Table of contents for N. 467 in Speak Up Italia

Topping1 the charts2 is the holy grail3 for most recording artists, an indication of their popularity with the music-buying public. The first music chart appeared in 1913 in the US entertainment magazine Variety. At a time when recorded music was not yet available for sale and even radios were scarce4, this weekly chart was based on sales of sheet music5 in New York City. That same year, Billboard6 magazine published its own similar chart, and in 1936 it released7 the first pop chart based on record sales. SCANDAL Early Billboard charts also incorporated radio airplay8 as data. However, some corrupt record label executives bribed9 radio DJs to play their songs! This practice became known as a ‘payola’ — a portmanteau10 of ‘pay’ and Vitrola, the name of a popular record…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 04 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 parenthood: genitorialità 2 to coin: coniare 3 motherhood: maternità 4 to deserve: meritare 5 resources: risorse 6 pregnancy: gravidanza 7 to raise awareness: aumentare la consapevolezza 8 isolated: isolate 9 first-time mothers: madri alla prima esperienza 10 beliefs: credenze 11 newborn: neonato We all know that adolescence is a difficult phase of life, when our hormones fluctuate, our bodies change and we form a new sense of identity. But what about new parenthood1? The term ‘matrescence’ was coined2 in the 1970s by medical anthropologist Dana Raphael and it refers to the developmental phase of new motherhood3. Just like adolescence, matrescence is a phase when women go through intense physical, psychological and emotional changes. More recent research shows that the brains of new fathers experience similar changes. A GLOBAL MOVEMENT While…

CURRENT AFFAIRS When Darren McGarvey’s Poverty Safari won the Orwell Prize in 2018, judges said it was exactly the book that writer George Orwell “would have wanted to win.” A vehement critique of the way in which those in power are blind to, or actively disregard1, the actual needs of the poor, its author is unusual in that he himself grew up in a deprived2 Scottish community and struggled with many of the issues associated with poverty – alcoholism, drugs, crime and homelessness. FIGHTING SPIRIT McGarvey was raised in Pollok, a large housing estate on the south side of Glasgow. His mother was an alcoholic who abandoned the family and died in her thirties. McGarvey, under the stage name3 Loki, found focus and an outlet4 for his creativity through hip-hop.…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 10 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 to split up: separarsi 2 countless: innumerevoli 3 to release: pubblicare 4 to revere: venerare 5 to host: ospitare 6 gigs: concerti 7 to scour: frugare in cerca di 8 to piece together: mettere insieme 9 patchwork: mosaico 10 roughly: approssimativamente 11 amusing: divertenti 12 peers: colleghi 13 roadies: tecnici del suono 14 to heal: guarire 15 waning: in declino 16 deftly: abilmente 17 outcome: risultato 18 bombing raid: bombardamento 19 engaging: coinvolgente 20 to refrain: astenersi 21 and so on: e così via 22 off-beat: poco convenzionali 23 glimpses: sguardi 24 cut-and-paste: taglia e incolla 25 deservedly: meritatamente With all that has been written and said about The Beatles, you would think there was nothing new to share. More than five decades have passed since the Fab Four split up1 and countless2 documentaries and books have been released3 in that time. British author…

Thousands of screaming fans were waiting at the airport when The Beatles first landed1 in America on 7 February 1964. After a string2 of unsuccessful singles, I Want To Hold Your Hand was the country’s number one, and the English band would soon hold the top five places on the chart3. Beatlemania had arrived! I Want To Hold Your Hand is still The Beatles’ best-selling US single. John Lennon said he and Paul McCartney wrote it “one on one, eyeball to eyeball4” in Paul’s girlfriend’s basement5. In a notorious6 case of misheard7 lyrics, the US folk singer Bob Dylan believed them to be singing “I get high8!” rather than “I can’t hide!” and offered them marijuana! Lennon later told Rolling Stone magazine “We’ve got a lot to thank him [Dylan]…

