Содержание выпуска: N. 474 — Speak Up Italia

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! SCAN, READ & LISTEN 01 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 stuck: bloccato 2 to acknowledge: riconoscere 3 to make a point: esprimere qualcosa 4 to nod: accennare con il capo 5 deed: atto 6 to merge: fondersi 7 to stress: accentuare 8 as a matter of fact: in realtà 9 settings: contesti 10 statement: affermazione 11 nuanced: sfumati 12 skilled: esperto 13 scarcely: appena 14 at a loss for words: senza parole 15 wise: saggio 16 agreeable: gradevoli 17 to over-use: utilizzare eccessivamente When you find yourself stuck1 in a conversation and you have no idea what to say, 'indeed' is the best word to imply that you acknowledge2 the point made3 but neither agree nor disagree. It's a diplomat's dream, the verbal equivalent of nodding4. IN TRUTH According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'indeed' dates back to around…

CURRENT AFFAIRS EXERCISES IN Work It Out! SPEAK UP Explains Jensanity. Oggigiorno, il lancio di prodotti tecnologici ha spesso un impatto simile a quello dei fan di una pop star. Pertanto, anche i leader di queste aziende acquisiscono lo status di celebrità. Nel caso di Jensen Huang, la stampa specializzata ha coniato il termine Jensanity dalla fusione del suo nome con il sostantivo insanity ('follia'), così come si fece ad esempio con la Beatlemania o con la formazione di gruppi come i Beliebers o gli Swifties. Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta… we're all familiar with the big names in the tech industry, but now a new company is making the headlines1: US company Nvidia produces the chips used to train2 and operate generative AI. The company has soared3 in value: in…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Depending on where you live, food that you usually pay for can be readily available1 for free. It is all around: on trees, in fields or in forests. If you know what you are doing, you can pick it, prepare it and consume it safely. This is called 'foraging2', which refers to the harvesting3 of wild4 organic material from herbs and berries5 to edible6 flowers and fungi7. Many foraged foods are tastier8 and more nutritious than their cultivated equivalents, and as people become more interested in where their food comes from, foraging is becoming more popular. IN THE STATES In the US, foraging has become so popular that there are regional guides to common wild edible foods available online. In most places, however, foraging is…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! On the Shetland Islands, an archipelago in the far north of Scotland, Shetland sheep have been roaming1 the hills for thousands of years. These sheep have a type of wool that is ideal for creating quality textiles, now internationally renowned. Every year, people come from all over the world for Shetland Wool Week, a celebration of sheep, wool and the local textile industry. SHEEP, AND MORE Shetland Wool Week began in 2010. It takes place throughout the Shetland Islands, which comprises2 around one hundred islands, sixteen of which are inhabited. It includes a variety of exhibitions, classes, and events on things like weaving3, spinning4, dyeing5, and the famous Fair Isle knitting6 technique which originated there. It offers visitors an opportunity to experience this remote and…

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 di accento della persona che…

MUSIC It's hard to believe, given the wide choice of music available today, that the BBC held a monopoly on UK radio broadcasting until 1973. Celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this year, Radio Caroline was the first of a new wave of pirate radio stations to challenge and disrupt the state-owned service READY TO ROCK In the early 1960s, as rock music exploded across the airwaves1, the BBC allocated2 just six hours a week to popular music on its UK network. The only competition came from Radio Luxembourg, which played hits from the major record labels3. But how could anyone hear new, independent artists? SCAN, READ & LISTEN 02 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B1 GLOSSARY 1 airwaves: onde radio 2 to allocate: assegnare 3 record labels: etichette discografiche 4 offshore: al largo, in alto mare 5 MV:…

MUSIC A radical change of direction for The Cranberries, Zombie was the lead single1 from the group's second album, No Need to Argue, released in 1994. A protest song defined by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan's emotive voice and its use of distorted grunge guitar, it has been described as “a masterpiece of alternative rock.” The band, from Limerick in western Ireland, was already world-famous for their dreamy indie-pop introspective sound. O'Riordan attributed the change in musical direction to the experience of touring, explaining that “on the road we started to rock out a bit more.” In 1993, paramilitary republican group the Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombed Warrington, England, killing two children. This caused international outrage2 and inspired The Cranberries to write a “song for peace, peace among England and Ireland.” The…

