Table of contents for N. 476 in Speak Up Italia

One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States. It was built ten years ago, on the site of the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The new tower officially opened on 3 November 2014. Its base has the same footprint as the original towers. From base to parapet, it has the same height, too. A tall spire1 crowns the building, making it an elegant new icon on the Manhattan skyline. THE TWIN TOWERS The Twin Towers were synonymous with New York. Built in 1962, they symbolised financial success and the American Dream. Some people saw them as a challenge. French artist Philippe Petit famously walked on a tightrope2 between the two buildings without a safety rope3 in 1974. Toymaker4 George Willig —…

Ireland and Irishness might evoke idyllic or folkloric images, such as that of a leprechaun1 at the end of a rainbow. In reality, though, the country has a complicated and sometimes volatile history, and defining Irish identity as any one thing is reductive. Shaped by around ten thousand years of inhabitation, with a history marked by a devastating famine2 plus hundreds of years of occupation by a colonial power, the Ireland of today is an immensely diverse nation with a population of over seven million. Once desperately poor, the country has a thriving3 economy and is one of the most prosperous in the EU. EXERCISES IN Work It Out! RICH CITY/POOR CITY Ireland is a divided country and not everyone who lives there identifies as Irish. Following over seven hundred…

The Irish-born English painter Francis Bacon was born in October 1909 in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were both English. His father left the British army to become a horse trainer, while his mother's wealthy family owned a steel1 company. Francis had asthma and was allergic to horses; this, claimed2 the artist, disappointed his father. INSPIRATION Francis was close to his grandmother, who lived in rural County Laois. Her beautiful rooms and ornate furniture later inspired his art. The Bacon family moved between England and Ireland many times. Francis was educated at home, but was thrown out in 1926 for dressing up3 in his mother's clothes. His parents gave him enough money to live on, however. ART CAREER Bacon spent a lot of time drifting around4, but also taught himself to…

RESPECT FOR LIFE The Indian physicist1, ecologist and activist Vandana Shiva is an iconic figure in the environmental movement. Born on 5 November 1952 in Dehradun, the capital of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Dr. Shiva trained2 as a physicist in India, completing her PhD3 in quantum theory in Canada. She then conducted inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy, founding the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in 1982. She went on to co-found the independent research institute Navdanya, a hugely-influential NGO4 that acts in defence of biodiversity and promotes the welfare5 of small farmers. THE NATURE OF NATURE Shiva has published over twenty books. In her most recent,The Nature of Nature: The Metabolic Disorder of Climate Change, Shiva warns6 that the push for7 a technology-oriented,…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 16 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 self-pitying: autocommiserativo 2 predatory: predatore 3 creepy: raccapricciante 4 self-delusion: l'illudersi 5 nymphets: ninfette 6 to lodge: alloggiare 7 infatuated: infatuato, infervorato Atragicomic masterpiece by the Russian-born US writer and poet Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita was described by the author as his “most difficult book” but also (ironically) his “special favourite.” The book takes the form of a memoir produced by an anonymous literature professor who writes from prison under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. CHALLENGING Humbert is a self-pitying1 and predatory2 paedophile who narrates a creepy3 tale of articulate self-delusion4. As a young boy, his beloved girlfriend dies, leaving him heartbroken. This apparently explains his adult ‘devotion' to children and adolescent girls, aged from nine to fourteen, who he refers to as his “nymphets5”. “My world was split…

SpeakUp 476 UNIT 1 Page 8 A2 LEVEL Buy Nothing Day SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 1.1 VOCABULARY USEFUL EXPRESSIONS it caught on ha preso piede, ha avuto successo Read the article and match the words (1-6) with their meanings (a-f). 1.2 READING COMPREHENSION Read the article and complete the sentences choosing from the options. 1) The first Buy Nothing Day took place in 1992 a in the US b in Canada c in Mexico. 2) Buy Nothing Day was created a by a non-profit organisation called Adbusters b by Ted Dave c by the populist movement Occupy Wall Street 3) It started to be celebrated on the day following Thanksgiving a in 1997 b in 1992 c in 2013 4) The last Friday in November is referred to as a Black Friday b Buy Nothing Day c Occupy Wall Street…

