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UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio
Unit 1 – Lessons for life
Who are you?
Ø Unit 1B. “who do you think you are?” What image of yourself do you want to give to the others? I’d like to be perceived as an outgoing type, that has no problems in chatting with others and wants to discover things and other points of view about life in general or specific topics, but at the same time as a determined person, a go- getter I would say, because in addition of my friendly face I’m very self-confident and I always want to show others who I am, and be appreciated for that. What do you give more importance to (family, look, friends, work..)? I don’t have a thing to which I give more importance to rather than others, but what I can say is that my family had a very important role in making me become who I am. On the other hand I also considerate important my look, because I like being casual but not scruffy to always make a good impression, but most of all I think is important the way you behave and interact with people to give a global impression about yourself. Which are the most important factors in defining who you are? o Cultural background because I think that the education that I’ve received from my family has strongly formed my personality o outlook on life because it’s important to know what I think about things and what I consider important or not, o beliefs and values because by knowing them you can discover that I’m a loyal and determinate person, o life experiences because despite of education (which I didn’t choose but was something good) I had to face some bad experiences that I obviously didn’t want but were very important to change my mind about things and change my priorities. à It’s not fair to define someone by his job because he could have chosen it for a need and it doesn’t reflect his ambitions and dreams. EXPRESSIONS TO DESCRIBE TYPES OF PEOPLE
- Drifter = someone who’s undecided about what to do and often changes interests/vagabond who changes work and things to do without knowing his preferences, he just does according to what happens in his life (= vagabondo)
- Chatterbox = babbler, someone who talks a lot (= chiacchierone )
- Control freak = wants to control every situation, always have to have all under control ( =maniaco del controllo)
- Doer = active person, energetic (= uno che si da da fare )
- Dreamer = idealist ( =sognatore)
- Fighter = there are some problems and he has to overcome them, he doesn’t give up ( =lottatore)
- Free spirit = who like to do a lot of things without having any commitment or limitation ( =spirito libero)
- Go-getter = determined in reaching what they want ( =uno determinato)
- Joker = someone who makes jokes and tries to be funny every time and maybe exaggerate a bit ( =burlone)
- Planner ( =pianificatore)
- Outgoing type = very friendly ( =tipo estroverso)
- Worrier = thinks about problems even before they happen, very worried about everything ( =ansioso) Exercise 12 People often describe me as a chatterbox because I always have something to say, even if it’s not interesting for who I’m talking to. People often describe my father as a go-getter because his determination in doing his job and in reaching the goals he wants to achieve even if he comes across difficulties. People often describe my brother as a planner and control freak because he always have to have the situation under control and be able to face any inconvenient. People often describe my mother as a dreamer and outgoing type because she always smiles and have a nice word for everyone, and at the same time she has a positive outlook on life dreaming of a beautiful future.
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio But in the modern world no longer do we define ourselves by our beliefs or the role we play in society, but by our tastes. The consumer society is based on wants rather than needs because by consuming our favourite goods we reassure ourselves about our authenticity. Shopping has a lot to do with self-discovery Ø D1. “WE ARE WHAT WE BUY” The main concept of this text is you can understand a person’s life style and way of being by watching what they buy. Shopping is no longer a frivolous activity, but it reassures ourselves about who we are. Professor Campbell, who sustains this idea, has a different opinion about Christmas shopping: he says it’s a desperate try to identify other people’s tastes. We are usually destined to fail, because modern concept is based on wants rather than needs, and it’s much more difficult to understand people’s desires. Professor Campbell’s view about this topic is that we discover what we are like by exposing ourselves to the wide range of products and services. In this way, we have the possibility to identify ourselves in our tastes in music, wine, food and so on, while our grandparents tent to identify themselves in terms of their social status (as a father, as a farmer, as a catholic and so on). Professor Campbell also thinks that the slogan “the customer is always right” reflects the idea that the costumer himself knows what he wants better than the experts, as it happens in the world of health with the preference for alternative medicine rather than conventional medical practice or in the religious one with people who choose their own form of “eternal truth”. Retail = commercio al dettaglio Clergy = clero Hence = therefore = quindi, percui To set out = esporre (un’idea, una tesi) To be doomed = essere condannato To echo = riecheggiare IDIOMS – IRREVERSIBLE WORD PAIRS 5.1- What defines them first and foremost is that.. à the most important thing, most of all 5.2- he picks up work as and when he can à whenever it’s possible 5.3- he has been doing bits and pieces of carpentry and building work à he had some experiences in it, partially 6.1- the builders still have a few odds and ends (=small things) to finish off, but by and large (=in general) they’re good 6.2- after days of unrest, law and order (=control of crime) has been restored, there is peace and quiet (=a state of calm) 6.3- sorry, no ifs and buts (=objections). You can’t be sentimental in this day and age (nowadays) 6.4- it’s a rough and ready (=basic) film, but the actors put their heart and soul (=all one’s effort) in their performances
Who do we introduce to others when we’re asked about ourselves?
