"tjiiilf"'ffi"

Fli:i'1,:ii?TlTipri""tiu"
'%
'#i"i"fiiil'l",,,i'i!'0"'
The trials for the school's sports day
were held to find out who was
good
enough to enter the finals.
As expected, Ralph won the first three
races.
1. playlng'fietd
[ri:ld] =
campo sportivo.
352
When the sports day arrived, the
parents of the young
students
gathered
at the playing-fields.
1
He
put his head
after the rabbit.
down and he raced
the finals. The
parents and friends were chatting at the refreshments tent
I
while
the officials were busy with the last details. The headmaster was pleased with the
number of
people who had come. It was double or even triple that of the
previous
year,
and this was his twentieth
year
at the school.
By the time the finals started three
quarters
of the competitors had been
eliminated. As expected, Ralph won the first three races. It was in the four hun-
dred and forty yard race that the big surprise came. When the runners passed the
halfway mark,' a rabbit skipped on to the track, stopped, looked inquisitively at
the oncoming runners
3
and then ran away. Ralph reacted in an eitraordinary
way. He put his head down and, almost bent double,
a
he raced after the rabbit.
The two disappeared into the nearby wood, and that was the last that was ever
seen of Ralph.
5
Vocabulary
athlete
['Oli:tJ
jumper
['grrmpa*]
stride
[straid]
official
[a'fiJalJ
detail
['di;teil]
headmaster
['hed'ma:sto*]
!o
admit
[ed'mit]
to chat
[ct]
to eliminate
[i'limineit]
to skip
[skip]
to react
[ri'kt]
atleta
saltatore
andatura
funzionario
dettaglio
preside
ammettere
chiacchierare
eliminare
balzare
reagire
clear
[klie*]
agile
['gail]
narrow
['nrau]
sharp
[Ja:pJ
pleased (with)
lpli:zdl
double
['dnbl]
triple
['tripl]
previous
['pri:vjes]
nearby
['niabai]
inquisitively
[in'kuizitivli]
chiaro
agile
stretto
acuto
soddisfatto (di)
doppio
triplo
precedente
vicino
cu riosamente
Ouestions
1. What did everybody have to admit about the new boy at school?
2. What was not very clear?
3.
\ilhat were the trials for the school's sports day held for?
4. V/here did the new boy come in every track event?
5. What was his strong
point?
6. What was his face like?
7. What were his eyes like?
8. How did he walk or run?
9. Where did the
parents of the young athletes
gather when the sports day arrived?
10. What was the headmaster pleased with?
11. How many competitors had been eliminated by the time the finals started?
12. What did Ralph win, as expected?
13. In which race did the big surprise come?
14. What happened when the runners passed the halfway mark?
15. How did Ralph react?
16. What did he do then?
1. the refreshments tent
=
la tenda dei rinf reschi.
ing runners
=
corridori che sopraggiungevano' 4
evr seen of Ralph
=
L'ultima volta che Ralph fu
354
2. halfway mark
=
segnale di met corsa. 3. oncom-
bent double
=
piegato in due. 5. the last that was
visto.
Roast beef and Yorkshire
pudding or lamb
cutlets for a typical Sunday lunch.
COI{VER,SATION
Simon
Stefano
Mr Bates
Stufsno
Mrs Bqtes
Simon
Stefuno
Simon
Mrs Bates
Lizzie
Stefono
Lizzie
Simon
Now you can,practise
your English, Stefano.*
Yes, but I think that it will be very difficult at the beginning. I will try not to
make too many rnistakes.
Well, well! You've made a very good start,
I
Stefano. Your sentence was
quite perfect!
Thank
you,
Mr Bates.
Lunch is on the table. Let's sit down.
I am sure that you have heard a lot of bad things about English food,
Stefano.
Yes, in Italy everybody says that the English do not eat very well...
You
just
wait and see what my mother's cooking is like,
2
and
perhaps you
will change
your
ideas about English food!
You see, Stefano, lunch is a very light meal in this country because we have a
big breakfast in the morning. In the evening we have a real meal...
