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UNIT I: URBAN CHALLENGES
CITIES
Why are millions of people leaving the countryside and moving into
crowded cities?
Firstly people decide to leave the countryside and move into largest cities because they want to find better job opportunities. In fact people living in the countryside usually conduct a life related to the cultivation of fields, farms and animal breeding and this types of jobs, that are very tiring, doesn’t allow people to gain a lot of money. So they hope to find better career opportunity. In addiction I also think that big cities offer several possibilities to follow your passions: for example there are a lot museums, concerts and exhibition for art lovers. Secondly crowded cities attract also students that want to attend a better university: I believe Italy can be an example, in fact there are a lot of students that decide to leave the southern part of Italy to move into biggest cities that have better universities.
What are the causes of traffic jams in large cities?
I suppose the main problem related to traffic jams are the fact that people tend not to use public transportation and prefer moving with the car because it is faster and more comfortable. But I also think that there are some cities that do not connect efficiently the city center to suburbs, so people find difficult to move with public transportation: an example is Rome, that has an underground that connects just a few spots in the city.
Urban challenges facing the place where you live.
Como, thanks to its famous lake, is one of the most visited cities in Italy, however it presents some problems: first of all , because of the beautiful landscapes, the fact that is very close to Switzerland and the presence of the lake, finding affordable houses or flats is pretty much impossibile, especially in the city center. As a result also restaurants, bars and supermarkets tend to have higher prices than normal. Moreover I think the most serious problem is the lack of cultural activities: a touristic city should offer several types of activities to suit every taste and preference, however in Como cultural and artistic events are very rare. Activities and events for young people and families are very rare as well. In addiction bars and night pubs close early also on the weekend so people that want to spend a night out have to go somewhere else.
Necessary changes to cope with urban challenges worldwide.
I believe the most problematic issue related to urban challenges is air pollution, a sever matter especially in the metropolis. In order to change this situation I think it is important that everybody contributes to decrease it. In the first place , it is important to reduce the traffic on the roads, for example by reducing the cost of public transport so that people are more willing to use it or by choosing electric cars. In addiction traffic congestion can be solved by developing the infrastructures of transportation facilities ( For example an Italian company has come up with an innovative tool to reduce pollution, smog-eating cement that contains a substance that converts pollution into harmless chemicals ). Secondly urbanization also affects water because it can happen that local authorities can’t supply enough clean water due to high population. It is essential that citizens are educated in order to change water consumption and lifestyles related to the use of resources. Furthermore another problem is crowding and consequently the high cost of housing: most of the time people have to live in a small amount of space and the lack of money forces them to live in specific areas of the city, especially poor citizens and migrants. To solve this problem I believe governments must do something, for example establish housing trust funds or design and offer policies and incentives to help the poorest find a better solution ( For example in Tokyo some residents built homes on really small pieces of land and these “micro-homes” allow people to live close to the city center without spending to much money ). I think the problems related to urbanization can be solved only by people: it is important not only to raise awareness about the sustainable choices that citizens can make everyday, but first of all that governments should take action to create green cities.
TOURISM
What kind of traveller are you?
First of all I love visiting museums : I believe one of the best ways to get to know a new culture and a new country is to discover its cultural and historical background and art is the perfect way to find out new thing and to learn more about the past. Related to this I also visit the most famous and relevant buildings and areas of the city, but I also tend to get around the city without a destination in mind because I think it is the best way to truly discover a new city. Another activity that I love doing while I’m travelling is to eat the local food especially if I visit a country which is completely different from mine: for example when I went to Egypt with my family we went so several local restaurants to try out the traditional Egyptian food ( khusari type of pasta with tomatoes and legumes ). The research for traditional food makes me also avoid those restaurants that are typically made for tourists where you spend a lot of money without actually eating local food.
