Sarah Ferguson

Standard: British and American accents

Source: www.speakup.com.br

Language level: Upper intermediate

The Artist Formerly Known as Princess

In the 1980s Sarah Ferguson, officially “Sarah, Duchess of York,” was probably one of the most recognizable people in the world. “Fergie,” as the press called her, wasn’t quite as famous as her friend and relative, Princess Diana, but she was still a major celebrity. The reason was her marriage in 1986 to Prince Andrew, the younger brother of Prince Charles. When that marriage ended in divorce in 1996, she ceased to be a member of the Royal Family, but she retained the title “Duchess of York,” while her two daughters are fifth and sixth in line to the throne.

MAKING MOVIES

If Sarah Ferguson has faded from the public eye – except for a recent media set up – then she has reinvented herself as a writer and TV and film producer. She was closely involved in the film Young Victoria, which was released last year. Starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, it tells of the love affair between Victoria and her consort Prince Albert, who is immortalized in such London Monuments as the “Royal Albert Hall” and the “Victoria and Albert Museum.” When Sarah Ferguson met with the press, she talked about celebrity:

Sarah Ferguson

(Standard British accent):

It’s very interesting that a lot of people don’t know who I am even, you know? So, young people today do live in a different kind of cyberspace, I suppose, if that’s the word, and so I find it very interesting. Yesterday, when I was walking down the red carpet, and an…actual journalist asked me, “So what part did you play in the film?” “Er…no, no, I’m not an actress!” “Oh, oh, well, what do you do?” And so I think that the Maori tribesmen in New Zealand knew of Empress Queen Victoria. There was no email, no telephone, no television, but they knew. How is that? That’s why I think it’s so important to wake everybody up to history and how important it is and how much they could learn from the strength of an extraordinary leader.

A ROYAL ROMANCE

And, as she explains, Prince Albert played an important role in the development of Britain:

Sarah Ferguson:

One of the keys to this film is for everyone to realize that, no matter what and no matter how, you can hat love. You can have a soul mate. It is meant to be. She was meant to have the support of this man going through her reign. Sadly, he was taken away, but right this very second, if you go to London now, and you see the sewage systems, you see the roads, all done by Albert. So my next movie would probably be about Albert and what he brought to Britain, as it wasn’t his country, he was German, a scientist, and I think that, really, we owe a great deal of debt to Albert. As you drive through Windsor, you see the statue of Queen Victoria, she’s small, always dressed in black and loving donkeys, and yet I wanted it portrayed that she ran down the hill of Coburg with no shoes on and cornflower blue…flowers in her hair for dinner because Albert liked it. She was taught to paint by Winterhalter, she played duets. The magic, I think of a lot of the architecture, the buildings, what we have in Britain, in down to this woman and the love they had together.

DI AND I

Sarah Ferguson was then asked where she had been when she had heard the dramatic news of Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

Sarah Ferguson:

I was in Italy and I heard it on the news and I didn’t believe it, so I rang on the mobile. I said, “Dutch, Dutch, this is ridiculous! Call me! Call me! What’s happened, are you OK? I’m coming!” And then, of course, no, she had gone and it was just, for me, it was a sense of enormous…I mean, I’ve never got…really got over it because she was my fourth cousin, my best friend since I was (a) little girl and then my sister-in-law. And she was the only one of that time that both of us were together when, OK, “Fergie the sinner and Diana the saint “Sold newspapers, but it didn’t stop our friendship. And we worked together and she brought me in to marry Andrew and we were a team together, we were a unit and no one could separate us.

TEAM SPIRIT

And, in conclusion, she talked about her relationship with Prince Andrew today:

Sarah Ferguson:

It’s (an) extraordinary tale and I think the love that Albert and Victoria have, I think one of the ways that I feel very close is that, if I only Andrew and I had fought harder for our love, I think we’d probably still be together now. And we both say the same, and that’s why I think that he fully supports me in this and we are a total unit. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other, in order to bring up the girls.

Pro-jovem, part 16, Inglês Vip

Source: www.ingvip.com visit the site for more information

Mariana: So, we have some(1) people to call. Lucas, can you be the DJ?

Lucas: No, I can't. I'm not a DJ. But my uncle(2) has a forró band What do you think?

Mariana: About what?(3)

Lucas: The music.

Mariana: Whatever(4), whatever...Oh Lucas, could you do me a favor?(5)

Lucas: Yes, I could.