You've forgotten to tell Stefano about tea, Mother. In England one can eat
tea, as well as drink it!
What do
you
mean?
Apart from being
3
something to drink, tea is also the name of a small meal
between lunch and supper. It consists of bread and butter and
jam,
and some
cakes, and of course tea to drink.
You see, Stefano, tea is so
popular here that we are not satisfied with drink-
ing it: we have to eat it too!
Vocabulary
beginning
[bi'ginitl]
start
[sta:t]
sentence
['sentans]
mistake
[mis'teik]
as well as
tntzro
inizio
f rase
errore
come
pure
to practise
['prktis]
to forget forgot
forgotten
to satisfy
['stisfai]
perfect
['pa:fikt]
light
[ait]
esercitarsi (in)
dimenticare
soddisfare
perfetto
leggero
*
Stefano is an ltatian student who is in Engtand to improve his knowledge of the language. He ls gtaying
with the Bates. 1 to make a
(very) good start
-
partire (molto) bene. 2. Yog
iust
wait and see what my
mothefs cooklng is llke
=
spetifsoto e vedrai com' la cucina di mia madre. Si osservi I'uso enfatico di
you davanti alla f-orma imperativa. 3. Apart lrom being
=
oltre ad essere'
356
TI{E POLICEMAN
Alan
Policemon
Alan
Policemon
Alan
Policemqn
Alan
Policemon
Alqn
Policeman
AIan
Policemon
Alan
Policemqn
Excuse me, officer.
1
Can
you tell me the time?
Certainly. It's half
past ten.
That's very kind of
you. Are the police trained to be so polite all the time?
Of course. It's impoitant that thipublic can approach a bobby
2
any time.
I suppose you have to spend much of the day
just
talking to
passers-by.
Quite
so. I usually spend about half my time simply chatting to people. The
patience you need for this
job quite
surprised me when I started it.
It surprises me to hear that you have enough hours in the day to be standing
in the street and talking to people.
In one way
3
I haven't. The police force in this town is too small. Vy'e are on-
ly two thirds the force we should be.
a
On the other hand talking to people is
part
of a
policeman's
work.
Do you
mean they tell you who has been robbing a bank recently?
Not only that. The public needs to know that the police are there and that
the to\iln is a safe
place to walk in.
Do you think policemen should carry guns?
No, I don't. At our police station we had a vote on it once, and only one
fifth of the policemen thought that we should be armed. Guns don't seem to
do the Amrican police any good. Their murder rate
5
is quadruple the
British rate, and many more American cops
6
are killed than we lose here.
I see. So that's why we always say our police are wonderful. They do their
job
without killing people in the process.
7
And we are polite, too. Don't forget that. And now, may I close
your
cell
door? I can't spend all day talking to prisoners.
l/ocabulary
public
['pnblik]
force
[fc:s]
$un [gnn]
vote
[veut]
cell
[sel]
prisoner
['prizna*]
polite
[pa'lait]
pubblico
forza, corpo
arma da fuoco
voto
cella
prigioniero
cortese
to train
[trein]
to approach
[a'prau]
to surprise
Isa'praiz]
to rob
[rcb]
to arm
[a:m]
to kill
[kiU
to close
[kleuz]
addestrare
awicinare
sorprendere
rapinare
armare
uccidere
chiudere
1.
3.
di
Officer forma garbata per apostrofare un policeman. 2. Bobby forma s/ang inglese per policeman.
ln one way
=
.l
un certb senso. 4. we should be
=
dovremmo essere. 5. mutdel rato
[reit] =
tasso
omicidi. 6. Cop forma s/ang americana
per policeman. 7. in the plocess
['preuses] =
nel mentre.
357
ORIL DRILL5
Read aloud:
E
1. The first, the third, the fifth, the eighth,
the twelfth.
2, The twentieth, the thirtieth, the fiftieth,
the hundredth.
3. This is my first visit to London
4. This is my second cigarette today.
5. He phoned me for the third time.
6. That was the fifth whisky he drank.
7, For the third and last time, stop it!
E- What is today's date?
9. lt is the 1st of April.
