segunda-feira, 31 de janeiro de 2011

Rochester



Source: www.speakup.com.br
Language level: Basic
Standard: British accent


Rochester Celebrates Dickens

Charles Dickens’ spirit still walks the streets of Rochester in Kent, a few Miles south of London. Every December Dickens and the characters from his books can be seen around the old town: there’s old Scrooge from a Christmas Carol, and there goes young Oliver Twist disappearing down a side street. What’s happening? Is this madness? No. It’s Rochester’s Dickensian Christmas Festival.

VICTORIAN DRESS

Men in top hats accompany women in bonnets and full-length dresses in they promenade the streets; snowflakes fall as they pass chimney sweeps and homeless boys, or stop to admire the shops with their festive decorations. This is the midday parade which signals the start of the festival each day. The streets are full of noise and music, street entertainers act out Dickens’ stories, while children visit father Christmas in Rochester Castle’s gardens. Around five o’clock, a candle-lit parade takes everyone to Boley Hill for a carol concert outside Rochester Cathedral. The atmosphere is guaranteed as the local council closes the town to traffic and supplies artificial snow.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

So why does Rochester celebrate Dickens at Christmas? Well, poverty was common in Victorian England, and Christmas wasn’t a holiday for many people. The great success of Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol changed everything: the miserly Scrooge learns that happiness only comes when you care for others. So he gives his employees Bob Cratchit the day off, more money and gifts for his family. Scrooge learns the value of charity. Many companies and institutions followed his example and gave their workers a Christmas holiday, and conditions started to improve. Dickens also helped create many Christmas traditions. Families came together on Christmas Day to share presents, play games and enjoy a dinner of roast turkey and Christmas pudding.


Dickens & Rochester (no audio)

Charles Dickens (1812-70) was born in Portsmouth, where his father was a clerk at the Navy Office. The family moved to Chatham, another navy town, when Charles was five. This was near Rochester and young Charles would often visit. Once, on a walk just outside the town, he stood admiring a fine house called Gads Hill. His father told him that one day, if he worked hard, the house could e his. When Dickens later became rich through his writing, he bought gads hill. 

Pro-jovem, Inglês vip, part 5




For more information visit http://www.ingvip.com you can keep in touch with a Brazilian teacher and English translator Teacher Fuvio C. Perini. Actually this is an interesting course by Pro-Jovem developed during the Lula's president of Brazil, very useful by the way, as well as I recommend you visit this site you'll find interesting content for English learners, not only Brazilian but for students worldwide, check out friends. Please RT it for students around the world.

Source: www.ingvip.com


Pedro: Hello Mariana
Mariana: Hi
Pedro: 
What are you doing (1)?
Mariana: I'm writing a letter (2) to my brother
Pedro: 
Oh, do you have brothers and sisters?
Mariana:
 Yes I do. I have one brother and one sister
Pedro: Oh, me too. How old is your sister (3)? Is she pretty (4)?
Mariana: She's thirty-three years old and yes, she is pretty. But she has a husband (5), oneson (6) and two daughters (7)
Pedro: Oh, so you have one nephew (8) and two nieces (9)
Mariana: Yes, I do.
Pedro: Do you have any pictures (10)?
Mariana: Yes, I do. Those are my nieces. Their names ara Ana and Sara. Ana, is seven years old, and Sara is three. And this is my nephew, Tiago. He's five years old.
Pedro: Oh, look at them
Mariana: This picture here is from my last birthday. This is my grandmother (11) and mygrandfather (12).
Pedro: Are they from São Paulo too?
Mariana: No, they aren't. They live in São Paulo, but they are from Acre.
Pedro: Acre? Do you know Acre?
Mariana: No, I don't . It's too expensive(13) to go there
Pedro: How old are they? Do they work?
Mariana: Yes, They do. They are 72 years old and they work every day. From five in the morning until(14) 10 o'clock. They have a bakery (15)
Pedro: Can you eat all you want?
Mariana: Or course not (16), Pedro.


                                      Vocabulary
 1. 
 What are you doing? = O que você está fazendo?
 2. letter = carta
 3. How old is your sister? = 
Qual a idade de sua irmã?
 4. Pretty = bonita, linda
 5. Husband =
 esposo
 6. Son = 
Filho
 7. daughters = 
filhas
 8. 
 Nephew = Sobrinho
 9. Nieces = Sobrinhas
 10. Pictures = 
Fotos
 11. Grandmother = 
avó
 12. Grandfather =
 avô
 13. Expensive = 
caro
 14. Until = 
Até
 15. 
 Bakery = Padaria
 16.  Of course not = É claro que não

American History: Calvin Coolidge Wins in Election of 1924

Voters in Lanham, Maryland, during the election of 1924
Voters in Lanham, Maryland, during the election of 1924
Source: www.voanews.com


