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Riassunto di tutti i testi a partire dal terzo capitolo del libro "Life" upper-intermediate per la preparazione all'esame orale di inglese del primo anno.
Tipologia: Sintesi del corso
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Inglese 3c-One size doesn't fit all Even if the term “appropriate technology” is a relatively new one, the concept certainly isn’t. Mahatma Gandhi claimed that the advanced technologies used by western industrialized nations did not represent the right route to progress for his motherland India. He wanted the poor villagers of India to use technologies in a way that empowered them and most of all helped them to become self-reliant. This is also the philosophy promoted by Shumacher in his book “Small is beautiful”; according to Shumacher it did not matter whether the technological answers to people’s needs were simple of sophisticated. What really mattered was that solutions were long-term, practical and above all firmly in the hands of the people who used them. More recently the term “appropriate technology” has come to mean technology that takes particular account of environmental, ethnical and cultural considerations. Which is something really hard to achieve. Often it is found in rural communities less industrialized but Appropriate technology also finds it own space in developed countries. For example a state-owned company has found a way ti harness the energy produces by the bodies rushing every day in Stockholm’s central station. The body heat is absorbed by the building’s ventilation system then used to warm up water that is pumped through pipes over the new office building nearby. It’s old technology, used in a new way. But there’s no guarantee that appropriate technology will be appropriate. In fact after some visiting engineers observed how labour-intensive and slow it was for the women of Guatemala to shell corn by hand. So they designed a simple machine to do the work. Obviously the work was made faster but after few weeks the women returned to the old method, because they valued the time they spent hand-shelling: it enabled them to share news and chat. 4B-reverse graffiti A number of street artists around the world have started expressing themselves through a practice known as Reverse Graffiti. Artists find dirty surfaces and inscribe them with images or messages using cleaning brush or pressure hoses; the image is made by cleaning away the dirt. All artists share a common aim: to draw attention to the pollution in our cities. Brazilian artist Alexander Orion, turned one os San Paolo’s transport tunnels into an amazing mural scraping away the dirt. The anti-pollution message of the reverse graffiti artists confuses city authorities since the main argument against graffiti is that it spoils the appearance of both type of property: public and private. Moose himself was ordered to “ clean up his act” because people want to live in attractive neighborhoods. As for the Brazilian artist’s work, the authorities were annoyed but could find nothing to charge him with. They cleaned the tunnel, but just the parts Alexandre has already cleaned. 4c-Hip-hop planet James Mcbride first heard rap at a party in Harlem and he thought it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever seen. He avoided rap music but doing so he missed the most important cultural event in his lifetime. No American music has exploded across the world with such force since swing jazz. Hip-hop began in mid-1970, in a bankrupt NYC. The bored kids of the south bronx came up with a new entertainment. On guy, the dj, played records on two turntables. Another guy, served as master of cerimonies. The dj learnt to move the record back and forth under the needle to create a “stratch”, or to drop the needle on the turn board to create a “break”, over and over, to keep people dancing. Because of hip-hop new dance stiles were created and also the graffiti artists also started to emphasize the I because the music was all about identity(I am the best).