10. Tomorrow it will be the 2nd of April.
a
1. We left Milan on the 21st of April.
2. We arrived in New York on the 22nd of
April.
3. We left New York on the Bth of May.
4. We arrived in London on the 15th of
May.
5. We left London on the 23rd of May.
6. We arrived in Paris on the 27lh of May.
7. We left Paris on the 31st of May.
8. We returned to Milan on the sth of June.
9. We are leaving for New York on the
13th of June.
10. We will stay in New York until the 22nd
of June.
E
1. The patience of some people is
su rprising.
2. I'm forgetting the French I studied at
school.
I haven't got the money to buy
I didn't have the opportunity of
him
Can
you tell me the time?
Are the children at school?
When we are not well, we see
doctor.
a car.
talking to
the
8. The lion is a wild animal.
9. The sheep is a mild animal.
10. The rose is a beautiful f lower.
tr
1. The book I bought cost me one pound.
2. The magazine on the table is Susan's.
3. The brand of these cigarettes is Virginia.
4. he November I spent in Milan was very
foggy.
5. The Bob I mean is not the one you
know.
6. The lady who phoned was my aunt.
7. I don't like the car he bought.
B. Will you pass me the sugai, please?
9. The children went to the
park.
10. Have you heard the news?
tr
1. Ltzzie adores roses.
2. Her favourite flowers are red roses.
3. I hate carnations.
4. Orchids are very expensive.
5. Some children hate soap.
6. Happiness is not easy to find.
7. Humour helps people
to live better.
8. Tea is a very nice drink.
9. ltalian shoes are very elegant.
10. English cloth is very good
E
1. I don't like coffee.
2. Thank you for the coffee.
3. Life is wonderful, my dear!
4. The life that we are leading is boring.
q. Money does not give
happiness.
6. The money he sent me arrived
yesterday.
lnglish
tobacco is not very strong.
The tobacco he brought me was very
good.
Beer is not an expensive drink.
The beer we had was very strong.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
7.
8.
o
v.
10.
l/ocabulary
opportunity
[cpa'tju:nitiI
lion
[aien]
carnation
Ika:'neirfanJ
orchid
['c:kid]
opportunit
leone
garofano
orchidea
soap
[saup]
happiness
['hpinis]
foggy
['fcgi]
strong
[strcr3]
sapone
felicit
nebbioso
forte
358
GRRft,Ift,IRR
NUMERI ORDINALI
I
o
the first
[fa:
st]
20 the second
['sekandJ
3o the third
[Oa:d]
40 the fourth
[fc:0J
5
o
thi fifrh
lfife]
6o the sixth
[siksO]
7
o
the seventh
['sevn0]
8
o
the eighth
[eit0]
9" the ninth
[nainO]
10" the tenth
[ten0]
llo the eleventh
[i'levn0]
12" the twelfth
ltuelf0l
I'ottavo
il nono
il decimo
I'undicesimo
il dodicesimo
il primo
il secondo
il terzo
il quarto
il quinto
il sesto
il settimo
1. Ad eccezione dei primi tre numeri (the first, the second, the third), i numeri ordinali si
ottengono mediante I'aggiunta di th at numero cardinale. Se i numeri ordinali sono scritti
in cifre, gueste si corredano con le due lettere
finali
del numero ordinale.
the first
:
the lst the twenty-first
:
the 21st
the second
:
the 2nd the twenty-second
:
the 22nil
the third
=
the 3rd the twenty-third
:
the 23rd
the fourth
:
the 4th the twenty-fourth
:
the 24th
the fifth
=
the 5th the twenty-fifth
:
the 25th
2. L numeri ordinali sono quasi
sempre
preceduti da articolo determinativo.
Qualora
venga usato il numero romono, esso rifiuta l'articolo nella scritturo, che per va pronun-
ciato nella letturo.
He arrived the first Arriv primo
I am the tenth in the list Sono decimo nella lista
Elizabeth II
I
Elisabetta seconda
Henry VIII Enrico ottavo
3. A differenza della lingua italiana, che usa il numero ordinale solo per il primo giorno
di ogni mese, la lingua inglese impiega tl numero ordinale
per
ogni data del mese.