CV, what is it, why is it useful : a CV is written description of your education, qualifications, previous jobs, and sometimes also your personal interests and it’s useful because it’s a sort of presentation and it might make the employer interested in you for the job that you’re trying to get. Ø Unit 1D. “Tell me about yourself”
- how we present ourselves :
- interests: dancing, news, tv series
- objects/possessions: enjoy having new technological items
- creations: not creative person, no artistic skills
- choices: university
- values: loyalty toward friends, family and boyfriend and respect
- beliefs
- appearance: look, behaviour
- ethnicity: roots
- work/hobbies: the importance of a job and enjoy free time in doing something you like, just to relax
- friends/family
- talk about brands : What brands can you think of? Luxury, cheap, worldwide, Which is your favourite brand and why? Valentino because it’s not just about the brand but about the quality, they respect the environment and want to concentrate the production in Italy Do you agree that “we are what we buy”?
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Nowadays CVs are not so useful as in the past; information and personal data could be found online, thanks to the many social networks we are signed in. The traditional CV is risky because we write details and personal opinions, like our interests or if our previous salary was too low. LinkedIn allowed to move CVs online, a profile with too much connections (or too few) is considered not serious; but it is better than Facebook and Twitter that show every part of our life and thanks to them employers can analyze habits and personality of their future collaborators. Fortunately, sometimes applications are previously skimmed (scremati) by a computer, which cannot see a Facebook profile, but on the other hand hasn't human sensibility. Computers help also to not differentiate CVs, for example if they're written in a particular way or have images and don’t make personal preferences. A reason why CVs have lost their power is that people are much pickier about ethical things, rather than the salary. They want to know who they work for and with the Internet they can look for it; this veils that also organizations have to worry about their reputation. Nowadays the employment world is more transparent and there are few surprise candidate; an additional useful tool could be a sort of "TripAdvisor" of the employers, with a black list of "bad organizations" and opinions of previous employees. Good riddance: che liberazione! CRB: Criminal Record Bureau: certificato penale Double-spaced: con doppia spaziatura Snappy: stringato, concise Bullet points: elenchi puntati Committed: impiegato Archiving: archiviante Endorsed: sostenuto Loftily: altezzosamente Stack: pila Pickier: più esigenti Empowering: che danno potere Textured: ruvido Weave: tessuto, zigzag Whistleblower: spia, informatore Appointed: nominate To hand in sb: consegnare personalmente To cut the mustard: rispondere alle aspettative To come off: uscire To sniff sb’s fridge: annusare/farsi gli affari tuoi To despair: disperarsi To sort: classificare To square: squadrare To swap: scambiare To steer clear: stare lontano We are what we inherit from our predecessors: elderly as archives of memories in our society Ø Unit 1F. “ARTIC WISDOM” The video is about the story of the the population that live in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, a territory of Canada, in the Artic. The Mayor of the city explains that the elders are fundamental for their society thank to their words, their advices, their knowledge and their wisdom, that is the key to the young people's future. In the past old people were advisers for other communities because everyone was expert on a particular area so that they could help the other to survive and to protect themselves from bad weather, animals and nature. Inuits were nomadic and they were happy with basic things because they gave more importance to values and interiority. Lately the population has become younger thank to the improvement of medical treatments and the elders are trying to pass down their traditions to the new generation orally, teaching the younger that the most important things to be happy are self respect and high self-esteem. Unfortunately, they have problems in communication because young people do not understand well the Inuktitut. the old language used by the elders. WORD FOCUS “BREAK”
- The manager called everyone together to break the news about the closing = tell someone sth important
- During the lesson the teacher got us to play a game to break the ice = help people feel confident
- They’re hoping that their new website will really break the mould = do sth very different
- You really should buy a new pair of shoes. It won’t break the bank = use up all one’s money
- It’s a very big job but I think we’ve broken the back of it now = do most of the hard work
- We didn’t make a profit but I think at least we broke even = make neither a profit nor a loss (andare in pari)
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio
Unit 2 – More than a job
Extraordinary skills can be something to live on
