Get Smart. Exam Trainer. Contents. Reading comprehension & Summaries. Letters. Dialogues. Oral Presentation: Culture. Oral Presentation: CLIL

Get Smart Exam Trainer Contents Reading comprehension & Summaries 2 3 Introduction 4 5 Votes for Women: Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes; Come riconscere un buon riassunto 6 7 From Pyramids to Skyscrapers; Connettori 8 9 Cyberbullying: a new generation of bullying; I sinonimi 10 11 Hollywood meets Bollywood; Rispondere alle domande 12 13 The Fourth Plinth; Identificare e usare informazioni chiave 14 15 Windmill Boy; Come prendere appunti e svilupparli 16 17 The European Development Youth Prize; Guida passo passo Letters 18 Introduction 19 Parts of a letter 20 The main body of a letter 21 Preparing a draft 22 Checking for errors 23 Step-by-step practice 24 Writing emails Dialogues 25 Introduction 26 Situations (1) Capire dove ha luogo il dialogo 27 Functions (1) Riconoscere le funzioni 28 Responses (1) Domande e risposte 29 Situations(2) Identificare chi parla 30 Functions (2) Usare le funzioni in modo corretto 31 Responses (2) Risposte comuni Oral Presentation: Culture 32 33 Introduction 34 35 Eccentric Britain; A festival 36 37 Two American Presidents; An American President 38 39 Belfast; A city 40 41 Great American Sports; A sport 42 43 The English-speaking World; An English-speaking country 44 45 The American Civil Rights Movement; A biography 46 47 September 11th; A commemorative day 48 49 The Aborigines of Australia; An indigenous population 50 51 American icons; A singer or musician 52 53 Shakespeare s Globe; A famous building Oral Presentation: CLIL 54 55 Science: Photosynthesis; A scientific process / an experiment 56 57 Music: Musical sounds and instruments; A musical instrument 58 59 History: The Holocaust Winton s children; A heroic person 60 61 Geography: Waterfalls A natural geographical feature 62 63 Wordlist

1 Reading comprehension & Summaries Introduction All Esame di Stato è possibile che ti venga chiesto di leggere un brano e di rispondere alle domande. Le indicazioni su questa pagina ti mostrano come affrontare questo tipo di attività. Steps Fare pronostici Prima di leggere, osserva le figure, il titolo e il brano. Prova ad indovinare di che cosa tratta il brano e il significato delle parole. 1 Osserva le figure e il titolo del brano, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 What do you think the text is about? 2 Underline the words you expect to find in the text. Atlantic black Caribbean computers cooking English island mountains music population reggae runner snow tigers Jamaica and its national heroes Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea. Its name comes from the word xaymaca. Xaymaca means land of wood and water. For many years, the island was a British colony, but it became independent in 1962. Jamaica s official language is English, but most Jamaicans speak a local dialect called Jamaican patois. The population of Jamaica is about 2.7 million. More than 90% of the population are black, about 7% are mixed race and the rest are white. About a third of the population lives in the capital, Kingston, on the south-east coast of the island. Jamaica is probably most famous for its music. Ska and reggae originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and 60s, and Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley exported reggae out of Jamaica. He was very successful, and he had number 1 hits all over the world. Jamaica and the rest of the world were very sad when he died in 1981. The reggae movement has an enormous influence on world music, and Bob Marley is a national hero in Jamaica. But Jamaica has a second national hero. In 2008, runner Usain Bolt won three gold medals in the summer Olympics. He was the first man to run 200 metres in less than 20 seconds, and he also broke records in the 100 metres race, and the 4 x 100 metres relay. mixed race di razza mista singer-songwriter cantautore relay staffetta OUP copyright 2012

