Definite Article 42
Transcription
Definite Article 42
K EEP TA LKI NG VIA ROMA 60 33100 UDINE 0432 501525 The Definite Article I S S U E INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Loads of enthusiastic reviews from our talented KT journalists! Books, films, musicals, holiday destinations and more! A Christmas puzzle Vocabulary Corner The Prize Article A word from Emma 4 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Two weekends ago my family and I went to the theatre to see the musical “Seven brides for seven brothers”. It was a fantastic evening, both for the magnificent scenery and for the incredible talent of the cast. The PeepArrow Entertainment company brought to the stage a new edition of the famous Musical with two important actors of the Italian stage: Flavio Montrucchio and Roberta L a n f r a n c h i . The story tells how the seven Ponpitee brothers, rough woodmen, live isolated between the woods and the mountains. Tired of loneliness, the eldest of them, Adam, wants to get married. He conquers Milly, a beautiful woman from the local village, but soon after she finds out that she has to take care not only of her husband but also of six other men, Adam’s brothers. Poor Milly transforms the Roberta Lanfranchi and Flavio Montrucchio in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni Da Udine dirty woodmen’s mountain hut into a welcoming home, and teaches Adam’s brothers to woo the girls in a polite way, so that they can win a girl and get married too. After many vicissitudes, courtship, dancing in the village, fights between suit- ors, abductions of girls and more, the happy ending will arrive on time with six marriages and the birth of Adam and Milly’s daught e r . At the end of the musical I was lucky enough to be accompanied backstage by the theatre director, a friend of mine. There I had the opportunity to meet the two leading actors, have my picture taken with them and get their autographs. I highly recommend all of you go and see a musical, because they are very absorbing, especially if you know the story and also if you have the opportunity to meet the actors in person, who are often friendly and take pictures with you and sign autographs without being bothered. Caterina Goli Emma Talking Having only recently become an udinese— meaning of course that I’ve finally moved to Udine, not that I’ve suddenly taken an interest in football!—I’m greatly looking forward to spending my first Christmas here with my family. prosecco! In fact, for the first year ever, all the KT staff will be in Friuli with their folks to celebrate the festivities. So we’ll be mixing turkey with muset, Christmas pudding with gubana and prosecco, well, with So, here for your enjoyment is the Christmas edition of the Definite Article. I hope you enjoy the selection of beautifully-written articles as much as I have, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas break! P AGE 2 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Do you know of a book in which humour, adventure, philosophy and sociology are masterfully blended? A book in which the details are as important as the plot is, and which makes you willing to re-read it several times? Don't panic! Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is that book! Adams wrote this novel in the late seventies and it was just the first of a five-volume saga concerning the out-of-theordinary adventures of the ordinary Englishman “Entertaining food for thought!” gripping Vocabulary Corner 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5 useful words for describing books and films heavy going Arthur Dent in outer space. Arthur is saved by his friend Ford Prefect just a few seconds before the Earth is wiped out to make space for a galactic freeway: together, they begin a bizarre journey through time and space. Unwittingly, the protagonist will meet new life-forms, more or less intelligent or hostile, visit remote worlds and learn something new about life, the universe and everything. The whole saga is lively, involving and really entertaining funny; what’s more, the author is able to discuss with profound intelligence some questions that have bothered thinkers for centuries. I wholeheartedly recommend these novels (now in one convenient volume) to all open-minded readers: it is entertaining food-for-thought! Elio Padoano haunting moving A gripping story - I couldn’t put it down. A light but entertaining novel. Great for reading on the beach. So heavy-going that I couldn’t finish it. A haunting tale. It stayed with me long after I’d finished the book. So moving that it brought me to tears. My Life Without Me “If you have ever asked yourself "What would I have done today if I had been alive?", don't miss this film! T HE Why should a young woman stay still in the heavy rain, alone, without shoes, her eyes closed, shivering? This is the gripping beginning of the film My Life Without Me; the answer comes after a few minutes: something has happened to her and she's going to plan the few remaining weeks ahead, until the end. DEFINIT E A RT ICLE The film is the first work by the Spanish director Isabel Croixet. It reminded me of the first work of another young female director, Jane Champion and her Piano Lessons. However, unlike the latter, Isabel's budget was very low, the actors almost unknown, the photography not quite so gorgeous and forget Nyman's wonderful soundtrack. Nevertheless, the emotions, the questions, the discussions with your friends about the plot, will remain. And