Table of contents for N. 485 in Speak Up Italia

Il castello di Blarney si trova molto vicino a Cork, nel sud dell'Irlanda, e risale agli inizi del XIII secolo. La struttura, anche se circondata da maestosi giardini (tra cui un giardino velenoso, con piante protette da gabbie affinché nessun visitatore curioso si ritrovi al Pronto Soccorso), è per lo più in rovina e le stanze sono spoglie, con solo pietre alla vista. Ciò che attrae di questo castello, come spesso accade per molti luoghi irlandesi, sta nella leggenda che lo circonda. In cima al castello, infatti, si trova la pietra di Blarney. Si dice che chiunque la baci riceverà il dono dell'eloquenza, e sarà in grado di uscire da qualsiasi situazione sgradevole con il solo potere delle sue chiacchiere. La leggenda ha influenzato così tanto la cultura anglo-irlandese che…

American football is known for causing debilitating head injuries, mostly from players tackling1 each other – an unfortunate trend2 that inspired the 2015 biographical sports drama Concussion3, starring Will Smith. Perhaps this is why the non-contact version of American football, flag4 football, has become so popular in recent years. Growing in popularity worldwide, flag football is to make its debut at the next Olympics, which take place in Los Angeles, California in the summer of 2028. A LOT LESS CONTACT In flag football, just like in American football, two teams compete to score points by moving the ball down the field, into the other team's end zone. However, unlike5 in American football, in flag football the players wear flags on their waist6 and instead of tackling each other, they try…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 04 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 novelty act: fenomeno da baraccone 2 to ride on the wave: cavalcare l'onda 3 newfound: recente 4 spoof: parodistica 5 then-unfashionable: allora non alla moda 6 borough: quartiere 7 to concoct: inventare 8 daily grind: routine quotidiana 9 relentless: implacabile 10 crowd-pleaser: successo di pubblico 11 to call out: denunciare 12 to their credit: a loro favore, a loro merito 13 to hail: accogliere 14 raucous: rumoroso 15 rambunctious: turbolento 16 blend: mix 17 smart-ass: furbo 18 dismissive term: termine dispregiativo 19 boiling kettle: bollitore 20 damn: dannato, maledetto 21 itchy: che prude 22 trigger finger: dito sul grilletto 23 turntable: giradischi 24 eager: ansioso, impaziente 25 venue: spazio 26 worth your while: che vale la pena 27 trunk: portabagagli 28 dice: dadi 29 born and bred: nato e cresciuto 30 to step off: scendere (da un veicolo) In 1986 New York City skateboarding trio the Beastie Boys were…

Around $2.2 billion – about $24 billion in today's currency – was channelled into1 the Manhattan Project, a huge research and development project that produced the world's first nuclear weapons in 1945. It centred on three main production sites: Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington. Around each, secret communities sprang up2 that evolved into today's cities of Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and the Tri-Cities, the collective name given to Kennewick, Pasco and Richland in Washington. Today, they all form part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, established in 2015 to “improve understanding of the Manhattan Project and its legacy.” ATOMIC SCIENCE In fact, the Manhattan Project has multiple legacies, each as complex as the technology it developed. Immense wartime investment in scientific research led to…