Steps Leggere e capire le domande Leggi tutte le domande e assicurati di averle capite. Ci sono due tipi di domande: Comprehension questions (queste dimostrano che hai capito il brano) e Personal questions (ti vengono rivolte domande sulle tue esperienze e sulla tua opinione in relazione al brano). 2 Leggi le domande 1 10. Le capisci tutte? Quali sono Comprehension questions e quali invece sono Personal questions? Steps Identificare le risposte alle domande di comprensione Prima di iniziare a scrivere, sottolinea le parti del brano che riguardono le risposte alle domande. Non ti preoccupare se non capisci ogni parola nel brano! Leggi il brano e rispondi alle domande. 1 Where is Jamaica? Jamaica is in the Caribbean Sea. 2 When did it become independent? 3 Ora leggi il brano e scrivi le risposte alle domande 1 8. Steps Scrivere risposte alle domande di comprensione Quando rispondi alle domande: 4 Scrivi le risposte alle domande 9 e 10. Steps Rispondere a domande personali Le domande personali, che di solito si trovano alla fine dell esercizio di comprensione del brano, hanno lo scopo di farti pensare più approfonditamente sull argomento e di far esprimere i tuoi sentimenti e le tue opinioni. Impara a memoria queste espressioni utili: I think/i don t think..., In my opinion..., I am in favour of/i am against... 5 Rileggi le domande e il brano. Rileggi le tue risposte e cerca di migliorarle. 3 What is the official language in Jamaica? Steps Controllare 4 What is the population of Jamaica? 5 Where is the capital city? 6 Which types of music come from Jamaica? 7 Who helped Jamaican music become popular world wide? 8 How many gold medals did Usain Bolt win in the 2008 Olympics? 9 Would you like to visit Jamaica? Why?/Why not? Devi ricontrollare le risposte. Non dare l eleborato d esame all insegnante finchè non sei soddisfatto delle tue risposte. Exam success Adesso metti in pratica quello che hai imparato e preparati all esame. Alle pagine 4 17 troverai sette tipi diversi di brani con attività di comprensione della lettura. Segui le indicazioni 1 6 quando affronti questo materiale. È possibile che ti venga anche chiesto di scrivere un riassunto di un brano all Esame di Stato. Alle pagine 4 17, oltre agli esercizi di comprensione della lettura, troverai anche una guida passo passo a come scrivere un riassunto. 10 Does Italy have any national heroes? Who are they? three 3

1 Reading comprehension & Summaries Votes for women! Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes One night, an English child called Emmeline was and interrupted t political l in bed. Her parents went into the bedroom to say meetings. Some suffragettes goodnight. Emmeline didn t open her eyes, so they were violent: they attacked thought she was sleeping. Her father said, What a pity politicians and started fires. she isn t a boy. Emmeline understood from his words In 1913, a suffragette ran that in society men were more important than women, in front of the King s horse although both her parents believed in votes for women. during a horse race and died. People were very shocked. Many years later, in 1879, Emmeline married Richard Pankhurst. She was 20 years old. Emmeline and Richard believed in equality for women. At that time in Britain, women didn t have the same rights as men. They were second-class citizens and couldn t vote in national elections. Emmeline and Richard wanted all women to be able to vote. This was called universal suffrage. Unfortunately, Richard died suddenly in 1898, but Emmeline was determined to continue fighting for women s rights. In 1903, Emmeline and her daughters started the Women s Social and Political Union. The group organised meetings and made speeches. They wrote articles and letters and sent them to newspapers and political leaders. People called the women suffragettes. In 1905, the suffragettes wanted more publicity, so they became more active. They chained themselves to buildings, including Buckingham Palace, so people could see them. They organised demonstrations, The police arrested Emmeline Pankhurst many times. In 1912, she went to prison 12 times! In prison, she often went on hunger strike (she didn t eat). Other suffragettes went on hunger strike, too. In 1914, the First World War began. Britain needed new workers, because a lot of the men were at war. For the first time women did jobs that were traditionally for men. For example, they worked in factories, and they became mechanics. In 1918, after the war, the government changed the voting laws. Some women over 30 years old could vote, but there were restrictions. This was an important victory, but many women still couldn t vote so the battle continued. Finally, in 1928, the British government gave equal voting rights to men and women. Everybody over the age of 21 could vote. Sadly, Emmeline Pankhurst died that year but she died knowing that women could finally vote. Reading comprehension what a pity! che peccato! speeches discorsi chained themselves si incatenarono interrupted interuppero 1 5.02 Ascolta e leggi il brano sul movimento delle sufragette, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 What did Emmeline understand from her father s words? 2 When did she get married? 3 What did Richard and Emmeline want for all women? 4 What happened in 1898? 5 What did the Women s Social and Political Union do? 6 What did people call the women? 7 How did the women start to protest in 1905? 8 How many times did Emmeline go to prison in 1912? 9 What did women do during the war? 10 When did all women over 21 get the vote? 11 When did Emmeline Pankhurst die? 12 At what age can people vote in Italy? 13 Do you think women are equal to men in Italy? 4 four

