TEACHER’S CORNER

Language Level: Basic

Standards: British and American.

Source: Speak Up

A BIT OF ZIP...

Words have a life of their own: the Word “zip” for example, is the sound of an object moving quicly, so we say that a car zips past us on the road. We can also say someone has zip when they are dynamic and full of energy. Let’s not forget the zippers that close our jackets and trousers. This ingenious invention was originally called a “hookless fastner,” then in 1923 shoe manufacture B.F. Goodrich used the fastener in a new line of boots called “Zippers.” The boots are long gone, but the fastener is still know today as a zipper in the USA (though zip is more common in the UK.) A modern innovation is the zip lock on plastic bags for storing food.

MODERN TIMES

In the world of computers we find zip files: these are files compressed by special programs such as winzip. These programs save space and make it faster to send files over the internet.

In the US it’s important to remember your Zip code (or postal code). Which is an acronym for “Zone Improvement Plan”.

Finally, on American streets teenagers gangs shoot each other with zip guns. These are home-made guns made from a metal tube and a primitive firing device, attached to a piece of wood. They’re dangerous for both victim and attacker as they’re inaccurate and can explode.

Glossary

A life of their own: uma vida própria.

Zips past us: nos passa voando.

Zippers: zipper.

Hookless fastener: fechadura sem gancho.

Boots: botas.

Are long gne: há tempos não existem mais.

Zip lock: fecho plástico (sem dentes, geralmente para embalagens).

For storing food: para conservar alimentos.

Zone Improvement (Plan: plano de aprimoramento do correio) com subdivisões em zonas, semelhantes ao CEP- Código de Endereçamento Postal.

Firing device: dispositivo de disparo.