Ø D3. “MOKEN NOMADS LEAVE BEHIND THEIR “SEA GIPSY” LIFE FOR A MODERN EXISTENCE For someone it is a necessity to develop them, for others everything begins with a strong desire to achieve the impossible. Moken Nomads leave behind their ‘Sea Gypsie’ life for a modern existence – this population’s traditional knowledge and skills has allowed them to face up to an astonishing harsh life condition up to now. Since a decade, though, they have been facing changes depending on global transformation processes. This for them means understanding that capabilities need to be adapted to the new challenges of this contemporary era (cut off the roots? Assimilation in the Thai society? Culture can be a bridge between Moken and what is to come?) The Moken are a nomadic seafaring tribe of hunter-gatherers who live in the southern seas of Burma and Thailand. Little is known about their origins; they are believed to descend from migrant Austronesians who moved from China 4k years ago. The Moken spend eight months of the year at the sea, roaming with their boats and they return to land only during the monsoon season or to barter fish and shells they’ve collected. Their way of life has existed for centuries but nowadays it is at risk. The great quantity and variety of seafood has been wiped out by the 2004 tsunami and now the little that’s left is being wiped out by the International fishing boats. Most Mokens have moved to land and, since they are running out of resources, their diving skills are used and exploited by Thai fishing boats for dangerous jobs, such as planting explosives on the seabed. Many of them suffer from decompression sickness and many have also died. Young Mokans, living now in village, are under the bad influence of Thai society: they steal, they use drugs etc. To give new “option” to the vulnerable Moken youth and to preserve traditions the Moken museum has been created and the village is trying to offer classes in Moken language and training as tour guides. But not for everyone education is the right solution; an anthropologist says that it could be a sort of integration into Thai society. Kang Jao and her brother Ngui Jao represent the two different possibilities for the future of Moken tribe: Kang is so far the only Moken to have graduated from university and she is going to be the only Moken teacher; she sees herself as a bridge between the Moken community and the outside world. Whereas her brother Ngui is trying to preserve his traditions, living as an “old Moken”, he dives to collect seafood and sells it to shops. seafaring= marinaio seabed = fondale fins = pinne diving tank = bombola per immersioni sarong = pareo startling = sorprendente shack/hut = capanna array = gamma/varietà stifling = soffocante-opprimente to scour = rovistare to roam = vagabondare to barter = barattare to deplete/run out of = esaurire to splutter = borbottare-gorgogliare to succumb = soccombere-arrendersi to wire = cablare-installare to counter = controbattere Ø Unit 2A. “SEA GYPSIES OF MYANMAR” The Moken are wary nomadic sea people that live in Katanga, small hand-made boats on which they live, eat and sleep for eight months of the year, sailing across the Andaman Sea, off Myanmar (Burma). They live with what they take from the sea and beaches each day (fish, mollusks and sand worms; they also sell shells and oysters to Chinese and Malay merchants. They live on land only during the monsoons, but their nomadic way of life is in danger. In fact, authorities are pressuring Moken to settle down in one place and their population number is slowly declining. If they cease to be gypsies, it is feared that their unique understanding of the sea (driving skills, excellent underwater vision, reading the changes of the sea - even tsunamis-) will disappear. As the dry season ends, Moken people set up a temporary camp on land, but the risk of disappearing for them is real. PHRASAL VERB “GET”
- The Moken get by (=survive) on what they take from the sea
- They’re happy of their way of life; getting ahead (=become more prosperous) in life is a Western concept
- There’s always work to get through (=complete) in the day
- While other divers prepare their equipment, Moken just seem to get on with (=continue with sth) it
- It seems somebody would like the Moken to get down to (=apply oneself to) leading a more conventional life
- What the author seems to be getting at (=imply) is that..
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Ø Unit 2C. “DARING, DEFIANT AND FREE” - When free soloing meets photography: the Yosemete Valley. Professional climber Alex Honnold introduces us to this discipline made of training, strength and self-confidence. Jimmy Chin narrates how he gets by: his passion for climbing and a camera. The text is about the extreme sport experiences of two climbers: the first is Honnold, that despite a very difficult situation managed to overcome this temporary feeling of weakness because thanks to his physical and mental strength he felt a rush of adrenaline and set a new record in climbing; the second is Jimmy Chin that is not only a climber but also a photographer thanks to his traditional upbringing and his sense of composition, he’s a main exponent of participatory photography, because he combined climbing with his passion of taking photos. Free soloing is a sport that means climbing with only a chalk bag and rock shoes (no rope, no gear, nothing to keep you stuck to the stone). Alex Honnold is a professional climber and he’s trying to climb the Northwest Face route on Half Dome, in the heart of the Yosemite Valley. Mental fatigue paralyses him and he vacillates, but gradually he steps up and he reaches the top after a three-hour free solo; he has just set a new record in climbing’s big league. Yosemite dorges heroes like Jimmi Chin, a professional climber that takes photographs too. His parents are Chinese- Americans and his passion for rock climbing began on a family vacation. Photography came later, after selling one of the photos he had taken with a friend’s camera on an expedition. Combining shooting photos with his mountaineering skills, he has become a practitioner of “participatory photography”. His favourite photo moment was on an expedition in China, where he took photos of a friend through a snow cornice (=cornicione). Daring = audace, brave and taking risk Defiant = ribelle, refusing to obey Extreme sport - To feel a rush of adrenaline - Physical strength - Well trained/very fit Coordination = move variants parts of the body in harmony Sense of balance Concentration = be very focused on what you’re doing Calm = cool, rational Slab = a large thick flat piece of stone Thin as a coin = sottile come una moneta Ripples on the surface of a lake = small little waves / on the rock = imperfections on the surface of the rock Climbers = arrampicanti Attempt = tentativo Trial = tentative Disastrous = disastroso In any ways it’s another day at the office for him = it’s something usual he does, nothing special Confidence = sicurezza, he has a moment when he feels lost Summit = peak, cima Gear = specific equipment Free soloing = the sport of climbing with only a chalk bag and rock shoes Chalk = gesso, to prevent your hands from sweating/stop them sweat and avoid fall because you can’t grip the rock, your hands slip, soft white stone Abruptly = suddenly Foothold = a little shelf that comes out to the rock to help you Stunned = amazed, shocked Bloggers buzz = everybody is writing about it Upbringing = education Calligraphy = artistic handwriting Merely = only, semplicemente Glass-slick slab = lastra liscia Participatory = someone involved in a job or activity, participant Mountaineering skills = alpinismo
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Dare = osare Defy = sfidare To froze = not to be able to go on, be in danger and difficulties To cling on to something = stare aggrappato a, to hold something tightly To take notice = notarlo To attempt sth = to try Learn by = imparare da To occur = to happen To be in the zone = essere sul pezzo To keep stuck to = rimanere aggrappato a To perform = fare At not once has he hesitated à not once + inversion; never had I see Clinging = hold sth tightly To vacillate = to hesitate To rally = become strong again after a period of weekness, manage to overcome the feeling of weakness To be trapped = be in a prison, moment of panic To step up = to take action when there’s a need or opportunity for it To forge = create To blow someone’s mind = amaze To shoot photos = take photos To hang on = resist Dare to do sth = be brave enough to do sth To race up = eseguire/gareggiare To smear = imbrattare, to spread a thick liquid or sticky substance over something To flash around the world = expand, be publicised To squeeze out three shots = rubare tre scatti To dangle like a spider = to hang loosely, essere appeso WORD FOCUS “FOOT” Footholds : a place such as a hole where you can put your foot safely when climbing Footing : the fact of standing firmly on a slope or other dangerous surfaces 9.1 get your foot in the door = to enter a business at a low level, but with a chance of being more successful in future 9.2 foot the bill = to pay for something 9.3 shoot yourself in the foot = to do sth without intending to which spoils a situation for yourself (dire qualcosa di comodo alla situazione per fare bella figura) 9.4 put your foot in it/in your mouth = to say something by accident that embarrasses or upset someone 9.5 follow in sb’s footsteps = to do the same thing as someone else did previously 9.6 put your foot down = to use your authority to stop sth to happen / increase the speed when you’re driving Ø Unit 2F. “CLIMBING YOSEMITE” The video is about Jimmy Chin and his experience after college. In fact having finished college, where he was part of the skiing team, he decided to go to the Bay area to find a job – that eventually turned into seven years away) and have a professional career, as his parents hoped. Unfortunately, he didn't find any job so he decided to take a year off in order to climb and ski all day. Seven years later he hadn't found a job yet and he was still living in his car, doing small jobs, always different and simple. During these years he spent most of his time in Yosemite, where he found a second home, he felt part of a community and he enjoyed life very much. After this time in Yosemite, he had the desire to visit the great rangers of the world; but he didn’t have money and it was there that he picked up a camera for the first time, took a picture with a frind’s camera and sold it for 500£. For the next 12 years, he travelled the world and took pictures of amazing places and breath-taking landscapes. Dangerous professions such these need awareness of health and safety ( Unit 2b, exercise 11)
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Ø D5. “ARE TINY HOUSES AND MICRO-APARTMENTS THE FUTURE OF URBAN HOMES?” - demographic changes are bringing more and more people into big cities and the number of single-person households is rising. This is mainly due to the increasing number of youths who choose to live in the city, who don’t need a familiar dwelling. Though, housing has not kept pace with this huge demographic change. The lack of space in the apartments and the health risks must be compensated by friendly parks and outdoor spaces, so the building of these micro-units should take into account the environment around the building. Green spaces are also important because the absence of big windows make people feel constrained within their apartment’s walls and it can also be compensated by architectural features like high ceilings and small “Juliet” balconies. The theme of this summer’s Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles is small houses. According to the statistics, the word population is growing more and more and the houses are becoming littler and littler, sometimes also going against the municipal housing regulations. The aim of the designers is to project a dwell which is both house and home. Breathing room Professor Gamble, who is an architect as well, says cities need more parks and outdoor spaces to compensate for the lack of indoor spaces. If people are forced to be relegated in a bar or in a mall when they go out of their houses, it would cause them health risks, due to the fact they’re always in a closed space. Compact New York According to