1 2 Leggi il brano sul diritto al voto delle donne nel mondo, poi completa la tabella. Country 1 USA Year all women could vote 1893 Great Britain 1928 South Africa 1930 France 1944 3 4 5 Women s suffrage around the world Women around the world received the right to vote gradually. In most countries today, women can vote. The first country to give voting rights to women was New Zealand in 1893. However, the first place where they got the vote was Wyoming, in the United States, in 1869 although it was only in 1920 that all women in the United States could vote. In Italy, women received complete voting rights in 1945, after the Second World War. The last country in Europe to give votes to women was Liechtenstein in 1984. The most recent countries to give votes to women were Qatar, in 2007, and the United Arab Emirates in 2010. Today, there are only two countries in the world where no women can vote: Saudi Arabia and Brunei. United Arab Emirates Summaries (1) 2 1945 1984 2007 Steps Come riconoscere un buon riassunto Assicurati di sapere quali sono gli elementi di un buon riassunto. brano originale. 6 3 Leggi i due riassunti della prima metà del brano a pag. 4. Quale ritieni sia il migliore? Perché? Summary A As a child, Emmeline Pankhurst realised that men were more important than women in society. Later, in 1879, she got married. She and her husband believed in equality, but many women in Britain couldn t vote. Emmeline wanted the vote for all women. She began to fight for this, and in 1903 she founded the Women s Social and Political Union. This group of women, who people called suffragettes, organised meetings and contacted politicians. Summary B When Emmeline Pankhurst was a child her parents went into her bedroom and they thought she was asleep. Her father wanted a boy and Emmeline was angry because men were more important than women. She got married in 1879. Women couldn t vote and Emmeline and Richard wanted universal suffrage. Women were second-class citizens and most women couldn t vote. Richard died and she decided to fight for women s rights. Emmeline and her husband started the Woman s Social and Political Union. The Woman s Social and Political Union wrote letters to newspapers and they wrote letters to politicians. They were suffragettes. 4 Rileggi i riassunti A e B poi rispondi alle domande per scoprire qual è un buon riassunto. 1 Which summary is shorter? 2 Which summary contains all the key points from the two paragraphs? 3 Which summary doesn t contain unnecessary detail? 4 Which summary doesn t contain repetition? 5 Which summary doesn t contain inaccuracies? 5 Leggi il riassunto scadente (Summary B). Sottolinea un esempio di ciascuno dei seguenti punti: five 5

2 Reading comprehension & Summaries From Pyra mids t o Skyscrapers Great Pyramid in Giza People have built tall buildings for thousands of years and they have often been symbols of power, and status. Starting over 4,000 years ago, the Egyptians built the pyramids as tombs for their leaders. They were the biggest and tallest constructions of their time. The tallest pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Giza, is 147 metres tall. Later, in medieval times, important and rich families built tall towers, in countries like Italy. The towers were for defence, but they were also status symbols and families competed to build the highest towers. There are also many examples of ancient, tall, religious buildings across Europe: Greek temples, Italian church towers and French gothic cathedrals. At the end of the 19 th century, the world changed dramatically with the arrival of the industrial revolution. During this period, a lot of people moved to cities for work. Their life and work was in the cities. Around the same time factories started to produce new metals like iron and steel. These metals were very strong, so it was possible to make taller, stronger buildings and people started building higher. At first these were buildings used by businesses. Burj Khalifa in Dubai In the USA, people were amazed when they saw the new, tall buildings. The word skyscraper was used for the first time in the 1880s. People say that the first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. This was built between 1884 and 1885. It had ten floors. Today, the tallest skyscrapers have over one hundred floors! During the first half of the 20 th century, numerous skyscrapers appeared across North America. Most of the workers on the new buildings were immigrants from Europe and Native Americans. They were happy to have a job, but it was very dangerous. There were frequent accidents and unfortunately a lot of the workers died. In Europe, many people didn t like the tall buildings. They thought they were dangerous and ugly. In London, parliament introduced new rules that limited the height of buildings during the Victorian period. This is why there aren t any very old skyscrapers in London. But the rules finally changed in the mid-20 th century, and Britain joined many other countries and followed America s example. Now there are skyscrapers on every continent. In fact, today, some of the tallest skyscrapers are in Malaysia, Taiwan and Dubai. Skyscrapers are now symbols of the economic power of a city. Petronas in Kuala Lumpur constructions costruzioni factories fabbriche iron ferro steel acciaio rules regolamenti height altezza Reading comprehension 1 5.03 Ascolta e leggi il brano, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 Why did people build tall buildings in the past? 2 Why did medieval families in Italy build tall towers? 3 What three types of religious building are mentioned in the text? 4 Why did people move to the cities at the end of the 19 th century? 5 What new technology helped people to build skyscrapers? 6 Where was the first skyscraper? 7 How many floors did it have? 8 Who worked on the skyscrapers? 9 Why didn t some people in Europe like skyscrapers? 10 Why were there few skyscrapers in London before the 1960s? 6 six

