcoming them in a new world. For Peter Wong, this place is very important because this is where his family became “Americans”, arriving here from Honk Kong, China, and being able to tell their story by using this site as a focus. Raea Hillebrant has had some ancestors that came over from Lithuania in 1914 on boat. She has chills down her spine, thinking how the steps she took are the same as her ancestors came up here. At the end, the steward of the Statue of Liberty explains that, during summer months, 22 thousand of people per day come to visit this amazing place. In October 2011, all the infrastructures were destroyed because of Hurricane Sandy: it was very sad, but it was also an opportunity to make this a more beautiful and sustainable park. One thing is sure: no storm is going to bother the Statue of Liberty, which stands there, proud and defiant. Brother-in-law = Cognato Painful = Doloroso Colleague = Collega Unreliable = Inaffidabile Fiancé = Fidanzato Dutiful = Rispettoso Flatmate = Coinquilino Support = Supporto Considerate = Premuroso Rebellious = Ribelle Dependable = Affidabile Defiant = Provocatorio Serious = Serio

Chills = Brividi Shy = Timido Laid-back = Rilassato Outgoing = Estroverso Selfish = Egoista Energetic = Energico Cope with = Far fronte a A faithful companion = Un compagno fedele A passing acquaintance = Una conoscenza passeggera A strong bond = Un forte legame A odd couple = Una strana coppia Blood relatives = Parenti di sangue

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UNIT 2, Storytelling “A key moment” This text starts talking about Niki Lauda and one important episode in his career. In July 1976, he was leading the world Formula 1 championship. The track of the Germany Grand-Prix was considered very unsafe by everyone. Lauda had tried to get the race stopped at a meeting of the drivers, but James Hunt had argued for it and, at the end, he won by one vote. So, the day of the race, all the drivers were ready. The track was wet, so the drivers came into the pits and change their tires. Halfway around the track, Lauda lost control of the car because of the bad condition of the track. He hit the bank and immediately burst into flames. Then, a helicopter arrived and transported Lauda to the hospital, he was fighting for his life. The organizers restart the race, which Hunt went on to win. Six weeks later, after serious plastic surgery Lauda got back to his racing car at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing fourth. “Once upon a time” In Germany, two brothers began collecting their own stories, inspired by some old books of a library that one of their professors introduced to them. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, named their story collection “Children’s and Household Tales”, published in 1812. The collection has been translated into more than 160 languages all over the world, competing with the Bible. In Japan, there are two theme parks devoted to them and their collection helped Disney to become a media giant. The Grimms were surprised by such fame because the collection sold only a few copies in Germany, because it had no illustrations and scholarly footnotes took a lot of spaces. Wilhelm continued to reshape the stories up to the final edition of 1857 and stressed the moral of each tale to use the collection as a manual of manners: keep your promises, don’t talk to strangers, work hard, obey your parents. But, despite Wilhelm’s editing, the cruel treatment of children (Hansel and Gretel) and the violent punishments inflicted to the villains (Snowhite) were too much for some parents. Despite all their stories are still very popular, some suggest that it’s because they are about our struggle for happiness. Cinderella is a classic “rags to riches” story, and Beauty and the Beast is about a girl that sees past the monstrous look of the Beast and falls in love with him. Grimm’s tales gave a people an escape from the hard realities of daily life but also hope for a better future. VIDEO How not to climb a mountain This video talks about the story of two friends, Cedar Wright and Alex Honnold, who decided to climb Middle Palisade Mountain, in the Sierra Nevada in the USA. They were very ill-prepared. They searched how to climb a mountain, then, they got to the base of this really big-looking peak and they immediately thought that the mountain was the right one because it was the biggest mountain there. So, they started heading up the peak and it was very hard. At the summit of the peaks there was a summit register: they were ready to sign, but that they found out that they just climbed the wrong mountain! They saw the right mountain, so they start out across a very dangerous ridge. Twelve hours later, the two guys managed to get to the top of the Middle Palisade completely exhausted. Awful = Terribile Gripping = Di presa Awkward = Impacciato/goffo Powerful = Potente Nightmare = Incubo Scholarly = Studioso Relief = Sollievo Thought-provoking = Stimolante Clever = Intelligente Keep each other = tenersi l’un l’altro Hiking = Escursionismo Keep your = Tieni il tuo Thick = Fitto Keeping = Tenere Keen = Interessato Unfair = Sleale Ankle = Caviglia Balance = Equilibrio Bravely = Coraggiosamente

