A Brief History of Carnival

I recommend a Brazilian magazine for teachers and students you will find out interesting contents available on audio, excellent to improve and develop texts in the classroom for more information keep in touch there http://www.maganews.com.br

Source: Maganews

Popular Culture

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A brief history of Carnival

This party was around in Brazil's colonial times, but it only became a really popular event at the beginning of the 20th Century

   

According to some historians, Brazil’s carnival celebrations were around in colonial times. In the 17th Century the Portuguese brought “entrudo” to Brazil, which was a very different “carnival” from today’s, as it had no music and the party was nothing more than fun between people. From the 1840s the first masked balls appeared in Brazil. However, the great popularization of carnival only began at the beginning of the 20^th Century, when this party became more attractive, with marchinhas (a kind of carnival music), samba, samba ‘schools,’ and various other ingredients. In the 1930s carnival was in its golden age, thanks to the development of radio and, mainly, thanks to the fantastic work done by composers such as Ary Barroso, Lamartine Babo, Braguinha and Noel Rosa.

The 1930s: The Golden Age of Brazilian Carnival

The carnival marchinhas began to appear in the 1920s, but it was from the 1930s that the most beautiful marchinhas in Brazilian carnivals were created. Those marchinhas were such creative songs, so happy and fun that they were contagious for Brazilians and transformed the 1930s into The Golden Age of Brazilian Carnival. At that time, radio began to take off in the country and it was fundamental in spreading the beautiful carnival music to the main Brazilian cities. Some of the biggest hits of all time in Brazilian carnival were from that time. Marchinhas such as Mamãe eu Quero, Me dá Um Dinheiro Aí and Cidade Maravilhosa are popular even today. 

   Lamartine Babo and Braguinha are considered to be Brazil’s greatest composers of marchinhas. They were friends and even made music together, such as Cantores do Rádio. But besides the marchinhas they also created music of the most diverse styles. Braguinha, also known as João de Barro,  was born in Rio in March 1907. He has composed more than 400 songs – many of them becoming classics, such as Balancê, Pastorinhas and Carinhoso (in partnership with Pixinguinha).  In the 1940s, Braguinha was given a gold watch – a present from an illustrious fan called Walt Disney.

   The composer, singer and radio broadcaster Lamartine Babo was born in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the 20th Century. If he were still alive, he would have turned 100 years old on January 10th this year. He is considered to be the king of marchinhas and also the king of the carioca soccer fans.  This is because Lamartine is the writer of the club anthems for Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco, besides also having composed the anthem for his favorite club, América. Co-writer of classics such as O Teu Cabelo Não Nega and No Rancho Fundo, Lamartine composed more than 350 songs of the most diverse musical styles.

Marchinhas in São Luiz do Paraitinga

São Luiz do Paraitinga, a small city of 10,000 people located in Vale do Paraíba, has one of the liveliest carnivals in the interior of São Paulo. Since the middle of the 1980s there have been competitions for carnival marchinhas there. The best songs are recorded on CD, played on the radio and are the soundtrack for the city’s carnivals.

Maganews Melhores Momentos – Matéria publicada na edição de n⁰ 19 da

Revista Maganews 

Foto - Xinica Medeiros

Ilustração: Calberto

Vocabulary

1 brief – breve

2 to be (was/were) around – estar no ar (no texto = já existia)

3 masked - mascarado

4 ball – baile

5 to take off – decolar / se espalhar

6 to spread - espalhar

7 lively – animado

8 soundtrack – trilha sonora

9  radio broadcaster – locutor de rádio

10 alive – vivo

11 soccer fan – torcedor de futebol

12 anthem - hino

13 co-writer – co-autor

A Big meteor crashed on February 13th Valentine's day

Source: http://www.newser.com

A meteor big enough to have ruined a lot of people's Valentine's Day streaked over the East Coast earlier this week, creating a rare daytime fireball. Large numbers of people from Connecticut to Philadelphia reported seeing the meteor, which by some accounts was as bright as the sun. Most meteorites are the size of a grain of sand, but experts believe this one was up to 5 feet across. "My crude estimate of the energy of this fireball is about 100 tons of TNT, which means it was capable of producing a crater 125 feet in diameter and about 15 feet deep," a NASA scientist tells MSNBC. Judging from the direction it was headed—and the fact that no colossal meteor smashes were reported on the East Coast—experts believe the meteor crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. (Luckily, we just missed being hit by an asteroid, too: Click for that story.)

