Back into English
March 29°
Dear Diary,
I’m writing this in my room – it’s almost midnight and I
have to get up early tomorrow, but I can’t sleep. I have to
think about my future! Every day my parents ask me,
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”. The
problem is: I don’t know! My mum always says, “Be a
doctor!”. But she doesn’t understand – to be a doctor you
have to study for a long time and that’s not my idea of
fun. Also I’m really bad at Biology at school. My dad
often says, “Be a pilot!”. Is he crazy? He knows I hate
flying! Well, I’ve got Some ideas, of course. I really want
to be a rock star. I like listening to music, too. I don’t
play any instruments and I sing really badly – but
there are lots of rock stars like that.
Now I’m getting tired and my fingers are hurting, too.
So I’m going to bed. Sometimes it’s easier to think about
future in bed. I get my best ideas when I’m lying down.
Or perhaps one more computer games? Decisions,
decisions, decisions! Life is never easy!
January 13°
My mail
Dear diary,
I’m writing this in my room – it’s almost midnight and I
have to get up early tomorrow, but I can’t sleep.
I have to think about my future! Every day my parents
ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow
up?” . The problem is… I don’t know. My mother always
says, “Be an architect!”. But she doesn’t understand. To
be an architect you have to study for a long time. My
father says, “Be a swimming coach!”. Is he crazy?!? He
knows I hate swimming! Well, I have got some ideas of
course. I really want to be an actress. I really like drama
but I don’t sing and don’t dance very well. But there
are a lot of actresses like that.
Now I’m getting tired, so I’m going to bed. Sometimes
it’s easier to think about future in bed. Or perhaps one
more computer game? Decisions, decisions, decisions life
is never easy!
Back into English
Hi Olivia,
You can’t immagine what happened last night! Dad
took us to a famous restaurant, but there weren’t
many people there last night. “An unforgettable
experience”, their website says. Well, it certainly was
unforgettable. We ordered the “exotic surprise”. The first
course was chicken and chips! The cicken was bad, but
the chips were worse. Yuck! Than they gave us the
“picnic-style special ham with strowberries”. You won’t
believe what happened next. The waiter tried to put the
plates on the table, but he dropped one. He picked the
sandwich up the floorand gave it to mum. Mun asked
him to throw the sandwich away. “Aren’t you hungry?”
the waiter asked. My dad got really hungry and told him
off. But he only laughed! I tried with the dessert. Icecream.
No comment! Next time we’ll take you to the same
restaurant!
Love,
Thomas
My mail
Hi Michael!
You can’t immagine what happened last night. Mum
took us to the circus, because my sister loves that, but
there weren’t a lot of people there last night. “An
unforgettable experience” the newspaper says. Well, it
certainly was unforgettable! During the show there
were horses, lions, elephants and dogs. Finally there
was a clown… he was really funny! He had to do a
magic show and he wanted three volunteers: two
boys and a girl. And that girl was I! I danced and
the boys played the guitar! It was fantastic! I loughed
a lot!
Next time we’ll take you to the same magic show!
Love,
Martina
P.S : Those boys and I are in the same school!
Unit 1
Objectives
Grammar:
• Past continuous
• Past continuous vs. past simple
• When / while
Vocabulary:
• Phrases with get
• Music
Functions:
• Describing past activities
Unit 1 - Vocabulary
Inventions
Invenzioni
Boot
Chewing gum
Dishwasher
Mouse trap
Needle
Remote control
Roller skates
Trye
Wheel
Windscreen wipers
Scarpe, stivali
Chewing gum
Lavastoviglie
Trappola per topi
Ago
Telecomando
Pattini
Pneumatico
Ruota
Tergicristallo
Hi Jean!
My mail
How are you? I’m fine. Do you know how was made the
chewing gum, for example? Well, yesterday, during my
English lesson, the teacher was talking about
inventions. She said that it was invented by Thomas
Adams in 1869 while he was trying to produce rubber
out of the juice he got from Mexican sapodilla trees. He
wanted to produce toys, rain boots and bycicle tyres,
but he experiment didn’t work. While he was thinking
about why his experiment failed, he took a piece of the
rubber he was working on and put it in his mouth. Do
you know how was made the windscreen wipers? It
was invented by Mary Anderson while she was going to
New York with a friend on a rainy day in 1903.