the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, the 47% of New Yorkers over the age of 25 live alone, without any spouse or partner. The problem is that often these people share an house designed for family, and it contributes to the crisis of the housing market. In 2012 a competition was held to spur new designes for one or two person households and the CHPC built a complex, waived from some zoning regulations, with 55 micro-units apartments and the 40% of them will be priced below market rates, in order to allow young people to buy them. To optimize the sense of openness, the apartments will have high ceilings and small “Juliet” balconies: really unusual for low- and middle-income housing. Dwelling = abitazione Fixture = impianti Forecasted = previsto Tricked out= decorato Scaled – down = su scala ridotta Realm = reame / settore Tipping point = punto critico Spouse = coniuge Neglected = trascurato Income = reddito To seek to = richiedere (irregolare! Sought) To strain = macchiare To keep pace = stare al passo Vow = votare Step up = farsi Avanti To spur = incitare To waive = esentare
Architects and the environment
Ø D6. “WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS COULD BE THE FUTURE OF FLAT-PACK CITIES AROUND THE WORLD” - Architects are studying the usage of engineered timber as a new building material. It is obtained by gluing layers of low-grade softwood together. Advantages: the material sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; it develops a protective layer that maintains structural integrity and burns predictably; it is resistant to seismic shifts. Some towers and skyscrapers have already been built with engineered timber (Europe, British Columbia, Usa, New Zeland, China). There are many companies that are investing in this kind of innovative material. Engineering is more and more developing, especially it searches for new uses of timber. Wooden skyscrapers could be a new eco-friendly choice. When the first skyscraper was built in Chicago nobody thought it would be a great idea because it had a lightweight steel structure and people were used to heavy and masonry buildings. The inspectors of Chicago stopped the construction for several months to analyze the building. After the first lot of other cities followed this project and skyscrapers started to bloom around the world.
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio But these buildings create emission of CO2 and engineers are now seeking new ways of building without dramatic negative effect on the environment. They have revisited the building materials and have decided to use wood. A type of super- plywood has been created and it has obtained success between the architects. Michael Green’s idea of a world full of wooden and tall skyscrapers has been adopted and he decided to give his book for free in order to spread it. But there is still a limit on the height of timber buildings: wood is historically famous because of great fires that destroyed big cities, but nowadays timber has a protective layer (which prevents from burning). Innovation goes fast and there are studies that re- imagine already-existent buildings or create new ones. Another important advance comes from Canada, where a forest was destroyed by a pine beetle, which releases a blue- staining fungus into the wood; it was promoted the use of this wood in construction projects and this former-undesirable material became useful. The most noticeable example was the Richmond Oval during Vancouver’s Winter Olympic. In New Zealand, after a violent earthquake, the city of Christchurch was rebuilt with wood, which resists in a better way and follow seismic movements. In China engineers are being educated on the use of wood and in the last years they could build high wooden towers. Engineered: “per la costruzione Timber: legname Plywood: compensato Multi-storey: multipiano Lightweight: leggero Frame: struttura Masonry: muratura Shackles: catene, ceppi (fig.) Trade-in: permuta Spindly: esile Blueprint: cianografia Slotted: infilati Stacked: impilati USDA: United States Department of Agriculture Scorched: bruciata Breakthrough: passo avanti Beetle: scarafaggio Blue-staining: che macchia di blu Lodgepole pines: pinus contorta Under way: in corso Stunted: sottosviluppate Softwood: legno di conifera Akin to: simile a Sawn: segato, tagliato Lumber: legname Hefty: pesante Advocate: difensore Lid: limite Kindling: ramoscelli, frasche Swathes: cose che lasciano il segno Charring: carbonizzato, bruciato Predictably: prevedibilmente Brainchild: idea To herald: annunciare To relieve: ridure, sollevare To provide: fornire To reckon: ritenere To warp: avvolgersi To halt: arrestare, fermare To trigger: provocare To top off: completare To choke: soffocare To draw up: redigere To soar: sollevarsi To branch out: espandersi To sequester: isolare, sequestrare To sow: seminare To ravage: devastare To wipe out: distruggere To lash: sferzare To snap back: scattare indietro To loosen up: allentarsi Ø Unit 3D. “A PUBLIC PROJECT” - 2 proposals for a public work of art for the city centre park. It would be a good idea, also in respect for the environment, to create a carousel for children empowered with sun and wind. It should be very colorful in order to attract many families and make people engaged in environmental problems but in a funny way.
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio
Unit 4 – Innovation
How do inventions come about?
Ø Unit 4A. “THE MOTHER OF INVENTION” Interview with a business historian – It generally comes down to wants rather than needs, even if there are cases in which inventions filled an urgent need (vaccines). On the average, though, they are ideas to make our lives more convenient or comfortable, sometimes to make available to many a product that before was a privilege for the few.
- we take for grated the internet, the electric light.