Mariana: I'm a little worried. The barbecue(6) man is not here yet. Would you call him please?

Lucas: Yes, I would. What is his phone number?

Mariana: Oh, wait. Here. So, is everything ready?(7)

Lucas: Yes, it is. There is only one thing missing(8).

Mariana: What?

Lucas:  People

Mariana: They are coming! The party starts at five. It is four thirty.

Barbecue man: Excuse me(9). I'm here for the barbecue

Mariana: Oh, here you are! You can put(10) the meat(11) here and the soft drinks in the ice(12) there

Lucas: Where is Pedro?

Mariana: I don't know. He is at work.

Lucas:  Would you call him and see if he is coming?

Mariana: OK, OK. Can I talk to Pedro please? Hi Pedro. This is(13) Mariana. Oh...really? Hum, are you coming to the barbecue?

Barbecue man: Would you like some potatoes?(14)

Pedro: Yes, I would, thanks.

Barbecue man: Would you like some meat?

Mariana: No, I would not. I am vegetarian

Barbecue man:  Vegetarian? Not a problem. I have some vegetables(15) here.What would you like to drink?

Lucas: A soft drink, please.

Barbecue man: How is the meat? Too salty(16)? Good?

Pedro: Very good!

Barbecue man: OK. Thank you.

Mariana: Oh, Lucas. I have to speak with you. I'm a little nervous.

Lucas: Why?

Mariana: Because I think Pedro is hitting on me(17)!

Lucas: You think? you think? He is hitting on you!

Mariana: Really?

Lucas: Yes!

Mariana: What do I do?

Lucas: You like him, don't you?

Mariana: Yes, I do! But he is my friend. I'm, I'm confused(18)...

Lucas: You need to relax and enjoy(19) the party. OK? Come on(20)! Let's dance forró.

---

                                                        Vocabulary

 1. Some  = Alguns, algumas

 2. Uncle = tio

 3. About what? = Sobre o que?

 4. Whatever = Tanto faz

 5. Could you do me a favor? = Você poderia me fazer um favor?

 6. Barbecue = churrasco

 7. Is everything ready? = Tudo está pronto?

 8. There is only one thing missing  = Só está faltando uma coisa

 9. Excuse me = Com licença

 10. Put = pôr, colocar

 11. Meat = carne

 12. Ice = gelo

 13. This is = aqui é

 14. Potatoes = Batatas

 15. Vegetables  = Legumes

 16. Salty = Salgada

 17. Hitting on me = "Me paquerando"

 18. Confused = confuso(a)

 19. Enjoy = aproveitar, desfrutar

 20. Come on! = Vamos lá!

American History: Hoover Wins in 1928

American History: Hoover Wins in 1928

 Source: www.voanews.com
 

Photo: loc.gov

Herbert Hoover, right, and the president he followed in office, Calvin Coolidge

BOB DOUGHTY: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

The presidential election of nineteen twenty-eight gave American voters a clear political choice. The Democratic Party nominated Al Smith. He was the popular governor of the state of New York. The Republican Party chose Herbert Hoover. He was an engineer and businessman who served as secretary of commerce for presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge.

This week in our series, Rich Kleinfeldt and Harry Monroe tell us about the presidential election of nineteen twenty-eight.

RICH KLEINFELDT: Governor Alfred Smith of New York had campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in nineteen twenty-four. But he was defeated at the party convention by a compromise candidate, John Davis.

Four years later, however, Smith could not be stopped. He had a strong record as governor of the nation's most heavily-populated state. He campaigned for the presidency on a policy of building new electric power stations under public control.

Smith knew that many conservative Americans might be worried by his new ideas and his belief in strong government. So he chose as his campaign manager a Republican industrial leader who had worked with General Motors, DuPont and other major companies.

Smith hoped this would prove his faith in the American private business system.

loc.gov

Al Smith

HARRY MONROE: Al Smith was a strong political leader and an effective governor. But he frightened many Americans, especially conservative citizens living in rural areas.

They lived on farms or in small towns. Al Smith was from the city. And not just from any city, but New York City, a place that seemed big and dirty and filled with foreign people and strange traditions. Al Smith's parents came from Ireland. He grew up in New York and worked as a salesman at the Fulton Fish Market.

Smith was an honest man. But many rural Americans simply did not trust people from big cities. Al Smith seemed to them to represent everything that was new, different, and dangerous about American life.