Stick = Bastone Summit register = Registro verticale Treacherous = Infido Moaning = Lamentarsi/gemere Screamed = Urlare Reach = Raggiungere Stolen = Rubare Struck = Bloccato Wallet = Portafoglio Turning point = Punto di svolta Muttering = Brontolare Strike = Sciopero Mumbled = Borbottare Engage = Impegnarsi Screamed = Urlare Reach = Raggiungere Stolen = Rubare Share = Condividere Sum = Somma 3

Towards = Verso Sigh = Sospiro Awesome = Fantastico Scared = Impaurito Paper = Carta Path = Sentiero

Argue = Discutere Hurry on = Affrettarsi Leapt = Balzò Tripped = Inciampare Wondering = Chiedersi Engage = Impegnarsi

UNIT 3, Science and Technology “Is technology the answer?” What is overpopulation? Overpopulation is a situation where there are more people than resources, like food, water, land, energy, to support them. When an area becomes overpopulated, people will go hungry, pollution will increase, unemployment will rise; people might even begin to fight over to the limited resources. Overpopulation is an issue that divides opinion. The American biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote The Population Bomb (1968) in which he stated that medical science has advanced too far, and that we were keeping too many people alive. As a result, millions of people would starve to death. Why did mass starvation not happen? Mass starvation hasn’t happened because in the 1970-1980s scientists developed better seeds and pesticides to increase food production. Other experts in the scientific community claim that we are entering a more productive era of safer and cheaper food with the help of biotechnology and nanotechnology. Have we now reached a point where we cannot rely on science, and instead we have to start reducing our consumption? As the economist Thomas Malthus pointed out, people are basically lazy, so they won’t act unless they have to. He also claimed that the population will continue to grow until war, disease or famine arrive to stop it. “Appropriate technology” Even if the term “appropriate technology” is quite new, the concept isn’t. In the 1930s Mahatma Gandhi said that the advanced technology used by western industrialized nations didn’t represent the progress of India. He wanted affordable technology that could bring a greater social equality, empower poor villagers and help them to become more self-reliant (his favourite machines were the sewing machine and the bicycle). The term “appropriate technology” was first used by E.F. Schumacher in his book “Small is Beautiful”, published in 1970s, to promote his own philosophy of technological progress. He claims that technology must be used to help people to do things better, and what is important is that solutions are long-term, practical, and used by the people who need them. So “appropriate technology” is technology which fits the needs and abilities of the users and takes in consideration the environment and the costs. For this reason, it’s often found in rural communities in developing or less industrialized countries; for example, the use of solar-powered lamps and water purifiers. But it can be also used in developed countries, for example a Swedish state-owned company, Jernhuset, has found a way to use the energy produced each day by the 250.000 people that crowd the Stockholm’s central train station. Their body heat is absorbed by the ventilation’s system, then it’s used to warm water and, pumped through pipes, heat a new office building near the train station. In conclusion, appropriate technology needs to fit in with people’s customs and social practices. For example, some engineers helped the women of a Guatemalan village by bringing them a device for shelling corn faster. The new device helped them saving time, but, after a few weeks, the women returned to the old manual system: this happened because they enjoyed the time they spent hand shelling, because they can chat and exchange news in the while. This is exactly what Gandhi and Schumacher meant and highlight by “appropriate technology”. VIDEO 3D-printed prosthetic limbs This video is about a little girl, named Charlotte, who lost both hands and both legs due to a rare pathology. The reporters are surprised when they see her because she can write and paint so independently. Charlotte has a prosthetic leg that helps her, but for the hands is not that simple. An adult bionic hand cost 40.000£ for one hand, children grow up fast and they would need a new and bigger one every year. But there is a possible answer: a 3D scan is made using a tablet computer, then a 3D printer constructs it bit by bit. For the first time these techniques are being combined to costume-build a robotic hand. This hand-prototype will open and close all the fingers when the person flexes the muscles, and it cost like 1,200£. This project can really help children and these new technologies can give to a child like Charlotte a working hand, which is not too far off in the future. 4

