Testi Inglese orale 2 (Reading between the lines)

Forget mindfulness, stop trying to find yourself and start faking it

The history of Chinese philosophy now is the most popular course at Harvard. People are often surprised to learn that Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and other classical Chinese philosophers weren't rigid traditionalists. These Chinese thinkers didn't ask big questions, theirs was a pragmatic philosophy, based on small questions. Their teachings reveal that many of our most fundamental assumptions about our identity and how we ought to live, often take us in the wrong direction.

One popular assumption: it's important to look inside ourselves and discover who we really are. Our thinkers discovered that we are multifaceted and our personalities are formed through everything we do and our behaviour.

Be inauthentic: we aren't just who we think we are, we can work on becoming better people all the time. The first greater philosopher in the Chinese tradition, Confucius, did not agree on the fact that once we found ourselves, we have to embrace and be true to that self. In fact, he says that if you stay true to that self and allow it to become your guide, it limits you, because it doesn’t allow your growth.

Do rituals: Confucius teaches that certain rituals are transformative because they break patterned behaviours we've fallen into. We act “as if” we are different and our feelings are more mature, but doing so, we transform into someone exercising the right to express authentically honest but destructive feelings.

See the world as capricious: As we often see the self as stable, we see the world as stable. We realise that life can change, but at the same time we tend to think that the world is generally predictable and that we should figure out how we will fit into it. If we consider ourselves good at maths, we continue along that academic track, as well as if we consider ourselves spontaneous, we look for a life partner who will join us on our adventures.

Stop deciding: When you are contemplating a big change, your decision will be easier if you try out new related experiences. When you plan your life, you make decisions for a future self, based on the person you are today not the one you will become.

Be weak: Laozi, the founder of Taoism supports the power of weakness over apparent strength. Laozi says we should see everything in the world as connected, instead of divided and distinct, so we can stay sensitive and connective to others. This connection allows you to lead others but without they perceive that you are dominating them.

Don't play to your strength: Live your life as a series of ruptures, because that is what changes you over time. We are encouraged to discover our gifts and strengths, but these philosophers encourage not to focus on who you think you are to break your preconcepts. For example, if you were sporty of course you would have joined the football team. They are saying not to follow these natural consequences. But on the contrary, for example, if you’re not good at languages not give up and immerse yourself in French.

Don't be mindful: We hear that mindfulness will help us achieve peace and serenity in our fast-paced lives. Confucian self-cultivation embraces a very active way of cultivating oneself to become a better person.

Rethink the traditional and the modern: It's the small actions that matter most in transforming yourself for the better. We should recognise that we are complex creatures constantly pulled in different directions and that it's through working on our interactions, experiences and responses that we grow. The small actions matter most in transforming yourself and the world for the better.

What makes us who we are?

When we form an idea of somebody, we usually tend to identify him or her by the job. But of course, there are other ways to identify people. We can identify people by their background or by their hobbies and interests.

Reference to the text in dispensa: we are defined by many factors (friends, work, character, life, experiences, hobbies, background and values). As a consequence, we could say that history plays an important role also to define our identities.

• Your friends
• Your work
• Your character
• Your life experiences
• Your interests/hobbies
• Your background
• Your beliefs and values

In this text it’s said that our personalities are formed through everything we do: how we interact with others, our reactions to things, the activities we pursue. This means that we also consist of numerous possibilities of what we can become. Friends, work, character, life experiences etc., describe how multifaceted the human being is.

Good riddance to the old CV

CVs have changed nowadays, so there aren’t the two sides of the paper anymore. Instead, you should remember what you posted on Facebook because employers can scrutinise your every move.

CVs have moved online to LinkedIn but that has its own dangers. Anything less than +500 connections shows that you are clearly not the serious networked you pretend to be. Even so, LinkedIn is better than Facebook and Twitter, that allow any potential employer to follow you home.

Employers often say they hire on attitude rather than skills and then use a computerised system that filters out anyone lacking the right skills. When there are a lot of CVs, the ones which feel familiar are picked; this saves time and money.

One of the reasons CVs have lost their power is that generations X, Y and Z are much pickier about what they do and who they work for and with the internet they have all the career information they will ever need.

The big change is that the whole employment world is now more transparent. People live their whole working lives in an always-on interactive CV. One lovely part of old-style CVs was references. Now a LinkedIn profile means you can be recommended and supported publicly by everyone, that has the same weight as a ‘like’ on Facebook.

How did you get into that?