Based on the 1992 novel by Scottish author Alasdair Gray, Poor Things is the new movie by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. The black-comic horror film, with a retro-futurist or steampunk Victorian setting1, won the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival in 2023. US actor Emma Stone, who also featured2 in Lanthimos’ Oscar-nominated movie The Favourite, stars as Bella Baxter, a Glaswegian woman who is revived from an attempted suicide by a scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter, played by Willem Defoe. She then goes on a sex-fuelled3 quest4 for equality and liberation, which takes her around Europe, to Northern Africa and Central Asia. The cast also includes comedians Ramy Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael, plus actors Margaret Qualley and Mark Ruffalo. ABSURDIST Filmed in Lanthimos’s signature5 absurdist style, the movie features…

ARTICOLI PER LIVELLI Tutti i nostri articoli hanno un codice di colore che indica il livello di difficoltà dell’inglese in base al Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE B1 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE C1 ADVANCED C2 PROFICIENCY GLOSSARIO In ogni articolo troverai le parole più rilevanti affiancate da un numero del colore corrispondente al livello di difficoltà, oltre alla traduzione nel glossario correlato. G in and tonic is arguably1 Britain’s favourite drink GLOSSARY 1 arguably: probabilmente 2 to skyrocket: andare alle stelle EXPLAINS Le frasi evidenziate in giallo sono quelle che hanno bisogno di approfondimenti, come nel caso di riferimenti storici o culturali, frasi fatte, proverbi o espressioni di slang. Troverai la spiegazione alla fine dell’articolo. SPEAK UP IN CLASS Ogni mese su Speak Up troverai anche degli esercizi pensati per…

TOP BRITS EXERCISES IN Work It Out! In May 1765, while walking in a park in Glasgow, Scottish inventor James Watt had a revolutionary idea. He imagined a way to radically improve the primitive steam engines1 of the time. This idea would give birth to the Industrial Revolution and change the world forever. LARGELY SELF-TAUGHT Watt was born in Greenock in west Scotland in 1736. Often ill2, he was educated at home by his mother and began learning a trade3 with his shipwright4 father. Moving to London in 1755, he worked in a scientific instrument maker’s workshop5. On completing his apprenticeship6, and in fragile health, he returned to Scotland s own business. WATT'S OBSESSION In 1764, Watt was given a steam engine to repair. These engines were used to pump7…

On 4 February 2004, a social networking site was launched to students of Harvard University. Calling itself TheFacebook, it allowed them to connect with each other using their university emails and photos. It was founded by a psychology and computer science student called Mark Zuckerberg, along with other Harvard students. Zuckerberg had previously developed a site called “FaceMash1” on which visitors could compare the photos of two students and decide which one was more attractive. TAGGING AND LIKES Within twenty-four hours, 1,200 students had signed up2 to TheFacebook. Within a month, more than half the university’s undergraduates3 were members. The platform expanded to other US universities, high schools and tech companies like Apple and Microsoft. In 2005, the site changed its name to Facebook and introduced the idea of ‘tagging4’…

In the 1950s, researchers from across the globe embarked on a sweeping1 and ambitious study. For decades, they scrutinized the diets and lifestyles of thousands of middle-aged men living in the United States, Europe and Japan and then examined how those characteristics affected their risks of developing cardiovascular disease. The Seven Countries Study, as it later became known, famously found associations between saturated fats2, cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease. But the researchers also reported another notable result: those who lived in and around the Mediterranean — in countries like Italy, Greece and Croatia — had lower rates of cardiovascular disease than participants who lived elsewhere3. Their diets, rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains4, nuts5, seeds, lean proteins6 and healthy fats, seemed to have a protective effect. Since then,…

