Table of contents for N. 478 in Speak Up Italia

SPEAK UP IN CLASS EXERCISES IN Work it Out! The producers of food and cosmetics often claim1 that their products are beneficial for your health or appearance. But how do you really know? Don’t worry, there’s an app for that! In fact, there are now many apps that rate2 the safety of such products, and they have exploded in popularity in recent years. MOST POPULAR Yuka is the world’s favourite food and cosmetic scanning app. You can download it for free and install it on your phone. You can then use it to scan practically any relevant product, and it will give you a rating3 out of 1004. Theoretically, the higher the score, the safer5 the product. MADE IN FRANCE Yuka launched in France in 2017 and was an immediate success.…

George Gordon Byron, better known as Lord Byron, was a British Romantic poet and satirist whose poetry and mesmerising1 personality captured Europe’s imagination in the early 19th century2. Considered to be the greatest poet of his time, he was one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, the artistic and intellectual trend of that time which emphasised passion and individualism. BORN WITH A DISABILITY Byron was born on 22 January 1788 with a club foot3. His father died three years later, leaving him with his abusive mother. Byron inherited his title in 1798. Once at Cambridge University, he spent his time drinking, gambling4 and sleeping with prostitutes — and even kept a bear in his rooms. In 1809, he began a two-year tour of Mediterranean countries. FAMOUS OVERNIGHT In…

If you could talk to your pet, what would you say? Beyond instructions or expressions of affection, what would you honestly want to tell him or her? What would you like to know about your pet’s life? Or, if you could talk to your favourite animal, be it a penguin or a lion, what kind of conversation would you want to have with it? Would you ask about its feelings or its fears? Are you ready to hear what animals have to say? A VIRAL ENCOUNTER Tom Mustill asked himself many of these questions after a thirty-tonne humpback whale1 nearly killed him in 2015. Born in London in 1983, Tom is a biologist and filmmaker with over twenty years’ experience making wildlife documentaries for the BBC and National Geographic. He…

Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Nathan Thrall’s book A Day in the Life of Abed Salama is not an easy read. It is, in fact, a difficult one for two reasons: it is painful because it deals with the tragedy of a school bus accident, and a father’s desperate search for the whereabouts1 and condition of his five-year-old son. It is also challenging because it tackles2 the complexity of everyday life in the West Bank3 under Israeli occupation, while also recounting the basic facts of a fifty-plus4-year conflict with no end in sight. A SYSTEM OF CONTROL Nathan Thrall is a Jewish American journalist based in Jerusalem. His work has been published in outlets5 such as The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian and The London Review…

NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY! Administration is often shortened6 to ‘admin’. Post and ‘position’ are both words to describe a job. CV is short for7 ‘curriculum vitae’ (‘resumé’ in the US.) To fit the bill means to be suitable8 for a specific purpose9. Job can refer to a paid position of employment (as it is used here) or an individual task or project. Staff refers to all the people employed by a company. Synonyms include ‘personnel’ or ‘workforce’. Personal development relates to10 self-improvement11. Here, it relates to career goals, for example, confidence, conflict resolution, time management, active listening or teamwork. Sustainability is a broad topic12, usually referring to environmental and social impact. In the context of sustainability, responsible is often used as an adjective to describe companies, processes and behaviours13…

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 CA 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…

SPEAK UP IN CLASS A small metal box with a hinged lid1, the Zippo lighter might be cold to the touch2, but it produces instant heat with the flick3 of a finger. Even while cigarettes have fallen out of fashion and favour4, the Zippo remains revered5 as an art deco design classic, its flame burning steadily6 whatever the weather ONE HAND Early models of cigarette lighters were unreliable7 and difficult to use, even with two hands. George G. Blaisdell was working for the family machinery company in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1932, when he observed a friend struggle to light a cigarette. Blaisdell applied his engineering skills to design a new lighter, which could be operated with one hand. He named the lighter Zippo, from ‘zipper’ (zip fastener), a name he…

EXERCISE IN Work It Out! Dry1 January sounds like a simple proposition: No alcohol for thirty-one days. And some enthusiasts jump in without much planning — perhaps even hungover2 after a rowdy3 New Year’s Eve4. There is no data suggesting that those folks5 won’t be able to abstain from drinking, said Dr. David Wolinsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who specializes in addiction. But starting the month with a few strategies in your back pocket — and with a clear sense of your goals — may help you get the most out of6 the challenge. “Most of the benefits of Dry January are probably going to be related to the intention with which you go into Dry January,” Wolinsky said. The…

The late1 Queen Elizabeth II declared 1992 an “annus horribilis.” That year saw the separation of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the divorce of Princess Anne from Captain Mark Phillips, the publication of Diana: Her True Story, the fire at Windsor Castle and relentless2 gossip in the tabloid press. Many unfortunate events have beleaguered3 the Royal Family in 2024. King Charles III was also diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, following surgery on an enlarged4 prostate. He resumed his public duties5 at the end of April 2024. His first public visit was to a cancer treatment centre with Queen Camilla. He also made a surprise visit to an army barracks6 in Hampshire, where he joked about being allowed out7 of his cage8. His treatment continues, although it was paused for…

