The world celebrates Nelson Mandela

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Source: MAGANEWS

Mandela with Bafana Bafana

 

People

The world celebrates Nelson Mandela

He struggled against oppression of the blacks in South Africa, was imprisoned for almost three decades, and beat apartheid.  Mandela became not just the biggest hero in his country, but a revered [1] celebrity the world over

In 2008 Bono, Amy Winehouse and other major international singing stars played a show in Londonin honor of the man who changed the history of South Africa:  Nelson Mandela.  That year he turned 90. In 2009 it was the USA’s turn to organize a big event (with heavyweight stars) to honor one of the most important peace campaigners of the twentieth century. Mandela’s life has inspired two films produced recently: Goodbye Bafana (2007) and Invictus (2009), which starred the award-winning[2] actor, Morgan Freeman. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in a small South African village on July 18^th 1918. He studied law [3], worked as a lawyer and has been married since 1998 to Grace Machel, his third wife.

  

A tough battle

In 1948 the South African government officially established the racial segregation regime known as “apartheid” in the country. The blacks could not use the same public transport as the whites, or live in the same neighborhoods, or vote, or have the same job opportunities as the whites. It was in that decade that Mandela began his long struggle against apartheid. This cost him his freedom. He wasarrested [4] in 1962 and only set free [5] in 1990. During his years in prison Mandela became the leading symbol of the struggle against racial segregation. Apartheid began to lose its grip [6] in 1990 and was officially ended in 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa. A year before he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 55 da revista Maganews.

Áudio – Thiago Ribeiro

Photo (by Nelson Mandela Foundation)

Mandela with Bafana Bafana

Vocabulary

1 to revere – reverenciar / honrar

2 award-winning – premiado (a)

3 law – direito

4 to arrest – prender

5 to set free - libertar

6 to lose its grip – perder a sua força

VILLAGE PEOPLE, ENGLAND

Recomendo esta excelent revista para professores e alunos, preços acessíveis. Para mais informações entre em contato com o site e comece a praticar o idioma hoje mesmo. 

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Source: MAGANEWS

When people think of England, many automatically think of London. Here Andrew Fox takes a look at life in a typical English village

   There are many times when people ask me, an Englishman, why I came to Brazil. It is a reasonable question, but normally the way it is asked gives the impression that I did something either very adventurous, or just weird. The real question seems to be, “Why on earth did you want to leaveEngland?”

   I cannot answer that question here, but I can tell you that I did not leave a life of high-energy excitement in the center of London. Many people equate England with London, but this is like thinking that Brazil and the Amazon are one and the same.

    Last April I went back to England for the first time in over seven years. I stayed in Clarborough, a very small village a few miles outside a very small market town called Retford, in the north ofNottinghamshire County.  Let me tell you a bit about life in a place like this.

Things to do

Not much. Activities are limited to walking the dog, running around fields, or going to either the pub or church (or one, then the other). Churches and pubs are the main focal points of village life, often being found near to each other. Clarborough has the Chesterfield canal running through it, so you can sit next to that and feed the ducks and swans, and take in the air. Relaxation is an art that has to be practiced.

Traffic and Transport

Not a problem. Villages do not have very large populations – Clarborough is home to 1,100 people – so even in the rush hour, it does not get very busy. Having said that, cars are almost indispensable, as bus services tend to be irregular.  

Housing

You will not find any apartments in Clarborough, or any villages like it. England in general is not part of the apartment culture, and people live predominantly in houses of varying sizes and descriptions. A typical house will have 3 bedrooms and is 76 square meters in area. Of course, there are large variations.

 People

All village people are the same: cautiously friendly. Crime is not a huge problem, but it certainly does exist and the days of leaving front doors open and people being happily carefree about personal security are long-gone. There are “Neighborhood Watch” areas in which neighbors are constantly keeping their eyes open for strangers. This is the result of sparse police numbers in rural areas, making neighbors more reliant on each other for early signs of possible problems. One thing is for sure, if you are new in a village, it does not take long for the local residents to hear about you.

Article and Pictures – by *Andrew Fox -

www.maganews.com.br

(*Andrew nasceu na Inglaterra e vive no Brasil há mais de 12 anos, onde trabalha como professor, tradutor e também como redator, revisor e colaborador da Revista Maganews)

Vocabulary

1 reasonable - razoável
2 weird - estranho

3 to equate – aqui = igualar uma coisa com outra coisa

4 a few miles – a algumas milhas

5 county – região

6 pub – típico bar inglês

7 church – igreja

8 Chesterfield canal – rio

9 duck – pato

10 swan – cisne

11 to take in the air - respirar

12 housing – habitação / moradia

13 bedroom – quarto

14 square meter – metro quadro

15 cautiously friendly – cautelosamente amigável

16 front door – porta da frente

17 carefree – tranquilo / despreocupado

18 long-gone – exp.idiom. – há muito tempo (já é passado)

19 neighborhood watch – vigilância do bairro

20 sparse – escasso / pouca (o)