Mary was watching other people driving their cars
when suddenly, she got an idea: she invented a moving
arm made of metal with a piece of rubber on it because
they had to open their car windows and put their heads
out to see better. Do you know any other inventions?
Speak you soon,
Martina
Unit 2
Objectives
Grammar:
• Comparative and superlative adjectives
• Intensifiers with comparatives
• Adverbs / comparative adverbs
Vocabulary:
• Adjectives and their opposites
• Sport and sports rules
Functions:
• Making comparisons
• Describing sports events
Unit 2 - Vocabulary
Sport
Sport
Archery
Basketball
Football
High jump
Javelin
Marathon
Match
Sprint
Team
Volleyball
Tiro con l’arco
Basket
Calcio
Salto in alto
Giavellotto
Maratona
Partita
Scatto
Squadra
Pallavolo
Hi Mark!
My mail
Do you know what is my favourite sport? It is basket
and I have loved it since I was a child. My father was a
basket coach and his team was very important for him.
One of the most important champions is Michael
Jordan, of course, and I hope that I will be like him in
the future. I think he is the best player that I have ever
seen and he’s very funny! This can be crazy, but my
mother hates basket!! She loves swimming and she
think that Federica Pellegrini is one of the best
swimmers in the world. Do you like sport? If yes, who is
your favourite player?
Love,
Martina
Unit 3
Objectives
Grammar:
• Will / won’t, might / may (not): predictions
• If / unless + first conditional
Vocabulary:
• The environment
Functions:
• Predicting future events
• Talking about future possibility
• Discussing environmental problems
Unit 3 - Vocabulary
The environment
L’ambiente
Air
Atmosphere
Cycle lanes
Dam
Destroy
Factory fumes
Global warming
Pollution (levels)
Rubbish
Solar panel
Temperatures
Aria
Atmosfera
Piste ciclabili
Diga
Distruggere
Fumi industriali
Riscaldamento globale
(livelli di) Inquinamento
Spazzatura
Pannelli solari
Temperature
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to express my opinion on some of the changes
you have introduced the last month. First of all, I would like
to say that I agree with improving all public transport and I
think that the new electric buses will be very successfull. The
new cicle lanes may also help to reduce the level of pollution
because I am sure that more people will cycle if they feel
safe. I would also thank you for introducing the recycling
banks. However, I am not happy about the plan to build an
underground railway. It will take a long time and it will be too
expensive. I hope you will consider my opinion and
willcontinue to listen the people who voted for you.
Yours faithfully,
Steve Jones
My mail
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to express my opinion on some of changes you
have introduced the last month. First of all, I would like to say
that I agree with improving all public transport and I think
that the new buses will be very successfull. The new recicling
banks will also help to reduce the level of pollution in the air
city. However, I’m not happy about the plan to build new flats
in the city centre. It will take a long time and it will be too
expensive. I hope you will consider my opinion and that you
will continue to listen to the people who voted for you.
Yours faithfully,
Martina Friuli
Unit 4 - Vocabulary
North American English British English Italiano
Apartment
Cab
Candy
Cookies
Elevator
Pants
Soccer
Subway
Vacation
Flat
Taxi
Sweets
Biscuits
Lift
Trousers
Football
Underground
Holiday
Appartamento
Taxi
Caramelle
Biscotti
Ascensore
Pantaloncini
Calcio
Metropolitana
Vacanza
Hi there!
My name’s Ben Barners, I’m 15 year old. My interests are
music, computers and travelling. I play the lead guitar in a
band called Cool Cats, and after only a year we’ve already
had quite a lot of success. We haven’t made a CD yet, but
that is next on our agenda. I spend a lot of time using the
computer and I’ve just bought a new one that we can use for
recording. The software is quite complicated, so I haven’t
really worked out how to use it yet. I’ve already travelled
quite a lot. I’ve just recently come back from a really great
holiday in Barcelona. Have you been there? It’s great!