Benefits/disadvantages of tourism in cultural cities and in smaller
places
I suppose one of the first benefits of tourism in both cultural cities and smaller places is the economy, because it brings money. In addiction , when it comes to a very visited place, the government tents to invest in better infrastructures and facilities to promote tourism. Secondly tourism is important because it provides employment especially in the hotel and restaurant industries, but also in the transport sector. On the other hand most of these jobs created by tourism are low-level so workers do not often have prospect for promotions. Then finally I truly believe that tourism promotes connections between different cultures and improves understanding: while visiting another culture, tourists have the opportunity to interact with different people and traditions. At the same time tourism can also have some disadvantages. In the first place the environment can be in danger because of the presence of tourists that do not always respect local monuments, buildings and especially natural attractions. Furthermore when huge numbers of people visit the same place they contribute to pollution, both locally and globally: in fact flying produces a lot of carbon dioxide. The disrespectful behavior can also include the lack of respect for local traditions and culture, that could lead to rude or inappropriate attitude towards locals. Then I’d like to add the problem related to the high cost of living that is typical of the most touristic areas.
often grow up in captivity and as a result they do not behave like they would if they were free in their habitats.
UNIT III: BEAUTY AND APPEARANCE
How much of a person’s beauty is based on physical appearance in
your opinion?
I believe that physical appearance matters a lot in our society, in fact human beings tent to judge others by how they look, especially when they meet a person for the first time. Moreover it can happen that some companies and employers prefer to hire attractive and good looking candidates or they require particular physical features. From my point of view all of this is wrong, because beauty depends not only on physical appearance, but also on various characteristics, including personality, intelligence and kindness: as a result I believe a beautiful body may hide a terrible person. In addiction the concept of beauty and its perception are extremely subjective, so what is beautiful in my opinion may be the opposite for another person. Furthermore the concept of beauty is something that changes depending on cultural influences and the idea of aesthetics that it typical in a certain area: for example women in Asian countries believe pale skin is a sign of beauty, while in Italy being tanned is very fashionable, or in Thailand women try to make their neck appear longer by using special necklaces to appear more attractive. In conclusion I am also very critical of media messages that present images of beauty that are impossibile to achieve in real life and I think they could be dangerous, especially for young girls.
Italy is a prominent country for the fashion industry. How could
eco-fashion and technologically advanced clothing and textiles
support it in the future?
Fashion is one of the most wasteful and polluting industries in the world and it uses significant amounts of resources, not only fast-fashion, which produces very cheap clothing for the most famous fast-fashion shops, but even luxury brands are contributing to this problem. In the last years the fashion world has been taking steps to decrease its negative impact on the environment and consumers have demanded more sustainable products. In this context advanced technologic has an important role because it makes production and consumption more sustainable, for instance machines that are able to reduce emissions. In addiction textile innovations and recycling processes are playing a major role in the development of a more sustainable future of fashion. Furthermore one way the fashion industry is trying to reduce pollution is by using alternative fabrics, such as natural fibers, and by avoiding synthetic materials which contain harmful chemicals. I claim that Italian fashion industry can only benefit from all these innovations, also because it is worldwide famous thanks to its quality. For that reason I have no doubts that in the future Italian companies will be more and more aware of all the sustainable and innovative choices that they can make, so that they maintain the first place in the global fashion industry.
UNIT IV: ENERGY ISSUES
What sources of energy can you name and shortly describe?
Firstly I do know that there are two sources of energy: renewable and nonrenewable energy. The first one comes from fossil fuel, which goes through the process of combustion in order to produce energy. Combustion, in particolar, is dangerous for the environment because it releases pollution and contribute to acid rain and global warming. On the contrary renewable sources can be used more than once and include, for example, solar and wind energy, but also hydropower. Solar energy comes from the sun and is gained by solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity. It is also used to power cars. Wind energy uses wind turbines, which look like giant windmills, to generate electricity. Finally hydropower converts flowing water into electricity.
Which are the benefits/drawbacks of renewable energies?
