The Achievement of Happiness

 Source: www.maganews.com.br 

Life

The Achievement [1] of Happiness

What does it take [2] to be happy? Can money buy happiness? What does research say aboutthis topic? Maganews brings the following three pages on this subject and also a story about a poor but happy country: Bhutan

The theme of happiness has been studied by psychologists, philosophers and religious leaders, and has inspired poets, filmmakers and composers. There are dozens of books and countless [3] studies on this subject. Maganews examined several of these studies that have been on TV, in newspapers and on the internet. Some say money is the key, others say no. Moreover, the vast majority of these studies have reached the same conclusion about certain aspects of happiness. A spiritual life and a good marriage are essential to being happy, and maintaining good relationships with family, friends, and significant others. A recent study by PrincetonUniversity went further by concluding that having children also increases our level of happiness. The same survey included among the "pro-happiness" items a college degree [4] and health insurance[5].

The importance of faith [6]

According to the Princeton University study, having a spiritual life is the most important factor in the pursuit [7] of happiness. Going to church helps people to make new friends and deal better with day-to-day problems. Father Fábio de Melo believes that everyone can be happy, even when facing difficult problems. He also said, in a program aired on TV Canção Nova, that happiness also depends on the choices [8] we make in our day-to-day lives. When we choose to do good and healthy things for ourselves and for others, happiness increases. Father Melo also noted that it is important for people not to stop dreaming, and to always strive [9] to complete a project.

Trecho da matéria publicada na edição de número 58 da Revista Maganews, que também traz o ranking das nações mais felizes do mundo e outros estudos sobre o tema felicidade.

Áudio – Aasita Muralikrishna

Imagem – Jay Lopez

Vocabulary

1 achievement – conquista

2 what does it take to – o que é necessário para

3 countless – aqui =  inúmeros

4 college degree – diploma universitário

5 health insurance – plano de saúde

6 faith – fé

7 in the pursuit of – em busca de

8 choice – escolha

9 to strive – tentar / esforçar-se

Paolo Nutini

Paolo Nutini, The New Scottish Star

Source: Speak Up

Language level: Basic

Standard accents: British and Scottish

The New Scottish Star

Everything about Paolo Nutini is impossible. His name is Italian, but he’s Scottish. He has the looks of a teenage pop star, but sings like a 1960s soul man. His record company told him to change his name, if he wanted success, but he refused. Last year he released a debut album, These Streets, which was a hit, and he is currently in the middle of a sell-out tour of the United States. The magazine Rolling Stone named him one of its “Ten Artists to Watch.”

FISH AND CHIPS

Paolo, who turned 20 in January, grew up near Glasgow, in the town of Paisley, where his parents own a fish and chip shop. His grandfather, Jackie, introduced Paolo to music and encouraged him to sing; Paolo wrote the song “Autumn” in his memory. Paolo says. “He was a big music lover. He loved boogie woogie piano and adored opera.” Jackie died when Paolo was about 11 years old, but he would have loved the passion and soul of his grandson’s voice.

Last summer the family visited their ancestral home Barga, a small town in the Northern hills of Tuscany, where Paolo gave a free concert. He announced, “I’m playing here in my nonno’s opera house, unbelievable! I’ll try to put on a show for you, if I can stop greetin’.” (Greetin’ is Scottish slang for “crying.”) Paolo’s songs are autobiographical; his album These Streets is a diary of his last three years. For example, the songs “Last Request” and “Rewind” recount problems with his girlfriend, whereas the title track, “These Street,” recalls his first, homesick days in London.

GOING HOME

“In my head i see a vineyard in Italy. I’ll build a recording studio there. That’s the plan…though I’ll have to return to Scotland now and then, just to keep my sanity.” If his voice doesn’t pay for that vineyard, his looks will: he has signed a contract with prestigious London agency Storm Models.

The Barga Connection (no audio)

High in the Tuscan hills, Barga is a town full of surprises. Visitors, who ask for directions, or perhaps a cup of coffee in a bar, get a big shock when the local people reply in broad Scottish accent. If it’s August in Barga, there is another big surprise: The Fish and Chip Festival.

Fish and Chip in Italy? Well, thousands of families emigrated from the area during the famines of the late nineteenth century. For example, Paolo’s great-grandfather took the Nutini family to Paisley where he opened their fish and chip shop. Over the years, many of the emigrants’ descendants have returned to their home town and brought Scottish traditions with them.