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 SPEAK UP IN CLASS Ogni mese su Speak Up troverai anche degli…

BRITAIN'S MOST FAMOUS TRAITOR Guy Fawkes was the most notorious participant in the Gunpowder Plot1 of 1605, the most famous, treasonous plot in British history. Fawkes was one of thirteen Catholic conspirators planning to blow up2 Parliament on 5 November during the ceremonial state opening. The conspiracy aimed at killing King James I, his close family, his chief ministers and all the MPs3. It came after increasing oppression of Catholics, and hoped to inspire a revolt against Protestantism and force a violent change of monarch and government. Fawkes was born into a prominent Protestant family in York in April 1570. After converting to Catholicism, he left England in 1593 to fight for Catholic Spain against Protestants in the Netherlands. Guido Fawkes, as he was known in Spain, earned a reputation…

Ridley Scott's Gladiator became a box-office1 sensation and one of the most celebrated films of 2000. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for New Zealander Russell Crowe as the Roman general-turned-gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the saga continues with a highly-anticipated sequel that has been in development since at least 2003. THE PLOT The new story picks up with Lucius, son of Rome's former emperor Lucius Verus I and grandson of Marcus Aurelius. Having lost touch with his mother, Lucius leads a peaceful life with his family in Numidia, an ancient kingdom on the north coast of Africa the boundaries2 of which corresponded roughly to those of modern western Tunisia and eastern Algeria. That is until Roman soldiers, commanded…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 17 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 to sigh: sospirare 2 whenever: in ogni momento 3 control freak: maniaca del controllo 4 argument: discussione 5 to slam the door: sbattere la porta 6 to gasp: sussultare 7 to mess about: trafficare 8 to stab to death: pugnalare a morte 9 bully: prepotente, bullo 10 to deserve: meritare 11 search warrant: mandato di perquisizione 12 to sneak out: uscire di nascosto 13 regardless: indipendentemente 14 bloodstained: macchiato di sangue 15 to dispose: disfarsene 16 bonfire: falò 17 to bury: seppellire 18 to feign: fingere 19 to thumb a lift: fare auto stop 20 costume: maschera 21 duh: ma davvero?, ma non mi dire I hate you!” Melanie screamed at her mother. Her mother, Sally-Anne, sighed1 “Oh honey, all girls hate their mothers sometimes. I'm just doing what's best for you.” “Oh, because ‘Mother knows best,'” responded Melanie, sarcastically. It was…

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.…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 09 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 impromptu: improvvisato 2 trad music: musica tradizionale 3 to grab: prendere 4 to hail from: essere originario di 5 will: volontà 6 breathless: senza fiato 7 to tease: tentare 8 to deny: negare 9 to long: bramare 10 cover: versione 11 to top: essere in vetta 12 charts: classifiche 13 whomever: chiunque 14 fancy: di lusso, costoso 15 misadventures: disavventure 16 highwayman: bandito, brigante 17 enduring: duraturo, durevole 18 to enhance: aumentare 19 to produce: mostrare 20 rapier: stocco, broccio 21 to stand: rimanere in piedi, stare in piedi 22 to deliver: consegnare 23 bold: coraggioso, audace 24 deceiver: imbroglione 25 whack for the daddy-o: una bevanda per il compagno 26 jar: vasetto, barattolo 27 chorus: ritornello 28 hollow: buca 29 to skip: saltare 30 misty: nebbioso 31 a-thumping: palpitare Everyone is familiar with the impromptu1 trad music2 seisiún (session) held in many Irish pubs, but since Dublin band U2's massive success…

Hello, do you need some help? Yes, please. I can't make up my mind between these two coats. They're both lovely. Is it for general use or are you going somewhere in particular? No, it's just for here. I'm not going hiking1 in the snow or anything like that. Right, then, the blue one is good for both, as it has a windproof lining. That's good. But is it rainproof, too? Yes, the coat is completely waterproof. It' ll keep you dry in the heaviest downpour. I like the look, too, though the other one is more stylish. Well, puffer jackets are all the rage right now, but the brown coat has a more classic look. Yes, that one's timeless. I like that it's not tied2 to any trend3; it'…