testi esame orale inglese 1

Latin cultures and in China this distance tend to be smaller , while in Nordic cultures people usually

stand further apart.

The message sent by your posture and gesture is another case in point. Is it quite common in

European countries to sit with your legs crossed and the top foot outstretched. But people in Arabic

countries hardly ever sit in this way because they might show you the bottom of their shoe, which

is a serious insult. But beneath the surface we are not so different; there are many signs that are

universal in the emotions that they communicate.

Smiling is the best known, but behaviorists have proven that all over the world people show

sadness in a similar way: the face “falls”

There are also common factors when people are bored: for example they will look at other things,

their feet will begin to move restlessly…

Anger can also be read quite easily: the facial muscles tense up, often causing people to frown.

Understanding these universal signals and reacting appropriately is the real key to cross-cultural

communication.

11a- Knowledge conservation

Dr. Maria Fadiman is an ethnobotanist, she studies how people use plants. The focus of her work

is finding a balance where people use resources in a sustainable way.

She was born with a passion for conservation and a fascination with indigenous cultures and

ethnobotany lets her bring it all together.

On her first trip to the rain forest she met a woman who was in terrible pain because people in her

village couldn't remember which plant would have cured her. She saw that traditional knowledge

was being lost and so she decided that this kind of knowledge was what she wanted to do in her

life.

When she visited Ecuadorian forest she was amazed by the people who lived there, that were able

to pick out the right plants plants for medicine and were able to distingue the safe ones.

Usually such knowledge is stored only in local people’s mind and it is passed down from

generation to generation. Fadiman managed to persuade inhabitants to let her record the

informations in written form.

But conservation doesn't just mean protecting indigenous plants. In the Galapagos Island where

overfishing was a real problem environmentalist like Fadiman succeeded in getting local people to

think about alternatives to fishing, such as growing coffee.

Fadiman has inspired her own students, who couldn't easily absorb facts said that they were able

to engage much more easily with the subjects when they heard her stories.

11c-Who’s a clever bird, then?

The article talks about Pepperber, a scientist who decided to investigate the thought process of

another creature by talking to it , and in order to do this she would teach a one year old parrot

named Alex to reproduce the sound of english words.

With Pepper’s patient teaching Alex learnt how to imitate almost one hundred english words. He

could count to six and knew the sounds of seven and eight.

But Pepperber wanted to get inside his mind and learn more about a bird’s understanding of the

worlds.

In one demonstration Pepperberg held up in front of Alex a green key and a small green cup and

then asked “What’s same?” And Alex answered “ Color”. Then she asked “What’s different”, and

the parrot answered “Shape”

The skill to understand the concept of same and different is rare in the animal world. But parrots,

like humans, live a long time in complex societies. They need to be able to to distinguish color in

order to understand when a fruit is ripe or unripe, they need to have a concept of numbers to keep

truck of the flock and they have to know shapes of predators. After some questions the parrot

became bored and he started not to answer like a moody teenager.

12a- Saving for a rainy day

Norway has registered the highest quality of life among the world’s nations, is one of the wealthiest

countries in the world. Norwegians can also expect a good education, find the job they want and

live a long life.

But Norway has not always been a rich country; just 80 years ago Norwegians were emigrating to

the Usa to find a better life. The rise on oil prices in the 1970s changed all of that. But Norway’s

success is due to their strong works ethic.

Norway may be rich but it is modest in his wealth. But in today’s high-tech world where work

seems to follow us whenever we go the Norwegian government emphasizes the importance of

family and time off, offering generous maternity and paternity leave.

Also, the country is saving for the future; every dollar earned from oil is put straight into a pension

fund; none of this money is allowed to be spent, not even invested in schools or hospitals. But at a

time when most of the countries are wondering how they will finance the pensions of a growing

retired population, Norway is sitting pretty.

12c- The gift economy

The banking crisis of 2008 again raised concerns that our economy is based too much on

individual greed.

Such an economic model comes from a false understanding of humane natures; intact the real

nature of humans lies in the social bonds that we make through family, friendship, professional

association and local communities.

These bonds produce a sense of common purpose and shared values, in which a groups of people

strive for the things that are for the common good: healthy population, education, pleasant

environment to live in…

Gift economy thrived in early times when people lived in a world of greater abundance and their

wants were fewer. Stone Age hunter just wanted a shelter and food, a few weapons and clothing to

keep warm. They helped each over without any expectation of payment.