there is plenty to say. If you have ever asked yourself "What would I have done today if I had been alive?", don't miss this film. Maybe you will get your answer. Omar Cal ISSUE 42 P AGE 3 Chef A couple of months ago I went to the cinema to watch Chef, an American comedy written and directed by Jon Favreau, who also plays the main character. Carl is a renowned chef who works in a popular restaurant in Los Angeles. He is very passionate and creative, eager to cook the new dishes he has come up with. However, the restaurant owner forces him to repeat the same old dishes making him feel really demotivated. Carl’s personal life isn’t much better: he is divorced from his wife and seems unable to spend time with his ten-year-old son. To make things worse, a famous food blogger criticises Carl for his boring menu. Carl, furious, gets into a public fight with the critic, someone films them, and the video goes viral. Consequently, Carl loses his job and his reputation. With no job prospects, he decides to go back to Miami, where he first made his name. Encouraged by his charming ex-wife, he buys a food truck and takes it on the road trying to rediscover his passion and to repair his relationship with his cute son, while serving lovingly prepared Cuban sandwiches. Chef is an adorable film which makes you feel good from start to finish. The cast is brilliant, very supportive of the charismatic Jon Favreau. The dialogues are sparkling and keep you smiling a lot. There are also three remarkable cameos. If you are keen on photography you will appreciate the spectacular on-the-road scenery. Moreover, the soun dt rack is very energetic, based on Cuban and Louisiana dance m u s i c . Chef is a h e a r t warming comedy suitable for anyone who wants to spend a relaxed time and doesn’t care that nothing unexpected happens during the film! Just one piece of advice: don’t go in hungry! Patrizia Cosolo Lucy If you are a fan of sci-fi films, you will appreciate Lucy, by Luc Besson. The plot is inspired by the idea that human beings use only 10 per cent of their brain power. At the beginning of the film, Lucy, played by Scarlett Johansson, is a naive young woman who is involved in a narcotics-smuggling operation. The smugglers hide a large quantity of drugs in her stomach, but the bag bursts and an enormous dose of this experimental drug is absorbed into her blood. The side-effects gradually induce her brain to reach 100 per cent of its operational capacity. The conception of the plot is linked to the Critique of Pure Reason, the most important work of Immanuel Kant, and the idea that in order to make sense of the world the human brain needs to find in it an order that it doesn't possess. At the end of the film, Lucy is turned into an unworldly spirit, who can see the real order of the world, in which time and space does not exist. What impressed me about Lucy was the extraordinary acting of Scarlett Johansson: everything she does is really worth seeing! Daniela Terranova Scarlett Johansson as Lucy. P AGE 4 “The world is not a wishgranting factory, but the way you live in it, that’s up to you.” Vocabulary Corner Complete the sentences with the words from page 2. T HE The Fault In Our Stars Not long ago, I happened to find myself caught in the rain while I was trying to find my way through the narrow, yet fascinating, narrow streets of Venice. As I looked around, I saw a bookshop and I thought it was there for me, a shelter away from the rain and a good excuse to do what I love most: go inside and be surrounded by books. There was one in particular that caught my eye, it was called The Fault In Our Stars by the American writer John Green. While I was reading the plot, I thought it was a pretty sad and depressing story because of the characters he chose, and I would never read something like that because I read for pleasure and it allows me to escape from reality and none of that included reading a story about sick kids. Going through the pages I soon realized how wrong I was. It seemed anything to me but a lame story written with the sole purpose of moving some bored housewives or chick flick lovers. As I started reading it every night, by the end of chapter five it had totally won me over. It was not just that the characters were so real, it pictured life in the way life really is: comic and tragic. It tells a sad story, yes, because the kids are sick with cancer and they will die of it, but it is not about death, it is about life, love and friendship, and that makes all the difference. It took me not even two days to finish it, the two days I have laughed and cried the most at the same time. It is thoughtprovoking, it’s also so heart-warming and touching but in a discreet way, never rough and above all never, ever depressing. It made me laugh out loud because of its unique sense of humour and made me think a lot. It was also very therapeutic for me because I am dealing with a great loss myself and those characters really did touch my heart. They made me think once again that the important thing, sometimes, it is not the length of a life but the depth, that you only live once and should never forget that, and that love and friendship can change your life in a way you could never have expected, even when the end of it is already in sight. The most important thing, though, that those two amazing kids, Hazel and Augustus, show is that we should never give up or put aside our dreams and the things we believe in, even when it seems meaningless to us. It is not a cliché and it shouldn’t sound like one, because when what is essential is put at risk, then you understand what really matters (but the characters hope you already know it). To quote them: “The world is not a wish-granting factory” but the way you are gonna live in it, that’s up to you.” Ludovica Neglie 1. The film is certainly well researched, but so __________ that I fell asleep before the end. 2. A true story so __________ that there will not be a dry eye in the cinema. 