21 reliant - confiante

Haiti, a country under eternal reconstruction

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World

Haiti, a country under

eternal reconstruction

Nature has been cruel to the poorest country in the Americas. A look back into the past helps explain how Haiti came to be so poor. Throughout the country’s history, the Haitians have suffered various coups [1], political crises and cruel tyrannical dictatorships [2]

It seems that nature has not been kind to Haiti. The earthquake on January 12^th (2010) aggravated the chaos and poverty in the country. According to the United Nations, up to January 23^rd the official number of dead was 111,000 and 200,000 had been injured [3]. It has been estimated, however, that the final death toll [4] could be 200,000.  Thousands of houses have been destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless. Before being hit by the earthquake the country was struck by a hurricane in 2008. However, nature cannot be held chiefly responsible for the Haitians’ suffering.  In this country of nine million souls, over half are living below the level of extreme poverty, earning just a dollar a day. It is the poorest country in the Americas. The country is very, very underprivileged – there is a lack of schools, jobs, hospitals, transport, security, infrastructure, basic sanitation, and – mainly – political stability. In political terms Haiti has always been in conflict. From the second half of the 19^th century until the beginning of the 20^th century, 16 Heads of State [5] were overthrown [6] or assassinated.

                 Governments that did not work

In the second half of the 20^th century, however, Haiti had two governments that stayed in power for a long time. François Duvalier, better known as Papa Doc, took power [7]  in 1957 and his government lasted until 1971, when he died. His son, Jean-Claude (known as Baby Doc) took over and remained in power until 1985. Both of them stayed in power by persecuting their opponentsmercilessly [8]. During these dictatorships, Haiti fell deeper and deeper into poverty. In the years that followed Haitians tried to stabilize their political situation, but a succession of military coups prevented any organization.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 53 da Revista Maganews

(Leia mais sobre o Haiti na edição impressa da revista)

Photo 1 (Marcello Casal – ABr) - Earthquake - Scenes of devastation in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.
Photo 2 (Marcello Casal – ABr) - Port-au-Prince days after the earthquake – What does the future hold for this child?

Voice – David Hatton

Vocabulary

1 coup – golpe

2 dictatorship - ditadura

3 injured – ferido

4 death toll – exp. idiom. = número oficial de mortos

5 Heads of State – chefes de estado

6 to be overthrown – ser deposto

7 to take power – assumir o poder

8 mercilessly – cruelmente / sem piedade

Aventura Selvagem: A fun lesson in biology

Source: www.maganews.com.br

People & TV
Aventura Selvagem: A fun lesson in biology
The biologist and TV presenter Richard Rasmussen traveled the world to give us a close-up of the most fascinating animals and areas of outstanding natural beauty
Alligators [1], snakes, lizards [2] ...A normal person usually prefers to stay away from these and other wild animals. But this is not the case for biologist and TV presenter Richard Rasmussen.   His job is to travel the world in search of all manner [3] of animals, including the most dangerous ones.  And when he finds them, Richard does not just show them from afar [4], instead, he gets close enough to touch them. It is common to see him grabbing [5] hold of snakes and even alligators. This is a very dangerous approach.  Nobody should try it, because they would run the risk of being injured or even killed. That said, Richard is an expert and has been prepared for his task [6].  

Love for animals

    On the program "Aventura Selvagem," aired on Thursday nights on SBT, Richard is always full of fun and adventure. It is common to see him kissing tapirs [7] and sloths [8] and giving food to monkeys and birds. During the program he gives us a real biology lesson, with information about the animals and also the flora in each region he visits. Richard’s love of animals is such that he has saved the lives of many during his work. In addition, he uses his TV program to encourage the general public to adopt abandoned pets they find when filming.  Richard himself has adopted some of these animals.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 61 da revista Maganews.
(Na edição impressa da revista Maganews você pode conferir matéria completa sobre Richard Rasmussem e o programa Aventura Selvagem, incluindo outro áudio, desta vez com a narração da sul-africana Renay Moodley).
Áudio – Thiago Ribeiro
Foto - SBT

Vocabulary
 1 alligator – jacaré
2 lizard – lagarto
3 manner – aqui = tipos / espécies  
4 afar- à distância
5 to grab – agarrar
6 task - tarefa
7 tapir - anta -
8 sloth - preguiça 

Blockbuster Harry Potter - magic turns into a fortune

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Blockbuster

Harry Potter - magic turns into a fortune

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [1]: Part 1" grossed [2] more than US$ 330 million worldwide in its first weekend in movie theaters

The Harry Potter saga is coming to an end. In recent years seven books and six movies have been produced.  The seventh - and final- film in the series - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 1" has been split [3] into two parts. The first premiered [4] in theaters on November 19 and the second is scheduled for release on July 15, 2011. On the first weekend of showing, thenew movie made over US$330 million dollars in theaters in over 50 countries. The six previous [5] Potter films earned US$ 5.4 billion worldwide for Warner Bros. studio.