Energy use = Consumo di energia Sewing machine = Macchina da cucire Congestion = Congestione Water purifier = Depuratore Epidemic = Epidemico Machine for shelling corn = Macchina per sgusciare mais Overpopulation = Sovrappopolazione Central heating system = Sistema di riscaldamento centralizzato Pollution = Inquinamento Neat solution = Soluzione pulita Starvation = Fame Quick fix = Soluzione rapida Brick = Mattone Handy gadget = Gadget pratico Cardboard = Cartoncino

Self reliant = Autosufficiente Leather = Pelle Straw = Cannuccia Wood = Legna Suck = Succhiare Rubber = Gomma Adjust = Regolare Replacement = Sostituzione Basin = lavandino Cartridge = Cartuccia Curtain = Tenda Holder = Titolare Undo = Disfare Hook = Gancio Replace = Sostituire Crude = Immaturo Prosthetic = Protesi Grasp = Afferrare

UNIT 4, Art and Creativity “Reverse graffiti” This text talks about graffities, explaining that the general idea of “graffiti” consists of finding a blank wall and spray- painting an image on it that expresses a message. However, the art of graffiti is illegal, so the policy of most city authorities is to remove such graffiti where they find it. The art of “reverse graffiti” was invented to aware population about the pollution. The artists take a dirty wall and make images by removing the dirt. Each artist has their own style, but with a common aim: to draw attention to the pollution in our cities. There is a famous Brazilian artist, whose name is Alexandre Orion, that turned one of São Paulo’s tunnels into a scary mural, made up of white skulls, by scraping away the dirt caused by pollution from cars. These creepy skulls remind drivers of the effect that their pollution is having on the planet. The authorities decided to “clean” the tunnel from the graffities and from all Alexander’s works. Despite the authorities’ decision, Alexander was encouraged to continue making graffities. At the end, the authorities cleaned not only Alexander’s tunnel, but every other tunnel in São Paulo. “Why do we need music?” In average humans spend a fifth of their waking life listening to music, so it has a deep impact on us. There is no difference in cultures or regions and music plays an important role in satisfying people. Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist, has researched the effects of music on the brain, discovering that it stimulates our brain emotionally and intellectually. On an emotional level, music has the power to excite or soothe people and to influence our humour (some songs can give you goosebumps and other songs can make you cry). Music produces emotions that we immediately feel and understand but we find hard to explain, because are only sensations: we listen to sad music while we are feeling down, because we feel understood, or we are comforted by knowing that someone is suffering more than we are. Probably it’s comfortable knowing that one can share his loss or that one is suffering more than they do. On an intellectual level, music challenges our brain to recognize different patterns, for example, western pop music follows very different patterns to traditional Chinese music. Moreover, the musical way we speak to babies, known as “motherese”, helps them to sleep. In addition, music also talks about some life situations, explained by the singers themselves, giving a social message: for example, rap and hip-hop describe life of people who lacked the same opportunities as the rich and rap music expresses the injustice that people in poor communities feel. Music can satisfy emotional and psychological needs of human beings. So, when we understand how a new system works, we find this incredibly rewarding and satisficed. VIDEO Art for the people This video talks about one of the world’s most famous and elusive artist, Banksy. At the beginning, we see the Banksy’s spy booth appeared in April, making fun of the issue of government surveillance in the home of the intelligence headquarters in Cheltenham. Now, the owner of the property wants to sell the artwork and the wall it is on but has caused protest from the local community. People think that Banksy’s work is public art, and it shouldn’t be in private hand. Campaigners argue that because the spy booth relates to Ch...