What is the date today?
aual
la data di oggi?
(What is today's date?)
It is the lst of May il l" maggio
It is the 14th of February it t+ febbraio
OSSERYAZIONI
1)
Quando
la data usata come complemento di tempo, essa preceduta da on.
\ile left on the 21st of December Partimmo il 21 dicembre
He arrived on the 2nd of June Arriv il 2 giugno
1. Leggasi Elizabeth the second, Henty the eighth.
359
2) Nelle lettere la dota viene scritta stlJ lato destro del foglio, in alto. Esistono vari
modi di scrivere la data:
September 14th, 1986
(molto
formale)
Sept. 14th, 1986
(meno
formale)
14th September, 1986
14 September, 1986
NUMERI FRAZIONARI E MOLTIPLICATIVI
l. I numeri
frazionari
sono composti da un numero cardinale + un numero ordinale (ad
eccezione di quarter
e haV
:
Irt, mezzo). il numero ordinale a prendere
il ptuiale
qualora il numero lo richieda.
I've spent one third of my money Ho speso un terzo del mio danaro
Two thirds of the pupils stayed at home Due terzi degli alunni rimasero a casa
2. Delle
forme
duplicative sopra elencate, le forme in -fold sono alquanto letterarie. Tutti
e tre i tipi di forme sono tanto aggettivi quanto avverbi.
I
He has a double personality Ha una doppia
personalit
He has a twofold activity Ha una doppia attivit
I spent twice as much (money) Io spesi il doppio
NUMERI ITERATIVI
1. Si osservino le pronuncie di double
['d^bl],
triplo
['tripU,
quadruple
['kucdrupl],
twolold
['tu:feuld],
threefold
['0ri:feuld],
tourfold
['fc:fould].
360
Frazionari
one
quarter
one half
one third
one fifth
two thirds
two fifths
Moltiplicativi
double
1
triple
quadruple
twofold
threefold
fourfold
un quarto (l / 4)
un mezzo (l/2)
un terzo (l/3)
un quinto (l/5)
due terzi (2/3)
due quinti (2/ 5)
twice as much
three times as much
four times as much
doppio
triplo
quadruplo
Once una volta four times quattro volte
twice due volte a hundred times cento volte
three tirnes tre volte a thousand times mille volte
(thrice usato in poesia)
Si ossemi:
tutte le volte che
ARTICOLO DETERMINATIVO
Nomi plurali
non specfficati
Women like
jewels
Boys like sports cars
specificati
The
jewels
of that lady were wonderful
The sports cars we saw were wonderful
Alle donne piacciono i gioielli
Ai ragazzi piacciono le auto sportive
I gioielli di quella signora erano
meravigliosi
Le auto sportive che vedemmo erano
meravigliose
Nomi singolari
specificati
The time we
The green of
wonderful
have is not much
the landscape was
The patience
she has is extraordinary
The car we bought was second-hand
The fox ran away
The teacher was angry
non specfficati non numerabili
Time is money
Green is my favourite colour
Patience is a rare virtue
non specificati numerabili
The car has become a necessity
The fox is a cunning animal
The teacher has to be impartial
n tempo che abbiamo non molto
n verde del paesaggio era meraviglioso
La pazienza che ha straordinaria
L'auto che comprammo era di seconda
mano
La volpe corse via
L'insegnante era arrabbiato
n tempo danaro
n verde il mio colore preferito
La pazienza
una virt rara
L'auto diventata una necessit
La volpe un animale astuto
L'insegnante dev'essere imparziale
1. Come si
pu
osservare negli esempi dello schema sopra riportato, l'articolo deter-
minotivo the si usa in inglese in due casi:.
a) con i nomi singolari o plurali seguiti da specfficazione, e
quindi non usati in senso
generale. Si tenga presente
che l'aggettivo qualiftcativo non rappresenta sufficiente
specfficazione
per giustificare I'uso dell'articolo determinativo.