Britain's voters handed1 the Labour Party a landslide2 election victory, but one laden3 with asterisks. Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office4 with a commanding5 majority in the British Parliament, yet in terms of the total number of ballots6 cast7, his party won only one-third of the vote, less than what it got in 2017 when it lost to the Conservatives. Labour made inroads8 across Britain, yet its wins were often eclipsed by the Tory losses, including that of Liz Truss, the unpopular former prime minister who was evicted9 from her seat10. The thundering11 mutiny12 of the voters may have been the biggest message of Britain's election. It has ushered13 in a new era of Labour government, left the Conservatives to nurse14 the worst defeat in their history and stands as…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out SCAN, READ & LISTEN 11 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 to muster: radunare le forze 2 blatantly: palesemente 3 to cavort: fare festa 4 never mind: non importa, non fa niente 5 betrayal: tradimento 6 to deem: considerare 7 to roll one's eyes: sgranare gli occhi 8 screening: proiezione 9 cast: personaggi 10 deep-seated: profonda 11 mistrust: sfiducia 12 to posit: ipotizzare 13 byproduct: sottoprodotto 14 to lend oneself to: prestare 15 one-size-fits-all: uguale per tutti 16 to delve into: investigare 17 visuospatial lobe: lobo visuo-spaziale 18 onset: inizio, principio 19 to flee: fuggire 20 to maraud: depredare 21 hunch: presentimento, presagio 22 to harness: sfruttare 23 off duty: fuori servizio 24 to run riot: scatenarsi 25 wishful thinking: pia illusione 26 to chase: inseguire 27 late: defunta 28 aka: anche noto come (also known as) 29 to cope: resistere, reagire 30 to lessen: diminuire 31 to elicit: provocare, suscitare 32 to reassess: rivalutare 33 annoyed: essere infastidita 34…

LANGUAGE EXERCISES IN Work It Out! British and American slang1 proliferates in today's interconnected world. Social media platforms are where slang Brit and slang Yankee compete to win young users over through the exchange of memes, tweets or videos. Rapid and viral sharing turns language into a shared asset2 among cultures and continents. Through their distinctive vernacular3, British and American English merge4 into a global linguistic fabric, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving5 landscape that reflects the fluid nature of modern communication. HISTORIC EVOLUTION Some famously vulgar four-letter swear words originate from Old or Middle English and are commonly used by both British people and Americans. Other expressions simply refuse to cross the Atlantic. For centuries, the British have used terms like 'blimey6' (God blind me) or 'bloody hell' to show…

FICTION A SHORT STORY Katya refreshed the browser1 on her laptop and read the most recent comments on her vlog2. “Wow! You look incredible.” “Beautiful girl. Beautiful place!” “Inspirational.” “Living the dream, Katya!”… The comments were in reaction to her final video from Joshua Tree National Park, where she had spent a week exploring the desert landscape and documenting every moment for her travel vlog, Global Adventures. The name of her vlog wasn't very accurate3. Until now, she'd visited destinations only in the US. But her plan was to visit every national park in the country to attract more subscribers — and advertisers4. She wanted to use the money generated by advertisements on her vlog to begin living her dream of visiting every country in the world. She refreshed her browser…