initially hip-hop artist produced socially-conscious songs that described life on the other side of the tracks, were people are denied the same opportunities as the rich. These days most commercial rappers bring about their lives of crimes. For those from poor backgrounds the life of a successful rapper has become an aspiration. in poor urban communities around the globe rap music is a universal expression of outrage at the injustice of the distribution of wealth. This is way, after 26 years the author has come to embrace this music. 5a-From reality to fantasy There once was a sheik with big dreams. His land was a sleepy village occupied by pearl divers, fishermen and traders. It was here that Sheik Rashid bin Saeed imagined creating a gateaway to the world. But he couldn't afford it, so he asked a neighbor to lend him many milions of dollars. he made the creek wider, built roads, schools and homes. He painted his dreams with words. Then it was his son’s turn to carry on developing his father’s vision. He transformed Dubai into a air-conditioning fantasy world; no projects seemed to be too ambitious; he built the world’s tallest building, the largest motorway… In last five years it has attracted more turists than india. But the financial crisis in 2008 made people think again and Dubai failed to sell many of its new luxory apartments. The rest of the world looks on with a mixture of wonder ans suspicion. 5c-Sustainable development Kai Kensavaong will never again walk along the muddy lanes of Sop On, the village in southern Laos where she was born. Her old town now lies at the bottom of a reservoir of brown water created to feed hydroelectric power plant, the first to be founded by the world bank for over twenty years. The World Bank stopped financing hydroelectric dam projects in developing countries 20 years ago because of criticism that such project were harming local communities and the environment. But Nam Theun 2 on the Mekong River that generates over 1,000 magawattes of electricity, is the showpiece of the bank’s new policy of supporting sustainable hydropower projects. For Laos, is a part of longer-term strategy to revitalizes the economy. In 2010 the dam brought 5.6 million in sales of electricity, and it is estimated that it will bring around 2 billions in the next 25 years to Laos, one of the most Asia’s poor country, since the most of the electricity will be exported in Thailand. The government has promised that this money will be spent on reducing poverty. 17 villages on the flooded area have now been rebuilt. According to the World Bank, 85 per cent of those resettled believe life is much better now, because they now have electricity. But old criticisms have not gone away. Environmental and human rights groups warn that the dam will have a negative impact on water quality and fish. Ikuko Matsumoto says that people are happy but the real problem is how to restore sustainable livelihoods for communities who used to rely on the natural resources. Activists also point out that there are a lot of villagers in riverside villages downstream from the dam whose lives will have to change because of the new river ecosystem; these people will have to deal with issues like flooding, decline of the fish population and poor water quality. World’s Bank says it is responsive to those problems. A large protected area has been established around the dam to safeguard flora and fauna, but it admits that rebuilding the lives of the villagers is not a short-term process.
In 2002 the global environmental community rejoiced when green-friendly Ravalomanana was elected president. But in 2009 the military replaced Ravalomanana with a former radio disk jokey who seemed to have a little interest in environment. Needing money the new government reversed a ban on the export of precious hardwoods , making it legal to sell woods from trees which had already been cut down or had fallen during the cyclones. The locals are caught in trap. Poverty have driven them to cut down trees that are traditionally believed to be sacred. Oliver Behra believes that the only solutions is to give local people economic alternatives. He has stopped deforestation in the Vohimia Forest by encouraging the locals to collect medical plants and sell them overseas to companies like Chanel. The 8a- A life revealed This reading is about a photo that pictures a girl from Afghanistan. She remembers the moment the photographer took her pictures. She had never been photographed before. The photographer, McCurry, remembers that moment too. It was 1984 and he was recording the lives of Afghan refugees in a camp in Pakistan. The “Afghan girl” became one of the most iconic images of our time. McCurry used her intense expression to warn us not to ignore the victims of the war. In 2002 McCurry was persuaded by National Geographic to come back to Pakistan to look for the girl. He eventually met Sharbat Gula, a woman perhaps 29 years old. Time and hardship had erased her youth but her eyes still burned with the same intensity. She married when she was 16 and now her time is occupied with bringing up her three children. She is not aware of the impact that the photo of the young Sharbat with her sea-green eyes had on the world 8c-From hero to zero Peter Burkill was the pilot on flight 38 from Hong Kong and ultimately responsible for the lives of its 152 passengers. But 35 seconds from landing. two of the plain’s engines failed. Burke let his co- pilot John Coward take the controls while he himself adjusted the wing flaps to help the plain. It was risky but it worked. However this is not the version of events that began to circulate among BA’s staff. World went around than rather taking control of the plain he had frozen and he had failed to issue a mayday call