Using renewable energy over fossil fuels has a number of advantages. Firstly renewable energies won’t run out, while fossil fuel resources will become always more difficult to obtain. Secondly renewable energies has several health and environmental benefits, because they do not emit greenhouse gases or polluting agents. On the contrary the use of fossil fuels not only emits greenhouse gases, but other harmful pollutants as well, that can lead to health issues. Renewable energy presents also some disadvantages. Firstly the technologies used to create this kind of energy, including solar panels, often have an high cost and are more expensive than traditional energy generators. For that reasons some people decide not to choose this possibility. In the second place renewable energy resources may not be available all the time, because there can be unpredictable weather events that disrupt these technologies. In addiction some countries have a diverse geography that may not be suitable for the use of a renewable energy technology. However when it comes to renewable energies the positive aspects outweigh the negatives: I hope in the future that more companies and individuals will adopt renewable energies in order to promote a cleaner environment for the future. I think both governments and corporations should be responsible for developing alternative energies: firstly the governments should make investments to provide new energy sources and technologies, but also encourage domestic use of renewable energies by offering incentives and loans to citizens. Secondly corporations should chose to use different types or renewable energy to reduce their energy cost but also going green contributes to help them appear socially responsible for playing their part in reducing their energy usage.
NUCLEAR PLANTS
In case of an environmental disaster such as an oil spills or nuclear
accident, how would you help as a volunteer?
I believe the first step to make in case of an environmental disaster is to donate money, goods, food and water to organizations that help injured people and damaged infrastructures. Secondly it is important to secure the most vulnerable, from kids to the elderly, in safe places where they can get help and assistance. In particular , in the event of a nuclear disaster, it is necessary to ensure that people are locked in a close space, away from the windows. If there are people outside it is important to help them find a shelter or a house where they can be safe. In the case of oil spills, volunteers have to secure wildlife and animals because this event can inflict a lot of damage to the ecosystem, including serious illnesses or death, especially for birds, which may not be able to fly again or escape from predators, but also for other animals that, while trying to clean up, ingest the oil. For that reason volunteers must be on the front line to avoid the death of thousands of animals: firstly they must secure animals and take them to qualified shelters in order to be cured, but it is important to help cleaning up an oil spill as well , an activity that is not extremely difficult because the density of oil is lesser than water.
different from you. In addiction learning about differences helps minimizing stereotypes, but also prevents ethnic and racial divisions, especially among children and young people. I don’t actually see negative sides: this is because travelling is one of the easiest ways to learn about the importance of keeping an open mind.
UNIT VI: TRADITION AND PROGRESS
PROGRESS
Name some areas progress has changed the most in the present world.
The past two decades have been marked by incredible progress and innovation. Firstly it is hard to imagine a world without internet today, but 20 years ago just a small percentage of people had access to it. Today the internet has incredibly transformed every aspect of our lives, from the way we communicate to how we read the news or shop. Consequently cell phones have become increasingly common over the past years and nowadays almost everyone has one. In addiction another great development of mobile technology is social medias, which allow people to stay up to date in real time on the events happening in the world. Secondly also the car industry has been through a process of huge innovation. While in the past cars were very expensive and just a handful of people had access to it, nowadays, thanks to new technologies, not only an automobile can be bought by almost every family, but the market offers several choices for all budgets. Moreover companies have recently produced electric cars, often made with more eco-friendly materials, in order to reduce pollution. Finally air transportation industry has become always more advanced as well. Flying has changed quickly during the years and has made the world a smaller and more accessible place. Furthermore airline ticket prices are actually more affordable than the past and people are able to fly more often to exotic destinations.
Do you think that languages can be affected by progress? And how?
Everything is perpetually in a state of change, so languages, like everything else, join in this flux. In fact a language, especially the oral one, is always changing, evolving, and adapting to the needs of its users, in particular also due to the innovations in the communicating world. Firstly social medias has a huge impact on a language: this is because users tent do introduce new words or give other meanings to existing vocabulary in order to be better understood, especially in informal contexts ( selfie, emoji, post, clickbait ). Also the use of emoticons is really widespread in non-verbal
communication, not only by young people but also by adults. In these cases language change enables us to accommodate new ideas, inventions and technologies. Secondly , thanks to globalization, we get new words from different places even without visiting them ( sushi, hamburger, computers ), but also by interacting with new cultures. In this case we introduce these foreign words in our conversation and cultural context and they are frequently used.
TRADITION
What traditions do you usually consider important?