The old
prints on the wall are beautiful Le vecchie stampe sui muro sono
bellissime
The furniture in this room is very old I mobili di questa stanza sono molto
vecchi
The furniture we bought is very modern I mobili che comprammQ sono molto
.moderni
I had the opportunity of seeing her Ebbi l?opportunit di vederla
I haven't got the time to go there Non ho il tempo di andarvi
Where are the children? Dove sono i bambini?
361
OSSERVAZIONE
Per specificozione di un nome si intenda qualsiasi complemento
(di
specificazione, luogo,
ecc.), una
frase
relativa, un infinito od una
forma
in ing preceduta da preposizione (of
,
for, ecc.). Si noti inoltre che un nome pu esserc implicitamente speciftcalo e di con-
seguenza richiede I' articolo determinativo.
b) con i nomi singolari numerabili
(gli ostratti, ad esempio, non sono numerabilf) usati in
senso
generale.
The baker sells bread Il fornaio vende il
pane
The oak is a majestic tree La quercia un albero maestoso
Ihe ox is a
patient
animal Il bue un animale paziente
2. L'articolo determinativo si usa inoltre sempre davanti ai seguenti nomi:
a) sun sole soul anima
moon luna mind mente
earth terra body corpo
sky cielo country campagna
air aria city citt
wind vento cinema
(pictures)
cinema
sea(side) mare theatre teatro
ocern oceano radio radio
world mondo king re
universe universo queen regina
I like sitting in the sun Mi piace sedere al sole
The earth is a planet La terra un pianeta
We listened to the radio Ascoltammo la radio
We always go to the theatre Andiamo sempre a teatro
b) i nomi collettivi, ad eccezione di
parliament (parlamento), people (gente)
e society
(societ):
The family is the basis of society La famiglia la base della societ
The police are looking for him La polizia lo cerca
People are talking a lot La gente
sta
parlando
molto
c'1 i nomi di nazione plurali, e quelli di
fiumi,
mari ed oceani.
I've never been to the United States Non sono mai stato negli Stati Uniti
The Thames flows into the North Sea Il Tamigi sfocia nel Mare del Nord
The Atlantic is a huge ocean L'Atlantico un immenso oceano
d) gli aggettivi sostantivati, indicanti un'intera categoria di persone
od un popolo:
The old need help I vecchi hanno bisogno di aiuto
Do you like the English? Ti piacciono gli Inglesi?
3. Oltre ai casi di nomi
plurali e singolari non accompagnati da sptsciltss4ione (eccetto i
nomi singolori numerabili, come si visto), l'articolo determinativo non viene mai usato
con:
a) i nomi dei
pasti e di talune bevande
(coffee, tea, ecc.):
Lunch is ready La colazione
pronta
Have you had tea? Avete preso il t?
362
c) i nomi di parti del corpo, vestiario od effetti
perslonali, dovel'articolo viene sostituito
dall'aggettivo possessivo. Avere +
parte
del corpo diviene to have + a
(an)
... quando
essa singolare, e to have + parte del corpo
quando questa plurale.
b) i nomi propri preceduti
da titolo:
Mr Brown is here, sir
Queen
Blizabeth is at Windsor
Have you washed your hands?
Have you brushed
your
teeth?
She has u red nose
She has large feet
d) i nomi di nazioni, regioni, isole,
nomi, se
plurali, prendono l'articolo.
They come from Britain
Jersey is one of the Channel Islands
Lake Maggiore is beautiful
Mont Blanc is in the Alps
e) i nomi di strade, piazze
e stazioni:
Where is Piccadilly Street?
We are going to Trafalgar Square
They went to Victoria Station
0
i nomi man e lYoman, usati in
Man is weak
Woman is fickle
n signor Brown
eui,
signore
La regina Elisabett a Windsor
Ti sei lavato le mani?
Ti sei lavato i denti?
Ha il naso rosso
Ha i piedi grandi
montagne e laghi di numero singolare. Gli stessi
Vengono dalla Gran Bretagna
Jersey una delle isole della Manica
il Lago Maggiore bellissimo
il Monte Bianco nelle Alpi
Dov' la via Piccadilly?