Irregular Verbs

Author of this Exercise by Victoria Ladbug from Israel
Source: http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2030

• Complete the sentence. Write the correct past form of the verb. Good Luck!

1 .    Mr. Fox   a lot of jokes when he was younger.( know)

 

2  .   My friends  me a nice present for my birthday. (give)

 

3. They  me a new bike.(buy)

 

4.   We always  English in the summer camp in Spain.(speak)

 

5. The man  us the truth.(tell)

 

6.   My brother  his homework in the afternoon. (do)

 

7. Then he  a glass of orange juice.(drink)

 

8. I  my keys at home yesterday.(forget)

 

9.  My uncle  me a lovely postcard last week.(write)

 

10. Last Sunday my sister  off her bike in the yard.(fall)

 

11.    We  “Goodbye” and then we  our old friends.(say/leave)

 

12. My father  to the market by car today.(go)

 

13.  When she  home from work yesterday, she  very tired.(come/feel)

 

14.     My parents  to Los Angeles last month.(fly)

 

15.    I  two letters from my old teacher yesterday.  (get)

 

12      A week ago we  at a nice restaurant. (be)

 

13. I  about that great woman yesterday . (think)

 

• Choose the correct answer.

1. He ________ to sing when he was 9 years old. (to begin)
  begun
  began
  beginned

2. My little brother ________ his new glasses when he fell off hus bike. (to break)
  broked
  broken
  broke

3. The pupils ________ at the football championship a week ago. (to be)
  was
  are
  were

4. I  ________ my French homework at school yesterday. (to do)
   do
   did 

   am doing


5. He ________ all the "Harry Potter" books last year. (to read)
  readed

  reads
  read

6. My father________ at my college last Monday? (to be)
  were
  is
  was

7. That boy________ the ball in the basket. (to throw)
  threw
  throwed
  are throwing

8. The police ________ the thief quickly. (to catch)
  caught
  catched
  catch

9. He ______famous men and women from fistory in the "Madame Tussaud's Museum. (to see)
  sees
  saw
  seed

10. I ________ T-shirts from the museum shop to remind us of our visit yesterday. (to buy)
  buyed
  bought

  am buying
 

11. We ________ photos of our favorite stars last week. (to take)
  taken
  took
  taked

12. We  ________ to the beach in the morning yesterday. (to drive)
  drove
  drive
  driven

13. I  ________ a bike all the  day yestaerday. (to ride)
  rode
  ridden
  ride

14. Who________ my car?(to steal)
  stole
  stolen
  steal

15. My mother ________ a beautiful. (to sing)
  sings
  singed
  sang

16. I  ________ my aunt an e-mail yesterday.(to write)
  written
  wrote
  write

17. The baby ________ in the living room peacefully. (to sleep)
  sleeps
  slept
  sleeping

18. The children________ in the lake in the afternoon.(swim)
swam
swum
swimed

Words and Their Stories: State Nicknames, Part 1

Source: www.voanews.com

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

A nickname is a shortened form of a person's name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing.

America's fifty states have some of the most historically interesting nicknames.

Alabama is known as the Heart of Dixie because it is in the very middle of a group of states in the Deep South. Dixie itself is a nickname for the American South. It started when Louisiana printed notes with the French word for "ten" on them. "Deece," or D-I-X, led to "Dixie."

Way up north, Alaska is called the Last Frontier for understandable reasons. Near the Arctic Circle, it was the final part of the nation to be explored and settled.

Arizona is the Grand Canyon State because of the famous winding canyon carved by the Colorado River. The southern state of Arkansas is the Land of Opportunity. The state legislature chose this nickname. Arkansas is rich in natural resources and has become a favorite place for older people to retire.

In a popular Spanish book, a fictional island called "California" was filled with gold. Sure enough, plenty of it was discovered in the real California, in eighteen forty-eight. This started a gold rush unlike any other in American history in the Golden State.

You would think Colorado would be known as the Rocky Mountain State. But its nickname is the Centennial State. That is because it became a state in eighteen seventy-six, exactly one hundred years after the nation declared its independence.

Connecticut is called the Nutmeg State after a spice. Connecticut Yankees, as people in this northeast state are called, are known to be smart in business. So smart that it was said they could sell wooden, meaning false, nutmegs to strangers.