• What kind of subjects do you generally like to talk about? (sport, entertainment, the news…)

In the conversation two guys are getting to know each other. One person asks the other if it was her first day at college. Then, they started talking more, and they were curious to know something about each other. The girl works for an IT company. They find out they’ve a friend in common and they had small talk.

Getting to know people

• Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m...
• Hi. Is it your first day at college too?
• Hey, I like your jacket
• Whereabouts are you from?
• So, what do you do?
• What did you think of the show?
• This is a long queue, isn’t it?
• Have you seen that film everyone’s talking about?
• I’m supposed to have given up sweet things, but I can’t stop eating this cake

Tell me about yourself

The careers advisor asked Katy if she could tell her about herself. Katy’s a 23-year-old girl who lives in London. She was brought up in France until she was 12 since her mum is French. Then she came back to UK and graduated in history at Liverpool University. She’s now looking for a job in journalism, but she says that the media isn’t an easy sector to break into without the right contacts. For this reason she is now trying to get more work experience.

Reference to the text in dispensa: the whole employment world is now more transparent and there are less favoritisms. But in some sectors the right contacts are very helpful, as in the case of journalism.

• Personal qualities people use to describe themselves in interviews: conscientious, enthusiastic, a fast learner, flexible, focused, motivated, reliable, resourceful, well-organised.
• What are some examples of things you probably shouldn’t talk about when asked “can you tell me a bit about yourself?”: The interviewer doesn’t want your whole life story; talk about your relevant background, what has brought you to this point in your career, hopes and goals for the future.

A letter of application

Writing a letter/email of application

Key elements of covering letter

1. The job applied for
2. Where and when it was advertised
3. The candidate’s current situation
4. Why the writer is a good candidate
5. Thanks for reading the letter
6. How and when the candidate can be contacted

Fixed expressions

• I am looking for
• I am sending
• A good person to consider
• I am free to come
• The things you say you need
• I am answering, feel free to
• I liked the look of
• I hope you will reply
• My CV shows you that
• Thanks for reading this

How a letter of application should be

It needs to be short. The letter should basically just refer the reader to your CV. It’s important to show interest in and knowledge of the organisation you’re writing to. Remember to mention your general suitability for the job. The letter shouldn’t respond to specific requirements the company has listed. The letter should give a personal touch to your application.

Reference to the text in dispensa: nowadays CVs are more important than before since they are online, especially on LinkedIn. Employers choose candidates online and for this reason the CV has to be well done.

Creating a buzz

Interview to Sarah Palmer, from the e-marketing consultancy of the firm “Excite”

She believes that good marketing is an ability to turn your customers into fans, and nowadays it is possible thanks to social media. Social media involve customers, and create a loyal following which is an effective long-term strategy.

According to Sarah, National Geographic is a good example of social media marketing strategy because this institution encourages fan interaction inviting users to do surveys or to share travel stories. And it also reveals its main value: an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Involving customers has to be the main purpose of a social media marketing strategy because it can boost sales. So, it doesn’t matter what is the product that has to be sold.

Reference to the text in dispensa: Firms are not only interested in involving customers in what they do through social media, but these digital platforms are becoming more and more important because they help employers to choose candidates. On this purpose LinkedIn is the most adequate social network.

• What kind of advertising do you take the most notice of: TV, magazine, online...
• Has any new company or product attracted your interest recently? How did they do this?

Moken nomads leave behind their "sea gypsy" life for a modern existence

The Moken is a nomadic tribe who lives in the southern seas of Burma and Thailand. It is believed that they descended from migrant Austronesian but no one has information about their origins. They spend eight months of the year at the sea and they return to land only to barter fish and shells for other important things such as petrol and rice.

The 2004 tsunami changed Moken's lifestyle: it depleted the only source of Moken’s livelihood, the large amount of ocean’s seafood. And the problem is that international fishing boats are now wiping out the little that’s left.

Moken are often forced to take dangerous job for menial pay and sometimes some of them are arrested for lacking papers or permits, others return to land after months to find their huts destroyed to build resorts for tourists. They say that the sea has changed and life has changed. Things they used to do, they can’t do anymore and places they used to go, they can’t go anymore.

Now all men are hired by Thai fishing boats to plant explosives on the seabed and this is a very dangerous job, in fact a lot of them die: they go without any air and they succumb to decompression sickness from ascending too quickly. Now is very difficult to go fishing because of the pollution caused by new hotels and resorts. A lot of young people replaced the role of fisherman with other kind of jobs like working in hotels, and they have introduced in the Thai society drugs, marijuana, glue sniffing, that in the past were considered rubbish.