One: Ode to Pot No strangers to drink and drugs, the Beatles had never tried marijuana. It was not until they were in New York in the summer of 1964 that they were introduced to it by Bob Dylan. The foursome1 were in awe2 of the folk singer and didn’t dare3 to refuse him when he offered them a joint4. Ringo went first and was unaware5 of the custom of passing it around: he smoked the whole thing! Dylan ended up giving each Beatle his own joint. They enjoyed the experience so much, it became part of their lives and their songs. Paul McCartney later confessed that Got to Get You Into My Life was, in fact, an “ode to pot6.” Two: A Kiss for St. Christopher An act of…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Billionaires, or their equivalents, have been around a long time, but there’s something different about today’s tech titans, as evidenced by a rash1 of recent books. Reading about their apocalypse bunkers, vampiric longevity strategies, outlandish2 social media pronouncements, private space programmes and virtual world-building ambitions, it’s hard to remember they’re not actors in a reality series or characters from a new Avengers3 movie. Unlike4 their forebears5, contemporary billionaires do not hope to build the biggest house in town, but the biggest colony on the Moon. In contrast, however avaricious, the titans of past gilded eras6 still saw themselves as human members of civil society. Contemporary billionaires appear to understand civics and civilians as impediments to their progress, necessary victims of the externalities of their companies’…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 17 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 beloved: amatissima 2 disturbing: inquietante 3 former: precedente 4 firstborn: primogenita 5 quote: citazione 6 haunted: spettrale 7 spiteful: maligno 8 venom: veleno 9 to picture: immaginare 10 even though: nonostante 11 to shake: tremare 12 to carve: incidere 13 tombstone: lapide 14 loud: rumoroso 15 stamp paid: francobollo pagato 16 quiet: tranquillo 17 to care for: preoccuparsi per 18 demanding: esigente 19 to sympathise: empatizzare 20 to gather: riunire 21 to vanish: svanire 22 to rape: violentare 23 to move on: passare a 24 to meet with: ricevere Inspired by a true story, Beloved1 is a profound and disturbing2 novel set in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1873. Its protagonist is Sethe, a former3 slave, a mother and a murderer, who now lives alone with her eighteen-year-old daughter Denver. Sethe’s terrible secret is that she deliberately killed her firstborn4 while trying to escape from…

www.speakup.it SPEAK UP PIÙ COMODO Il nuovo sito web di Speak presenta strumenti e risorse interattive per creare un’esperienza utente coinvolgente e dinamica. Le tecnologie all’avanguardia che abbiamo applicato e la moderna interfaccia permetteranno di esplorare nuovi modi divertenti per migliorare e praticare l’inglese con maggiore comodità. Scopri subito il nuovo sito e inizia esplorare la vasta gamma di articoli e risorse! TEST DI LIVELLO Verifica qual è il tuo livello di inglese con il nostro test gratuito e scopri i tuoi progressi con i nostri articoli classificati per difficoltà. ESERCIZI INTERATTIVI Leggi e ascolta gli articoli e controlla i tuoi progressi con l’inglese grazie ai nostri test interattivi. Super comodo! PRACTICAL ENGLISH Un ampio catalogo di lezioni di grammatica, consigli, e materiale scaricabile per imparare quando e dove vuoi.…

PLACES EXERCISES IN Work It Out! England is famous worldwide for its Ebeautiful green, rolling1, wooded countryside. Historic houses, monuments and pretty villages, with a pub on the green beside a pond2 full of ducks, are picturesque themes for countless paintings and poems. The English countryside holds a special place in the nation’s life and culture. HUMAN FEET Yet3 there is one ancient element of this archetypal landscape that goes largely unnoticed4. Between towns and villages all over the country, there are miles of mysterious sunken roads5; paths6 trodden7 into the earth that have been created by the tramping8 of human and animal feet over thousands of years. These routes have been largely forgotten. The UK government is now trying to fill this gap9 in the country’s collective memory. STEPS IN…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 06 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 to notice: notare 2 mood: stato d’animo 3 concerns: preoccupazioni 4 shortlist: selezione 5 teen slang: gergo giovanile 6 charm: fascino 7 to claim: affermare 8 I have no… whatsoever: non ho assolutamente niente di 9 blend: fusione 10 commitment: impegno 11 trait: tratto 12 quirk: peculiarità 13 dome: cupola 14 one-sided: unilaterale 15 spike: punta 16 misleading: ingannevole 17 nonsensical: insensate 18 bailout: salvataggio finanziario 19 to admonish: rimproverare 20 surreal: surreale 21 to behave: comportarsi 22 bothered: preoccupato 23 dismissive: dispregiativa 24 credit crunch: stretta creditizia 25 straightforward: diretto 26 to squeeze: spremere 27 wage: salario 28 freezes: congelamento 29 incomes: reddito 30 to arise: emergere 31 vax: vaccino 32 lazy: pigro 33 slovenly: trascurato 34 greedy: avido 35 to convey: comunicare 36 acquittal: assoluzione 37 trail: giudizio 38 testament to: essere testimonianza di 39 currency: valuta 40 to epitomise: rappresentare Did you start using any new words in 2023, or notice1 people using an old…