Well, that’s all for now, folks! Get in touch!
Love,
Ben
My mail
Hi there!
My name’s Martina Friuli, I’m 15 years old. My interests are
dancing, travelling and music. I have synchro-dance and hiphop twice a week in a school called “Shall we dance?”. I
have already had a lot of success, in fact I won a lot of
competitions. I usually travel three times a year with my
parents. I love Italy and my favourite city is Rome. I spend a
lot of time listening to various kind of music like modern,
and house. I also like going to the disco with my friends on
some Saturdays night. Well, mum is calling me so I can’t
write any more.
Love,
Martina
Unit 5
Objectives
Grammar:
• Present simple passive
• Let / be allowed to
Vocabulary:
• Describing a person’s age
Functions:
• Describing a ceremony
• Talking about permission
Unit 5 - Vocabulary
Ages
Età
Baby
Child
Elderly person
Lifespan
Lifetime
Middle – aged person
Pensioner
Teeneger
Toddler
Young adult
Neonato
Bambino
Anziano
Arco di una vita
Durata della vita
Persona di mezza età
Pensionato
Adolescente
Bambino piccolo
Ragazzo
MY MAIL
Hi Daniel!
I was surfing on internet this morning and I was reading
about the Niowra tribe and its rites and I want to talk to
you about this. On the island of Papua New Guinea, the
Niowra tribe lives near Sepik river, which is full of
crocodiles. These people believe that crocodiles made
the Earth and its people. When it is time for a teenager
boy to become man, an unusual and painful ceremony
takes place: a crocodile ceremony. The boys are taken
to a hut called The Crocodile Nest that is full of skulls
and crocodile teeth. The boys are treated very badly
and bamboo is used to make cuts on their chests and
their backs. Knives are not used because bamboo is
When the ceremony is over and the boys are out of the
hut, there is singing and dancing. Do you know another
tribe with unusual rites?
Speak you soon,
Martina
Unit 6
Objectives
Grammar:
• Present perfect simple with ‘for’ and ‘since’
• For vs. since
Vocabulary:
• Verb and noun pairs
Functions:
• Talking about unfinished situations
Unit 6 - Vocabulary
Verb and noun pairs
Espressioni verbo + sostantivo
Have a drink
Have a good time
Have a good laught
Have an argument
Have fun
Make a fool of yourself
Make a joke
Make friends
Make funny faces
Make plans
Bere qualcosa
Divertirsi
Farsi una bella risata
Litigare
Divertirsi
Fare la figura del cretino
Fare una battuta
Fare amicizia
Fare le smorfie
Fare progetti
Hi Jason!
My mail
Yesterday I was reading my sister’s English book and I
discovered some information about the power of
humor. Do you know that the old saying “Laughter in
the best medicine” is true? Well, doctors have found
that it is true. People in England, every two years in
spring, put on a red nose and do things to make
themselves and others laugh. People can buy a red
nose in supermarkets or in other shops and parts of the
money goes to the Comic Relief wich is an organization
that helps people in need. This organization has helped
people for more than twenty years now.
In New Zeland, for example, people have made big red
noses which they put on in front of cars and even
buildings! What do you think?
Love,
Martina
Unit 7
Objectives
Grammar:
• Past simple passive
• A / an, the or zero article
Vocabulary:
• Disasters
Functions:
• Talking about natural disasters
Unit 7 – Vocabulary
Disasters
Disastri
Avalanche
Car crash
Drought
Earthquake
Flood
Greenhouse effect
Homeless
Huge
Hurricane
Locust
Valanga
Incidente stradale
Siccità
Terremoto
Alluvione
Effetto serra
Senzatetto
Enorme
Uragano
Locusta
Hi Carl!