2 11 Name three places outside the United States that have skyscrapers. 12 What do you think of skyscrapers? 13 Would you like to live in a skyscraper? Why/ Why not? 2 Leggi il brano sull Empire State Building. A che cosa si riferiscono i numeri nel riquadro? The Empire State Building If you say the word skyscraper, many people ple think of the Empire State Building in New York. It was built in 1930, and it s the most famous skyscraper in the world. The Empire State Building i is 381 metres $24,000,000 to build and about 3,400 builders worked on it. Many of the workers were immigrants from Italy and Ireland. Others were Mohawk Native Americans. The Mohawks were famous for their ability to work with iron and steel, and for being able to climb. In fact, people started to call them skywalkers because they had an incredible sense of balance! The workers were very fast: week and the building was completed in only one year and 45 days! The Empire state Building was the world s tallest skyscraper for over 40 years. Today, It s one of New York City s most important tourist attractions. Tourists can go to the observation decks on the 86 th and 102 nd for a fantastic panoramic view of Manhattan. There are 73 elevators, but if you prefer, you can walk up the 1,860 steps to the 102 nd 1930 381 103 24 million 3,400 40 73 1,860 Summaries (2) Steps Connettori Quando scrivi un riassunto usa i connettori and, but, so, because per farlo scorrere meglio e sembrare più naturale. And unisce idee, parole e frasi, per es. I play football and tennis. But unisce due idee contrastanti, per es. I play football, but I don t play tennis. So indica il risultato di qualcosa, per es. I m ill today so I can t play football. Because spiega la ragione di qualcosa, per es. I can t play football today because I m ill. 3 Leggi le frasi del riassunto del brano principale. Usa un connettore per collegare ciascun gruppo di frasi. People have built tall buildings for thousands of years. They have often been symbols of power and status. People have built tall buildings for thousands of years and they have often been symbols of power and status. 1 Many years ago people wanted to honour their leaders. They built big tombs. 2 Important families built tall towers. They wanted to defend their houses. 3 During the Industrial Revolution people moved to the cities. The factories needed workers. 4 The factories produced new metals. They could build taller buildings. 5 Skyscrapers appeared in the USA in the 1880s. The first was in Chicago. 6 Immigrants worked on the skyscrapers. The job was very dangerous. Many died. 7 In Europe, skyscrapers weren t popular at first. People thought they were ugly. 8 Parliament limited the height of buildings in London. There are no old skyscrapers there. 4 Ora copia le frasi dell es. 3 nel tuo quaderno per avere un esempio di un riassunto completo di un brano. 1930 = The year they built the Empire State Building. seven 7

3 Reading comprehension & Summaries Cyber-bullying: a new generation of bullying 1 Has anyone ever bullied you? If your answer is yes, then you are not alone! Eight out of ten people in the UK have been victims of bullying. Many celebrities from around the world were also bullied at school. Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Kate Winslet and Orlando Bloom were all victims of bullying. And look at them now! They are all very successful. The bullies didn t win. 4 5 bullying usually feels safe at home because bullies can t touch them. But cyber-bullies enter the victim s home via their computer and mobile phone and the bullying continues. Victims of bullying usually feel isolated. They are often frightened, and they don t talk about the problem, even with a best friend. Bullying has serious effects on victims. They often start to do badly at school and they become depressed. Tragically, some even commit suicide. Schools and the police take cyber-bullying very seriously. They try to help students, teachers and parents. There are websites with advice for victims. Social networking sites and mobile phone providers are also trying to stop cyber-bullying. 2 3 But have you ever heard of cyber-bullying? Cyber-bullying means bullying using up-todate technology. Cyber-bullies use the Internet and mobile phones to attack their victims. For example, they sometimes send threatening or offensive emails and text messages. Sometimes they harass people on social networking sites, forums and in chat rooms. Some bullies invent stories about their victim and put them on the Internet. Cyber-bullying is becoming more common. In fact, about a third of teenagers in the UK have suffered from it. Cyber-bullying is easy for the bully. It s easy to send a text message or upload photos. The bully is anonymous. He or she can attack at any time of day or night. For the victim, cyber-bullying is often worse than physical bullying because it isn t possible to escape. The victim of physical victims vittime threatening minaccioso, intimidatorio offensive offensivo harass molestare, perseguitare effects conseguenze advice consigli trust fidarsi di 6 If you are a victim of cyber-bullying, tell a person you trust: a member of your family, a teacher or a friend. Don t delete offensive text messages or emails. Save the messages on your mobile phone and print the emails. Never reply to the messages. Bullies want a reaction, so it s a good idea to ignore them. Go to the police if you receive threatening messages, or think you are in physical danger. CASE STUDY CYBER-BULLY GOES TO PRISON 8 eight