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 03 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 whimsical: stravagante 2 to dress up: travestirsi 3 to dare: osare 4 to goad: stimolare 5 to catch on: diventare di moda 6 Cap'n Slappy: Capitano ceffone 7 Ol' Chumbucket: Vecchio secchio per esche 8 romp: commedia spassosa 9 downright: davvero 10 prayers: preghiere 11 Easter eggs: messaggi occulti (Lett. uova di Pasqua) 12 shortage: scarsità 13 catchphrase: motto 14 grumbling: lamentela 15 locker: forziere 16 to drown: annegare 17 to sink: affondare 18 to overtake: sorpassare, superare 19 fair: favorevole 20 grub: larva 21 unused: non abituato a 22 lily-livered: fegato di giglio 23 loot: bottino 24 rascal: birbantello 25 mischievous: birichino, monello 26 to shiver: avere i brividi 27 timbers: legname 28 cheerful: allegro Well, shiver me timbers and blow me down! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, savvy?* The unofficial annual holiday on 19 September is a whimsical1 event that celebrates an idealised vision…

British ethologist Jane Goodall transformed the world's understanding of the relationship between humans and animals through her long-term observation of the behaviour of chimpanzees, man's closest relative. She spent more than fifty years in the African jungle and her work there forced scientists to accept that humans were part of, and not separate from, the rest of the animal kingdom. OBSESSED WITH ANIMALS Goodall was born in London, England in April 1934. Captivated by animals almost from birth, she took earthworms1 from the garden into her bed aged just eighteen months. Rejecting dolls2, Jane only wanted toy animals, and later dreamt of travelling to Africa throughout her teenage years. Leaving school at eighteen, she worked until she had enough money to realise her dream. STUDYING CHIMPANZEES Once in Tanzania, she…

SCAN, READ & LISTEN 09 ADVANCED C1 GLOSSARY 1 halfbreed: mezzosangue 2 to belong: appartenere 3 fur traders: commercianti di pellicce 4 derogatory: dispregiativo 5 inaccurate: impreciso 6 to hang: impiccare 7 to disrupt: interrompere 8 settlers: coloni 9 hardship: avversità, difficoltà 10 land theft: furto di terre 11 siblings: fratelli e sorelle 12 down-to-earth: con i piedi per terra 13 wisdom: saggezza 14 life-affirming: carica vitale 15 landless: senza terra 16 to grant: concedere 17 worth: valore 18 claims: rivendicazioni 19 settlements: accordi 20 to rise: avanzare 21 rates: indici 22 homelessness: l'essere senza tetto 23 draft: bozza 24 rape: stupro 25 to nurture: alimentare 26 crippled: invalido 27 to put down: mettere da parte 28 to wound: ferire 29 to hide away: nascondere Born in a rural area in Saskatchewan, Canada, Maria Campbell is an Indigenous Métis elder, teacher, writer and filmmaker. Now eighty-four years old, her memoir Halfbreed1 (1973) is regarded as a foundational piece…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Between 1936 and 1939, some thirty-five to fifty thousand men and women from around the world volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War. They travelled to Spain as part of the International Brigades and took up arms1 against the forces of Spanish general Francisco Franco. Speaking different languages, lacking2 military experience, and armed with inferior weapons, the Brigaders made up3 (to a degree) for these disadvantages with their astonishing4 bravery as well as their capacity to improvise: heavy library books, for example, were repurposed5 as sandbags by machine gun6 crews7. STORIES OF WAR These fighters of fascism would have no doubt appreciated Giles Tremlett's book The International Brigades. The hefty8 tome is more than five hundred pages long and includes hundreds of footnotes9 detailing…

LANGUAGE NOW LET'S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY! What's up? is a colloquial way of asking, “How are you?” Chillax is an amalgamation of 'chill out' and 'relax'. A gig is a concert. OMG is short for 'Oh, my God'. Lit is slang for 'amazing' or 'excellent'. Cut and run means to leave quickly. To blag is to persuade someone to let you do something in a slightly10 dishonest way. Well posh is slang for 'very upper-class'. Jelly is short for ' jealous'. Boujee means 'high-class', derived from the French 'bourgeois'. Savage AF means 'extremely brilliant'; 'AF' is short for 'as fuck'. Smashed means drunk. To crash is to spend the night. Mos def is short for 'most definitely11'. SCAN, READ & LISTEN 15 UPPER INTERMEDIATE B2 GLOSSARY 1 dude: tipo, tizio 2…