Table of contents for N. 481 in Speak Up Italia

April Fools’1 Day, which occurs on 1 April in many countries around the world, is a day for jokes and pranks2, but nobody knows for sure how it started. However, there are several theories of its origins. One theory connects the day to the joyful3 ancient Roman festival Hilaria, celebrated on 25 March in honour of Cybele, the Mother of Gods, with games, masquerades, and mockery4 to welcome the arrival of spring. Other festivals, such as the two-day Hindu Holi, the Persian Sizdah Bedar, and the Jewish Purim, also focus on joy and fun during spring. However, there is no solid evidence linking5 April Fools’ Day to these so-called ‘renewal festivals’. A common trait6 of these festivals is that during these events, the social order is suspended: servants or children…

Joseph Mallord William Turner was one of the greatest and most influential British artists of all time. Renowned for his dramatic and atmospheric treatment of light and colour, the landscape and seascape1 painter was a key figure in Romanticism, and was a precursor of the Impressionist movement. His paintings broke the mould of accepted art of the time. He is often cited as the world’s first modern artist. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Turner was born in Covent Garden, London, on 23 April 1775, the son of a barber and wigmaker2. His artistic talent was soon apparent, and his father would sell his paintings from his shop. Aged just fourteen, Turner began to study at the Royal Academy Schools. He started to travel, sketching3 around the country, and then Europe, later selling his…

The international appeal of the Oxford v. Cambridge Boat Race lies1 in its long history of almost two hundred years and the renown2 of both universities as pioneering and prestigious educational institutions. Another factor that makes the Boat Race special is that those competing are all amateurs. All students who participate are simply committed3 to their sport and willing4 to make sacrifices to gain one of the eight rowing seats5. Oxford post-grad student Sian Dennett hopes to be awarded6 one of these seats in the upcoming race, slated7 for 13 April 2025. As she explained, each of the rowers in the boat has a different role. Sian Dennett: The stroke8 seat is the person who’s setting the rhythm for the crew, and the seven seat, who’s sat behind them, is…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 10 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 roofless: senza tetto 2 scripts: copioni 3 rehearsals: prove 4 research fellow: ricercatore 5 close-up: da vicino 6 involved: coinvolto 7 fairly: abbastanza 8 input: contributo 9 to tailor: adattare 10 parts: ruoli 11 positively: con certezza 12 lines: battute 13 ensemble: gruppo 14 fellow company members: altri membri della compagnia 15 to think through: riflettere attentamente 16 to enact: rappresentare 17 to put on: mettere in scena 18 opening night: notte di debutto 19 to work out: lavorare, risolvere 20 swordplay: arte della scherma 21 workarounds: soluzioni alternative 22 lack: mancanza 23 to attest: attesare, affermare 24 spread: distanza 25 scholars: studiosi 25 skilled: qualificato 27 demanding: esigente 28 disreputable: disdicevole, riprovevole 29 in droves: in massa 30 from all…

When Maxwell Quinn stepped out1 of the November chill2 into Clandestino, a bar in Manhattan’s Chinatown favoured by a young, fashionable crowd, he quickly passed over the sparkling wines3, dirty martinis and Lagunitas IPA. “Can I get a Guinness?” he said. He wasted no time. Before the foam4 could settle5, he raised the glass to his lips and tilted his head back6. He began to chug7. Quinn, thirty-six, was ‘splitting8 the ‘G’,’ an online trend in which drinkers gulp9 Guinness with the hopes that the horizon between the stout10 and the foam falls in the middle of the ‘G’ on a branded11 pint glass. In some corners of the internet, it seems like everyone — the Jonas Brothers, John Cena, your cousin — is splitting the ‘G.’ Guinness, once synonymous…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 15 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 thrilling: emozionante 2 drive for survival: istinto di sopravvivenza 3 wills: volontà 4 to sink: affondare 5 to drown: annegare 6 ominously: sinistramente 7 put to shore: portare a terra 8 cabin boy: mozzo 9 contempt: disprezzo 10 commodities: merci 11 seals: foche 12 crew: equipaggio 13 to threaten: minacciare 14 mutiny: ammutinamento 15 to subdue: reprimere 16 mate: ufficiale di bordo 17 to toughen up: indurirsi 18 stricken: colpito, afflitto 19 to weaken: indebolirsi 20 to go blind: diventare cieco 21 to guess: indovinare 22 to counter: contrastare EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Jack London was one of the world’s most prolific and best-selling authors of the early 20th century. The Sea-Wolf, published in 1904, is a thrilling1 nautical…