3. A __________ triller which will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. 4. The music was stranglely __________ and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. 5. An __________ Christmas film - ideal for all the family. Answers on page 10. DEFINIT E A RT ICLE ISSUE 42 P AGE Beauty and the Beast “Once upon the time there was a young prince whose arrogance and cruelty caused him to be transformed into a beast. The prince had to learn to love and had to be loved by someone else if he wanted to break the curse over him and his castle…” this is the beginning of the musical Beauty and the Beast where nothing has been left to the imagination. Everything has been painstakingly and copiously illustrated. All the actors are contagiously gleeful and able to make the audience laugh. There is a lot of humour, especially with characters like the vain bully Gaston and his sidekick LeFou who work very well together for laughs, as well as Lumier and Cogswoth and also Belle herself is pretty funny. But the strength of this musical is not in the single actors, who all have stunning voices, but its group numbers that you can admire in songs like “Gaston” or “Be our guest” where a chorus of actors dance and sing in tandem to fill up the stage from corner to corner. Every appearance, disappearance, rainstorm or thunderbolt is managed by special-effects engineers and a live orchestra gives a touch of magic and realism to the performances. It is such an amazing experience that the audience has Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was brought to the stage this month at the Rossetti Theatre in Trieste. to include children as well as those who are old enough to remember when the animated film came out in movie theatres in 1991. Beauty and the Beast is a musical that encompasses an entertaining afternoon or evening for all ages. It is definitely a great show not to be missed. Marina Pascolo One Plus One One Plus One is so far the best novel I have read this year. It was published some months ago by the English writer Jojo Moyes and it tells the story of the young single mother Jess who, even if she has two jobs (cleaner during the day and waitress in the evenings) struggles to get by. She has a 10-year-old daughter called Tanzie, a surprisingly gifted maths geek and she takes care also of her stepson Nicky, a quirky adolescent, always bullied by his schoolmates. When a private school offers Tanzie an almost full scholarship, Jess does her best to collect the extra money needed. But the only possibility seems to make Tanzie take part in a Math Olympiad in Scotland, hoping she will win the prize. So they embark on this long trip with the help of the rich entrepreneur Ed. Jess is a lovely character, very far from the clichéd female protagonist of a romance. She is strong, sensible, optimistic, full of life and hope even if life constantly lets her down. She will give her life for Tanzie and Nicky and always tries to keep their economic problems to herself and let them live with the hope that sooner or later things will get better. It is impossible not to grow fond of Jess Didascalia dell'immagine o della fotografia and the kids and feel really involved in their problems. Tanzie is such a sweetie that more than once I would have liked to step into the book and give her a hug. What I liked most One Plus One by Jojo Moabout this book is yes—“the perfect mix of the perfect mix of heartbreaking scenes heartbreaking scenes and and hilarious and light- hilarious and light-hearted moments.” hearted moments. I will recommend this book to readers who enjoys a well rounded story, with romance, sadness and humour all in one! Anna Pascoletti 5 P AGE 6 Friuli Venezia Giulia The real nature of Italy is found in its small towns, where ancient traditions are still alive, and can be discovered by any tourist who comes to visit them. The centre of Italy is one of the most visited parts, but many have never been to the north -east region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It's a border region, walled in by the Alps to the north and overlooking the northern Adriatic. Here you can find many contrasts in the landscape, language, food, religion and behaviour. Even the region’s name is composed of three parts: People living in the northern part are called Friulani, whose most important city is Udine. There are a lot of interesting tourist attractions, such as Cividale, Tarvisio and Gemona. In these places the agricultural traditions are maintained, and you can The beautiful town of Cividale Del Friuli “We love our region and traditions, and we invite you to be our guest to visit us.” find delicious dishes like frico (melted cheese with potatoes), gubana (a cake filled with dried fruit, usually accompanied with grappa) or the world famous San Daniele ham. In the Collio (the eastern hills) you can visit a lot of wineries, where most of the best Italian wines are produced. You can't leave without a bottle of Friulano but hundreds of wines are produced here. The western part is called