and had not evacuated the passengers correctly. Some news-papers pick up the story and they claimed John Coward as the real hero, painting a portrait of Burkill as a well-payed pilot who lived the life of a playboy, but when it mattered, let down the crew. British Airways banned him from speaking about events until the full investigation by AAIB. Overnight, Burkill’s life changed: before the accident he had had everything, a well-payed job, a beautiful house etc now he felts betrayed and desperate. He begged the company to issue a statement to clear his name but they refused, because they were scared of bad publicity.The official AAIB report, was finally published in February 2009. he concluded that the actions of the crew had saved the lives of all on board. The pilots and thirteen cabin crew were aware the British Airways Safety Medal and the story of Peter Burkill the hero again. But the damage was already done. Shortly after Burkill took voluntary redundancy from the company and he applied for other jobs, but he wasn't called back by no one. 9a- An ordinary man Neil Armstrong is the most famous astronaut on Apollo 11,but in 40 years he only gave two interviews. But how can the man who first set on the moon reman such a mystery? Armstrong learnt to fly before he finished high school, then he did a course in aerospace engineering at Purdue University, and because he was serving the Navy he saw action immediately, flying 78 missions in the war of Korea. He left the Navy in 1952nd two years later he got a job where he experimented flew experimental aircraft. When he decided to become an astronaut is not clear. Cerntantly it was not his ambition to become famous. He was selected for a space plane pilot training program in 1960 but shortly after news began to circulate that Nasa was looking for astronauts for their Apollo programme. He applied and he was accepted. When Armstrong returned he was a worldwide celebrity but instead
he became a teacher at the University of Cincinnati and in 40 years he gave just two interviews. He felt fortunate to fulfill his dream but he did not feel any more special than the thousands of people who worked on the Apollo program. 9c-The king Herself Today Hatsheptusut, the king herself, is in the Royal Mummy Rooms at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. But when the Archeologist Howard Carter found her sarcophagus it was empty. The truth only came out a century later when a mummy was positively identified as her in a minor tomb. For Hatsheptusut, a pharaoh who did non fear death as long as she was remembered the irony is great. She commissioned hundreds of statues of herself and left accounts in stones of her titles, her history. But following her death, her successor and stepson Thutmose III set about erasing her memory, ordering all images of her as a king to be removed. Hatshepsut was the eldest daughter of Thutmose I, but he has another son who become pharaoh when he died. As was common he married his sister ; they produced a daughter. Thutmose II married another woman who gave him a male heir, Thutmose III. When Thutmose II died shortly after his heir was just a young boy. Hatshepsut assumed control as the young pharaoh’s queen regent, but before long she began performing kingly function like making offerings to the gods. What caused Hatshepsut to break so radically with traditional role of queen regent? No one really knows; maybe she felt, as direct descendant of the pharaoh Thutmose I, she had a greater claim to the divine line of pharaohs. There is no doubting the frustration of the king in waiting. After her death he took his revenge, wiping his stepmother’s reign as pharaoh. 10a- Cruel to be a child Is there a right way to bring up children? Some parents read guides, some just follow their instincts. A recent contribution to the subject is Amy Chau’s controversial book “ Battle hymn of the tiger mother”. According to Chau, western mothers are far too soft on their children, they are always praising them for every effort they make, even if the result is coming last in a race or playing a piano piece badly. The tiger mother method is very different; they will accept nothing less than a “a” grades in every subjects, they will encourage not with praise and reward, but by punishing and shaming. A tiger mother won’t hesitate to tell their children that they are lazy, whereas western parents are always telling their children not to worry, that they will do better next time. Chua have raised her children in that way, she even refused a card that her daughter did for her because she thought that it wasn't well done; but her children have not rebelled and they don't resent their strict upbringing. By contrast, children with more freedom and more laid-back parents will often lack self-discipline. 10c- a Universal language People love to compare and contrast, and books on cross-cultural communication exploit our curiosity by focussing on differences between people across the world. Proxemics, the study of different standards of personal space, is one example. How close i stand to someone when i am speaking? The average distance at which two people stand in social context in between 1.2-3.5 meters; in Latin cultures and in China this distance tend to be smaller , while in Nordic cultures people usually stand further apart. The message sent by your posture and gesture is another case in point. Is it quite common in European countries to sit with your legs crossed and the top foot outstretched. But people in Arabic countries hardly ever sit in this way because they might show you the bottom of their shoe, which is a serious insult. But beneath the surface we are not so different; there are many signs that are universal in the emotions that they communicate.