But being from New York City was not Al Smith's only problem. He also opposed the new national laws that made it illegal to buy or produce alcoholic drinks. And he had political ties to the New York political machine. But worst of all, in the eyes of many Americans, Al Smith was a Roman Catholic.

RICH KLEINFELDT: From George Washington through Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and up to Calvin Coolidge, every American president had been male, white, and a Protestant Christian. Of course, there was no law requiring a candidate to be Protestant. But millions of traditional Americans just were not ready to give their vote to a Roman Catholic.

Opponents of the Smith campaign generally did not speak openly about his religion. But many of them were afraid that Smith would take his orders from the Vatican in Rome, instead of working with the Congress in Washington.

Al Smith fought back. He told the country, "I am unable to understand how anything I was taught to believe as a Catholic could possibly be in conflict with what is good citizenship. My faith," he said, "is built upon the laws of God. There can be no conflict between them. "

HARRY MONROE: But many Protestant Americans thought there was a conflict. And they looked to the Republican Party to supply a strong candidate to oppose Smith and the Democrats.

The Republicans did just that. They nominated former secretary of commerce Herbert Hoover, one of the country's most popular men. Hoover was well-known to Americans. People trusted him. And they liked the way he had gained great personal success from poor beginnings.

In fact, Hoover's life story would have pleased Abraham Lincoln, another American who rose from a poor family to fame.

Hoover was born in the farm state of Iowa in eighteen seventy-four. His father was a poor metal worker who kept moving his family from state to state.

Herbert Hoover's father died when the boy was just six years old. His mother died four years later. Young Herbert had to move to the western state of Oregon to live with his mother's brother.

Herbert's uncle was luckier in life than Herbert's parents. He had made money in the land business. And he helped the boy gain admission to Stanford University in California. At the university, Herbert showed great skill in mathematics. And he decided to go into business as a geologist studying the science of the earth.

loc.gov

Herbert Hoover

RICH KLEINFELDT: After college, Herbert Hoover got a job as a mine worker. During the next several years, Hoover spent most of his time working as an engineer in foreign countries. And he succeeded beyond his greatest dreams. By the time he was forty years old, he had earned more than one million dollars.

After World War One, he organized the effort to provide food for starving people in Europe. He did an excellent job, winning praise from people in Europe and the United States alike. Next, Hoover joined the administration of President Warren Harding, serving as the secretary of commerce. Again, he did a very good job.

Hoover left the cabinet in nineteen twenty-five. But two years later, he organized efforts to provide relief for victims of a flood in the southern state of Mississippi. And again, Americans all around the country took note of this quiet, serious man who did such effective work in so many different kinds of situations.

Some Americans, however, did not like Hoover, including some people who usually supported Republicans.

For example, many professional Republican politicians did not trust him, because he had spent most of his life in business, not politics. Some stock market traders thought Hoover might change the rules on the New York Stock Exchange. And many farmers believed Hoover had no new ideas about how to solve their growing economic problems.

HARRY MONROE: This, then, was the choice Americans faced in nineteen twenty-eight. On the one hand, Al Smith. A Democrat. A Roman Catholic. A politician from the city. A man wanting some social change.

And on the other hand, Herbert Hoover. A Republican. A businessman who had proven the dream that even a poor boy could become great in America. A man who seemed to succeed with every effort he touched.

The main issue in the campaign was not economics or religion, but the new national laws banning alcoholic drinks. Hoover was for the laws; Smith against them. The two candidates also argued about how to provide aid to struggling farmers, and how to increase electricity and water supplies.

RICH KLEINFELDT: Herbert Hoover won the election of nineteen twenty eight. It was one of the greatest victories in presidential history. Hoover won fifty-eight percent of the votes. Smith got just forty percent. And Hoover captured four hundred forty-four electoral votes to Smith's eighty-seven.

And so it was that the engineer and businessman Herbert Hoover entered the White House in nineteen twenty-nine. There was some trouble the day he moved in. Outgoing President Coolidge was a man who watched every dollar he owned. And he accused some White House workers of stealing his shoes on the day of the inauguration. But -- finally -- safe, conservative, business-like Herbert Hoover was leading the country.

HARRY MONROE: The nation's stock market reacted by pushing stock prices to record high levels. Everyone expected that economic growth would continue and expand. But the happy times were just a dream. Within one year, the stock market collapsed. Millions of people lost their jobs. The nation fell into the worst economic crisis it had ever faced.