On a 300-acre [121 hectares] farm in an undisclosed1 location in rural Wisconsin, surrounded by fields dotted2 with big red barns3 and bordered4 by wild blue chicory5 and goldenrod6, live some of the most pampered7 pigs in the world. They are delivered by C-section8 to protect them from viruses that sows9 can carry, and bottle-fed10 instead of nursed11 for the same reason. They are kept under warming lights and monitored around the clock12 for the first days of their lives, given toys and marshmallows as treats13. But they don't get to go outside and play in the dirt like other pigs. They are clones and constitutionally weak, genetically-engineered to have kidneys14, hearts and livers15 more compatible with the human body. These miniature pigs are part of a bold16 scientific experiment…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 16 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 to slam the door: sbattere la porta 2 to growl: ringhiare 3 Downtown LA: abbr. di Downtown Los Angeles, centro di Los Angeles 4 state of the art: all'avanguardia 5 intervening years: anni successivi 6 to shake: scuotere 7 rash: avventato 8 rust bucket: rottame 9 to fly past: volare oltre, sorpassare 10 to and from: da e verso 11 freeway: autostrada senza pedaggio 12 to pound: colpire, picchiare 13 to sell off: svendere 14 to fall to pieces: cadere a pezzi 15 parts: pezzi 16 to dispose: sbarazzarsi 17 to turn off: lasciare 18 dead-end street: strada senza uscita 19 to slam into: schiantarsi 20 to grab: afferrare 21 handle: maniglia 22 tracker: localizzatore 23 to go rogue: ribellarsi, fare di testa propria 24 emotionally attached: emotivamente legate 25 to comply: obbedire 26 to tint: oscurare 27 self-aware: consapevoli di sé 28 sympathy: compassione 29 kidnapper: sequestratore 30…

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. Gin 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 gli…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out!  One hundred and fifty years ago this month, Captain Matthew Webb became a national hero and famous around the world when he made history as the first person to swim the thirty-four-kilometre-wide English Channel1, one of the most treacherous2 stretches3 of water on the planet. Born in Dawley, Shropshire, on 19 January 1848, Webb developed his swimming skills as a child playing in the River Severn. Aged twelve, he started working on ships, finishing up fifteen years later as captain. In 1872, Webb read an account4 of an attempt to swim the Channel and became inspired to try. Endurance5 swimming was becoming popular, but this feat6 was considered impossible. Webb began to prepare, swimming in the Thames and in the sea off the Dover coast7.…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Every second weekend of August, the skies of Bristol, the largest city in South West England, fill with hot-air balloons1 for the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. The event draws2 crowds3 from the local area and much further afield4, with some participants flying in from as far as Taiwan and the United States. It is the largest hot-air balloon festival in Europe and the second biggest in the world, just behind the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, in New Mexico, US. GLOBAL VISITORS The very first Bristol International Balloon Fiesta took place in 1979 at Ashton Court, on the outskirts5 of Bristol. The extensive site includes a historic mansion dating back over six hundred years, a golf course6, gardens, cafés and a deer park7. The first event had…

It resembles a scene from a fairy tale1: a medieval castle on the top of a hill, surrounded by rolling green hills2 that stretch3 as far as the eye can see. Yet this type of dramatic rural landscape is typical of Ireland, a small country of over thirty thousand castles or castle ruins. These were once grand buildings, fortresses and residences, all of which stood as symbols of power. NORMAN STRONGHOLDS The Normans (originally Vikings) introduced castles to Ireland in the 12th century, constructing them to defend the country from attack. Over the following centuries, Gaelic chieftains4, who were leaders of their clans, and other clan members and families built their own castles. These latter5 castles were often in the form of tower houses, which were smaller and more compact…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 13 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 to blend: mescolare 2 quirky: bizzarri, strambi 3 ailing: in difficoltà 4 to drive: spingere, stimolare 5 keen: appassionato 6 way back: molto tempo fa 7 to cut short: tagliar corto, abbreviare 8 to argue your case: discutere le tue ragioni, perorare la tua causa 9 somehow: in qualche modo 10 to run: gestire 11 to move: emozionare 12 to think up: ideare 13 to avoid: evitare 14 to fade: affievolirsi 15 blobs: macchie, chiazze 16 to exploit: sfruttare 17 to regard: considerare 18 shabby: squallido, trasandato 19 run-down: fatiscente, malandato 20 litter: spazzatura Martin Parr is a renowned documentary photographer, photo-journalist and photobook collector. Since 1994, he has been a member of the prestigious photographic cooperative Magnum Photos, and served as its president between 2013 and 2017. Born in Surrey, in the south of England, in 1952, Parr developed…