From my point of view traditions are extremely important because represent an important part of our culture and are the structure of our families. In addiction they remind us that we are part of a history that defines our past and by ignoring its importance we endanger the foundation of our identity. The traditions that I consider the most important are the ones related to family gathering, for example events surrounding Christmas, including decorate the tree or prepare Christmas dinner, or birthdays celebrations. This is because I truly believe that these traditions bring families together and enable us to reconnect with the people we love the most. Secondly , thanks to traditions, we create lasting memories.
How would you keep a language alive?
Languages play an important role in our society because they enable people to communicate. Moreover a language represent a fundamental way to express our social and cultural identity. Consequently , when a languages dies out, future generations loose a vital part of their culture, so it is crucial to ensure the protection of cultural identities and traditional heritage. Firstly I believe teaching and participating in language classes are excellent ways to keep a language alive, in fact speaking a language is essential to give value to it. We should insist on speaking our native language or dialect as well and teach it to our children: for instance Italy is a country famous for its many different dialects, that are an important and priceless cultural value.
Why do we keep languages like Latin/Greek?
The importance of studying these two dead languages is not immediate for young students, who often consider it useless because it takes away space from more practical disciplines. Although students are not always enthusiastic about studying dead languages such as Latin and Greek, I believe there are some positive aspects to do it. Firstly studying a language characterized by a different linguistic structure helps to develop logical thinking and it can make acquiring a second or third language easier. Secondly Latin and Greek help student to better understand and comprehend their roots: in fact Italian language derives from Latin, so Italian student would explore the history of their mother tongue. Moreover the study of Latin grammar improves the fluidity of the Italian language. In addition the Greeks left an enormous intellectual, artistic and philosophical heritage: by studying Greek students would know more about how the European contexts has developed over the centuries. To sum up from my point of view I believe schools and teachers should promote the beauty and the cultural value of these two dead languages, by demonstrating that knowing about our heritage and culture is not boring or useless.
MARGINALIZATION AND WEB RESOURCES
Name some examples of societal marginalization in the past and at
the present.
Unfortunately people who are systematically excluded from society have always existed and exist also nowadays. I believe that the worst thing about it is the fact that the categories of marginalized people have not changed over time, in fact we can find almost the same groups of people, but some progress has been made. In particular these people are victims of discrimination, violence and assault, are abused by bullies and find difficulties in every aspects of their life, from health care, to employment and access to services. The first minorities to be marginalized is the LGBT community, so people
UNIT VII: MONEY IN OUR LIVES
Will payment methods change over the next 20 years and how?
How do you commonly pay for you purchase and why?
Payment methods will definitely change over the next 20 years because they have already changed in the past. In fact people nowadays choose electronic payment over cash because it is easier and quicker, in fact they don’t have to worry about the change or pennies. Moreover the payment market is developing very quickly: people are already used to pay with online payment service, for instance Paypal, that allows people to transfer money electronically. In addition I believe in the future our cell phones will become increasingly used to pay: in fact in the recent years people have started paying with smartphones and smartwatches in just a few seconds and I am sure that in the future it will be very common to pay for goods and services with social medias, also to transfer money to others as well. Finally I suppose cash and checks will definitely disappear in the future by leaving room for new and innovative payment services that will make us save time. I personally always use credit or debit card to pay for my purchase, while, when it comes to online shopping, I prefer using Paypal or other online services that protect the code of my cards and personal information.
Would you buy a scooter or a bike to move around instead of an
expensive car?
From my perspective I would buy a bike to get around nearby because in this way I wouldn’t harm the environment and I would exercise. If I had to move further I would buy a scooter, especially an electric scooter, not only because it is cheaper than a car and pollutes less, but also because I find it very comfortable to park.
Can people’s happiness be affected by money?