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 ARTICOLI IN VERSIONE AUDIO La maggior parte degli articoli è disponibile in versione audio; in questo modo potrai migliorare sia la comprensione sia la pronuncia mentre leggi il testo. All’inizio di ogni articolo troverai il numero della traccia dell’articolo e, nella parte superiore, il tipo…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! The winter of 1924-25 was a difficult time for Nome, a town of about 1,400 people in the Arctic region of Alaska. The town was suffering an outbreak1 of the bacterial disease2 diphtheria. The disease had already killed four children, and many more would die if they didn’t receive the necessary medication, diphtheria antitoxin. A LIFE-SAVING PLAN The necessary quantity of antitoxin was available in the Alaskan city of Anchorage. However, it couldn’t be delivered to Nome by road or air because of adverse weather conditions. So, the people of Alaska transported it as far as possible from Anchorage by rail, to the town of Nenana. They then organised for dog sled3 teams to transport it by relay race4 675 miles [1,086 kilometres] west from…

Sometimes, less really is more. Which is how the Mini became Britain’s favourite car, with 5.5 million sold. Manufactured from August 1959 to October 2000, it revolutionised the motor industry with its combination of style, innovation, economy and sense of fun. SUEZ CRISIS Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. In 1956, the Suez Crisis limited British access to fuel and oil. Petrol rationing, which had ended after World War Two, was briefly reintroduced. With the increased demand for small, cheaper cars, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) set up a new project called ADO15. Greek-British motor engineer Alexander (Alec) Issigonis was asked to lead the design team. DREAMS COME TRUE Issigonis was born in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna (now in Turkey) in 1906. His father was…

Donald Trump’s desire to seize1 control of Greenland and the Panama Canal is being shaped in part by a force that he has sought2 to deny even exists – the climate crisis. Last week, Trump ramped up3 his demands that the United States annex both Greenland and the Panama Canal, refusing to rule out4 economic or even military interventions to take them and threatening “very high” tariffs5 upon Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, if it opposes him. “We need them for economic security,” Trump said. “The Panama Canal is vital to our country, it’s being operated by China. China! We gave the Panama Canal to Panama, not China.” The US president added that Greenland was required for “national security purposes” and that Denmark “should give it up6.”…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! SCAN, READ & LISTEN 11 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 footage: filmato, materiale registrato 2 to tune in: sintonizzarsi, collegarsi 3 stardom: celebrità, fama 4 upbeat: vivaci, allegre 5 catchy: orecchiabili 6 tunes: canzoni 7 lyrics: testi 8 cheeky: sfacciata 9 wit: arguzia, ingegno 10 mohair: fibra tessile 11 suits: completi 12 shaggy: arruffate 13 hairdos: acconciature 14 freedom deliverers: portatori di libertà 15 to blow open the door: spalancare la porta 16 joy: gioia 17 to shake to its core: scuotere le fondamenta 18 to lay claim: affermare 19 to overcome: superare 20 acts: artisti 21 to touch down: arrivare 22 to grieve: essere in lutto, soffrire 23 to lift out: tirare fuori da 24 mourning: lutto On 7 February 1964, The Beatles arrived…

Ask anyone to name the most famous rock bands or popular singers of the last seventy years and the chances are1 that many of the names you’ll hear will be British. Music is a core2 part of the British identity and a major contributor to the UK economy. And yet3, in recent years, music tuition4 has been disappearing from school curriculums. So where will tomorrow’s musicians come from? MUSIC LESSONS The UK is the second biggest exporter of music on the planet. Before the pandemic, music production generated £5.8 billion a year for the economy and supported over 200,000 jobs. High-quality music tuition used to be free for schoolchildren. During World War Two teams of peripatetic (or itinerant) music teachers travelled between local schools providing free or low-cost instrument lessons…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 16 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 to type: digitare 2 suit: completo 3 dry-cleaner’s: lavanderia 4 to nod: annuire 5 mortgage: mutuo 6 to hold your breath: trattenere il respiro 7 soulmate: anima gemella 8 guilt: colpa 9 to take a deep breath: fare un respiro profondo 10 dimly lit: poco illuminato 11 complacency: compiacenza 12 to hold hands: tenersi per mano Hey, pretty lady,” said the message on Mayah’s app, referring to her online name PrettyLady. She smiled. It was a message from MysteryMan. “Hey, handsome man,” she responded. She had no idea if MysteryMan was handsome or not. She had never met him in person. She had connected with him on a community forum and now they were chatting online every night. “Where’s the…

