Table of contents for N. 477 in Speak Up Italia

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 01 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 skating rinks: piste di pattinaggio sul ghiaccio 2 carol singing: cantare canti natalizi 3 glittering: brillanti 4 bursting with: pieni di 5 crafts goods: articoli di artigianato 6 mulled wine: vin brulé 7 scheme: piano 8 bows: fiocchi 9 baubles: palle natalizie 10 spinning mirror balls: sfere specchiate rotanti 11 stalls: bancarelle 12 chalets: casette 13 overflowing: traboccanti 14 stocking fillers: regali da mettere nelle calze natalizie 15 former: precedente 16 observation wheel: ruota panoramica 17 grotto: grotta 18 mass: messa 19 Christmas Eve: vigilia di Natale 20 roast turkey: tacchino arrosto 21 trimmings: guarnizioni 22 fun-packed: piene di divertimento From Christmas markets to festive shopping, from ice skating rinks1 to carol2 singing in the streets, London is packed with magical things to do and see in the Yuletide season. Not surprisingly, Covent Garden is one of the most important locations…

SAVING THE LIVES OF STRANGERS In 1823, the philanthropist Sir William Hillary wrote a pamphlet with plans for a lifeboat service for Britain and Ireland. He was inspired by participating in rescues off the coast of the Isle of Man. He expressed his idea in inspiring words. The idea, he wrote, was to institute “a large body of men … in constant readiness6 to risk their own lives for the preservation of those whom they have never known or seen, perhaps of another nation, merely because they are fellow creatures in extreme peril”. Hillary's words have inspired many volunteers over the centuries, and none more so than Henry Blogg, who over fifty-three years of service with the Cromer lifeboats in Norfolk helped rescue an astonishing7 873 people. EXERCISES IN Work…

Born in Israel in 1976, Yuval Noah Harari received his PhD1 from the University of Oxford in 2002. Harari originally specialised in world history, medieval history and military history and became a lecturer at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. As a research fellow at the University of Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, his research focuses on big macro-historical questions, such as: What is the relationship between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Did people become happier as history unfolded2? Or what ethical questions do science and technology raise in the 21st century? Harari is very much involved in current affairs3. In 2020, he wrote extensively on the Covid-19 crisis, and in 2022…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Europa Clipper, the biggest interplanetary spacecraft that NASA has ever built, lifted off1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Monday afternoon. The mission will tackle2 one of biology's core3 questions: Can life exist anywhere else in our solar system? The spacecraft's destination is Europa, a moon of Jupiter, where water sloshes4 beneath a shell5 of ice that could be more than 10 miles thick. Such ocean worlds are fairly common in the outer solar system. That has created speculation: Could there be life swimming in any of those oceans? For now, the answer is an intriguing maybe. The $5.2 billion Europa Clipper mission is the first by NASA devoted to filling in the blanks6 to the question of habitability on these ocean worlds.…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 17 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 to resent: provare risentimento 2 mightier: più potente 3 housekeeper: governante 4 handwritten: manoscritto 5 to stage: mettere in scena 6 to run out: esaurire 7 to ensure: assicurarsi 8 sparsely: scarsamente 9 to furnish: arredare 10 to trail behind: rimanere indietro 11 to unleash: liberare 12 to trail: seguire 13 affectation: artificio 14 (head) to spin: girare (la testa) 15 in his prime: nel suo momento migliore 16 infirm: debole, malato 17 to throw across the room: lanciare dall'altra parte della stanza 18 otherwise: altrimenti 19 unnerved: nervoso 20 to retrieve: recuperare 21 landlord: proprietario It was the opening day of the Richard Elliott House and Terrence stood outside with other fans of the author, waiting to enter. Well, Terrence wasn't so much of a fan of Richard Elliott. He'd always had a love-hate relationship with the author. You…