Venezia because it is near the city of the same name. The main town is Pordenone but other interesting places are Lignano (a seaside town with many fish restaurants), Maniago (famous for knife manufacture) and Barcis, where there is a wonderful natural lake. The eastern part is called Giulia and the main city is Trieste, a wonderful city, which must be visited. It is the capital of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and perhaps the most cosmopolitan city of all Italy. Slovenia is only a few kilometres away, Croatia only 20 minutes, and you can be in Austria in about an hour. The influence of these different cultures can be found in typical dishes like jota (a soup of beans, sauerkraut and potatoes), brodedo (fish soup), ham baked in bread dough (directly from Prague), cevapcici (like grilled meatballs, from Slovenia) and liptauer (a spicy cheese spread). The city has many historical buildings and places of worship (the Castello di San Giusto, the Greek Orthodox church, the Synagogue) but the most amazing place is the main square facing the sea. We love our region and traditions and we invite you to be our guest to visit it. Francesco Bragagna A Five-Star Product! Once deflated, it can disappear into your wardrobe! T HE Have you ever wondered how to face off a gang of friends coming to your home for a festival nearby? Or how to satisfy your relatives greedy to visit new museums? And they are all asking for a place to DEFINIT E A RT ICLE stay, putting you in a bit of a pickle? If so, just buy an air mattress (and an air pump too, to inflate it easily)! King size and double-sided (for winter and summer), once deflated it can disappear into your wardrobe and if you fall in love with for camping you will have half of the stuff ready to go. Everyone who loves wildlife without losing the comfort of their bedroom, or who loves numerous and cumbersome families should get one! Francesco Rossi ISSUE 42 P AGE 7 Little Tibet, Little Wonder In the far north of India, beyond the Himalayas, lies Ladakh, a land of stark terrains and mystical Buddhist monasteries. Today it is the only major region where the Tibetan culture and religion can thrive in freedom and for this reason it is also called "Little Tibet". I visited its Zanskar valley and mountains three years ago: a breath-taking experience! The landscape of Ladakh enraptures its visitors! It is hard not to be entranced by the austere beauty, immensity and emptiness of the terrain. Closed between the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram chain it is a land of high passes: a ridge must be crossed, climbing or by car, almost every time you travel from one valley to another. Its villages are a clusters of flat-roofed and mud-plastered houses with carved lintels, scattered around you can see reliquary monuments called "chorten" and up on the crag, overlooking the village, a "gompa" or monastery, home to lamas and monks, a fortress-like complex of large whitewashed edifices that seem to grow out of the rock itself. Thanks to its remoteness Ladakh was one of the last cultures on earth to come into contact with Westerners. The Ladakis are a friendly people and it is easy to interact with them. Culturally, Ladakh is largely Tibetan. Today, with Tibet under Chinese control, it is only here that you can savour the true taste of that slowly disappearing culture . “The landscape of Ladakh enraptures its visitors! It is hard not to be entranced by the austere Mario Casini beauty of the immensity and emptiness of the A Dream Hotel in Tuscany I’m not always proud to be Italian because we aren’t able to value our natural and cultural heritage. Still, I love Italy, especially Tuscany, which is the most beautiful land, clearly for me. The last summer I spent a week in Tuscany and I found the hotel, which everybody is always dreaming of. Its name is “Fattoria Santa Vittoria” and it is located 20 km from Arezzo. My first view of the landscape took my breath away: the hotel is in the middle of hills, covered by cornfields, vineyards, olive trees and expanses of sunflowers. There the guest can enjoy the nature: he can go walking through the vines, or read a book in the garden sunbathing, or borrow a truffle dog which helps him to find a truffle. If the guest wants to make a day trip, there are many beautiful cities very near, like Cortona, Arezzo, Siena and Perugia. Above all that, what struck me was the kind hospitality of Marta e Mauro, the young couple who manage the hotel. They are really terrain.” nice and thoughtful to the guests and suggest them what they should visit. Mauro cooks delicious dinners, eaten with a good wine, made there from their vineyards. Moreover the hosts organise a party every Wednesday night for the guests to get to know each other and spend a pleasant dinner together. The only weakness is the difficulty reaching the hotel: it is in the countryside and the GPS doesn’t find the exact address. But, if you succeed in reaching it, you will spend your dream holiday in an amazing place. Sara Mansutti P AGE 8 Prize Article! Pantanal Have you ever spent a holiday in Pantanal? Pantanal is a region of Brasil. I visited it in August, with my husband and in my opinion you could not choose a better place to see animals and experience nature. We left our eco-lodge with another family in the afternoon and got on a kind of a “cattle truck” to reach a part of the Amazon Forest. When we arrived we got out of our truck and set out for a… ladder, or rather four ladders. After 1 hour