Andiamo alla piazza Trafal gar
Andarono alla stazione Vittoria.
senso generale:
L'uomo debole
La donna mobile
Portami una tazza di t, per favore
Ti porter un ricordo da Londra
Le port dei fiori
LtrXNGAL N@Ttrg
vERBt COtt
pt
TRADUZTONT
pofiare
1) to bring brought brought. usato nel senso di
portare owicinando (a s, alla
persona
con cui si
parla
o di cui si
parla).
Bring me a cup
I'll bring you a
don
He brought her
of tea, please
souvenir from Lon-
some flowers
363
E
A
ORIL IND URITTN DRILS
ln the ollowing passage live delinite articles have deliberately been introduced, though
their use is wrong. Find them and cross them out.
DANGER TO SOCIETY
Ihe streets of London were empty and the moon was shining. Arthur and Jane were walking
along tf,e bank of the Thames, watching the river flow into the North Sea. They paqqeq
9n
the
Weslminster Bridge. Jane thought of London as the centre of fhe universe. She said:
"And all
that mighty heart is lying still",
'
quoting a
poet.
Arthur looked at her, puzzled. He was hungry, and he had not enjoyed the film.
"Ihe people
don't realize, but Parliament is a danger to society", said Jane. Arthur looked at t e Houses of
Parliament. They didn't look very dangerous and he said so.
"Oh, don't
you
see?" said Jane. "That is the organization that controls our lives. Parliament
controls fhe law, the army, tl,e navy, ffie
police,
everything".
"Well, I think that Parliament con-
trols them very well", said Arthur. "Yes, but it CONTROLS them!", insisted Jane.
Arthur was bored by tfis conversation, and so he proposed a meal in a restaurant.
"This is not fhe time for food", said Jane. But she followed Arthur towards the lights of fhe
Parliament Square.
As they crossed fe road, a car nearly hit Jane, who was walking with her eyes closed,
lT#Xt"?n;,
a danger to society. tt shoutd
2
be bannedt", said Jane. Arthur was beginning to
wonder whether
3
Jane's mind revolved only around "dangers to society". He decided to
change fhe subject.
"Would you like a Hamburger with
peanut
butter?"
4
he asked.
"No. I will not eat
peanut
butter", said Jane. "lt causes fhe cancer".
"Perhaps you would enjoy a Hamburger with a fried egg on top?",5 asked Arthur.
"No,
thank
you.
There's too much cholesterol in tfre egg yolk",
6
said Jane. Arthur thought
seriously for about two minutes, then he asked: "Jane, is there anything in the world that you
Yi::|Xffir;",
answered Jane.
"t shoutd tike to marry you. I think that the contradictions in our
characters would make a great marriage".
Arthur became thoughtful. Then he said:
"Ifie marriage is a danger to society"!
Uocabulary
moOn
[mu:n]
bank
[bnk]
poet
['pauit]
danger
['deinga*]
cancer
['knsa*]
cholesterol
Ike'lestercU
thoughtf ul
['0c:tful]
to flow
[fleu]
to pause
[pc:z]
luna
riva, sponda
poeta
pericolo
cancro
colesterolo
pensoso
scorrere
arrestarsi
to quote
[kuautJ
to shine shone
shone
[Jain
"fcnI
to puzzle
['pnzl]
to control
[kan'traul]
to cross
[krcs]
to hit hit hit
thirl
to ban
[bn]
to revolve
[ri'vclv]
citare
splendere
sconcertare
controllare
attraversare
investire
bandire
ruotare
1.
"And
all that mighty heart ls lying still'
=
"E tutto quel possente cuore giace immoto". 2. lt should
=
dovrebbe. 3. to wonder whether
['uee*]
=
chiedersi se. 4. peanut butler
=
burro di arachidi. 5. wiih
a lrled egg on lop
=
con sopra un uovo fritto. 6. egg yolk
[ieuk] =
1u611e.
365
a
A L I FE
-AND -DEATH -
S TRUGGLEX
Christianity and lslam had long been engaged in a life-and-death struggle. At last, in fifteen
seventy (1570), Pope Gregory finally formed the Holy Alliance between Venice, the Papal States,
and Spain, to declare war against the Turks.