3 Reading comprehension 1 5.04 Ascolta e leggi il brano sul bullismo nel cyberspazio e il caso, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 How many people in the UK are victims of bullying? 2 What type of technology do cyber-bullies use? 3 Name two ways that cyber-bullies attack their victims. 4 Why is cyber-bullying easy for the bully? 5 Why do victims of bullying often feel isolated? 6 What are schools and the police doing to stop bullying? 7 What should you do if you are the victim of cyber-bullies? 8 What should you NOT do? 9 What did Keeley Houghton do to a girl at her school? 10 Why did she go to prison? 11 Is there a problem of bullying in your school? 12 What does your school do to stop bullying? 3 Leggi il riassunto dei paragrafi 2 e 3. Sottolinea le parole e frasi che corrispondono alle parole o espressioni nel riquadro. afraid alone create a lot of problems for get away not difficult Cyber-bullying is easy for bullies because they are anonymous. It is terrible for the victims because they can t escape. Physical bullies can t touch their victims at home, but cyber-bullies can. Victims of bullying usually feel isolated. They don t tell people because they re frightened. Bullying can have very serious effects on victims. 4 Ora riscrivi il riassunto dell es. 3 nel tuo quaderno usando i sinonimi. Steps to exam success Dopo aver scritto il tuo riassunto all Esame di Stato, rileggilo e cerca di trovare parole che possano essere sostituite da sinonimi adatti per rendere il riassunto più variato. Summaries (3) Steps I sinonimi Quando scrivi un riassunto non copiare il brano parola per parola, ma prova a riscriverlo con parole tue. Identifica le parole che puoi sostituire con sinonimi o espressioni simili. 2 Leggi il riassunto del paragrafo 2. Sottolinea le parole nel brano originale che sono state sostituite con i sinonimi in grassetto qui sotto. Cyber-bullies use modern technology to attack their victims. Cyber-bullying is increasing. In the UK, about 30% of young people suffer from cyber-bullying. nine 9

4 Reading comprehension & Summaries Hollywood meets Bollywood We all know Hollywood. It s in Los Angeles, California, and it s the home of American cinema. But what, and where, is Bollywood? Bollywood is a nickname for the Indian film industry. The name comes from Bombay and Hollywood. Bombay is the old name for Mumbai, the capital of Indian cinema. Bollywood produces between 800 and 1,200 films a year. That is more than Hollywood! The first Bollywood film appeared in 1913. It was a silent film and it was very successful. Then in the 1930s, Bollywood made its first film with sound. There are a lot of different languages in India, but today most of Bollywood s films are in Hindi with English subtitles. Bollywood films are usually made in Film City, a big studio in the north of Mumbai. [a/w: some Bollywood The films have a similar format. They stills, maybe an include action songs and dancing and there s shot and a dance often shot, a love story and a lot of action. and/or a poster for one of the more famous They always have a happy ending. They are American Bollywood also very long each film is about three or four hours. Slumdog Millioinaire] Indians love going to the cinema. About 14 million people go to the cinema in India every day. In some cinemas, they pay between $2.50 and $6 to see Bollywood films, but the average salary is only $66 a month! Now Bollywood films are becoming popular around the world. Thousands of people in Britain and the United States watch Bollywood films at the cinema. Bollywood stars are very big celebrities in India. They make a lot of money. Bollywood directors are starting to make films in Britain and America, and some American and British directors are making Bollywood-style films. In 2009, a film called Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars. The director is English, and the main actor is English (although his parents are Indian). It isn t a Bollywood film, but it s set in India. It s similar to Bollywood films: it s very colourful and many of the actors are Indian. There is action, a love story and of course a happy ending. Gradually Bollywood is meeting Hollywood... nickname soprannome sound suono (film sonoro) set ambientato Reading comprehension 1 5.05 Ascolta e leggi il brano, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 Where is Hollywood? 2 What is Bollywood? 3 Which place produces more films per year: Hollywood or Bollywood? 4 What is Film City? 5 Name four characteristics of a Bollywood film. 6 How much does it cost to go to the cinema in India? 7 Where are Bollywood films popular outside India? 8 In what ways is Slumdog Millionaire similar to a Bollywood film? 9 What kind of films do you like? 10 Have you been to the cinema recently? What did you see? 10 ten