Herbert Hoover was not personally responsible for the crisis. In many ways, it was his own bad luck to be elected just before the disaster struck. But it was his job to guide the nation through its troubled waters. And he would prove to be the wrong person to give such leadership.

His four years in office would be one of the most difficult periods in the nation's history. We will look at President Hoover's administration in our next program.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: Our program was written by David Jarmul. The narrators were Rich Kleinfeldt and Harry Monroe. You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures 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

5 

English daily workout, access please

Today I'm going to post an important website tip for Teachers and Students. Let me talk about how much is important the social network sites, in particular blogs, Educative ones. Check out this one http://englishdailyworkout.blogspot.com/ actually it was designed by an ESL Teacher you may find out on my favorite sites and blogs links. Actually my real intention is providing a contact with the best sites and blogs. Change of subject, tomorrow I'm going to travel to Natal and the postings continue available on auto-publish, I mean I don't have time to update my blog, as well as visit my partners, but no longer, as soon as I returning home, I'll visit you. 

Thank you friend, for your visiting, you have no idea, but you're the most important here. Liked this blog? Please telling for friends twitting or promoting using the social networking sites, and return to visit, you are always welcome. Have a blessed weekend, gratitude for everything.

Rio de Janeiro, Rain in Brazil

For more info, visit the best Brazilian magazine, in particular Teachers and students must be in touch with the best contents, affordable prices, check out there: 

Source: www.maganews.com.br

Rain in Brazil

The greatest of all tragedies

Landslides [1] in the mountain region of Rio de Janeiro have killed hundreds of people.  Thiscatastrophe was no surprise. In recent decades, hundreds of cities in several states have suffered from floods [2]  and landslides. There has been alack of [3] effort to prevent construction in areas at risk

Rain, rain and more rain. Hill-slides [4], rivers bursting [5] their banks. People dying and thousands of homes being destroyed.  These scenes have been repeated over and over in many Brazilian states in recent decades, especially in the summer months. The worst of all the tragedies took place on January 11 and 12, in the mountain region of Rio de Janeiro.  The cities most affected were Nova Friburgo, Teresopólis, and Petrópolis. Up to January 31 the death toll [6] had reached 870 and more than 400 people were still missing [7]. The rain left nearly 30,000 people displaced[8] or homeless [94], and caused losses to the region's agricultural production. According to the United Nations (UN), extreme weather events will become more common in the coming years (see full story on the next page).

The root [10] of the problem

The Brazilian population has grown in recent decades.  Cities have grown, but chaotically.   Many people (especially the poorest) have had to build their homes in areas near rivers or hills, which are at risk from landslides and floods. The government has been unable to stop people building their homes in hazardous [11] locations. While cities are expanding, untouched areas [12] have been destroyed by deforestation [13]. It should be remembered that vegetation is vital, to absorb rainwater. According to Greenpeace, the rate of deforestation of the Atlantic Forest [14] has reached 34,000 hectares a year. In Rio de Janeiro, the state hit hardest [15] by the rains, over 80% of the forest has been cleared. Meanwhile, in recent years, the volume of rainfall has been increasing... 

---

Primeira parte da matéria especial sobre as chuvas no Brasil, publicada na edição de número 59 da Revista Maganews (com áudios de David e Laís Hatton).

Picture (Nova Friburgo) - Valter Campanato/ABr

Vocabulary

1 landslide – deslizamento

2 floods – inundações

3 lack of – falta de

4 hill-slides – aqui = morros deslizando

5 rivers bursting their banks – rios transbordando

6 death toll – número (total) de mortos

7 missing – aqui = desaparecida (s)

8 displaced – desalojada

9 homeless – sem casa / desabrigado

10 root - raiz

11 hazardous – perigoso

12 untouched áreas – áreas verdes

13 deforestation – desmatamento

14 Atlantic Forest – Mata Atlântica

15 hardest – de forma mais dura / intensa 

A Secret part of England

Source: www.speakup.com.br

Language level: Advanced

Standard: British accent

A SECRET PART OF ENGLAND

IF you’re looking for an original way to see the English countryside, then we suggest you should rent a narrowboat and spend a few days travelling along part of the country’s extensive canal system. And you might want to visit the village of Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire, which has a canal instead of high street. The village is home to Lynda Payton, who explains how she first discovered England’s inland waterways:

Lynda Payton

Standard: British accent:

I discovered the canals in the late ‘60s, when I was still at school, and I lived in London and we had a photographic project and London was changing a lot then because it was, you know, post-war, a lot of building going on and a lot things disappearing, and I discovered there was a canal running very close to where I lived. And I never knew what a canal was. And I set out to photograph it before it disappeared because that’s what was happening, it was being built over. And by doing that, I suddenly discovered there was this sort of entirely different parallel universe, where there were all these waterways going off to different parts of the country and it was just totally separate from the rest of life, if you like, and no one knew about it. It was like discovering a secret part of England, really, and I soon, in researching it, for this school project, discovered that it was full of history and heritage and industrial archaeology and it was a fascinating place to be.