Relating this matter there are so many different opinions. From my point of view money does buy some happiness, but it can’t be bought entirely. Firstly I believe money does buy happiness if we spend it in the right way: what I mean is that money can buy memorable experiences, such as trips, shows, concerts or nice meals, which are full of positive memories to look back on. In addiction , thank to money, people are able to follow their passions, including buying a musical instrument or paying for a fitness instructor. Picking up new skills and finding hobbies make us actually happier so, consequently , in my opinion it is great to spend money to follow our interests. Secondly having money increases happiness because it makes people feel financially secure, so the anxiety related to bills and expenses disappears. Moreover give money to charity is an action that makes us happier because we are aware of the fact that we’re helping those in need or a parent or a friend. On the other hand , I do believe that during our life we may experience some negative situation that can’t be fixed by money, for instance serious diseases or the loss of a loved one. For that reason I think that money is not everything in life: we should consider ourselves lucky not just because we are rich, but because we are healthy and loved.
Imposing avoiding cash and using only credit cars to avoid laundry
money or fraud is a good idea?
I do not think it is a good idea because these two phenomena are always innovating, consequently imposing avoiding cash and using only credit cars is not enough. In fact it is essential that governments and authorities take more strict measures and policies to identify all suspicious actives, also because criminal organization have become more competent in money laundering and fraud. Moreover financial institutions need to improve customers’ identification in order to control suspicious activities.
UNIT VIII: HEALTH AND FITNESS
Is there any connection between our physical and mental health?
I do believe that mental and physical health are linked, even if a lot of people consider mental health a separate matter. However when we are under a lot of stress it can happen that we get an headache or our stomach is upset as well. In addiction , in the case of a health issue such as depression, more serious physical health complications can appear, such as heart disease. For that reason I believe that improving our lifestyle is important not only our physical appearance, but also for our mind: we should exercise to improve our brain function, eat well to reduce the risk of certain diseases and sleep well, an activity closely linked to both physical and mental health which can help to fight depression or anxiety.
Do you ever choose organic food products to avoid pesticides?
From my perspective eating organic food can have a major impact on our mental and physical health, because its beneficial nutrients are not endangered from chemicals, such as pesticides, which are harmful both for human beings and the environment. For that reason I try to buy organic and fresh food every time I go to the groceries store, even if it is often more expensive than normal fruit and vegetables. I know that Italian government has made some steps in order to reduce the use of pesticides, but food may still contain residues. In addiction I want to support organic farms because their practices reduce pollution, they use renewable energies and do not use pesticides which may harm animals.
Would you like to try solo or any other challenging sports activity?
I wouldn’t like to try challenging sports activities because I find them extremely dangerous and I personally do not see the point of putting my life in unnecessary danger just for recreational purpose. In addiction I believe these kinds of sport may be traumatic. The only challenging sport I would try is rock climbing: I tried before when I was a kid with and without harness.
UNIT IX: MIND AND MEMORIES
How do animals show intelligence?
Animals possess the abilities and skills to adapt to their specific environments and their behaviours may change if they feel in danger. For instance one of the smartest animals is octopus, which have a long term memory and are able to carry out very complex tasks, such as opening a jar or using a shell as a protection. They can also camouflage and change the color of his body to avoid predators. Also dolphins are extremely intelligente. Moreover some fishes are able to distinguish familiar fish from strangers by their facial patterns, while parrots are capable of mimic human sounds and speech. Furthermore animals, thanks to their intelligence, can also be used by humans in order to complete some important and risky tasks: for example dogs used to save humans from an avalanche or to research missing people during an earthquake. Dogs are also used by the police to find drugs and other substances as well, for example in airports. It is important to invest in animal intelligence studies because animals can be a support for humans work and day life. At the same time animals are used for scientific and commercial testing to prove the safety of products, but I find it extremely wrong. This is because the tests are often painful or cause permanent damage or death and it violates the rights of animals. In fact animals should be treated with respect and dignity. Finally , the testing of products on animals is completely unnecessary because other alternatives are available. Many cosmetic companies, for example, have decided to use better ways to test their products without the use of animal subjects.
Opinion about circus.
From my point of view circus should be banned because they propose shows based on the pain of thousands of animals. Firstly many circus use wildlife, including tigers, lions and elephants but not only, to entertain the public and these animals are kept in small cages and are forced to do unnatural actions such as jumping rings. Moreover these animals risk everyday to be killed because they may have an impulsive behaviour and hurt their owner. On the contrary of zoos, which I also find unnatural but at least animals receive