Today the community leader Hong wants to improve the situation: for example he creates a Moken museum and wants to give a very high importance to ecotourism in his own land. Charities working for Moken promote education and citizenship as giving new options to such vulnerable group, but Narumon, a cultural anthropologist, who speaks very well Moken’s language, says that these initiatives can limit their nomadic background, and he considers this a “cut off from their roots”.

Listening about the Kazakh nomads

The animal herders of western Mongolia have been called “the last nomads”. Their livelihood is the horses, goats and cattle that travel with them, from which they get food, clothing and money to buy other goods.

Among these nomadic people there are Kazakhs. Increasingly many Kazakhs are trying to make a better living by seeking new jobs or trades in the city, but there are some of them who have maintained their traditional way of living. Those people live in tents during summer and in small houses during winter.

Among their customs, the most unusual is the “eagle-hunting”, an art practiced since the days of Genghis Khan. Eagle-hunters can still be seen riding ponies across the plains of western Mongolia, tracking foxes and other small animals. They teach eagles to hunt and kill animals and an eagle-hunter spends 10 years with each bird, training it. This task requires great skills and patience. They even share with the eagles the meat of the animals they kill. Nowadays eagle-hunting is less of an occupation and more a sport, but it’s still a tradition they want to keep alive.

Reference to the text in dispensa: the animal herders of western Mongolia want to keep some of their traditions alive as the Moken do. The animal herders of western Mongolia still practice the “eagle hunting” and the Moken still want to be nomadic, to travel freely.

Living off the sea

People have been living off the land for thousands of years, but they’ve been living off the sea for probably just as long. However, with the recent years’ industrialisation of fishing, the number of people depending on the sea for their livelihood has declined.

Despite this, true sea-people can still be found. For example the Moken people, who migrated from China 4,000 years ago, they live now off the coast of Myanmar. They live for 8 months of the year on small hand-made boats (“kabang”). This population came to public attention in 2004, when they escaped the tsunami that devastated the coastal settlements in the Indian Ocean: they felt it coming long before others realised the danger, thanks to their deep sea knowledge.

They use nets and spears to forage for food and sell shells and oysters to Chinese merchants. To get these things they have to dive underwater for up to 6 minutes at a time: they can see underwater so well because, since childhood, they learn how to change both the size of the pupils and the shape of their eye lens. This fact was very interesting for the scientists who studied this population.

Although their way of life doesn’t represent a threat to others, they have been constantly pressured by authorities to settle on the land. As a consequence, now only 1,000 Moken still lead a traditional seafaring life and in ten years they’ll completely disappear.

From intern to inspiration story: landing an adventure job in the Peruvian Amazon

Scottish zoologist Holly O'Donnell doesn't take ‘no’ for an answer. She fundraised and interned her way from Scotland to Antarctica, Paraguay and the Peruvian Amazon, where she now leads mammal research for conservation non-profit Fauna Forever. Since when a National Geographic DVD featuring Jane Goodall arrived in the post when O'Donnell was seven, she has been captivated by wildlife.

After completing Bachelor of Science with honors in zoology, she interned with conservation non-profit "Para la tierra" in Paraguay where she picked up different field skills and discovered an unexpected passion for mammals. Back in the UK O'Donnell had just accepted a temporary job when luck intervened. She saw an advertisement for mammal coordinator of Fauna Forever on Facebook, but the closing date had just passed, and they wanted a master's degree. She sent off an application anyways and nine days later she was first aid-certified and working in the Amazon.

Research for the greater: O'Donnell leads Fauna Forever's mammal research and trains volunteers and interns. In the morning they walk up to 8 km slowly and silently, recording animal sightings, sounds, tracks and scrapes.

Notes from the field: O'Donnell has learned Spanish, gone without internet, coped with heat and mud. She set up a jungle camp from scratch. She says that cultural differences are the greatest challenge. Patience, cultural respect and genuine interest in how other people live are essential traits in the field, she says.

Gaining field experience: O'Donnell plans to complete a master's in conservation science. She advises to look for smaller organisations that won't charge a fortune to volunteer or intern.

Paying it forward: Peruvian Amazon forests and the local communities are under threat from oil and gas exploration, agricultural expansion and illegal gold mining, logging and hunting. O'Donnell sees hope for the future; so, she decided to set up a Facebook page to inform and inspire people.

Smokejumpers

Smokejumpers are firefighters with parachutes who are dropped into inaccessible areas to forest fires. Smokejumpers are sent before other crews into places that are difficult to reach.