ANOTHER WORLD

I you take a canal holiday, you will only travel a few miles, as the pace is very slow but, as waterways enthusiast Brian Collings explains, that is a big part of the attraction:

Brian Collings

Standard: British accent

You don’t realize just how much you’ve unwound until you get off your boat and try and cross a dual carriageway, to get to the chip shop: you suddenly realize how much in the slow lane. There’s so much to enjoy as well, whatever your interests are, whether it be historical, wildlife, nature, or just leisure, or even getting from one pub to the next! It’s all there for you. And the beauty, again, you go along, and you go from one bridge to the next, you go round the next corner and the view is completely different. You see the world from a completely different point of view.

Liked this post and this blog? Telling for friends twitting, thank you dear readers for dropping by.

Pro-jovem, part 15, Inglês Vip

Source: www.ingvip.com visit and improve your English there, you may contact with teacher  Fuvio he is a Brazilian teacher and translate documents, check out his homepage.
Mariana's boss: Let's have lunch now(1). I'm hungry. There's a snack bar(2) near here. Let's go? There. That's the snack bar I like.
Mariana: Hi Pedro
Pedro: Hi Mariana. What a surprise!(3)
Mariana: My supervisor loves this snack bar. We are
having lunch here today.
Mariana's boss: Yes, I want to have a sandwich
Pedro:Well, then let me get a table(4) for you. Here. Can I take your order(5)?
Mariana's boss:  Do you like sandwiches?
Mariana: Yes, I do.
Mariana's boss: So, let's order(6) two, OK?
Mariana: OK, fine.
Mariana's boss: Two sandwiches and two soft drinks.
Pedro: Two soft drinks
Pedro's boss: You are improving(7) every day! Very nice(8) Pedro!
Pedro: Thanks boss
 

---

Julia: Hello Mariana, Hello Pedro. Good news?(9)
Mariana: Yes, we have a job now! I'm a call center operator. And I am a waiter at a snack bar.
Julia: That is so nice. Congratulations!(10)
Mariana: Thank you
Julia: What time do you have to work Pedro?
Pedro: Monday is my day off(11) . On Tuesdays(12), Wednesdays(13) and Thursdays(14), I have to work from ten to six. And on Fridays(15) and on weekends(16) I start(17) at nine and finish(18) at seven o'clock
Julia: And you Mariana. do you like your job?
Mariana: Yes, I do.
Julia: Tell me about(19) your first day.
Mariana: You are not going to believe(20) if(21) I tell you...
 

---

Mariana: I have to go guys. I have to be at the travel agency at ten o'clock.
Julia: OK. See you at night. We have to prepare the party(22) this weekend.
Mariana: Oh, OK. What time do we meet?(23)
Julia: We can meet at seven in my house, OK?
Mariana: OK, bye bye!
  

---

                                      Vocabulary

 1. Let's have lunch now = Vamos almoçar agora
 2. Snack bar = Lanchonete
 3. What a surprise! = Que surpresa!
 4. Get a table = Arrumar, conseguir uma mesa
 5. Can I take your order? = Posso pegar seu pedido?
 6. Let's order = Vamos pedir
 7. Improving = Melhorando
 8.  Very nice = muito bem
 9. Good news? = Boas notícias?
 10. Congratulations = Parabéns
 11. Day off = dia de folga
 12. Tuesdays = Terças-feiras
 13. Wednesdays = Quartas-feiras
 14. Thursdays = Quintas-feiras
 15. Fridays  = Sextas-feiras
 16. Weekends = Finais de semana
 17. Start = começar
 18. Finish = terminar
 19. Tell me about = Conte-me sobre
 20. Believe = Acreditar
 21. If = se
  22. Party = festa
  23. What time do we meet? = Que horas nos encontramos?