My mail
I am really worried about the climate changes. Today,
during Geography lesson, our teacher was talking about
the global warming and especially of Tuvalu. It will soon
become the first city to be uninhabitable because of
the climate changes and the rising sea levels. Tuvalu is
near Fiji, that is a group of nine islands. Geograhically,
the tiny country is the fourth smallest in the world after
Monaco, Vatican and Nauru. In the summer Tuvalu gets
severe hurricanes that have recentely become more
frequent and they have damaged houses and buildings.
They also have killed the fish in the seas around the
island. The fish are an important source of food for this
people.
The Tuvalu government has begun a programme to
reduce the level of the emission of greenhouse gases,
but this will not change the situation, and eventually,
the Tuvaluans will have to leave their island. What do
you think?
Speak you soon,
Martina
Unit 8
Objectives
Grammar:
• Too much / too many: not enough
• Will vs.be going to
Vocabulary:
• Homes
Functions:
• Describing quantity
• Talking about the future: decisions and promises
Unit 8 - Vocabulary
Homes
Case
Accomodation
Basement
Block of flats
Bungalow
Camper van
Caravan
Cave
Cottage
Detached house
Semi – detached house
Alloggio
Seminterrato
Condominio
Casa ad un solo piano
Camper
Roulotte
Caverna
Casetta di campagna
Villetta unifamiliare
Casa bifamiliare
Hi Jason!
My mail
I am just returned from a holiday in a cave of Granada.
It was unforgettable! If you are looking for a different
kind of holiday, I am sure that in this historic caves you
will have a holiday that you’ll never forget!
There have been cave dwellers for more than thousand
years. A cave house in Andalusia can be anything from
a small country cottage to a fully equipped cave
guesthouse. Some caves have a swimming pool too.
You won’t want to leave because the temperature in
the cave is around 18-20° C and you’ll sleep better in a
cave than in a normal hotel. You won’t believe how
calm you feel! Try it!
Love,
Martina
Unit 9
Objectives
Grammar:
• Determiners
• Must / mustn’t vs. don’t have to
Vocabulary:
• Sleeping and waking
• Multiple intelligences
Functions:
• Talking about memory
• Talking about obligation, prohibition and lack of necessity
Unit 9 - Vocabulary
Sleeping and waking
Dormire e svegliarsi
Be asleep
Be awake
Bedtime
Dream
Get up
Go to bed
Go to sleep
Nightmare
Sleep in
Talk in your sleep
Wake up
Essere addormentato
Essere sveglio
Ora di andare a letto
Sognare
Alzarsi
Andare a letto
Addormentarsi
Incubo
Restare a dormire
Parlare nel sonno
Svegliarsi
Hi Phil!
My mail
Yesterday I was surfing on Internet and I founded some
information about our brain. The brain is very light and
makes up the only two per cent of total body weight,
but it needs about 20% of the oxygen that the body
takes in. After five to ten seconds without oxygen, we
lose consciousness: this means that we can’t think well
in rooms that are stuffy. When you read something that
you want to remember, tell a friend about it. Don’t
over–train your brain and it’s better to study a lot of
material for a small amount of time than a small
amount of time for a lot of time! If you have to
remember something big, break it down into smaller
sections.
One of the best ways of remembering is to make
“pictures” on the “movie screen” of your mind in fact
experts say that our brain works a lot in pictures. Nice,
isn’t it?
Reply soon,
Martina
Unit 10
Objectives
Grammar:
• Present perfect continuous
• Present perfect simple vs. continuous
Vocabulary:
• Music and musical instruments
Functions:
• Talking about unfinished situations
• Talking about repetition and continuation up to now
Unit 10 - Vocabulary
Music and instruments
Musica e strumenti
Acoustic guitar
Clarinet
Classical
Drum group
Drums
Electric guitar
Flute
Jazz
Keyboards
Percussionist
Songwriter
Chitarra acustica
Clarinetto
Classica
Gruppi di percussioni
Batteria
Chitarra elettrica
Flauto
Jazz
Tastiere
Batterista
Autore di canzoni
Hi Sarah!