After read this article a day before yesterday nearby my town Carnaúba dos Dantas (Brazil) local people include me, we hear a strong noise and also a blue light crossed over sky, and we supposed to be a meteor, and after this article we have sure it is. It was really a strange phenomena. 

 

Pro-jovem, part 20, Inglês vip

You should visit this website there you'll find out a lot of texts and English course, as well as podcasts.

Source: www.ingvip.com

Lucas: Hello guys! I would like to show you my new DVD
Pedro: Wow Lucas! This is great! How can you buy a DVD?
Lucas: Every month, I save(1) half of my earnings(2), and I'm paying in five installments(3)
Pedro: Good
Lucas: Let's sit on the sofa(4) here and watch the movie
Julia: Wait(5), let me get the drinks first(6). I can make some hot chocolate. Can I use your oven(7) Lucas?
Lucas: Yes, you can. The cups(8) are in the cupboard(9)
Pedro: I can prepare a pizza. Can I use your stove(10) Lucas?
Lucas: Yes, you can Pedro. Mariana, can you help me with the DVD? I don't know how to use it
Mariana: OK, where is the manual?
Lucas: It's under(11) that box
Mariana: Let's see. Connect this cable(12) on the TV and press this button(13). And it's working(14). Now, where is the movie we are watching?
Lucas: The movie? The movie is with you
Mariana: No, not with me! Julia, where is the movie?
Julia: The movie..the movie..oh! It's under my purse(15)
Pedro: Here!
 

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Pedro: Mariana, I'm learning how to cook.at my job, and if you want, tomorrow I can make you spaghetti with cheese
Mariana: Really? That's very nice Pedro.
Pedro: OK, than I pick you up at work(16)
Mariana: OK, fine
Pedro: Where is your work?
Mariana: It's next to the gas station(17), in front of the bank. I can call you tomorrow to give(18) you the right address, right?
Pedro: OK
Julia: Mariana, we must(19) go. It's late.
Lucas: Bye girls
 

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                                      Vocabulary

 1. Save = Economizar
 2. Earnings = Ganhos, rendimentos
 3. I'm paying in five installments = Estou pagando em cinco prestações
 4. Sit on the sofa = Sentar no sofá
 5. Wait = espere
  6. Let me get the drinks first = Deixe-me pegar as bebidas primeiro
  7. Can I use your oven? = Posso usar seu forno?
  8. Cups = Xícaras
  9. Cupboard = armário de cozinha
  10. Stove = fogão
  11. Under = sob
  12. Cable = cabo
  13. Press this button = Pressione este botão
   14. It's working = Está funcionando 
   15. Purse = bolsa
   16. I pick you up at work = Eu te apanho no trabalho
  17. Gas station = Posto de gasolina
  18. Give = dar
  19. Must = Dever (obrigação)
 

Movies Under the Stars

Movies Under the Stars

Source: www.speakup.com.br

Standard: American accent

Language Level: Advanced

It’s dark and everyone’s eyes are glued to the action on the big screen. A gentle wind blows across the open field. There is a smell of popcorn and pizza in the air. Around 400 cars are parked in a large open-air auditorium. Families, couples and groups of friends are gathered together under the night sky: this is the classic American drive-in movie experience.

Terry Peters is general manager of the Motor Vu Drive In, in Dallas, Oregon. She says that, despite the growth of hi-tech home entertainment, drive-in movies are still a special experience for many people, whatever the weather:

Terry Peters:

(Standard American accent)

We have die-hard drive-in folks, they love coming to the drive-in. and I don’t know if it’s the excitement of being in their cars, having the freedom to sit in their cars and…look at a first-run movie, or just the...the idea of a drive in theater; you know, you’re outside, you’re got the air, you’ve got the stars, you’ve got, you know…I, you know, and they really don’t know they can’t even give you an answer on why is it, why are you such a drive-in buff, you know?  They just love it, there’s no reason. I have people that come and it’s raining, at the end of our season –and they know it’s going to rain! It’s being predicted for rain and I’ll still have 20,30 cars out here with their windshield wipers going and everything!

The motor Vu Drive In opened back in 1953, during the heyday on drive-in movies. It has operated continuously ever since – and has expanded from 250 to 430 car spaces. It regularly sells out for big movies at weekends and its massive 15-meter-by-30meter screen is the biggest in the state.

Some movie-goers prefer to sit outside, rather than inside their vehicles. At the drive-in theater in Milton-Freewater, in eastern Oregon, it is possible to bring chairs, sleeping bags, even your own sofa!