SpeakUp 481 UNIT 1 Page 8 B1 LEVEL April Fools’ Day SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 1.1 VOCABULARY Match numbers (1-9) and letters (a-i) to obtain expressions used in the article. 1.2 TRUE OR FALSE? Read the article and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 1.3 VOCABULARY Insert the vowels to complete the following nouns used in the article. UNIT 2 Page 10 B1 LEVEL The Serum Run SOLUTIONS PAGE 74 2.1 READING COMPREHENSION Read the article and match questions (1-8) and answers (a-h). 2.2 ODD ONE OUT Find the word that doesn’t belong in the group. 2.3 CROSSWORD Complete the crossword by filling in a noun used in the article that means: ACROSS 3 tempo atmosferico 9 ferrovia 10 malattia 11 visibilità 12 staffetta DOWN 1…

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.…

One of the most misinterpreted1 songs in rock music history, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. is heavily2 critical of his country, with particular reference to the after-effects3 of the Vietnam War. First recorded two years before its 1984 release4, it was initially an acoustic blues track called Vietnam, inspired by veteran Rob Kovic’s autobiography Born on the Fourth of July. An instantly-identifiable heavy rock riff leads to the opening verse which immediately indicates this is not a patriotic anthem5 but a tale6 of disillusionment and alienation - the iconic chorus is therefore bitterly7 ironic. The second verse reflects US policy at the time, when young offenders8 were sent to fight in Vietnam in lieu9 of prison time. The third verse tells of their return, when veterans were unable to…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! When you think of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, prestige and academic rigour may come to mind. However, sporting excellence is another hallmark1 of these world-famous institutions. Being collegiate universities, meaning they are divided into small communities called ‘colleges’, sports can either be played at a college or at university level. While colleges have teams and crews2 that compete against one another, university-level teams compete against teams and crews from other universities. MEDIEVAL ORIGINS Cambridge University was established in 1209, and Oxford University between 1249 and 1264. As such, they are the oldest universities in Britain. All of Oxford’s thirty-six colleges and Cambridge’s thirty-one have their own boat clubs where students can learn to row3 and compete against other students at…

EXPRESS IN Work It Out! When Prince Charles and Camilla married on 9 April 2005, the scandal of the illicit affair they had conducted while both still wed to their respective spouses, Princess Diana and Andrew Parker-Bowles, remained the hallmark1 of their relationship. Tellingly2, the understated3 civil ceremony did not take place on royal grounds. Instead, the couple tied the knot4 at Windsor Guildhall5, which is situated just outside the entrance to Windsor Castle, the royal family’s Berkshire residence, some twenty-five miles away from central London. INTIMATE AFFAIR With just twenty-eight guests6, including Camilla’s ex-husband, their children, Tom and Laura Parker-Bowles, and Princes William and Harry, the wedding was devoid7 of the pomp and ceremony that had defined the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on 29 July 1981,…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 12 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 flood: alluvione 2 mock-documentary: falso documentario 3 to make your way: incamminarsi verso 4 alike: allo stesso modo, ugualmente 5 to struggle: avere difficoltà 6 cult: setta 7 Duck Soup: La guerra lampo dei Fratelli Marx 8 goon: stupido 9 plot: trama 10 coach-load: pullman pieno 11 stream of consciousness: flusso di coscienza 12 cartoon: cartone animato 12 meanies: meschini 13 fandoms: comunità di fan 14 puns: giochi di parole 15 double entendres: doppi sensi 16 in-jokes: battute private 17 acclaim: acclamazione 18 self-deprecating: autoironico 19 praises: lodi 20 refusal: rifiuto 21 to spark: scatenare 22 to claim: affermare 23 tight-lipped: taciturno 24 crew-cut: taglio militare 25 I am my own man: io sono me stesso Last year, director Sam Mendes…

The Benedetti Foundation Established in 2019 by superstar violinist Nicola Benedetti, the foundation provides equal access to music participation and appreciation for all. Their team of exceptional educators and performers have worked with over 50,000 participants of all ages from hundreds of schools in 103 countries through in-person and virtual programmes. The foundation believes “in the strength of music, in excellence and inclusivity, tradition and innovation and in the power of mass inspirational moments to connect communities.” Feversham Primary Academy This primary school is in a low-income26 area of Bradford, Yorkshire, where almost half the children receive free school meals. When music was firmly established as a central part of the teaching a few years ago, the school completely turned around and results skyrocketed27. Apart from songs in History lessons…

Good afternoon, you’ve reached Globex Ltd.1 How can I help? Oh, hello. Could you put me through to Jack Smith, please? Of course! Who may I say is calling? It’s John, his main2 supplier3 in the south. Alright, hold, please! … He’s not at his desk right now. Would you like to try later? When will he be back? Let me look at his agenda. Ah, he’s in meetings all day until 5pm. Oh, I’ ll be heading home then. Would you like to leave a message? Yes, please. Can you tell him I’m trying to get hold of him? And ask him to call me tomorrow on my mobile? No problem. Does he have your number? Yes, he does. Thanks for your help. You’re welcome. Have a nice day. You,…