of walking in the forest, we saw a high platform that stood out against the sky. Slowly one after the other we walked up to the end of the fourth ladder. We were 35metres high above ground level and under us there were the The Amazon Rainforest in Pantanal. “In my opinion, you couldn’t choose a better place to see animals and experience nature.” tops of beautiful trees of many species, with monkeys jumping from one branch to another. All around us blue parrots, white "jubiru" and other birds were flying and singing for the end of the day. Far away from this part of the Amazon Forest it was possible to see American ostriches', deer, "akuti'" (an animal like a rabbit) and other creatures running in the grassland. We waited for the sunset on the platform and then while we were getting down the ladders, we asked our guides, if it was possible to go back to our eco-lodge on foot, walking in the darkness. Our guides, Miguel and Sidi, agreed, so we said goodbye to the rest of the group and holding torches, we started walking in single file, Miguel, my husband, me and Sidi. Miguel as a good guide had a big knife in his boot. After a few minutes the sun set and all around a lot of small bright eyes were watching us. Sidi and Miguel said that those were the eyes of grey foxes, cayman and deer . We heard rustles in the bushes and sounds near us. It was a scary situation but we followed Miguel and we reached our hotel after we had been walking for two hours. The beauty of the forest with its colours, the wide variety of animals and the long walk in the darkness are among the most exciting experiences I have ever had. It is a new way of knowing and loving nature. Monica Lucchini Swan Lodge B&B, Downpatrick A very nice and friendly place to stay. Good value for money. T HE Last summer my girlfriend and I slept in Swan Lodge B&B, Downpatrick (Northern Ireland) for one night. This B&B is run by a lovely old couple, John and his wife Liz and it is situated in a very quiet and peaceful location. It was a little bit difficult to get there – partly because it was dark – but the welcome was very warm. DEFINIT E A RT ICLE The atmosphere of this place reminded us of the Victorian Age a little bit: there were a lot of decorative objects, paintings, cushions, sofas, and so on, but the B&B was very comfortable, clean and with all the modern facilities (for example free wi-fi connection). The breakfast, which was served in a sunny conservatory from where we could see the sea, was great. A typical Irish breakfast, French toast with peach and maple syrup, fresh fruit salad, home-made bread, home-made jam and marmalade with tea, orange juice and coffee. In our opinion this is a very nice and friendly place to stay, with good value for money. Dario Politti ISSUE 42 P AGE KT Christmas Puzzle 9 (answers on next page!!!) Complete the words using the clues below to reveal a Christmas message to all our students. 4. 19. Cosmetics If I think of something that really inspires and appeals to me, my first thought goes to the perfume shop. Yes! I like all the world of perfumes, creams and cosmetics. I've been going to a particular perfume shop in the town centre for ages. I know the owner and the two members of staff so well that by now they are like good friends. I'm very attracted by face and body creams and masks which make your skin smooth, velvety and bright, and love keeping up to date about new arrivals, which I can't wait to test. Obviously, I like perfumes a lot, especially women's perfumes, but actually men's perfumes which smell of spices are very intense and warm. One shop assistant is very good at make-up and when I have a special occasion I go to the shop, I sit in a comfortable chair and in a short time I look at myself in the mirror and I say “Awesome!!!”. It would be very nice to learn to do make up like this, and I try and pay attention when she reveals some of her make-up secrets. I don't know why I'm so keen on this world maybe it's related to one of my childhood memories. When my mother was in the bathroom putting on her face creams or make-up with a lot of care and passion I was really bewitched. Honestly one of my dreams is to work in this beautiful and fascinating world and I think I'd be very gifted at this job. One day... who knows? Anna Aquino Answers KT Christmas Crossword (page 9) Vocabulary Corner (page 4) A Review of Keep Talking! I came to this school for the first time five years ago, because my da u g h t e r needed to improve her English. I knew Angela and Doria and when my daughter had lessons and I was waiting for her, I spoke with them. Angela told me about the beginner course which was starting that year, and I decided to join it. It was incredible for me to start this new school experience, because I wasn’t a girl anymore and it was like a challenge for me. For years I had been only a wife and a we spend pleasant time mother, and now I had the together. I especially like the atmosphere that in this school, the fantastic workshops where you can learn very different and original things and you feel possibility to do something comfortable. for myself. Something com- I’ve realized that the first pletely different and new. course helped me a lot in I had some very hard mo- that moment of my life and ments, because my memory have decided to continue this didn’t help me, but I found fantastic experience. some very good teachers – all ready to help. Thanks! I’ve met interesting people during these years, some of Nives Burelli whom are friends now and