FILLING UP ON FAST FOOD

Because drive-in theaters only charge for individual vehicle, they offer great value for families and groups of movie-goers. Terry Peters remembers one van arriving at the Motor Vu Drive In with 15 people packed inside! Indeed, with tickets costing relatively little, most theaters make their money from selling fast food to the audience.

The audio systems used at drive-in movie theaters have improved dramatically over the years. And yet there are now only around 400 drive-ins left in the USA. Rising real estate prices have seen many of the theaters, which are normally open for only six months of the year, being sold for development. For anyone who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, this is a tragedy. This is because drive-in movies are much more than simply taking a drive to watch a movie on the big screen, says Chris Chester, a travel coordinator with Travel Oregon:

Chris Chester

(Standard American accent)

I love drive-in movies. When I was growing up that’s the way of life: you’d go to the drive-in movie in the evening and it was your social life, you met your friend, you know, you dated, that’s…that’s where you went, was the drive-in movies – they just became you whole way of life. And they’re kind of a dying breed. Drive-ins are not as popular as they once were. So there’s fewer and fewer in the United States.

(No audio available)

The Motor Vu Drive In, Dallas Oregon is open from May to November and costs $ per vehicle: 315 SE Fir Villa Road, Dallas, off Interstate 5/Route 22, 25 km west of Salem. For further information about US drive-in movies visit www.driveinmovie.com

Harriet Tubman, 1820-1913: She Fought Slavery, Oppression

Source: http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Harriet-Tubman-1820-1913-She-Fought-Slavery-and-Oppression-116079619.html the best way to improve your English check out and RT for friends.

Photo: AP

A statue in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, called "Step on Board" celebrates American abolitionist Harriet Tubman

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: I'm Shirley Griffith.

RAY FREEMAN: And I'm Ray Freeman with the Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Every week we tell the story of someone important in the history of the United States. Today we tell about Harriet Tubman, an African American woman who fought slavery and oppression.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Historians say Harriet Tubman was born in the year Eighteen-Twenty. Nobody really knows. In the United States in the Nineteenth Century the birth of slaves was not recorded.

We do know that Harriet Tubman was one of the bravest women ever born in the United States. She helped hundreds of people escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad. This was a system that helped slaves escape from the South to states where slavery was banned.

Because of her work on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman was called Moses. In the Bible, Moses was the leader of the Jewish people enslaved in Egypt. He brought his people out of slavery to the promised land. Harriet Tubman died in Nineteen-Thirteen. All her life, she always tried to improve life for African Americans.

(MUSIC)

RAY FREEMAN: From a very early age, Harriet knew how slaves suffered. Her parents were slaves. They belonged to Edward Brodas, a farmer in the middle Atlantic state of Maryland. Harriet's parents tried to protect her and their ten other children as much as they could. There was little they could do, however. Slaves were treated like animals. They could be sold at any time. Families often were separated. Slave children were not permitted to act like children. By the time Harriet was three years old, Mister Brodas ordered her to carry notes from him to other farmers. Some of these farmers lived as far as fifteen kilometers away. Harriet was punished if she stopped to rest or play.

AP

A sign marks the place where Harriet Tubman was born in Bucktown, Maryland

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: When Harriet was six years old, the Brodas family sent her to work for another family who lived near their farm. While there, Harriet was infected with the disease measles. Even though she was sick, she was forced to place and remove animal traps in an icy river. She was sent home when she became dangerously ill. Harriet's mother took very good care of her. The child survived. Then she was sent to work in the Brodas's house. Her owners never gave her enough to eat. One day she was working in the kitchen. She was looking at a piece of sugar in a silver container when Missus Brodas saw her. Harriet ran away in fear. She was caught and beaten very severely. Her owners decided that Harriet never would make a good worker in the house. She was sent to the fields.

RAY FREEMAN: Harriet's parents were sad. They worked in the fields and they knew how difficult it was to survive the hard work. But working outside made Harriet's body strong. And she began to learn things from the other slaves. These things one day would help her lead her people to freedom. Harriet heard about Nat Turner. He had led an unsuccessful rebellion of slaves. She heard about other slaves who had run away from their cruel owners. She was told that they had traveled by the Underground Railroad. They did not escape by using a special train. Instead of a real train, the Underground Railroad was a series of hiding places, usually in houses of people who opposed slavery. These were secret places that African Americans could stop at as they escaped from the South to the North. As Harriet heard stories of rebellion, she became more of a rebel.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: One day when Harriet was fifteen she was at a local store. A slave owner entered and threatened a young boy who was his slave. At first, the slave refused to move. Then he ran for the door. Harriet moved in front of the young man. The slave owner reached for a heavy weight. He threw it at his slave. He missed. Instead, the heavy metal object hit Harriet in the head. Harriet almost died. Months passed before she could get out of bed. For the rest of her life, she carried the mark of a deep wound on her head. And she suffered from blackouts. She would suddenly lose consciousness as though she had fallen asleep.