BOB DOUGHTY: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.
Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president in nineteen twenty-three following the death of President Warren Harding. Coolidge quickly gained the trust of most Americans by investigating the crimes of Harding's top officials. The conservative economic policies of the new president also won wide support.
Coolidge had one year to prove his abilities to the American people before the election of nineteen twenty-four.
This week in our series, Kay Gallant and Harry Monroe tell us about that election.
(MUSIC)
KAY GALLANT: Coolidge was a quiet man who believed in limited government policies. But his silence hid a fighting political spirit. Coolidge had worked for many years to gain the White House. He would not give it up without a struggle.
Coolidge moved quickly after becoming president to gain control of the Republican Party. He named his own advisers to important jobs. And he replaced a number of officials with people whose loyalty he could trust.
Most Republicans liked Coolidge. They felt his popular policies would make him a strong candidate in the presidential election. For this reason, Coolidge faced only one serious opponent for the Republican presidential nomination in nineteen twenty-four.
Coolidge's opponent was the great automobile manufacturer, Henry Ford of Michigan. Ford had been a candidate for Congress in nineteen eighteen. He lost that election. But after the election, some people in his company began to call for Ford to be the Republican presidential nominee in nineteen twenty-four.
Calvin CoolidgeCalvin Coolidge
HARRY MONROE: Ford was one of history's greatest inventors and manufacturers. But he had limited skills in politics. Ford was poorly educated. He had extreme opinions about a number of groups. He hated labor unions, the stock market, dancing, smoking, and drinking alcohol. But most of all, Ford hated Jews. He produced a number of publications accusing the Jewish people of organizing international plots.
At first, Ford appeared to be a strong opponent to Coolidge. But soon, he realized that Coolidge was too strong politically. His economic policies were popular among the people. And the nation was at peace. The party could not deny Coolidge's nomination. Ford himself put an end to his chances by telling the nation that it was "perfectly safe with Coolidge."
Calvin Coolidge won the presidential nomination easily at the nineteen twenty-four Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican delegates chose Charles Dawes of Illinois to run with him as the vice presidential candidate.
KAY GALLANT: The Democratic Party was much more divided. Many of the groups that traditionally supported Democratic candidates now were fighting against each other. For example, many farmers did not agree on policies with people living in cities. The educated did not agree with uneducated people. And many Protestant workers felt divided from Roman Catholic and Jewish workers.
These differences made it hard for the Democratic Party to choose a national candidate. There was little spirit of compromise.
Two main candidates campaigned for the Democratic nomination. The first was former Treasury Secretary William McAdoo. McAdoo had the support of many Democrats because of his strong administration of the railroads during the world war. Democratic voters in Southern and Western states liked him because of his conservative racial policies and his opposition to alcohol.
The second main candidate was Alfred Smith, the governor of New York. Smith was a Roman Catholic. He was very popular with people in the Eastern cities, Roman Catholics, and supporters of legal alcohol. But many rural delegates to the convention did not trust him.
HARRY MONROE: The Democratic Party convention met in New York City. It quickly became a battle between the more liberal delegates from the cities and the more conservative delegates from rural areas.
It was July. The heat was intense. Speaker after speaker appealed to the delegates for votes. One day passed. Then another. For nine days, the nation listened on the radio as the delegates argued about the nomination.
The delegates voted ninety-five times without success. Finally, McAdoo and Smith agreed to withdraw from the race. Even then, the delegates had to vote eight more times before they finally agreed on compromise candidates.
The Democratic delegates finally chose John Davis to be their presidential nominee. Davis was a lawyer for a major bank. He had served briefly under President Wilson as ambassador to Britain. The delegates also chose Charles Bryan to be the vice presidential candidate. Bryan was the younger brother of the famous Democrat and populist leader, William Jennings Bryan.
Robert  LaFollette
loc.gov
Robert LaFollette
KAY GALLANT: There also was a third party in the nineteen twenty-four election. Many of the old progressive supporters of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson opposed the choices of the Republicans and Democrats. They thought the country needed another candidate to keep alive the spirit of reform.
Progressive candidates had done well in the congressional election of nineteen twenty-two. But following the election, communists had gained influence in one of the major progressive parties. Most progressives did not want to join with communists. So, they formed a new progressive party. The new party named Senator Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin to be its presidential candidate.
LaFollette campaigned for increased taxes on the rich and public ownership of water power. He called for an end to child labor and limits on the power of the courts to interfere in labor disputes. And LaFollette warned the nation about the dangers of single, large companies gaining control of important industries.
HARRY MONROE: Coolidge won the nineteen twenty-four election easily. He won the electoral votes of thirty-five states to just twelve for Davis of the Democrats. LaFollette won only Wisconsin, his home state. Coolidge also won more popular votes than the other two candidates together.
The American people voted for Coolidge partly to thank him for bringing back honesty and trust to the White House following the crimes of the Harding administration. But the main reason was that they liked his conservative economic policies and his support of business.
KAY GALLANT: LaFollette's Progressive Party died following the nineteen twenty-four election. Most of his supporters later joined the Democrats. But the reform spirit of their movement remained alive through the next four years.
They were difficult years for Progressives. Conservatives in Congress passed laws reducing taxes for corporations and richer Americans.
HARRY MONROE: Progressives fought for reforms in national agriculture policies. Most farmers did not share in the general economic growth of the nineteen twenties. Instead, their costs increased while the price of their products fell. Many farmers lost their farms.
Farmers and progressives wanted the federal government to create a system to control prices and the total supply of food produced. They said the government should buy and keep any extra food that farmers produced. And they called for officials to help them export food.
Coolidge and most Republicans rejected these ideas. They said it was not the business of a free government to fix farm prices. And they feared the high costs of creating a major new government department and developing export markets.
Coolidge vetoed three major farm reform bills following his election.
KAY GALLANT: The debate over farm policy was, in many ways, like the debate over taxes or public controls on power companies. There was a basic difference of opinion about the proper actions of government.
More conservative Americans believed the purpose of government was to support private business, not to control it. But more liberal Americans believed that government needed to do more to make sure that citizens of all kinds could share the nation's wealth more equally.
Coolidge and the Republicans were in control in the nineteen twenties. For this reason, the nation generally stayed on a conservative path. The Democrats and Progressives would have to wait until later to put many of their more liberal ideas into action.
(MUSIC)
BOB DOUGHTY: Our program was written by David Jarmul. The narrators were Kay Gallant and Harry Monroe. You can find our series online with pictures, transcripts, MP3s and podcasts at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.
___
This is program #17
3
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domingo, 30 de janeiro de 2011