The allied fleets set sail; and the Turks also put to sea. The Christian fleet found the Turks at an-
chor in the Bay of Lepanto, and gave battle. The opposing fleets grappled;
and the Spaniards
sprang on board the enemy ships, sword in hand, and fell,on the foe. Once they had set foot, on
the eemy decks, the Moslems fought tooth and nail.
I
Cervantes, ill and weak with fever,
played the
part
of a
gallant Spanish
gentleman. At lirst the rival commanders had their men well
in hand. But after a while, the Venetians wavered. They were never, however, really out of hand,
and soon rallied. Little by little, the Moslem ships began to catch fire, and sink, and their
resistance broke down
2
completely. Those which the allies did not set fire to drew off,
3
and
stole away
a
under cover
5
of
'the
drkness, making for
6
a {riendly port.
The Christians pursued
them, and many could not get
away. But others shook off ' their
pursuers
and made
Bort
in safe-
ty. By the evening, the rout was complete. Don Juan of Austria leaned on his sword to take
Oreat-n. But he wdutO not rest on his dars.
I
Soon he was to follow up
e
the victory; and, alter
having beaten the enemy by sea, would live up to
10
his newly gained reputation by thoroughly
routing them also on land, thus definitely finishing off his task.
When Thomas, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, took office, he fought Henry the Second tooth
and nail, in defence of ecclesiastical
privileges. Henry badly wanted to get rid of him, by hook or
by crook.
11
So, one day at dinner, in the presence of three knights who he knew would stick at
nothing,
rz
he complained strongly that he had no friend to strike his enemy down.
13
He distinct-
ly hinted that now was the time for his real friends to
prove
their real worth. The knights, who
knew very well what he was driving at,
ra
took ship at once, and crossed the Channel fm south
to north. Sword in hand, and clothed in armour lrom head to foot, they burst in
15
on the Ar-
chbishop while he was saying Mass. Some ol the
people
who were in church at Mass tried to
stop them; but the knights put
them to flight,
16
and murdeted their victim at the altar. The news
spread by word of mouth from east to west, from south to north, and the outcry grew more
enormous from day to day. Henry, greatly fearing that his people would take up arms against
him, and that his dominions would be ravaged by fire and sword, by his indignant neigh[ours,
set sail at once from France to make peace with his people
and with the Church. He found the
nation in mourning,
17
dressed in black in honour of ine martyred prelate.
To placate
them, he
sent word to have the murderers arrested. But they had left home and taken to flight.
t8
Henry's
guilt weighed heavily on his conscience, so that, for his peace of mind as much as to calm
public
opinion, he had to
go
to the Abbey, hat in hand, to ask for pardon,
and do penance
thoroughly, by
permitting
the monks of Westminster to scourge him with rods. But the memory
of his deed lived on,
re
and he was never able really to live down
20
the disgrace of it. From first
to last, the incident constitutes an unpleasant page in the history of England.
(*) Nel brano seguente si osservi I'omissione dell'articolo in espressioni idiomatiche. 1. to llght tooth and
nall
=
combattere coi denti e colle unghie. 2. to bleak down
=
crollare. 3. to draw off
=
ritirarsi. 4. to
stgal away
=
fuggire di nascosto. 5. under cover (o0
=
sotto la protezione (di). 6. to make lor
=
dirige
si verso. 7. to shake otf
=
liberarsi di. 8. to rest on one's oats
=
riposare sugli allori. 9. to lollow up
=
conseguire. 10. to llve up (to)
-
essere all'altezza (di). 11. by hook or by crook= per amore o per for-
za. 12. lo stick at nothing
=
non avere scrupolo alcuno. 13. lo etrike down
=
abbattere. 14. to drive
(at)
=
mirare (a). 15. to burst in (on)
=
irrompere (addosso). 16. to
Put
to lllght
=
mettere in fuga.
17. in moumlng
=
a lutto. 18. to take to llight
=
darsi alla fuga. 19. to live on
=
soprawivere.20. to
llve down
=
riscattare, far dimenticare.