Little Delaware is called the First State because it was the first state -- the first to approve the new United States Constitution.

The southern state of Florida likes to tell about its sunny days and fine beaches. So Florida is the Sunshine State. Florida's neighbor to the north grows some of the sweetest fruit in America. So Georgia is the Peach State.

Hawaii, far out in the Pacific Ocean, is the Aloha State. That is the friendly greeting that means both "hello" and "goodbye" in the native Hawaiian language. So, aloha for now. Next week we will tell you about the nicknames of more American states.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program was written by Ted Landphair. I'm Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.

The spectacular life in Pantanal

For more info visit www.maganews.com.br

Ecological  Paradise

The spectacular life in Pantanal

Stunning [1}  landscapes [2] and lots of species of birds [3], fish andmammals [4].  These are some of the attractions of Pantanal, one of the world’s most beautiful regions

The dream of any tourist going to Pantanal is to see a jaguar [5] and, if possible, take a photograph - but this is a very rare event. Jaguars live in hiding [6] in the forests [7]. However, many other animals can be seen up close [8], such as alligators [9], tapirs (antas), capivaras and otters (ariranhas).  Bird spotting is also easy for tourists. Birds such as the macaw (arara), toucan and stalks (tuiuiú), which is the symbol of Pantanal. The beauty of this region is also evident in the rivers, lakes, lagoons, and the great variety of plants, trees and other forms of vegetation. Tourists can see the beauty of the region in a traditional boat [10] from the area, called a “chalana”. Pantanal also has fantastic places to go fishing

and horse riding [11]. 

Where this ecological paradise is

     

This lush [12] region covers over 200,000 square kilometers [13], with twelve cities, and is between the States of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Up until the 1980s, Pantanal was not a very popular tourist destination for Brazilians. The main economic activity in the region is based on fishing and cattle farming [14]. As of the [15] 1990s, Pantanal became more popular with tourists from all over the world.   

Interesting facts about Pantanal

Birds and Fish – There are more species of bird in Pantanal (656) than in North America (about 500), and more species of freshwater fish (263) than in Europe (about 200). The best known fish are “dourado”, “pintado” and “pacu”.

Wet and Dry – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter – the four seasons. But for those who live in Pantanal there are just two seasons, “Wet” [16] and “Dry” [17].  The rainy season is from November to April, when the rain is more intense and constant. The dry period is from May to October, when it rarely rains.

Climate – The summer is hot and humid. Temperatures get very high – easily over 40ºC. But the cold and dry weather comes in the winter, when there is a possibility of frost [18] and temperatures plunge to 0ºC.

World Heritage Site – The variety of plant and animal life is so great that Pantanal has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is a permanent natural reserve, protected by several laws.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 46 da Revista Maganews.

Vocabulary

1 stunning – impressionante / maravilhoso

2 landscape – paisagem

3 bird – pássaro

4 mammal - mamífero

5 jaguar – onça

6 to live in hiding – viver escondido

7 forest – floresta / mata

8 to be seen up close – ser visto de perto

9 alligator – jacaré

10 boat – barco

11 horse riding - cavalgada

12 lush – deslumbrante

13 square kilometers  - quilômetros quadrados

14 cattle farming – pecuária

15 as of the – a partir de

16 wet – aqui = chuvoso / cheias

17 dry – seca

18 frost – geada

Family Album XXIII

Source: Family Album

Joke: The last laugh

Source: Speak Up

Language level: Advanced

Standard: British accent

THE LAST LAUGH

At the Post Office...

In the Post Office, there is a man whose job it is to process all the mail that has illegible addresses. Just before Christmas he saw a letter, addressed in shaky handwriting, to God. He decided to read it:

Dear God,

I am an 83-year-old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse, with £ 100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension cheque. Next Monday is Christmas, and I have invited two friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with.

I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely, Edna Jones.

The man was touched, and showed the letter to his fellow workers. Each one of them came up with a few pounds, and, by the time he had gone round them all, he had collected £ 96, which he put in an envelope and sent to the woman. All of the workers felt a warm glow for the kind thing they had done.

In the New Year, another letter came from the old lady, to God. All of the workers while the letter was opened. It read:

Dear God,

How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix (here means prepare) a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift. By the way, there were £ missing. I think it must have been those thieving bastards at the Post Office.