Family Album, 39



Practise and improve your English using the videos of Family Album, USA, thanks for this videos students worldwide can provide for free a contact with the language. Twit and promote peace and Education, do that dear friends, I really appreciate, as well as your comment on this blog. 

Source: Family Album

Crime & Punishment

Language level: Advanced
Standard: British accent


Crime & Punishment

On a quiet autumn evening Brian Perkins opened the door to his house in a suburb of Leicester and was instantly aware that everything wasn’t as it should be. He sensed that his house had been broken into:

Brian Perkins

Standard: British accent

When I got upstairs, I realised that a door that a door had been forced and, as I pushed aside the…the remnants of that door, I saw that there was on intruder, a burglar. And you witness a situation there where life goes into slow motion, it seems to stand still. I put, really, what was a stupid question to him, as to why he was there, he was obviously an intruder, looking back on it, and he gave me a stupid answer, that some neighbour had told him that this was the way to come out of the house: it couldn’t possibly have been! And suddenly a situation that seemed to stand still for an eternity became very rapid. Suddenly we were wrestling and, for the first time, I got a sight of this character and it was quite obvious that he was drugged, his eyes glazed and it became a struggle in which he wasn’t really putting up much resistance, which was very interesting, because my reaction at that stage, oddly enough, was not to hurt him, because behind him was a landing window and I realised – we were  rolling along the wall, as it were – that I could easily have pushed him through that window and he could have fallen to serious injury, or even his death.

FACE TO FACE

Fortunately, Perkins was able to overcome the intruder, who was then arrested, but a short while later Perkins was approached by the police, who told him about the Restorative Justice Scheme. The scheme brings together all parties concerned in a crime and gives them the opportunity to talk about what happened. The police explained that it was of value to both Perkins and his attacker in facing each other and discussing the crime. But how does it feel to confront someone who has broken into your home and attacked you?

Brian Perkins:

It was a combination. There was anger, there was, somewhere not too far below the surface, a wish for revenge, and yet when he spoke and we actually moved into a conversation, it surprised me how quickly those emotions faded away, and we were dealing with a situation where he had a traumatic experience and so had I and, looking back on it, each of us had our own reactions, and I do believe that the effect of that conversation was greater on him than it was on me.

NEXT TIME?

Brian Perkins and his attacker had three meetings, but does he feel that they had any effect and that they might lead to the criminal reconsidering his actions in the future?

Brian Perkins:

Yes, I did, and yes, I do. I think having met him and having had quite lengthy discussions with him which were not friendly chats, each was expressing what happened from each other’s point of view, but at least I understand him a lot better and I’m certain he understands me a lot better. I suppose the real question would be, if I were to be subjected to that situation again, would I behave differently, and I don’t think I would because you never know the extent of the threat you’re facing.

In Practice (no audio)

Restorative justice focuses on seeing crime as an act against another individual or community, rather than against the state.