My mail
I am just returned from Salvador! It was a fantastic
holyday! If you take a walk in the streets of Salvador,
you’ll soon hear music - probably the amazing rhythm
of drum groups, or the sound of a berimbau. Most
tourists don’t go to the small neighbourhood of
Candeal. Candeal is where Carlinhos Brown was born in
1962. Carlinhos became a musician and has had a lot of
success. Since 1982, he has been a major player on the
Brazilian pop scene. In the 90s, he became known
internationally as the leader of the musical group
Timbalada. They recorded eight albums and toured
various countries around the world.
Unit 11
Objectives
Grammar:
• Defining relative clauses
• Used to
Vocabulary:
• Medicine
Functions:
• Talking about past habits
• Talking about health
Unit 11 - Vocabulary
Medicine
Medicina
Ambulance
Backache
Disease
Headache
Infection
Pill
Skin disease
Smallpox
Stomach ache
Toothache
Vaccine
Ambulanza
Mal di schiena
Malattia
Mal di testa
Infezione
Pillola
Malattia della pelle
Vaiolo
Mal di stomaco
Mal di denti
Vaccnino
Hi Carmen!
Yesterday, I was surfing on Internet and I discovered some
information about medicine in the past. Since the beginning
of time, people have had illnesses and doctors have tried to
cure them. In the days when people knew very little about
medicine, some very strange and horrible cures were tried.
Here are some of the worst!
TOOTHACHE
Ancient Egyptians who had toothache, used to find a dead
mouse and put it in their mouth, leaving it there for a few
hours. But who knows if it take the toothache away?
BACKACHE
People who suffer from it can experience a lot of pain.
Sometimes it’s because a vertebra is out of position.
In Ancient Greece, doctors used to tied the patient to a
ladder, pulled the ladder up high and then let it fall to the
ground. The vertebra went back to the right place. But this
‘cure’ probably caused more backache than it cured!
BALDNESS
Men whose hair is falling out are never happy about it. The
Ancient Egyptians took the fat of a lion, a hippopotamus, a
cat and a snake, mixed them together - and then rubbed
the mixture into the man’s head. Maybe it stopped
baldness, maybe not.
SCROFULA
In the middle age people who had scrofula, a common skin
disease could easily get rid of it - they just had to get the
king or queen to touch them.
Love, Martina
Unit 12
Objectives
Grammar:
• Second conditional
Vocabulary:
• Information technology and computers
Functions:
• Talking about immaginary situations
Unit 12 - Vocabulary
Information technology
Informatica
Adaptor
Copy
Download
Headset
Log on
Offline
Online
Printer
Screen
Virtual
Website
Adattatore
Copiare
Scaricare
Auricolari
Entrare
Disconnesso
Connesso
Stampante
Schermo
Virtuale
Sito web
Hi Joel!
My mail
I am an interviewer and yesterday I asked two teenagers from the
USA about what they think of the Internet.
Question 1: How often do you use the Internet, and what for?
Kylie: I use it every day. I write emails, I chat, and I have my own
blog on myspace. com. If we didn’t have the Internet, life would be
really boring, I think!
Brett: I use it a lot too. I have my own web page, and I use it to
write about my hobbies and my interests. I also post videos quite
often.
Question 2: If a friend asked you to recommend a really good
website, which one would you recommend?
Kylie: l would say agirlsworld.com! It gives girls advice on what to
do in difficult situations, but it’s also fun, and there’s some
interesting reading stuff.
Brett: If someone asked me that question, I wouldn’t know what to
say. I visit so many websites. There isn’t definitely one website that
I would recommend.
Question 3: Do you ever listen to podcasts?
Kylie: Oh, absolutely. And I sometimes send in my own files. I think
it’s great that you can say what you think and other young people
all over the world can listen to you.
Brett: No way! I haven’t got the time. But even if I had more time, I
would bother with videocasts.
Question 4: If you were offered a job in computing, would it be of
interest to you?
Kylie: I want to work with people. You can meet thousands of
people on the web, but I’d rather meet real people in my job. I’d
like to be the manager of a big Internet company - with lots of
people!