- when telephone was invented, people could easily live without it, but now it has become a necessity and a need has been created because people need to communicate at a distance more effectively.
- Inventions that fill an urgent need: vaccines against particular diseases, BUST MOST INNOVATIONS AREN’T LIKE
- Ideas to make life more convenient and now we rely on them: TV for the news, internet shopping
- Make something exclusive available to many: produce something more cheaply, like mobile phones, motor car VOCABULARY – PHRASAL VERB “COME”
- But how do such inventions come about? (=happen, occur)
- entrepreneurs often come up with (=think of) ideas that will make our lives a little more convenient
- what it comes down to (=be in the end a matter of) in the end is wants rather than needs
- a researcher came across (=find by chance) the material for sticking post-it notes when looking for a new glue
- People’s early experiments with flying didn’t really come off (=take place successfully/succeed)
- Perrelet was so respected that when other watchmakers came up against (=encounter; meet difficulty) a problem, they would consult them An invention sometimes occur when needs meet new businesses. Ø D7. Why did LOL infiltrate the language? – LOL is an interjection used chiefly in electronic communications to draw attention to a joke or humorous statement or to express amusement. It conveys tone in the text, it’s an emotional signifier. It was created in a conversation on the Usenet between computer fanatics. It has become such a phenomenon because it’s simple and multipurpose. Some people are against this movement: they say that is anti- grammar and inexpressive, because instead of saying lol you should simply laugh. On the whole, studies reveal that these kind of slang is enriching the language. The internet slang term LOL (laughing out loud) has been added to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) alongside the expression OMG (oh my God) due to their growing occurrence in text, email, social network and even in spoken language. “Used chiefly in electronic communications, to draw attention to a joke or humours statement, or to express amusement” this is the definition given by the OED of the interjection LOL. Graeme Diamond, OED's principal editor for new words says that this word is now common, widespread and people understands what it means. Obviously there are people who are happy with this decision and people that don't agree. The anti-lol groups say that LOL doesn't sound at all like laughter, in fact you can't physically laughing while saying it, but the most negative about this word that has been added to the OED are the language purists. They are painting out that nowadays adults are mimicking teen speak, using slang words and ignoring grammar, deteriorating their language. Before adding the word to the OED they traced its origins and discovered that date back to the 1980 created by computer fanatics. It was used in geek-speak, the oldest written records of LOL is in a discussion forum and then it got picked up by young kids. Many mistakes LOL as “Lots of love”, most of all adults. Once a mother wrote to her daughter “you grandmother has just passed away, lol”. LOL is simple and multipurpose; you can use it also in an ironic way or to help someone overcome an awkward moment depending on the situation. LOL it's simple to understand, that's why it became a phenomenon. Tony Thorne, author of the Dictionary of the Contemporary Slang, says that these slangs are not harmful to children's vocabulary, studies show that kids who use slang abbreviations are the most articulate ones, they call it code switching. Language is a vibrant, evolving animal so we need to accept changes.
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Dismay: sgomento Unintelligible: incomprehensible Blimey: cribbio Ushered: annunciata Arch: malizioso/furbo Disingenuous: falso Hallmark: elemento caratteristico Concoction: miscuglio Naff: senza stile Substandard: sotto lo standard Unorthodox: non ortodosso/non convenzionale Culprit: colpevole Loathe = hate Acknowledging: riconoscere Get all worked up: farsi coraggio
Ø UNIT 4C. THE SHOE GIVER – Blake Mycoskie: a serial entrepreneur, whose creativity is making the difference in
Argentina and Ethipia, both places where people didn’t have shoes to protect their feet. He exported the model of shoes most manufactured in Argentina, into the Usa, selling them as high end fashion items. Thus he can donate a shoe for each pair bought. A social entrepreneur is a businessman who’s also concerned about social issues, is not just trying to make a profit – main purpose of creating a business – but’s also interested in social and environmental problems. After setting up many businesses during college years, Blake Mycoskie hit upon the business that made of him a social entrepreneur. Indeed, while in Buenos Aires, he saw that many children didn’t have any shoes. His first instinct was to set up a charity to donate algaparta, that’s the local farmer’s canvas shoes, to the children. However, this model wouldn’t have worked, because shoes wear out after some time and donors should have sent money cyclically. That’s why he created TOMS, a for-profit business that takes the algaparta to America, manufactures it and sells it as a fashion item for the price of 50 dollars. For each pair of shoes that are sold, he donates a pair of shoes to poor children in Argentina, guaranteeing a continual supply. Several years on, the business is thriving and shoes are supplied also to other parts of the world, like Southern Ethiopia. For the first months, he made shoes himself, then he brought in people with experience in the industry. Sometimes, initiatives like TOMS are criticised because money spent by customers could