Pronunciation

Some difficult words to be pronounced by students in the first class reading pg.60,64,66

 

 

Cousin (ˈkʌz^ən)

 

Great  (ɡreɪt)

 

Kind (kaɪnd)

 

Find  (faɪnd)

 

Suddenly (ˈsʌd^ənlɪ)

 

Alien (eɪlɪən )

 

Creatures (ˈkriːtʃəz) 

 

Because(bɪˈkɒz-ˈkəz) 

 

 

Journal(ˈdʒɜːn^əl) 

 

Shouted  (ʃaʊtid)

 

Scared (ˈskɛəd) 

 

Heavy (ˈhɛvɪ)

 

Wait   (weɪt )

 

Emergency services (ɪˈmɜːdʒ^ənsɪ ˈsɜːvɪsɪz)

 

Relieved (rɪˈliːvd)

 

Proud (praʊd)

 

Agreement (əˈɡriːmənt )

 

Violence (ˈvaɪələns)

Nutritious  (njuːˈtrɪʃəs)

Develop (dɪˈvɛləp )

Soldiers (ˈsəʊldʒəz) 

 

Forget (fəˈɡɛt)

Extreme(ɪkˈstriːm)

Travelling

Travelling

Travelling has both negative and positive aspects. 

For example, you can find out new cultures and costumes, you can see other kinds of landscapes , if you stay in a country for a lot of time you can learn other languages. A trip can help you to relax and have a break from daily routines. 

But travelling doesn't have only positive aspects. Nowadays going on a trip isn't very safe for the general situation of the world. If you go to a country where you don't know the languages you can have some problems. Finally another positive aspect is that the place in the hotel may disappoint your expectations.

Travelling

TRAVELLING

I think travelling is the best way to live because you can discover the world. 

 When travelling you can find new places or monuments where you can take some pictures for your memories, it can be a good, new and interesting experience.

 You can meet new  people and speak new languages (if you go abroad ).
Travelling isn't for everybody-there are people who miss their family /relatives, their pets or in general their comfort. 

In my opinion, if you want to travel you must accept to be uncomfortable and so you can go everywhere.
I love travelling  and I would like to go around the world to learn new cultures and new languages.

CHAUCER –an interview

This morning I introduced Chaucer in an unusual way.

I didn’t read his biography. I didn’t explain his life to the students. I didn’t choose a video on youtube about him. I didn’t have them see some slides I could find everywhere.

Instead I decided that the best way was an interview.

I gave three students some materials about Chaucer and I told another group of five students to prepare some questions.

They had to imagine to interview Chaucer’s “ghost”  about his life. The students having the information were asked to take notes about the basic things on Chaucer’s life.

I asked the students, who had to prepare the questions, “What would you like to know about the author?”

The students wrote down the following questions:

1.       Which century did you live?

2.       What was your social status?

            3.       Did you work? What job did you do?

            4.       What was your most important work?

          5.       Who were your works addressed to?

                           6.       What themes did you deal with in your works?

7.       When did you die?

One of the students answered the questions, using the first singular person and adding some more information on the basis of his information.

Another student told about Chaucer’s life using the third singular person.

I think it was a good exercise to ask questions and give answers using the Past Simple and the first and the third singular person.

My favourite tv reality show

I like the programme "Amici" very much. It is an Italian talent show. It is broadcast on canale 5 and it is presented by Maria De Filippi. It is an academy school where there is a class of twenty students who want to become professional singers and dancers.

 The students have lessons for about a year and they stay in a hotel. They are shooted during the lessons and you can see their improvements on Saturdays at four o' clock p.m. 

In April the show is broadcast in the evening. The  students have a chance to become famous,

In addition, they record their performances on CDs and they sell them. Another advantage is that they can sing or dance with famous artists. 

On the other hand, only some of them take part in the last show. A disadvantage is that when the show is over they may be forgotten.

To sum up, I think that it is a very nice programme for all people- it is relaxing and you can listen to good music and you can see good performances. 