Brett: Definitely. If I had the chance, I’d like to work as a web
designer. I like creating my own things.
Unit 13
Objectives
Grammar:
• Narrative tenses: past perfect / past simple / past
continuous
Vocabulary:
• Noun suffixes –r, -er, -or and –ist
Functions:
• Describing events in the past and earlier past
Unit 13 - Vocabulary
Noun suffixes
Suffissi dei sostantivi
Archaeologist
Astronomer
Biologist
Decorator
Farmer
Inventor
Juggler
Plumber
Receptionist
Ruler
Archeologo
Astronomo
Biologo
Imbianchino
Agricoltore
Inventore
Giocatore
Idraulico
Portiere
Governante
Hi Patrik!
My mail
Yesterday, I was reading my sister’s Geography book and I
read some information about Mayans. In 1848, in
Guatemala, a man called Ambrosio Tut went out into the
jungle. Tut was a gum-collector, looking for gum in the
jungle. On one particular day, he saw to the top of a tree.
He saw the tops of some old buildings. Tut knew it was
something special. He ran to tell the local governor, and
together they walked into the jungle. There they found
Tikal, the city that the Mayans had built many hundreds of
years before. The two men saw temples and pyramids,
squares and houses, and palaces where kings had lived
when the Mayan people ruled the region. Between 200 and
900 AD, the city of Tikal had been the centre of Mayan
civilisation in the region, but then, for some unknown
reason, the Mayans left it, and after 1000 AD,
the jungle began to cover it and people soon forgot where
it was. Seven years before Tut looked out from the trees,
two British explorers had written a report about Mayan
treasures but they hadn’t mentioned Tikal. Local Indians
had told European travellers about a great city hidden in
the trees, but no one had listened to them. Now
archaeologists went there immediately to see it. Nice, isn’t
it?
Love,
Martina
Unit 14
Objectives
Grammar:
• Reported statements: say, tell
• Reported questions: ask
• Third conditional
Vocabulary:
• Noun suffixes: -ation and –ment
Functions:
• Reporting statementsand questions in the past
Unit 14 - Vocabulary
Noun suffixes
Suffissi dei sostantivi
Accomodation
Advertisement
Enterainment
Donation
Improvement
Management
Payment
Presentation
Quotation
Reservation
Treatment
Alloggio
Pubblicità
Divertimento
Donazione
Miglioramento
Gestione
Pagamento
Presentazione
Citazione
Prenotazione
Trattamento
Hi Peter!
Yesterday, during lunch, I was reading the newspaper and I
read an unusual article. It says that in 1962, a Croatian
music teacher named Frane Selak got on a train to go to
Dubrovnik. He didn’t know that it was the beginning of
almost 40 years of accidents and near-death experiences.
During the journey, the train came off the tracks and fell
into an icy river, killing 17 passengers. Selak managed to
swim back to the shore. He had a broken arm and he
needed treatment for shock. A year later, Selak was on a
plane from Zagreb to Rijeka when a door suddenly opened
and he fell out. A few minutes later the plane crashed; 19
people were killed. Selak woke up in a hospital. He had
been lucky -he’d landed in a haystack. In 1995 he was hit by
a bus but had again no major injuries.
Then, in 1996 he was driving on a mountain road when he
saw a lorry coming straight at him. He drove the car off the
road, jumped out, landed in a tree-and watched his car
explode 100 meters below. If he hadn't jumped out and if
the tree hadn’t been there, he would have died. In June
2003, aged 74, Selak bought his first lottery ticket in 40
years and won more than €1 million. Selak said he was
going to enjoy his life from then on. In 2004 a TV company
in Australia said they wanted him to make an
advertisement. At first he accepted, but then he changed
his mind. Selak said he wouldn’t fly to Sydney for the
filming. If he had accepted the invitation, maybe he would
have had another accident. But Mr. Selak is a lucky man. If
he’d had another accident, he probably would have
survived that too! Crazy, isn’t it?
Write me soon,
Martina