SPEAK UP IN CLASS Back in 2000, Zadie Smith made her name as a writer aged just twenty-four with her bestselling first novel White Teeth. The story, written in part while Smith was still a student at Cambridge University, is set in the 1970-90s in Willesden, a working-class neighbourhood of north-west London. This is the community where Smith grew up and she reflects, from first-hand experience, some of the richness and the challenges of multicultural life in the area. Zadie Smith herself embodies some of this multiculturalism: her mother is Jamaican and her father English. Since the success of White Teeth, Smith has written five more novels, as well as short stories, a children’s book, a stage play, essays and journalism. She’s taught creative writing in Europe and in the…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 18 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 to drag down: trascinare 2 piers: moli 3 plug: tappo 4 to stretch: estendersi 5 to spring up: sorgere 6 rags: srtracci 7 shore: riva 8 to gape: fissare a bocca aperta 9 sledges: slitte 10 to pick up: raccolgliere 11 to swallow: inghiottire 12 to catch up with: raggiungere 13 to grin: sorridere 14 eyelashes: ciglia 15 to my astonishment: con mio stupore 16 ale: birra 17 to juggle: fare giocoleria 18 laden with: carico di 19 to roll off: rotolare via 20 to streak out: uscire velocemente 21 to vanish: scomparire 22 to glow: brillare 23 to roast on a spit: arrostire allo spiedo 24 to groan: gemere 25 in a bun: con il pane 26 wits: ingegno 27 lad: ragazzo 28 upturned crate: cassa rovesciata 29 logs: tronchi 30 to shudder: rabbrividire, tremare 31 mugs: tazze 32 fiddle: violino 33 to sway: oscillare 34 to shimmer: brillare 35 blaze: fiamme 36 to twirl…

DR. APP Page 65 1.1 READING COMPREHENSION 1) scanning, 2) free, 3) rating, 4) popularity, 5) millennials, 6) users, 7) nutrients, 8) sales, 9) apps, 10) sources 1.2 SPOT THE MISTAKE! 1) health 2) appearance 3) favourite 4) theoretically 6) harmful 7) launch 9) influence 10) oversimplify LORD BYRON Page 66 2.1 VOCABULARY 1) mesmerising - hypnotic 2) abusive - brutal 3) notorious - scandalous 4) dashing - striking 5) famous - renowned 6) spontaneous - instinctive 7) true - real 8) bawdy - indecent 9) irreverent - disrespectful 10) huge - enormous 11) brief - short 12) incredible - unbelievable 13) immediate - sudden 14) productive - fruitful 15) relevant - pertinent 2.2 TRUE OR FALSE? 1) F, 2) T, 3) T, 4) T, 5) F, 6) T, 7)…

The year 1957 was pivotal1 in Elvis Presley’s career, marking his movement from live performance to cinema. In his third movie Jailhouse Rock he played a young prisoner who became a rock star. This storyline allowed Presley to showcase2 his signature3 quiff4, his brazen5 sneer6 and, of course, the manic leg-and-hip-shaking7 “Elvis the Pelvis” dance idolised by teenagers, but loathed8 by their parents. The song, opened by two instantly-recognisable guitar chords9 and a snare drum10, was inspired by a scene in the film where the inmates11 put on a show12. Using the names of real criminals, songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller summed up13 a boisterous14 party in five verses of rhyming couplets15. The third verse, in which two men dance together, came under inevitable scrutiny16, yet has since been embraced17 by the…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is a city of contradictions. Located near sea and mountains, it has a mild1 climate and a radical history. A violent past of conquest and rebellion has given way2 to today’s vibrant city of innovation, industry, creativity and culture. Belfast is a UNESCO3 City of Music, with museums, galleries, gardens, restaurants and state-of-the-art4 visitor attractions. RIVER CROSSING Belfast is located in the ancient Irish province of Ulster in the northeast of Ireland. Ulster is divided into nine counties: three now lie5 in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland, which forms part of the United Kingdom. Belfast began as a crossing for the River Lagan and later grew into a harbour6, major seaport and sprawling7 industrial hub8.…

With her stories set in London and woven around1 lots of vividly-drawn2 characters and social issues, Zadie Smith has been called by some a modern-day Charles Dickens. She does admit that she has been greatly influenced by the novels of Dickens as well as those of another Victorian writer, George Eliot. Charles Dickens is a key figure in the Western literary canon and even appears as a character in The Fraud. Smith argues that Dickens’ work is still very relatable3 for readers today. Zadie Smith (English accent): This year I published The Fraud, and I think Barbara Kingsolver published Demon Copperhead, which is David Copperfield rewritten. So something in Dickens is speaking to people still. In Demon Copperhead, it’s about this incredible gap4 of inequality, the size of it. Barbara…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Nowadays it is rare to see snow in the city of London, but this wasn’t always the case. From approximately 1250 to 1860 the Northern Hemisphere suffered what is known as the Little Ice Age and, during the periods of more intense cold, the River Thames occasionally froze over completely for as long as two months. A contributing factor was the medieval London Bridge, which had piers1 that were placed much closer together than those of the current bridge. During winter, pieces of ice floated down the river, got stuck2 between the narrow3 supports and created a dam4, allowing more ice to form. SOCIAL COST These harsh5 winters had terrible consequences for the poor. They brought famine and death as well as a loss of…