4 Kareena Kapoor From Bollywood lyw to Hollywood lyw She is the highest paid actress in Bollywood. Kareena Kapoor was born on 21 st September 1980. She grew up in the film world: her father, Randhir Kapoor, is an important actor and her mother, Babita, was an actress, too. Her sister Karisma has starred in many Bollywood films. So it s not surprising that Kareena also became an actress. Kareena acted in her first film in 2000. In total she has starred in nearly 40 films: she sometimes makes six films in a year! She has won many of the prestigious Filmfare awards, India s equivalent to the Oscars, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Performance. She has acted in all kinds of film, from comedy to action films. She even did a voiceover for India s first animated film, Roadside Romeo! In India, Kareena Kapoor is a top celebrity. She is often in the newspapers and on TV. In 2009, she starred in a film called Kambakkht Ishq. It was the first Bollywood film made in Hollywood. It included appearances by American actors Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Could this star of India become a star of America? Summaries (4) Steps Rispondere alle domande Porre domande su un brano e rispondere ti può aiutare a identificare le informazioni chiave del riassunto. 2 Leggi il brano, poi rispondi alle domande. Step 1: Leggi il brano e sottolinea le parti del brano in cui trovi le risposte. Poi rispondi alle domande. 1 What does Kareena Kapoor do? 2 Why was it not surprising that she became an actress? 3 When did she start acting? 4 How many films has she made? 5 Has she won any awards? 6 What was unusual about the film she made in 2009? 3 Controlla le risposte all es. 2. Identifica i punti in cui hai trovato le risposte nel brano e sottolineali. Step 2: Sviluppa le tue risposte per scrivere un riassunto. 4 Usa le risposte dell es. 3 per completare il riassunto. Kareena Kapoor is an 1 from India. Her 2 and 3 were actors, so it wasn t surprising that Kareena became an actress too. She started acting in 4. She has made 5 films and won a lot of 6. In 2009, Kareena made a Bollywood film in 7, with some American 8. star in essere uno dei protagonisti award premio eleven 11

5 Reading comprehension & Summaries In Trafalgar Square, in the centre of London, there are four plinths. A plinth is a large pedestal for a statue. On three of the plinths there are big statues of important British people from history, for example there s a king and an army commander, but the fourth plinth was empty for many years. Then, in 2009, a famous English artist and sculptor called Antony Gormley decided to create an unusual human monument. He invited British people to occupy the fourth plinth. Every hour, for 100 days and nights, a different person was the monument on the plinth. In total, 2,400 people stood or sat on the plinth: 1,208 men and 1,192 women. They were different ages: the youngest plinther was 16 and the oldest was 84! They came from every region of Britain, from the Shetland Islands to Cornwall. l. They were from all types of background, too. There were teachers and dancers, lorry drivers and doctors, students and pensioners. The project, called One and Other, started at 9 a.m. on 6 th July 2009. A crane lifted the first person onto the plinth. Rachel Wardell, aged 35, from Lincolnshire, was Antony Gormley s first human statue. And the last person on the plinth was 30 year-old Emma Burns, from County Durham. She left the plinth at 9 a.m. on 14 th October. During the hundred days of the project, thousands of visitors in Trafalgar ar Square watched the plinthers and applauded. Gormley also installed a webcam on the plinth, and more than seven million people visited the project s website. People watched the human statues on the plinth from home, on their computers. Many people voted for their favourite plinther and left comments on the website. All the statues were very different. Some people danced, some people e sang, some people protested, some people did nothing. One man wrote his telephone number on a board. He wanted girls to call him! One young woman performed Michael Jackson s Thriller dance on the plinth. Lots of spectators danced with her! Another man took off all his clothes and received a warning from the police! The 2,400 human statues created a unique portrait of the people of Britain. 12 pedestal piedistallo empty vuoto, sgombro pensioners pensionati crane gru board cartellone warning diffida twelve Antony Gormley Antony Gormley was born in London in 1950. He has exhibited his sculptures all over the world, including London, New York, Los Angeles and at the Venice Biennale. He has created some of Britain s most famous and important sculptures, including Angel of the North in Gateshead and Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool. Angel of the North

5 Reading comprehension 1 5.06 Ascolta e leggi il brano, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 Where is Trafalgar Square? 2 Who is Antony Gormley? 3 How many days did Antony Gormley s monument last? 4 How many people took part in the project? 5 How long did each person spend on the plinth? 6 When did the project finish? 7 What did the people who visited the project s website do? 8 Why did a plinther write his telephone number on a board? 9 Have you ever been to London? What did you see there? 10 What do you think of the fourth plinth project? Summaries (5) Steps Identificare e usare informazioni chiave Quando scrivi un riassunto è importante includere tutte le informazioni chiave del brano principale ed eliminare le informazioni che non sono importanti. 2 Osserva il paragrafo 1 e sottolinea le informazioni che ritieni importanti. Le informazioni chiave di solito includono: Step 1: Identifica i punti importanti e le parole essenziali nel brano che vuoi riassumere. 3 Paragona il tuo paragrafo sottolineato a quello in basso. Hai sottolineato le stesse parole? Quali parole non sono sottolineate? In Trafalgar Square, in the centre of London, there are four plinths. A plinth is a large pedestal for a statue. On three of the plinths there are big statues of important British people from history, there s a king and an army commander. The fourth plinth was empty for many years. Then, in 2009, a famous English artist and sculptor called Antony Gormley decided to create an unusual human monument. He invited British people to occupy the fourth plinth. Every hour, for 100 days and nights, a different person occupied the plinth. 4 Dettagli superflui spesso includono i punti elencati qui sotto. Rileggi il paragrafo nell es. 3 e cerchia un esempio di ciascuno. Step 2: Elimina qualsiasi dettagli superfluo. 5 In basso trovi le parole sottolineate dell es. 3. Trasformale in frasi semplici con parole tue. Non guardare il brano originale. Aggiungi verbi, pronomi, preposizioni, articoli e connettori. 1 Trafalgar Square/London/four plinths 2 three/plinths/statues 3 fourth plinth/empty/years 4 2009/English artist/antony Gormley/ human monument 5 100 days/nights/different person/plinth 6 Ora scrivi un riassunto di due righe del paragrafo 2 usando le parole sottolineate in basso. In total, 2,400 people stood or sat on the plinth: 1,208 men and 1,192 women. They were different ages: the youngest plinther was 16 and the oldest was 84! They came from every region of Britain, from the Shetland Islands to Cornwall. They were from all types of background, too. There were teachers and dancers, lorry drivers and doctors, students and pensioners. thirteen 13