RAY FREEMAN: Mister Brodas felt he would never get any good work out of Harriet. So he decided to sell her. Harriet thought of a way to prevent this. Each time she was shown to someone who might buy her, she acted as if she were falling asleep. After a while, Mister Brodas gave up hope of selling Harriet. He sent her back to the fields. She dreamed of freedom while picking vegetables and digging in the fields. In Eighteen Forty-Four, at about age twenty-four, she married a free black man named John Tubman. By now, Harriet was sure she wanted to try to escape. It would be very dangerous. Slaves who were caught often were killed or almost beaten to death. Harriet knew she must wait for just the right time.

AP

The entrance to the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, New York

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Suddenly, in Eighteen-Forty-Nine, the time came. Mister Brodas died. His slaves probably would be sold to cotton farmers further South. The situation there would be even worse. John Tubman tried to make Harriet forget about running away. He was free. Why should he make a dangerous trip with a woman breaking the law? Harriet decided that her marriage to John must end. Harriet heard that she was to be sold immediately. She knew she needed to tell her family that she was leaving. She began to sing, softly at first, then louder. She sang the words, "I'm sorry to leave you...I'm going to the promised land." Her family understood.

(MUSIC)

RAY FREEMAN: Harriet ran to the home of a white woman who had promised to help. This woman belonged to the Quakers, a religious group which hated slavery. The Quaker woman told her how to reach another home where she could hide. Harriet went from house to house that way on the Underground Railroad. Each place was a little closer to the eastern state of Pennsylvania. Slavery was banned there. Once she was hidden under hay that had been cut from the fields. Another time, she wore men's clothing. Finally, she crossed the border into Pennsylvania. Later, she told a friend, "I felt like I was in heaven."

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Now that Harriet was free, she did not forget the hundreds of other slaves back in Maryland. During the next ten years, she led a much expanded Underground Railroad. She freed her parents, her sister, brothers and other family members. She found a home for her parents in Auburn, New York.

Harriet traveled back and forth eighteen times, helping about three-hundred slaves escape into free territory. She became an expert at hiding from slave hunters. At one time, anyone finding Harriet was promised forty-thousand dollars for catching her -- dead or alive. The people she helped called her Moses. She had rescued them from slavery just as the biblical Moses rescued the Jews.

Harriet found another way to fight slavery after the Civil War began in Eighteen-Sixty-One. Seven southern states decided to separate from the United States, mainly over the issue of slavery. The northern states refused to let the United States of America break apart.

After fighting began, Harriet Tubman went into enemy territory to spy for the North. She also served as a nurse. After four years of bloody fighting, the North won the war.

President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in Eighteen-Sixty-Three. There was no longer any need for Harriet to be Moses.

(MUSIC)

RAY FREEMAN: After the fighting ended, Harriet Tubman returned to Auburn, New York. She married a man named Nelson Davis. This could have been the beginning of a few quiet years of family life for her. But she kept working. She traveled and gave speeches to raise money for better education for black children. She also worked for women's rights and housing. And she sought help for old men and women who had been slaves. Harriet Tubman died in Nineteen-Thirteen. She was about ninety-three years old. By that time, she was recognized as an American hero. The United States government gave a funeral with military honors for the woman known as Moses.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:This program was written by Jeri Watson. I'm Shirley Griffith.

RAY FREEMAN: I'm Ray Freeman. Listen again next week at this time for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America

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Pro-jovem, part 19 Inglês vip

Source: www.ingvip.com
Lucas: Hello, is Pedro there?(1)
Pedro: This is him
Lucas: Hi Pedro.
Pedro: Oh, hi Lucas
Lucas: I rarely(2) see you these days. You are always(3) at work.
Pedro: You can come visit me here, man!
Lucas: Good. Where is the snack bar?
Pedro: It's next to the church(4), in front of the drugstore(5), between(6) the supermarket and the university
Lucas: I know where it is. So, do you wanto to watch(7) a DVD tonight(8)?
Pedro: DVD? Who has a DVD?
Lucas: Well, now I do.
Pedro: Do you have a DVD?
Lucas: Yes, I do. And we can watch a movie(9) here tonight
Pedro: Man, I want to see it. Of course I'm coming.
Lucas: So, see you at 8 OK?
Pedro: OK, take care!(10)
 