be used to make direct charitable donations, so he encourages people to hand-deliver shoes to the children in need and hopes that his experience will inspire similar projects. Mycoskie, however, doubts that the one-for-one model can be repeated with other products because it needs to be built from the beginning and not to be applied to an existing business. The charity aspect could be seen as a marketing tool, but what really matters is that TOMS is making a difference to poor children. Self-confessed = he himself admits that he’s a serial entrepreneur, a person who creates a business after the other Make-up = the character and the composition, the way you’re made Ill-fitting = didn’t fit them properly A model = a plan Donate-donors = donare-donatori High end = at the top of the range in a market Thriving = doing extremely well, growing and successful ( to thrive talking about plants) Ostracized = isolated, shunned = exclude, left out, put aside A share = quote di partecipazione Charitable donations Hand-delivery = consegna di persona
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Selling good products or services is no longer enough to attract shoppers, consumers want more from the businesses where they shop. Only 6% of the consumers surveyed say that the purpose of the company is to make money for shareholders and more than 80% want to see what’s behind the products they are buying and they also consider social environmental issues when deciding what to buy. Shoppers encourage others to do the same when they shop, they make themselves feel responsible. Most of them pay so much attention when buying products because they want to try to improve society and reduce environmental damage but other buy with more individual motives in mind, like making themselves feel good or imsimply improve their lives. Modern shoppers also do research on social media about the companies they are interested in, and they are ready to share positive or negative information with others, insisting on particular issues such as economic development, the environment, human rights, poverty and hunger. Ø UNIT 4C. THE SHOE GIVER – Mycoskie created a business that is enriching the territories involved in the process of making the products he sells. Instead of organizing a charity he endeavoured to begin a process society transformation Ø UNIT 4F. ETHICAL OCEAN – David Damberger set up a trading e-market for ethical goods: organic, fairtrade, animal- friendly, sweat shop labour-free. Companies which sell on the site have to list what their product is and what category it fits under. They may even write the story about a product. The consumers may vote whether rhey agree with the claims made by the company: this works as a self-regulative mechanism. The protagonist of the video, David Damberger, is a social entrepreneur that believes that the problem of poor countries is the lack of business ability and that’s why he started working in an enterprise that helped people in poor countries to improve wells and bridges. Now he works for the “Ethical Ocean”, an e-market for ethical goods and he tries to explain this kind of business. This is an e-market and it is a one-stop shop for everything: it offers many categories of goods like organic, fair trade, animal friendly and sweat-shop labour free. The product range is wide: clothing, shoes, home cleaning products. Ethical Ocean ensures the companies on the site are ethical, providing products' certifications that guarantee they are actually ethical; the companies can add a story of the product in order to explain why it is ethical an customers can comment and vote the products to tell their opinion and to give the companies a feedback. The largest category of products in the website is women's clothing and accessories but the most successful product is a particular type of earth berries which are a completely natural laundry detergent; it has a lot of advantages such as saving money and the possibility to use it 100 times before buying it again.
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio
Unit 5 – The writer’s journey
Travel writing
Ø Unit 5a. WHERE THE INDUS IS YOUNG
- To tell a story in an interesting way is a thing, to narrate an incredible journey that changed your life is another. A woman took a trip with her ten-year-old daughter up the Indus River valley, into the heart of Himalayas. Travelling here is extremely dangerous. It’s a wonderful description of an amazing journey and the ability of a young child to overcome fear and a completely different environment.
- Another woman, Murphy took a bicycle journey from Ireland to India. She has always been writing stories about her eccentric voyages, but for this one she really didn’t go out of her way to make travel comfortable. At least she took a revolver with her. VOCABULARY: ROADS AND WAYS o Ascend (up) and descend (down) o Path (people) and track (for cars) o Way (of a road) and course (of a river) o Trail (sentiero, only an overland way) and route (itinerario) o Road and street (only in a city, town or a village) o Motorway (American English) and highway (British English) Ø Unit 5C. IN PATAGONIA – We are told about an encounter that the author of the book had in Patagonia, south Argentina. “The Maestro” once tough Literature in Buenos Aires, but when he went down to Patagonia he was literally charmed and decided to stay and live there as a hermit. There he wrote his own poetry in a two-roomed hut, along a lonely stretch of river. WORD FOCUS “CAST”
- I’d like you to cast your mind back (=tornare con la memoria) to when you first travelled abroad
- They have cast the net wide (lanciare una ricerca ampia) by not asking job applications for specific qualifications
- Can you cast your eye over (=dare un’occhiata) this speech I’ve written?