6 Reading comprehension & Summaries William Kamkwamba was a normal boy in a normal town in Malawi, Africa. When he was 14 years old he stopped going to school. School cost 50 a year, and William s family didn t have enough money. He returned to his parents small farm in the village of Masitala. Masitala is a very small, poor village. At that time, two hundred people lived there, but the village didn t have water or electricity, like most villages in Malawi. In 2002, there was a drought in Malawi. It didn t rain for months and there wasn t any food. Thousands of people died, and William s family suffered too. William loved studying. He couldn t go to school, but he could study in the library. He particularly loved Science. One day he found an old book. He opened the book, and saw a picture of a windmill. He discovered that windmills can make electricity, and they can pump water. William thought, This can help us against drought and hunger, so he decided to make a windmill. During the day, William worked on the farm with his family. Every evening, he worked on his windmill. Of course, he didn t have electricity, so he used a paraffin lamp for light. After months of work, William finally finished his windmill. He built it with old pieces of bicycles, tractors and other rubbish. It was five metres tall. At first, the people in his village thought that William was mad. But then he attached a light bulb to the windmill. The wind turned the blades and the bulb lit up! The people were very surprised. They laughed and applauded. William used the windmill to produce electricity for his family s home. They didn t need the paraffin lamps now. They had electric lights! William didn t stop. Next, he installed a mechanical pump in the village. This provided water to the people in and around the village. Then William built a second windmill. The new windmill turned a water pump and the pump irrigated his family s farm. Now, William Kamkwamba is 22 years old. An American journalist has written a book about him and William goes to conferences around the world. But his ambition is to give electricity and water to everyone in Malawi. Windmills and renewable energy sources farm fattoria drought siccità windmill mulino a vento paraffin lamp lampada ad olio di paraffina light bulbs lampadine blades pale petrol benzina used up esaurite How much energy do you use every day? Look around you. Are you using electricity for lights and computers? Did you use a bus or a car this morning? How much petrol do you think it used? The world uses a lot of energy. Many energy sources cause pollution and damage the environment. This is a serious problem for our planet. We need new, renewable energy sources. Renewable means we can use them again and again. This is important, because one day all our oil and petrol reserves will be used up. The most common renewable energy sources are solar power from the sun, wind power and wave power from the sea. The UK is a very windy country. At the moment there are 250 wind farms in the UK, but this number will increase rapidly over the next few years. However, we need to reduce our use, as well as develop new sources, so remember to switch off your computer, your TV, and your lights if you don t need them! 14 fourteen

6 Reading comprehension 1 5.07 Ascolta e leggi i brani, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 Where is William Kamkwamba from? 2 Why did he stop going to school? 3 How many people lived in William s village? 4 What happened in 2002? 5 Why did William go to the local library? 6 Why was he interested in the windmill? 7 What did he use to make his first windmill? 8 How big was his windmill? 9 How did William s inventions change his village? 10 What is his dream? 11 Why do we need renewable energy sources? 12 How many wind farms has the UK got? 13 Have you ever seen a windmill? Where? 14 What other natural energy sources are there? Summaries (6) Steps Come prendere appunti e svilupparli Quando scrivi un riassunto, prova a scrivere i punti chiave usando parole tue. Puoi far questo prendendo appunti e scrivendo il riassunto dagli appunti. 2 Osserva gli appunti relativi al primo paragrafo del brano principale. Confronta gli appunti con il paragrafo originale. Che tipo di parole e frasi non sono incluse negli appunti? 3 Sviluppa gli appunti dell es. 2 in un riassunto completando gli spazi con le parole e le espressioni nel riquadro. when had he in is of there was was William Kamkwamba 1 from Malawi, Africa. 2 he was 14, 3 left school and went back to his village. His village 4 very poor. It 5 no water or electricity. 6 2002, 7 no rain in Malawi, so thousands 8 people died. Step 2: Sviluppa i tuoi appunti in frasi. Ricordati di usare gli articoli, i pronomi, verbi e preposizioni, connettori e sinonimi. 4 Sviluppa gli appunti del terzo paragrafo del brano principale. Aggiungi i connettori e usa i sinonimi ove possibile. day worked farm. evenings built windmill. used rubbish. 5 metres tall. 5 Ora segui la stessa procedura per scrivere il riassunto del quarto paragrafo. Step 1: Prendi appunti dal brano. Annota le parole chiave che forniscono informazioni. William Kamkwamba: Malawi, Africa. 14: stopped school. Returned village. Village = poor: no water + electricity. 2002: drought. Thousands died. fifteen 15