Oh no, my computer's playing up again. What's happening? Whenever1 I work in this file, it keeps freezing. That sounds serious. You need to get that looked at. How do I reach tech support? Through the intranet. You need to issue a support request. OK, and then what? Then the IT department2 raises a ticket and gets someone assigned to your case. How long does that take? It all depends on what priority it gets, but they're usually pretty quick. Oh, good. Now can you talk me through the process of sending the request? Sure, let's do that now. NOW LET'S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY! When a computer is playing up, it is not working as it should be. When a computer freezes, it becomes unresponsive3. To get something looked at…

William Wallace was one of Scotland's greatest national heroes. He inspired his countrymen1 in their fight for freedom against England in the First War of Scottish Independence at the end of the 13th century. His brutal execution at the hands of England's king, Edward I, made him a martyr, and his importance in Scottish history has only grown in the seven centuries since his death. UNCERTAIN ORIGINS Little is known about Wallace's early years. He was born around 1270, probably near Paisley, Renfrew, and his father may have been a minor landowner2 called Sir Malcolm Wallace. His family roots were possibly Welsh or even Norman French. The 13th century was a period of relative calm between England and Scotland, after tempestuous times. The situation in Scotland became confused, however, when…

There is nothing unusual about records being broken on Mount Everest. But last week, two sets of climbers turned heads1 with ascents that many had never thought possible: they went straight up from sea level to the world's highest summit2 in less than a week. On Wednesday, a team of four UK climbers, all ex-special forces soldiers, summited Everest, having landed from London just over four days earlier. The following day, the US-Ukrainian climber Andrew Ushakov said he had gone from New York to the top of Everest in under four days. With Everest standing at a staggering 8,849 metres, scaling safely to the top usually requires spending several weeks acclimatising at a lower altitude, normally Everest base camp, so the body can adjust to the lower level of oxygen.…

Do you wish you were less tongue-tied1, more eloquent, could find the right words for every occasion…? Possessing the ‘the gift of the gab2’ (an ancient idiom) is particularly prized in the Republic of Ireland, where storytelling is part of a centuries-old tradition. Just as old is the Blarney Stone, located at Blarney Castle in County Cork. This world-famous stone is said to bestow3 the gift of eloquence on anyone who kisses it. The castle, and its magical Blarney Stone, are located in the village of Blarney, eight kilometres from the city of Cork in the south of Ireland. TOWER HOUSE The medieval ruins of Blarney Castle lie4 on a 120-hectare private estate5. Built in the 10th century by the McCarthy clan, rulers6 of Munster in Ireland's southwest and border…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 15 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 razor's edge: filo del rasoio 2 to become engaged: fidanzarsi, promettersi matrimonio 3 socialite: membro dell'alta società 4 embarrassing: imbarazzante 5 monk: monaco 6 typhoid: tifo 7 retreat: ritiro 8 fulfilment: realizzazione personale 9 nervous breakdown: esaurimento nervoso 10 acquaintance: conoscente William Somerset Maugham was an English writer famed for his plays, novels and short stories. One of his most accessible novels, The Razor's Edge1 takes its title from a verse in an ancient Hindu text called the Katha Upanishad. The meaning of the verse is that the path to salvation is arduous. Maugham's novel tells the story of Larry Darrell, a pilot from Chicago who is traumatised by his experiences in World War One. Maugham places himself in the story too, as a narrator and a passive participant…

SpeakUp 485 UNIT 1 Page 8 B1 LEVEL Flag Football SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 1.1 VOCABULARY 1.2 READING COMPREHENSION Find in the article the words that mean: Read the article and match questions (1-8) and answers (a-h). 1.3 SPOT THE MISTAKE! Find the spelling mistake in each word and rewrite them correctly. UNIT 2 Page 10 B2 LEVEL Captain Matthew Webb SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 2.1 GRAMMAR Complete the sentences with the correct preposition. 2.2 COMPREHENSION Listen to the article and fill in the table. 2.3 VOCABULARY Unscramble the letters to obtain nouns used in the article. The first letter is given to help you. UNIT 3 Page 12 B2 LEVEL William Wallace SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 3.1 CROSSWORD Complete the crossword by filling in a noun used in the article that means:…