But there are also many recent examples of the gift economy at work.

American companies operating in Japan found it difficult to attract Japanese workers, even if they

offered more generous wages, shorter works hours…

But these factors were traditionally not so important to Japanese employees, they felt they were

entering into a long-term gift exchange with their employers.

This relationship had many aspects; for example if the employee got married the company send a

gift or another company gift is the yearly company vocation where co-workers spent a week end

together. The main gift given by the employees to their company s their hard work.

Elsewhere, the internet is facilitating the re-emergence of the gift economy. Neighborhood groups

use online networks to share tools and skills.

The point is that by stressing the co-operative side of human nature the gift economy helps us all.

It keeps in check the excess of big commercial organization that seek situations for their own gain.

Video

Immigration

430 millions passengers arrived in America in 2007 and many end up staying.

woman: america is more diverse, more welcoming to immigrant, less discrimination, more refugees

services, opportunity for children, more immigration by policy but also its own nature.

great moves of immigrations since 19th century due to economic and political hardship in

Europe( Irish, Germans, Italians, they settle in the easter part)and Asia and Mexico( west and

south west).

1892-1924- 17 millions of immigrates arrived in Ellis Island NY

1908- 11000 people arrived every single day

Today 4 out of 10 Americans can reconnect their family to that.

Many settled on the East side of Manatthan, where there are harsh living conditions( Tenement

Museum; house of three rooms for 11 people)

West coast: the point of entrance was Angel’s island in San Francisco’s bay ( very restrict rules and

controls, especially for Asian)

Today: One million legal immigrate each year but there are illegal immigrates (challenge for the

states on the Mexican border. Foreign boom citizens have brought education, technical skills,

desire to work..

Immigrates firmly believe in America’s freedom.

History of film

In the 19th century inventors realized they could create the illusion of motion by presenting a quick

succession of pictures. In 1891 in the Usa Edison and Dixan invented the Kinetoscope( viewers

could see a short film in the cabinet-like machine, which played continuously on a loop; after a

while large audiences could see them in the local cinema(Nickelodeon). everyday life became

entrancing on the big screen( human melodramas)

1920s: this emerging industry was placed in Holliwood; Charlie Chaplin and Pickford become stars:

they were a new America aristocracy.

At the turning of the 20th century newsman carried cameras film history in the making( explorers,

landwork event).

Cameras are windows to the true world, documentaries show for off places and cultures.

Documentary film makers have learnt to create film studio’s blockbusters( actors, sets, costumes,

computer animations).

Augmented reality

New York, Columbia University: professor Fainer and his computer-science students are working to

augmented reality-> they are trying to build up a virtual world that they can integrate with the

physical world.

The device superimposes text and graphic over a person’s vision.

It can be used for giving firefighters a clear planimetric of a building when its obscured by smoke.

Changing the touristic experience : documentaries. In columbia compress people can lear about

the asylum that previously occupied that place.

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Urban Art

Urban art is all about imagination(playing buckets, filling gallery with graffiti, mixing jazz with

spoken words.

Washington wall of fame( graffiti: Nick Rosada works here: some other people have covered the

artistic graffiti with their own.

Real graffiti artists know how to use color and contrast.

Govinda gallery also exposes nick’s works.

Murray: graffiti art is special because is fast, uninhebited and always inventive. is one more step on

the development of pop art. in the gallery artists who used to be velifie now are enjoyed.

Bonon: trumpeter who grew up in the north of Philadelphia, he mixes up jazz with rap of its

generation. he plays in clubs and has a deal with a major recording company.

Kimes, art history professor: artists need to build on their own cultural backgrounds because

anything else would be false. Urban artist can take us to places we’ve never been before.

Aquarium on wheels

Baltimore- secandary school students are preparing a show-and-tell to give to a group of children;

they are employees of a program called “Aquarium on wheels”.

Joes: lots of children dont have the opportunity to come to the aquarium, so we bring the aquarium

to them

The aim is to entertain and educate; this act on a play about the species who are endangered by

the loss of the forest

Shaum(cordinator): marine biology is a way to teach students some skills;lots of them are the first

in their families to go to college

D.J: they taught me responsibility.

They learn about organization and planning.

one of the students wants to be a marine biologist.

East timor

Is one of the world’s newest countries and an emerging touri