7 Reading comprehension & Summaries The European Development Youth Prize The European Commission organises a lot of interesting competitions for young people. For example, in 2008 there were competitions for journalism, music, art and translation. The competitions are open to every young person in the European Union. They are an excellent opportunity for participants to meet students in other countries and share ideas. One competition is called the European Development Youth Prize. Every year, hundreds of teenagers from the European Union participate in the European Development Youth Prize competition. There is a different theme every year. The 2008 to 2009 theme was Human Development in Africa. The students had to represent this theme on a poster or in a three-minute video. They also had to include a short website message. The message could be in any of the 23 official EU languages. The competition is organised by the European Commission and an organisation called European Schoolnet. A group of experts choose the winners. They give points for creativity and originality, artistic quality and the content of the message. The winners go to a special ceremony. In 2009, the ceremony was in Stockholm, Sweden. It took place during a conference about world poverty. There were 6,000 people there, including presidents and prime ministers. At the conference there were special events for the winners of the competition. There was also an exhibition of their posters and videos. During the ceremony there e was a concert of African music. A famous musician ian and artist from Senegal, Youssou N Dour, gave certificates to the teenagers. There are always 27 winners of the European Development Youth Prize competition, on, because someone from each country in the European Union receives a first prize. Last year s 27 lucky students won a trip to Africa! They went to Ghana for five days with their teachers. In Ghana, the winners of the competition visited development and cooperation projects, and they met local students. They all said it was a fantastic experience. share ideas condividere idee Factfile: Important dates for the European Union 1952 Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands - first countries join 1957 The European Economic Community [EEC] is formed 1973 Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom join 1981 Greece joins 1986 Spain and Portugal join 1990 The Schengen Agreement - European members don t need a passport to travel across other European states. Young people can also study in any European country 1992 The EEC becomes the European Union [EU] 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden join 2000 The Euro becomes the currency for some member countries 2004 Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithunia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join 2007 Bulgaria and Romania join 2009 The EU creates a new constitution 16 sixteen

7 Reading comprehension Rules and organisation (who?) 1 5.08 Ascolta e leggi i brani, poi rispondi alle domande. 1 In what areas were there competitions in 2008? 2 What do participants have to do for the European Development Youth Prize competition? 3 How many official languages are there in the EU? 4 How many countries are there in the EU? 5 Who organises the competition? 6 What do the judges of the competition give points for? 7 How many people were there at the conference in Stockholm? 8 Who is Youssou N Dour? 9 Where did the 2009 winners go? 10 What did they think of it? 11 Name four of the countries that founded the EU. 12 Which two countries joined most recently? 13 Have you ever participated in a competition? What did you have to do? 14 What sort of competition would you like to enter and what sort of prize would you like to get? Summaries (7) Steps Guida passo passo All Esame di Stato ricordati di seguire i punti qui sotto quando scrivi un riassunto di un brano. 2 Rileggi il brano principale e scrivi brevi appunti nella tabella. The competition (what? how often?) Prizes and winners (what? how many? where?) Step 1: Prendi appunti. Non scrivere frasi, ma parole chiave. 3 Usa gli appunti relativi all es. 2 per scrivere frasi. Usa i suggerimenti come aiuto, se necessario. The Youth Development Prize is It takes place The participants They have to It s organised by The winners Step 2 Sviluppa gli appunti in frasi usando le tue parole. Usa pronomi, articoli, verbi e connettori. 4 Rileggi le frasi. Riesci a pensare a dei sinonimi per sostituire le parole che hai usato? Step 3 Usa sinonimi o espressioni alternative. 5 Scrivi il riassunto completo. Controlla i seguenti punti poi modifica e correggi il tuo riassunto. Grammatica Ortografia Punti chiave Ripetizioni Steps to exam success The participants (who? which countries? how many?) Se hai completato le sezioni alle pagg. 2 15 in questo libro e hai seguito gli esercizi passo passo su questa pagina, dovresti essere in grado di scrivere un riassunto chiaro e succinto di un qualsiasi brano all Esame di Stato. seventeen 17