Travelling-good points and bad points second class

TRAVELLING

Travelling is one of the things people love most. Travels usually engage and attract people of all ages, because they offer peacefulness and  lots of opportunities.          

First of all, when you travel and visit new countries, you can find out new cultures and costumes; in addition to staying in another place, you could even face life considering new points of view. You can also taste new foods and if they're a bit unusual for you, that's the chance to prove your ability to adapt to new eating habits.

Moreover, if you visit new places, you'll feel the thrill of seeing other kinds of landscapes and you could be astonished because of their beauty and special appeal. An interesting advantage is that you can exploit your travels to try to learn other languages or to improve them:that is a great chance. Then, of course you can relax and have a break from daily routine, when you need to give yourself some days to rest.                                                                                                  

On the other hand, nowadays travelling isn't very safe because of the latest events, which have made the general situation of the world worse. In addition, when you go abroad you could have to do something a bit boring: for example, you have to change your money in some countries. Finally, the place where you go to or the accommodation might disappoint your expectations and you could have some unpleasant inconveniences.   

                                

Anyway I love travelling and I wish to go around the world; I think  travelling gives unforgettable memories and it has the power to open your mind by making you know amazing realities.        

On a new planet called Osiris

On a new planet called Osiris

Mankind has changed  its lifestyle  thanks to the coming of new technologies. Technology has helped man to go to the  Moon, to Mars, allowing him to discover new things.

 

I imagine to find myself with a group of humans on Osiris, an unknown planet, in a very distant future.

I won’t  tell you the wonder  in finding ourselves in such a different world! The landscape we see is not made of trees, flowers, houses, factories… but it is made of a vast field of antennas, transmitters, colored lights, mechanical noises.

Feelings range from dismay to fear of the unknown, but our curiosity is so strong as to lead us to leave the spaceship and land on the new planet.

Our idea is to get to know it better.

We have immediately met the aliens; after our initial distrust we have realized that they are very welcoming because they have offered us an electronic box, which will help us to communicate and lead us to their control base, where many more aliens live and greet us with lots of  gifts.

Some days later, living among them, we begin to understand that they have life systems greatly different from ours; however, we detect different but perhaps even higher qualities: they do not know malice ,envy, jealousy, but they are ready to help each other and cooperate in an easy and spontaneous way. Moreover , we realize that there are not hierarchies, governments, or written laws, but everyone knows what to do for the community well-being.

That way of life makes us think and discuss, and we have thought that despite they are just robots, aliens, have understood what core values are for a good community life.
I would like to live on this planet, because they live in a spontaneous way, without any form of conditioning.

We engage in bringing that adventurous experience on planet earth.

The last ring of Saturn

The last ring of Saturn

It’s almost midnight. We are entering the third millennium.

Everybody here seems to be really excited. Actually, I’m a bit afraid.

I’m only 30 years old but I’ve already lived through  two millennia; but, above all, I’ve survived the end of the world!

It happened some years ago-a meteor shower hit the earth and broke it into 2 big pieces, one of them got close to the sun and burned, while the other one placed itself on the last ring of Saturn.

Only 1000 people survived, and that’s unbelieavable, but we became immortal.

Now, after almost 3 years, we’re already 4000 of us living there, but our lives are not the same anymore.

Everything had got destroyed, because of the meteor shower: houses, monuments, cars, and even trees; fortunately, some engineers found a way to rebuild houses and churches using the remains of the destroyed ones.

Firstly, we had had to get by on what nature could offer us.

Then, we got used to that new situation (even to the movement of the planet) and started working, using what remained.

I’m currently working as a farmer in a greenhouse. What I do is stimulating plants to grow and produce fruits.

Unfortunately, we haven’t succeeded in  making the utensils and  the chemical products which existed before. We only use water, humus and seeds.

Houses are really different too.

First of all, more families live in the same house, which has a lot of rooms, but we share the kitchen and the living room.