The victim plays a major role in the process and may receive some type of restitution form the offender. Examples of restorative justice range from international peace-making tribunal (such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa) to dealing with primes involving schools, social services and communities. The first formal program for victim-offender meditation took place in Canada. The idea was that a victim would be more likely to experience greater satisfaction form a meeting and discussion with the offender than from material compensation alone.

From these discussions the theory of restorative justice emerged. Its main purpose is to repair and rebuild relationship.
Restorative justice was eventually taken up in Britain in the 1980s. such is its importance today that it even has its own website. For further information, visit: www.restorativejustice.com

Words and their stories: Medical Expressions


Source: www.voanews.com 
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Many professions have their own words and expressions. This is true for the medical profession.  Doctors use many technical terms that most people do not understand. But there are also expressions we use every day to tell about a person’s health. Let me explain.
Last month, I was not feeling well. I was under the weather. I thought I had caught a cold. I had a runny nose, itchy eyes, a sore throat and a cough. I felt tired and run down. I was in poor condition because I had not been getting enough rest.
My body hurt all over. I also had severe head pains -- a real splitting headache. And I was running a fever. My body temperature was higher than normal.
At one point, I blacked out. That’s right, I was out cold. I lost consciousness and my friend had to bring me around. He used cold water on my face to restore my consciousness.
I grew concerned that I might take a turn for the worse. I did not want to become sicker because then surely I would be at death’s door.
My friend took me to the doctor. I told the doctor I thought I had come down with a cold. When the doctor saw me, she immediately wanted to run some tests. She said that medical tests would help her discover why I was sick. The doctor also asked when I had my last physical. I do not get yearlycheck-ups. But I probably should get a medical exam by a doctor every year.
Then the nurse drew my blood. She used a needle to take a small amount of blood from my arm. She sent it to a laboratory for tests. The nurse alsotook my temperature. She used a thermometer to measure my body temperature.
The doctor told me I had influenza, or the flu. But she told me I would recover soon. She said I was over the worst of the disease. She told me to rest at home and to stay away from other people because the flu can spread. It is contagious.
Thankfully, I did not have to go under the knife. I did not need an operation.  Instead, I did just what the doctor ordered. I went home and did exactly what was needed to become healthy again. Soon, I was on the mend. I was pulling through and recovering from my sickness.
Now, I am back on my feet. I am physically healthy again. Even better, the doctor has given me a clean bill of health. She says that I am one-hundred percent cured. I am back to normal and I feel great. In fact, I feel on top of the world. My friends say I now look like the picture of health.
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. I’m Faith Lapidus.
  

Pro-Jovem, Ingvip, lesson 4




Source: www.ingvip.com


Mariana: This Supermarket is big!
Pedro: Yes, it has all we want for our (1) picnic
Julia: So Let's go. First, water
Lucas: Water, 3 bottles(2)
Julia: This bottle is not full (3). See, it's half empty (4)Pick (5) that one
Lucas: OK, you're right (6)
Julia: I can't get (7) this juice (8). It's too high (9)
Lucas: It's not the juice that is too high. You're a small (10) girl
Mariana: Now, bread (11).
Julia: 
This one (12) or that one (13)?
Lucas: This one. That one is expensive (14). See?
Pedro: Good morning
Worker: Good morning. That's a pretty T-shirt (15)
Pedro: Oh, thanks
Worker: Thank you very much, and have a very nice day
People: Thanks
Pedro: Hey mister, how can we go to the park?
Man: Oh, it's easy. There is (16) a bus right there (17) that goes to the park. Are you going to a picnic?
Pedro: Yes, we are
Man: Well, today is the right day to go to a picnic. It's a beautiful day
Mariana: Is it far (18) from here?
Man: No, no. But the bus takes too long (19)
Lucas: Oh, that is boring (20). Can we walk until (21) there?
Man: Well, it is not a short (22) walk. But you are so young, people. It's going to be easy.


                                      Vocabulary
 1. 
  our = nosso
 2.  bottles = garrafas
 3.  Full = 
cheio(a)
 4.  Half empty = 
Metade vazia
 5. Pick = 
pegue
 6.  Right = 
certo(a)
 7. I can't get = 
Eu não consigo pegar 
 8.  Juice = suco 
 9. Too high = Alto demais 
 10.  Small = 
pequeno(a)
 11.  Bread = 
pão
 12. This one = 
Este aqui  
 13. That one = 
Aquele ali 
 14.  Expensive = 
caro(a)
 15. 
 T-shirt = Camiseta
 16.  There is = há
 17.  Right there = 
logo ali
 18.  Far = 
longe
 19. 
 Takes too long = Leva tempo demais
 20.  Boring = 
Chato
 21.  Until = 
Até
  22. Short =  Curto(a)