Norway may be rich but it is modest in his wealth. But in today’s high-tech world where work seems to follow us whenever we go the Norwegian government emphasizes the importance of family and time off, offering generous maternity and paternity leave. Also, the country is saving for the future; every dollar earned from oil is put straight into a pension fund; none of this money is allowed to be spent, not even invested in schools or hospitals. But at a time when most of the countries are wondering how they will finance the pensions of a growing retired population, Norway is sitting pretty. 12c- The gift economy The banking crisis of 2008 again raised concerns that our economy is based too much on individual greed. Such an economic model comes from a false understanding of humane natures; intact the real nature of humans lies in the social bonds that we make through family, friendship, professional association and local communities. These bonds produce a sense of common purpose and shared values, in which a groups of people strive for the things that are for the common good: healthy population, education, pleasant environment to live in… Gift economy thrived in early times when people lived in a world of greater abundance and their wants were fewer. Stone Age hunter just wanted a shelter and food, a few weapons and clothing to keep warm. They helped each over without any expectation of payment. But there are also many recent examples of the gift economy at work. American companies operating in Japan found it difficult to attract Japanese workers, even if they offered more generous wages, shorter works hours… But these factors were traditionally not so important to Japanese employees, they felt they were entering into a long-term gift exchange with their employers. This relationship had many aspects; for example if the employee got married the company send a gift or another company gift is the yearly company vocation where co-workers spent a week end together. The main gift given by the employees to their company s their hard work. Elsewhere, the internet is facilitating the re-emergence of the gift economy. Neighborhood groups use online networks to share tools and skills. The point is that by stressing the co-operative side of human nature the gift economy helps us all. It keeps in check the excess of big commercial organization that seek situations for their own gain. Video Immigration 430 millions passengers arrived in America in 2007 and many end up staying. woman: america is more diverse, more welcoming to immigrant, less discrimination, more refugees services, opportunity for children, more immigration by policy but also its own nature. great moves of immigrations since 19th century due to economic and political hardship in Europe( Irish, Germans, Italians, they settle in the easter part)and Asia and Mexico( west and south west). 1892-1924- 17 millions of immigrates arrived in Ellis Island NY 1908- 11000 people arrived every single day Today 4 out of 10 Americans can reconnect their family to that. Many settled on the East side of Manatthan, where there are harsh living conditions( Tenement Museum; house of three rooms for 11 people) West coast: the point of entrance was Angel’s island in San Francisco’s bay ( very restrict rules and controls, especially for Asian) Today: One million legal immigrate each year but there are illegal immigrates (challenge for the states on the Mexican border. Foreign boom citizens have brought education, technical skills, desire to work..