- New video evidence has cast doubt on (=mettere in dubbio) the defendant’s claim
- You should cast your vote for (=esprimere un voto per) the best candidate
- Getting food poisoning cast a shadow over (=gettare un’ombra su, oscurare, rovinare) the rest of the holiday Ø D10. TREKKING TO EVEREST BASE CAMP: READER’S TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION – It’s the story of how a guy and a married couple headed for the Everest base camp in Nepal, with a guide and his Sherpa assistant. They saw cow-yak crossbreeds, magnificent butterflies, and breath-taking landscapes. Once they arrived at a lodge in which there were pictures of many Sherpas. Their guide told them most of them died in attempting new challenges on the Himalayas. When they reached the highest peak, the spectacle was sublime. Alexei Vink, an adventurer, decided to reach the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. It was the 11th day of his excursion when happened an avalanche and 16 Sherpas died (18 April 2014). The group was composed by 5 people: the guide Damber and his assistant, Alexel and an English couple. The first days they passed farms of strawberries, enjoyed a pleased surrounding and saw beautiful animals during the climbing. By mid- afternoon they retired to the lodges along the route and in one of these they could notice some old photographs of famous Sherpas. The group passed a monastery and the path became more difficult, the temperatures lower and also animals became more dangerous. They reached the highest point after three-hour climb from the last base camp and there they enjoyed a wonderful view. The descent was rapid, at the end they relaxed at Damber’s family store and met his family. Slab: lastra Twirling: roteando Cable: cavo Crossbreed: incrocio (fra animali) Slope: pendenza Wintry: gelido
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Survey: sondaggio Corporate: aziendale Deceased = deceduto Sci-fi novelist = scrittore di fantascienza Sketch = schizzo scrawl = scarabocchio Hipster = persona alla moda (lett. Vita bassa) Gloomy = depresso Nimbus = aura Cred = reputazione Poised: pronti Footloose = spensierato Psycobabble = psicoballe Cachet = marchio di qualità Be engaged in: be involved in To sew – sewed – sewn: cucire Proactively seek out: cercare in anticipo To cocoon = coccolare To wander off= allontanare To frown = corrucciare la fronte Ø Unit 5B. THE ADVENTURES OF HERGÉ – Hergé is the Belgian creator of Tin Tin. He told the stories of his voyages in extraordinary place. All this was in fine strips that came out on periodicals. IDIOMS: RHYMING EXPRESSIONS o Fair share = buona dose o Fine line = liea sottile o Ill will = rancore o Nitty-gritty = nocciolo della questione o No-go = place you can’t go into o Real deal = vero affare o Tell-tale = evident o Wishy-washy =bland, thin, not effective Ø Unit 5E. BOOK OF THE MONTH Ex 1: I normally choose what books to read listening to personal recommendations of people that I know and may have similar interests as me or by reading a review on the net because many people like to express their opinion about what they read and it could be a good idea hearing different points of view. I wouldn’t really choose a book basing me on the blurb on the back cover because I think it’s a bit reductive and could give you a wrong idea about it or even discourage you not making you feel any interest in it. WRITIG SKILL: DESCRIPTIVE WORDS about books o Thought-provoking: che fa riflettere ≠ uninspiring o Fair-fetched: improbabile, inverosimile, forzato (plot) ≠ convincing o Heavy-going: pesante ≠ easy-to-read o Well-written: scritto bene ≠ poorly-written o Action-packed: movimentato, pieno di azione (adventure) ≠ uneventful o Heart-wrenching: commovente (ending) ≠ happy o Fast-moving: veloce, scorrevole (plot) ≠ slow-moving o Strong-willed: determinato (character) ≠ indecise
UCSC – a.a. 2017- 2018 Silvia Quadrio Ø Unit 5F. ON THE ROAD: ANDREW MCCARTHY – Andrew McCarthy is a very famous American actor, who here tells the story of the life-changing “Camino of Santiago”. Once he decided out of the blue to travel the old pilgrims’ route across the North of Spain. He had read a book about it and suddenly decided to give it a go. It lasted a month and was a transformative experience. Not a religious one, actually, but for once he really felt unafraid in the world even if he was lonely and on a deep level. The video is an interview with the travel writer, Andrew McCarthy. He tells the story of the trip that changed his life. Eighteen years ago he was in a bookstore waiting for his girlfriend and he picked up a book written by a guy who had done the Camino de Santiago, in Spain. Andrew left the book in his bookshelf for months but one day, when he was looking for something to read during his flight, he grabbed it and he read it on the plane. He was so amazed by the book that he decided to do the Camino de Santiago because he wanted to see if he could take care of himself. Given that there was no Internet, he called the Harper's Magazine because the author worked for it, in order to ask information and some advice about the trip. He left and he went to Spain to do the Camino, a trip that he describes as transformative and terrifying. During the trip, which lasted one month, he felt lonely and miserable but then something happened and for the first time: he felt unafraid. He stayed in pilgrim hostels but sometimes he preferred to stay in pensions because they were more comfortable and he wanted to meet the locals; but in reality he wanted high standard accommodations. Nowadays he doesn't know if he would do it again with his children because it wouldn't be the same as the first time.