We usually use wooden utensils, which we have made burning old furniture, to cook, and we only eat fruits and vegetables, because animals do not exist anymore.

Children go to school, but they have neither books nor notebooks; education comes in the form of long stories and dialogues between teachers and students, and they are used to express their opinion about everything.

We’ve reconstructed churches too and we attend Mass on Sundays, but there are no priests; our Mass consists in praying  God and staying all together.

We’ve not created cars, planes or flying cars yet but we’re working on it.

It seems like humans had never lived in the past, because we have to invent everything again, with the few things we can find here.

We’re officially in 3000. I wish people wouldn’t make the same mistakes that have been made in the past, so that we can live our lives calmly, without any wars or  persecutions, and focus on the technological development.

Maybe one day this new planet will be as the earth was before its end.

My story has come to an end.

I think life will be as that in the future, after the end of the world. I’ve considered the end as a rebirth, a return to the Roman life, for example, but with some different aspects.

I don’t think I would survive on this kind of planet. I’m used to living in a technological world and I couldn’t live without planes, cars, or the Internet!

But surely, it would be exciting living on a ring of Saturn! ☺     

Welcome to our planet

A few years ago, during a hot summer day, my sister and I were having our daily nap. We were living in our country house, where we didn’t have air conditioning. When we woke up we were all sweaty and we felt more tired than before: something strange had happened.

We opened our eyes and saw a completely different place from the one where we fell asleep: I was really confused but the only thing I was sure about was the fact that the place wasn’t our room. My sister thought she was dreaming, so at first she wasn’t worried at all. But she started shaking when a tall girl on roller-blades told us: “Welcome to our planet!”. She was nice, kind and so lovely; she had long blonde hair, her face was covered with make-up, which looked perfect, her lips were covered with a pastel pink lipstick and she had a flower crown on her head. But the most beautiful thing about her was her amazing and joyful smile, which made us feel home.

We were standing and looking around with wide eyes. The grass was extremely green and tidy, there were lots and lots of palm trees and the weather was even hotter than the one that was in our country.

Sun-kissed girls walked hand in hand with their “gentlemen”, children danced on the grass with their stereos which played pop music out loud and old women made lemonades and other fresh drinks to offer to passers-by. It seemed to be a place where love, kindness and joy were really important: that’s why we were surrounded by all these lovely things.

Teenagers helped old people crossing the street, other men and women gave food and drinks to homeless people. Even I saw a boy  saving a little dog, who was in the middle of the street, and two girls helping a poor woman, whose cat was stuck on a tree’s branch.

After seeing all this unbelievable things, we stopped being scared. That was the place where I’d love to live in forever, because I knew that my real planet would never be so lovely and joyful like that.

Life on another planet-

  

Life on another planet Earth 2.0

In 2316 AD, life on Earth began to be really hard for humans because of the problems of both pollution and the greenhouse effect.

As a result, the air started to be unbreathable, and life on that planet was going to be destroyed- no more plants, no more trees, nothing beautiful to see.

That was the worst war ever fought - a war between “Man and Nature”, but at the end we didn’t have a winner because neither of them could survive if the other one died.

In 2320, the USA started to find a solution for the problem, but they failed, all the hopes were going to die when a famous scientist found a new planet where humans could live, so the mission “Earth 2.0 started.”

In 2331, after 11 years since the start of the mission, humans arrived on that new planet.

The atmosphere was the same as on Earth and there were a lot of green places, mountains, rivers, lakes, big seas and long meadows.

However, we know that, when the man takes root, everything is destined to disappear.

So in a few years, people created “the mirror” of the previous Earth, with the same perfect and imperfect things.

First, they tried not to make the same mistakes for a few years, but later on they failed.

Now I’ll leave everything to all your imagination.

What’s the ending?

The moral of the story may be” The leopard can not change its spots”,

Now we’re going to find a third planet where to live,

“Mission Earth 3.0.”

What will happen?

 Something I learned about people

If they do it once, they’ll do it again