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…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 02 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 to revolve around: girare attorno a 2 whether… or…: sia… sia 3 nefarious: nefasti 4 beings: esseri 5 weird: strane 6 reindeer: renna 7 glitter: brillantini 8 the uglier the better: più è brutto, meglio è 9 brooms: scope 10 witches: streghe 11 spider webs: ragnatele 12 Christmas Eve: Vigilia di Natale 13 broomsticks: manici delle scope 14 to take hostage: prendere in ostaggio 15 to deprive: privare 16 coal: carbone 17 chimney: camino 18 pine cone: pigna 19 bishop: vescovo 20 stockings: calze 21 to punish: punire 22 to reward: premiare 23 Yule: Natale 24 lads: ragazzi 25 rotten: marce 26 skull: teschio 27 sheet: lenzuolo 28 ribbons: nastri 29 mild: leggera 30 log: tronco 31 blanket: coperta 32 to poop: defecare 33 to feed: nutrire 34 to carve: intagliare 35 pumpkins: zucche 36 radishes: ravanelli 37 aka: alias (acronimo di also known as) 38 buckets: secchi Most of us associate Christmas with the festive celebrations…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 06 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 late-13th century: fine del XIII secolo 2 stately homes: dimore signorili 3 estate: tenuta 4 earl: conte 5 to take on: farsi carico di 6 to live the high life: fare la bella vita 7 flamboyant: appariscente, vistoso 8 to scatter: sparpagliare 9 follies: pazzie 10 statuary: collezione di statue 11 cottages: villette 12 domed top: soffitto a cupola 13 charming: incantevole 14 lawn: prato 15 to fence: recintare 16 shrubs: arbusti 17 rope bridge: ponte di corda 18 elf: elfo 19 fairy-like: fiabesco 20 fever pitch: massima intensità, frenesia 21 to break out: scoppiare 22 furniture: mobili 23 to put out: spegnere 24 heritage: patrimonio 25 quarter: parte 26 to grant: concedere 27 backdrop: sfondo 28 baubles: decorazioni di Natale 29 to boast: vantarsi 30 fairy lights: fili di luci 31 scaffolding: impalcatura 32 to light: illuminare, accendere Located twenty-four kilometres north of York, the late-13th century1 capital of England, Castle…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! SCAN, READ & LISTEN 09 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 traders: venditori 2 to date back: risalire a 3 to grant: concedere 4 earl: conte 5 fit: adatti, idonei 6 stalls: bancarelle 7 genteel: elegante 8 raffish: vistosa, appariscente 9 boarding houses: pensioni 10 gambling houses: luoghi di gioco d'azzardo 11 dens: antri 12 brothels: bordelli 13 charter market: mercati istituiti con decreto reale 14 inquiry: indagine 15 to draw: attrarre 16 feature: caratteristica 17 puppet play: spettacolo di marionette 18 alike: allo stesso modo 19 fire-eaters: mangiatori di fuoco 20 high-wire walkers: funamboli 21 knife jugglers: giocolieri con coltelli 22 buskers: artisti di strada This year is the 50th anniversary of the move of England's most famous market, Covent Garden, from its 350-year-old site in Central London to its new home in Vauxhall, south of the river Thames. In autumn 1974, the market metaphorically…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 12 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 self-styled: sedicente 2 ailments: malattie 3 to plunge into: immergersi 4 purported: presunti 5 to outweigh: superare 6 enlivened: animato 7 surge: aumento 8 invigorating: rinvigorente 9 to endure: sopportare 10 downsides: aspetti negativi 11 enduring: duraturi 12 to oversee: supervisionare 13 to be off work: assentarsi dal lavoro 14 outcome: risultato 15 to pinpoint: individuare 16 respiratory tract: vie respiratorie 17 realms: campi 18 snake oil: panacea 19 sharp gasp: brusco respiro profondo 20 to drown: affogare 21 heart rate: frequenza cardiaca 22 blood vessels: vasi sanguinei 23 heating: riscaldamento 24 to subside: diminuire 25 to trigger: scatenare 26 to duck: immergersi 27 breath-hold: apnea 28 harmless: innocuo 29 conditions: patologie 30 sponge: spugna 31 headlong: di testa 32 fairly: abbastanza 33 to caveat: avvertire A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away, according to Wim Hof, the Dutch extreme athlete and self-styled1 Iceman. For Hof and other advocates, cold…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 15 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 to go blind: diventare cieco 2 blank verse: verso sciolto 3 to debunk: smentire 4 to extol: esaltare 5 unattempted yet: non ancora provato 6 astonished: sbalorditi 7 groundbreaking: all'avanguardia 8 bewitched: ammaliati 9 to cast out: espellere 10 dated: antiquato 11 thee: te, a te 12 command: dominio 13 achievement: risultato 14 breathtaking: impressionante After he went blind1 in 1654, the poet John Milton produced his masterpiece Paradise Lost by dictating the verses to his daughters, friends and assistants. An epic poem in blank verse2 or iambic pentameter, the verses came to him each night in his sleep. Milton had a tragic life; as well as losing his sight, he also lost two wives, two daughters and a son. Paradise Lost, published in its final twelve-book form in 1674, established him…