So, let’s take a look at your blood test results. Oh, doctor, how bad is it? Hmm, actually, it’s looking quite good, but your cholesterol is on the high side. I knew it! I’m going to have a heart attack, aren’t I1? Or diabetes? Please, calm yourself! You just need to improve2 your diet. Right, wholemeal everything and nothing nice, I guess3. Not at all. Just follow the Mediterranean diet. It’s low in saturated fats4 and very tasty5, too. Mediterranean diet? What’s that, sardines and olive oil? Yes, but lots of other things, too. Basically, try to choose whole foods6 that aren’t processed, like fruit, vegetables, nuts7, lean meat and fish. What about alcohol? There’s nothing wrong with a glass of wine with your dinner or the occasional beer at…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 12 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 survey: sondaggio 2 catchy tunes: brani coinvolgenti 3 a wide range: una vasta scelta 4 cartoon: cartoni animati 5 largely: per lo più 6 to sail: navigare 7 throwaway: disinteressato 8 drummer: batterista 9 log: tronco 10 plea: supplica 11 pronouns: pronomi 12 self-assured: sicuro di sé 13 to feel down: sentirsi triste 14 suddenly: improvvisamente 15 encouragement: sostegno 16 let her into: lasciala entrare 17 wisdom: saggezza 18 to stall: fermarsi 19 mac: impermeabile 20 pouring rain: pioggia torrenziale 21 loneliness: solitudine 22 jar: barattolo 23 to belong: appartenere 24 to cover: fare una cover 25 chorus: ritornello 26 to get by: tiare avanti 27 to get high: sballarsi 28 out of tune: in modo stonato 29 walk out on me: abbandonarmi 30 out of key: senza musicalità 31 on your own: da solo According to a 2014 survey1, The Beatles are the very best band to help you…

In the educational realm1, the South African English accent often encounters initial resistance. Students, particularly those exposed to a range of English accents, may be prejudiced against South African English. However, Iboux Academy takes pride in2 its diverse team of educators, including a significant number of South African teachers that have witnessed a shift in perspective among students. A RICH HISTORY English, as one of South Africa’s official languages, has a complex history. Intricately woven into3 the tapestry4 of the nation, the journey of the English language in South Africa has been marked by colonial and historical encounters that have shaped5 its prominence. Initially, Dutch6 dominated in the country until 1806 when British control increased the prominence of English. 19th-century colonial expansion led to English-speaking communities, and conflicts like the…

Esther implored her brother, Todd, to reconsider. It was her last chance to convince him to do the right thing. She would leave Earth for Mars that night, and if Todd didn’t come with her, she would never see him again. Go to Mars and live in servitude and misery?” responded Todd. “No, thanks.” Todd had a point. Esther knew her new life on Mars would be difficult. All humans would be obliged to work hard to make the planet habitable. They would have to live in a confined space and in restrictive conditions, but it was either that or remain on Earth and die. “There is another option,” said Todd, “a better option.” It was the same argument that she and Todd had had a hundred times before. The…

Children’s author Lemony Snicket (pen name of Daniel Handler) recently wrote: “If everyone fought fire with fire, the entire world would go up in smoke.” He used the idiom “fight fire with fire” to mean using the same forceful methods against an opponent as they are using against you. Ancient Greek philosopher Plato warned that fighting fire with fire tends to escalate a situation. And in his 1595 play King John William Shakespeare said much the same thing, with: “Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire; / Threaten the threatener and outface the brow / Of bragging horror”. The exact idiom “fight fire with fire” was not coined until the 19th century, when it was an actual firefighting technique. US settlers attempted to stop wild fires spreading by…