Table of contents for No 471 in Speak Up

TOP BRITS SPEAK UP IN CLASS 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…

A tragicomic 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 […] While my body knew what it craved for, my mind rejected my body’s every plea. One moment I was ashamed and frightened, another…

ARTÍCULOS POR NIVELES Todos nuestros artículos se presentan con un código de color para indicar el nivel de dificultad del inglés empleado de acuerdo con la Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE B1 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE C1 ADVANCED C2 PROFICIENCY GLOSARIO Encontrarás el vocabulario más relevante de cada artículo indicado con un número en el color correspondiente a su nivel de dificultad y su traducción en el glosario adjunto. A towering1 figure in British history, Queen Victoria was actually a diminutive figure, just one metre fifty GLOSSARY 1 towering: imponente2 to rule:gobernar3 to number: ascender, sumar EXPLAINS Los textos subrayados en amarillo indican que la frase requiere de una explicación más extensa, como referencias históricas o culturales, frases hechas, proverbios o argot. Encontrarás la explicación al…

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. RICH CITY/POOR CITY Ireland is a divided country and not everyone who lives there identifies as Irish. Following over seven hundred years of resistance to foreign…

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…

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 something Sally-Anne always said, whenever2 she had to refuse her daughter permission to do something. “Well, yes. You are too young to go to a Halloween college party.” “I’m seventeen, Mum. Literally all of my friends are going. You’re such a control freak3.” Melanie was right. Sally-Anne was a control freak. And she was going to control her daughter’s life as much as she could for as long as she could. It was for her protection. As an administrative assistant at the local police station, she knew better than most the terrible crimes…

Buy Nothing Day UNIT 1 Page 8 A2LEVEL 1.1 VOCABULARY ▶ Read the article and match the words (1-6) with their meanings (a-f). USEFUL EXPRESSIONS it caught on se popularizó, tuvo éxito 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 USb in Canadac in Mexico. 2) Buy Nothing Day was created a by a non-profit organisation called Adbustersb by Ted Davec by the populist movement Occupy Wall Street 3) It started to be celebrated on the day following Thanksgiving a in 1997b in 1992c in 2013 4) The last Friday in November is referred to as a Black Fridayb Buy Nothing Dayc Occupy Wall Street Day 5) Currently, Buy Nothing…

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 —…

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…

The actor Nigel Hawthorne — who most famously played the duplicitous civil servant1 Sir Humphrey in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister — used to tell a story about being invited to lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, along with a score2 or so of fellow thespians3. When the company was seated, each guest was presented with a small round plate upon which rested an unpeeled peach4 , along with a too-dainty5 knife and fork. All gazed6 in more or less consternation at this challenge to their dexterity7; no doubt the more literary-minded8 put to themselves J. Alfred Prufrock’s anguished question, “Do I dare to eat a peach?” All set to work on the fruit, peeling, slicing9, forking, as best they could. In the midst of his efforts, Nigel…

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’ll be…