Another dangerous mission for Potter

In the seventh adventure film for the most famous wizard [6] in the world, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) leaves Hogwarts (the school for young wizards) in search of a challenge: to find and destroy the "horcruxes". The horcruxes are objects in which the villain Voldemort has placed pieces of his soul. These objects carry the secret of power and immortality for the villain.  It is a dangerous challenge, but Harry is not alone: he has the help of his great companions Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). The film is based on the story by JK Rowling and was directed by David Yates.

A próxima edição de Maganews vai trazer uma matéria especial sobre a história do bruxo mais famoso de todos os tempos, como ele surgiu, como vivia JK Rowling quando ela criou o personagem, os números que comprovam por que a série Potter virou um fenômeno da literatura infanto-juvenil e também no cinema e ainda o último filme da saga - Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte - Parte 2.

Matéria publicada na edição de dezembro da revista Maganews.

Áudio – David Hatton

Vocabulary

1 deathly hallows – relíquias da morte

2 to gross – ganhar / faturar

3 to split into – dividir em

4 premiered - estreou

5 previous – anteriores

6 wizard – bruxo

José Alencar: the warrior rests

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Life Lesson

José Alencar: the warrior [1] rests [2]

The former Vice President left behind a precious example of life for millions of Brazilians. For 14 years he faced cancer with courage, determination and faith

  

    A flat tire [3], a traffic jam [4], family problems, arguments [5] at work, toothache [6] ...These and other common problems in our day-to-day lives are enough to put many people in a bad mood andwipe [7] the smile off their faces. Like millions of Brazilians, José Alencar also faced these problems. But his daily routine also included something far more serious: a fight against a terrible disease. Alencar, however, seemed immune to stress and bad moods. Over the past eight years Brazil has become used to seeing an almost always good-natured [8] and relaxed Alencar. It was with optimism, serenity, courage and great faith that he faced a 14-year-long battle against cancer. During this period he had seventeen operations. This hard-fought battle [9] ended on March 29.Alencar left behind his wife Mariza Campos Gomes da Silva and three children: Maria da Graça, Patrícia and Josué. He also left behind a beautiful and striking [10] image in the minds of millions of Brazilians.

From poor childhood to Vice President of Brazil

   José Alencar was born in Muriaé in Minas Gerais state, on October 17, 1931.He lived animpoverished [11] childhood alongside 14 brothers and sisters. Alencar began working aged just seven years old and at 14 he left his parents house to work as a clerk [12] in a fabric store. At 18 a great chance came his way. His older brother lent [13] him money, so he opened his own store. And so began a successful business career. In 1967 he and a partner founded Coteminas, which would become one of the largest textile companies in Brazil. In 1993 he entered politics and in 1998 won a seat in the Senate. In 2002 he took the most important step in his political career when he was chosen to be Lula's running mate [14] in his presidential campaign.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 60 da revista Maganews.

Foto – Agência Brasil

Vocabulary

1 warrior – guerreiro

2 rest – descanso

3 flat tire – pneu furado

4 traffic jam – engarrafamento

5 arguments – discussões

6 toothache – dor de dente

7 to wipe  – “varrer” / “apagar”

8 good-natured – bem-humorado

9 hard-fought battle – dura batalha

10 striking image – imagem marcante

11 impoverished childhood – infância pobre

12 clerk – balconista / vendedor

13 to lend – emprestar

14 running mate –  pessoa que faz parte de uma campanha política

The origins of Easter and Passover

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Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ at Easter, while Jews remember the liberation of the Israelites at Passover

The Jews created Passover to celebrate the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt about 3,250 years ago. Inspired by God, Moses led the exodus of a people who had been enslaved by the Egyptians for almost 400 years. For the Jews, Passover symbolizes the escape from slavery. For Christians, Easter also symbolizes escape, but from death to life. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It can be said that for both Jews and Christians Easter means rebirth, liberation, or simply a new life.

Symbols: rabbits and eggs

Many centuries ago, most Europeans were pagans (people who believed in several gods).  The gods were associated with nature, such as the sun, or the seasons.  Every year, at the end of March, pagans celebrated the god Eostre (also known as Ostara), who represented fertility and spring.  The pagans saw the rabbit as a fertility symbol. Another symbol in this pagan ritual was the egg, symbolizing life, and people painted eggs in different colors. Over time Christianity began to spread around the world. Most European pagans began to convert to Christianity. Former pagans stopped celebrating spring and began to celebrate Easter (which was an event that occurred at the same time of the year). However, the Europeans carried with them some symbols that they used to use in pagan rituals, such as the egg and the rabbit. Chocolate eggs came later, at the beginning of the 20^thCentury.

Matéria publicada na edição de abril da Revista Maganews

Ilustração - Calberto

ÁUDIO - David Hatton

Vocabulary

1 Passover – passagem (“pessach”, em hebraico) / Páscoa Judaica

2 Easter – Páscoa

3 Jews – judeus

4 exodus – êxodo / fuga (escape = fuga)

5 Moses – Moisés

6 enslaved - escravizado

7 rebirth - renascimento

8 spring – primavera

9 rabbit – coelho

10 over time – aqui = com o passar do tempo

11 to spread – se espalhar

12 to occur – acontecer / ocorrer