366
a
1.
2.
3.
4.
Translate into English:
E
1. La prima volta che vado a Londra ti
mander una cartolina.
2. Questa la seconda volta che ti dico di
non dire sciocchezze.
3. Per la lerza ed ultima volta, smetti di
parlare !
4, Questa la mia quinta visita a (fo)
Londra in due anni.
5. Enrico Vlll visse nel XVI secolo.
6. Elisabetta I era figlia di Enrico Vlll.
7. Questa la mia decima lezione.
8. Quel cavallo arriv settimo.
9. Essi frequentano la quarta classe.
I
10. Giovanni Xxlll fu un grande papa.
Qual la data di oggi?
il due di dicembr.
Credevo fosse il tre di dicembre.
ll giorno che partimmo per Londra era il
20 giugno.
Ritorneremo a Londra il cinque di
agosto.
Dove sarete il quattordici agosto?
ll 20 agosto
partiremo per un viaggio di
dieci
giorni.
8. Saremo di ritorno il 31 agosto.
9. Abbiamo fatto due terzi della traduzione.
10. lo (ne) ho tradotta met.
tr
1. La pesca uno sport eccitante.
2. La pesca che facemmo in Sardegna fu
7.
tr
molto eccitante.
Mi sono sempre
piaciute le rose rosse.
Grazie
per le rose rosse che mi ha
mandato.
Lo zio fuma sempre i sigari.
Dove sono i sigari che ho comPrato a
Londra?
ll tempo danaro.
8. Non ho il tempo
per leggere libri.
9. Leggo solo i giornali.
10. Dove sono i giornali del mattino?
tr
1. ll fruttivendolo vende frutta e verdura.
2. Compriamo t e caff dal droghiere.
3. Sei stata dal dottore, Susan?
4. Oggi devo andare dal dentista.
5. Voglio uscire e
godermi il sole.
6. ll vento non mi mai
Piaciuto'
7. Passammo due settimane di vacanza al
mare.
8. Abbiamo una casetta in campagna.
9. Stasera andremo a teatro.
10. Noi andiamo spesso al cinema.
E
1. La
polizia sta cercando
quell'uomo.
2. Parlarono della societ e della famiglia.
3. Alla gente piace
Parlare.
4. ll Canada appartiene al Commonwealth.
5. L'ltalia un bellissimo
Paese.
6. L'lnghilterra ha antiche tradizioni.
7. La Sicilia una
grande isola.
8. Andremo a vivere negli Stati Uniti.
9. Hanno una villa sul Lago Maggiore.
10. Le Alpi sono uno sPettacolo.
E
1. Stamattina non ho fatto la
Prima
colazione.
2. ll pranzo non pronto.
3. Quella ragazza ha le gambe lunghissime.
4. Hai il naso rosso oggi.
5. Vado a lavarmi le mani.
6. Chi ti lav la camicia?
7. La Signora Bates and a trovare
gli
Smith.
8. La zia uscita con la nonna.
9. La zta ha imParato I'inglese in
Inghilterra.
10. La mamma ed il
PaP
sono andati a
teatro.
5.
6.
7.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Stefano uno studente italiano che in lnghilterra
per migliorare la sua conoscenza della
lingua. Ora sta
parlando con Simon, Lizzie ed i loro genitori.
.. .
La-colazione in tavola. Stefano ha certamente sentito un sacco di brutte cose sul cibo inglese,
dice Simon. Ma forse cambier idea dopo aver visto com' la cucina di sua madre. Poi Simon
spiega che la 2" colazione un
pasto molto leggero in lnghilterra
perch la colazione al mattino
'mtto
grossa. Lizzie interromp Simon
per dir che in lnghilterra si
pu anche mangiare il t.
Stefano ion capisce. Lizzie spiega che il t anche il nome di un
piccolo pasto fra la 2a cola-
zione e la cen. Pane, burro, mrmellata,
qualche pasticcino, e naturalmente t da bere.
1. c/asse
=
form. 2. spettacolo
=
sight.
367