Immigrates firmly believe in America’s freedom. History of film In the 19th century inventors realized they could create the illusion of motion by presenting a quick succession of pictures. In 1891 in the Usa Edison and Dixan invented the Kinetoscope( viewers could see a short film in the cabinet-like machine, which played continuously on a loop; after a while large audiences could see them in the local cinema(Nickelodeon). everyday life became entrancing on the big screen( human melodramas) 1920s: this emerging industry was placed in Holliwood; Charlie Chaplin and Pickford become stars: they were a new America aristocracy. At the turning of the 20th century newsman carried cameras film history in the making( explorers, landwork event). Cameras are windows to the true world, documentaries show for off places and cultures. Documentary film makers have learnt to create film studio’s blockbusters( actors, sets, costumes, computer animations). Augmented reality New York, Columbia University: professor Fainer and his computer-science students are working to augmented reality-> they are trying to build up a virtual world that they can integrate with the physical world. The device superimposes text and graphic over a person’s vision. It can be used for giving firefighters a clear planimetric of a building when its obscured by smoke. Changing the touristic experience : documentaries. In columbia compress people can lear about the asylum that previously occupied that place. . Urban Art Urban art is all about imagination(playing buckets, filling gallery with graffiti, mixing jazz with spoken words. Washington wall of fame( graffiti: Nick Rosada works here: some other people have covered the artistic graffiti with their own. Real graffiti artists know how to use color and contrast. Govinda gallery also exposes nick’s works. Murray: graffiti art is special because is fast, uninhebited and always inventive. is one more step on the development of pop art. in the gallery artists who used to be velifie now are enjoyed. Bonon: trumpeter who grew up in the north of Philadelphia, he mixes up jazz with rap of its generation. he plays in clubs and has a deal with a major recording company. Kimes, art history professor: artists need to build on their own cultural backgrounds because anything else would be false. Urban artist can take us to places we’ve never been before. Aquarium on wheels Baltimore- secandary school students are preparing a show-and-tell to give to a group of children; they are employees of a program called “Aquarium on wheels”. Joes: lots of children dont have the opportunity to come to the aquarium, so we bring the aquarium to them The aim is to entertain and educate; this act on a play about the species who are endangered by the loss of the forest Shaum(cordinator): marine biology is a way to teach students some skills;lots of them are the first in their families to go to college D.J: they taught me responsibility. They learn about organization and planning. one of the students wants to be a marine biologist.
arms. She tried unsuccessfully to make peace with Octavian, but in the end she took a poisoned snake and let it kill her with it’s bite. That was the end of the dynasty, Egypt fell under the control of the Romans. Eating insects Pismo beach, California is where Larry Peteman has his candy shop where he sells candied with insects. From an early age parents say to children to avoid insects. Around the world more than 14000 species of insects show up on menus. Insect eating=Entomophagy is part of the diet in Asia, Africa, Australia and Latin America and it’s dated to the earliest humans. It’s environmentally sound ( producing a pound of caterpillars uses up 1/10 of the resources to produce 1 pound of beef). They also brim with vitamins and minerals. However most americans can’t stomach bugs L.P’s birthday dinner: cricket cocktails, stir fuy with caterpillars, banana whipped cream and a cockroach. He thinks he’ll win people over. Paraguay Shaman Plants can cure diabetes, malaria or common fevers and colds. The rainforest of Paraguay habe been a source of medicinal cures for a long time; local healers are called Shamans, and they have a deep knowledge of these plants. But Paraguay has one of the highest deforestation in the world. Recording Shaman’s knowledge is a priority. before the forest disappear. A group of researchers set out on a long journey to find shaman Hervesio, through the reserve. He uses charms and prayers to reach a spiritual connection with the forest and than he takes on the search; they look for a plant called Suruvi used to cure various illness, also cancer resource. Hervesio’s wife put it in a pot of water to make tea. Scientist have published a book to help record Hervesio’s forest knowledge. Japan Japan is a land of dual identities, one of industrial renovation, the other of tea ceremonies. The is over a 127 million people Japan harmonized what is western and modern with what is traditionally Japanese. Chain of islands stretching north to south in the Pacific Ocean. Honshu is the largest of the 4 main islands, Tokyo is here, which is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with 35 million people) 1868: Meji restoration is when the industrialization began. War loads returned power to the emperor Meji and Japan began moving away from it’s feudal past; it became one of the main powers in the area abd started to expand occupying parts of Korea and having influence over part of China in the early 20th century. It sided with Germany and Italy during the second war world. Pearl Harbor attack brought the USA in WW2. In the August of 1945 atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The past war period has brought incredible prosperity: the govern in democratic and they have a Constitution. Even if it’s poor of natural resources it has become one of the most industrialized countries in the world. There is a cultural emphasis on education and they are world’s leaders in technology, manufacturing and finance. But beyond that lies a deep cultural tradition. In private life, guests may be allowed to a tea ceremony which emphasizes on ritual, simplicity and beauty of a daily routine. Those themes can be found in the art, Hiroshiga , painter: he captured moments of life and influenced European impressionist.