Good afternoon, you've reached The Tech Company. How can I help? Oh, hi! Yes, I was wondering1 about your opening hours2 over the holiday period. Sure. We're open normal business hours until Christmas Eve, when we close at lunchtime. We're closed all day on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. And what about New Year? The same: open till3 lunch on New Year's Eve, then shut4 on the 1st of January. And when is lunchtime for you? One o'clock, of course! Well, I don't stop for lunch until 2pm… But is it business as usual between Christmas and New Year? Oh, yes! Same hours, same service. Great! Well, thanks for letting me know. Happy holidays! You, too. Enjoy the Christmas break! NOW LET'S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY! You've reached… (followed by your…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Detective writer Agatha Christie wrote sixty-six novels, fourteen short-story collections and twenty stage plays1 in her long life. She sold over two billion copies in one hundred languages, making her both the world's top-selling novelist and the most-translated author in history. The Queen of Crime built her success on our fascination with discovering evil in ordinary people, as well as her ability to create plots2 which have fooled3 millions of readers. Her novels weren't appealing4 to everyone, though. Before her death, many of them were criticised for expressing racist and anti-semitic sentiments. SELF-TAUGHT Agatha Miller (her real name) was born on 15 September 1890, in Torquay, Devon, into an upper-middle-class family. Her mother did not want her to read until she was eight, but a…

In his global best-seller, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, the Israeli academic Yuval Noah Harari guided his readers through some 75,000 years of human history. He described human development1, including the development of cognition, agriculture and science, as a series of accidental revolutions. In his subsequent book, Homo Deus, Harari looked to the present and potential future, explaining how our ability to control the world around us is turning us into something new. CONNECTION Harari's most recent book Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI is another ambitious work. In it, he attempts to explain why people can't seem to communicate with each other, despite our having such sophisticated information technology. The development of AI is fundamental to this story, Harari says, as…

London's favourite place to shop is a mixture of international and British high-street brands, and small, independent retailers1. Hungry shoppers can re-charge their batteries by eating at a wide variety of restaurants, ranging from Michelin-starred establishments to simple sandwich shops and delicatessens. 1. Paul Smith The English fashion icon has his flagship store2 in Covent Garden, selling men's and women's clothing and accessories with a background of art and furniture collections. Shoppers can also drink English sparkling3 wine, craft beer4 or Fortnum and Mason teas. There is an in-house5 monogramming6 service, perfect for gifts. 2. Dr. Martens Once the favourite footwear of skinheads (featured in the film A Clockwork Orange), Doc Martens are now a global brand. The yellow and black classic boot is matched by the shop's interior decoration. The…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! The title of Irish author Sally Rooney's fourth novel Intermezzo refers both to an unexpected and threatening chess move1 and a musical composition played between other musical or dramatic pieces. Rooney's new book follows the lives of two seemingly2 very different brothers who are grieving3 the loss of their father while navigating complicated romantic connections. This latter theme has been consistently explored by the author and was the subject of her previous novels, two of which have been adapted for television. At the age of thirty-three, Rooney is considered a literary phenomenon and one of the best authors of her generation. FAMILY UNIT In Intermezzo, the author examines the process of grief in relation to family roles, romantic relationships, regret4 and the passage of time,…

A dark and brooding1 gothic rock track by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, 1994's Red Right Hand has become one of the Australian rock band's more recognisable songs. Opening with a menacing tubular bell, a creepy2 bassline and organ riff accompany the listener on an uneasy3 walk across town to meet a shadowy4 stranger. This ominous figure with his vengeful red right hand was inspired by a line from John Milton's 17th-century epic poem Paradise Lost. Perhaps songwriter Nick Cave sought5 to justify his lifestyle just as Milton attempted to justify God's ways: struggling with drug abuse at the time, yet regularly attending church, he filled an entire notebook with ideas for lyrics. The first two verses of the song set the foreboding6 scene and introduce the protagonist, described…