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Boss: Pedro
Pedro: Yes?
Boss: Would you do me a favor?(11)Pedro: Yes
Boss: Would you get the menus(12)?
Pedro: OK, where are they?
Boss: They are under the phone
Pedro: No, they are not
Boss: What about(13) behind the fridge?(14)Pedro:  Behind the fridge? Yeah..No!
Boss: Look in the drawer(15)Pedro: Here they are
Boss: Thanks
Pedro: OK, you're welcome(16)
 

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                                      Vocabulary
 1. Is Pedro there? = Pedro está ai?
 2. Rarely = raramente
 3. Always = sempre
 4. Next to the church = Perto da igreja
 5. In front of the drugstore = Em frente a farmácia 
 6. Between = entre (duas coisas)
 7. Watch = assistir
 8. Tonight  = Esta noite
 9. Movie = filme
 10. Take care! = cuide-se!
 11. Would you do me a favor? = Você me faria um favor?
 12. Get the menus = Pegar os cardápios
 13. What about = Que tal
 14. Behind the fridge = Atrás da geladeira
 15. Drawer  = gaveta
 16. You're welcome = de nada

THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH

Soruce: www.speakup.com.br

ENGLISH SELLS

In the Counterbury Tales, Chaucer mocks The Wife of Bath for speaking French. She is not only ignorant, he implies, but pretentious. In 1980s, British yuppies were mocked for saying “ciao” and drinking cappuccino. Today, British high streets are lined with cafes called Dôme, Caffé Nero, Bella Pasta. We love foreign alphabets: spurious umlauts for rock (Moley Crue); bars with Cyrillic characters (CREMLIN); Chinese tattoos.

English speakers have always adopted foreign words to suggest sophistication. French has a certain “je ne sais qui” that English lacks. To talk of art, music and archeitecture, we speak of chiaroscuro, soprano and belvedere. German provides with psychological terms from Angst to Zeitgeist.

SOPHISTICATION SELLS

Now English words have become a sign of cosmopolitan sophistication. But beware of learning English from your T-shirt of pencil case. Consider example from European clothing:

SOMEBODY NEVER FADE

What does that mean? Perhaps “Some people are unforgettable.”

GOAT PUNK

I was bewildered by T-shirt, until I saw the illustration: a goat with a punk hairstyle. My personal favourite:

CHOCOLATE SPORTIN HALL

What could that refer to? The recreation room at Willy Wonka’s factory?

THE JOYS OF ENGRISH

Steven Caire’s book, The Joys Of Engrish, presents the bizarre English of Japan. If you don’t understand, don’t worry: neither do we.

Restaurant signs:

HOT BOWEL RICE

A bowl of rice is possible, but bowel means intestines.

On coffee jars.

IN WONDER WHY COFFEE TASTES SO GOOD WHEN YOU’RE NAKED WITH YOUR FAMILY.

Phrases that appear on pencil cases can be mysterious:

CATS KNOW VARIOUS THINGS

On rucksacks:

LITTLE WONDERS ARE GONE IN A FLASH, LIKE SQUIRRELS.

And on stationery:

HAPPINESS FROG

INSIDE EVERY GIRL THERE’S A STRIPPER LONG TO GET OUT

Do they mean all girls want to be strippers? Is that appropriate for kids’ notepads?

UNIMPORTANT BLUNDERS?

These phrases don’t make much sense. But who cares? They’re fashion accessories, not language courses. Yet some mistakes may be serious. British fire extinguishers are marked “Break glass in the event of fire.” The translation around Europe is totally confusing:

CRASH IN CASE OF FIRE

(Perhaps we can gloss that as: “crash your car so that there isn’t a fire.”). When kids walk into Westminster Abbey wearing “Get Fucked’ T-shirts, haven’t things gone too far? I’ve seen children wearing these slogans:

HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG COCAINE DEALER PLEASURE ZONE (on boys’ shorts) STIR BEFORE TASTING (on a girl’s T-shirt with arrow pointing down).

Are the designers joking? How offensive does it need to be before we care?

When they named the phone network WIND, did they realize it’s a British euphemism for flatulence?

TOO FAR

As long as foreignness sells, people will use and abuse English. It’s like smoking: everybody agrees it’s bad, but nobody will stop. Why not? Because it’s cool, and it doesn’t really hurt anyone – does it? Maybe we should consider how our mistakes look to others. Chinese symbols are trendy tattoos, but do we really know what they mean? One woman thought her shoulder tattoo meant “AIR.” Years later, a Chinese friend explained that in fact it means “FART.”

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