ChangeUp1_Rivista2

Your English Monthly

2-2010/2011

TEEN

速

for

UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Tom Cruise

Report

THE ART OF

SMILES

2

A Different Point of View

La Smala

Mum and Dad?

Don’t worry, theyre asleep and are wearing their earplugs*.

They won’t hear a thing.

What if Dad has to go to the loo* in the middle of the night?

Whoops!

BOOM

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

No problem.

I have put a ‘virtual’* trip to the bathroom on the inside of his glasses.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

WOOOOSHHH

I’m thirsty

BOOM BOOM

BOOM

BOOM BOOM Where’s Dad?

Oh, he must be in the bathroom.

I never realised how big this flat is!

FIIIII II

BEEEP © Dargaud

THE NEXT DAY...

BEEEP Glossary p. 2 - 3

combine: mix together earplugs: pieces of soft plastic or rubber you put in your ears to reduce noise

grand: big or impressive in size loo: (informal, polite) toilet virtual: not real, simulated

round the World

3

info@elimagazines.com

Welcome Dear Readers, this time we look at the science and the art of smiles, find out the truth about the world’s greatest detective, take a trip back to the 80s, and, in the International Year of the Forest, we find out how we can save our forests. Also, take our light-hearted quiz and you may discover hidden secrets about yourself!

Have fun and learn loads,

Hyperphotos French photographer, Jean-François Rauzier, has become famous for developing a new type of photograph called a ‘hyperphoto’. These hyperphotos combine* art, photography and the latest technology in a completely new way.

Rauzier’s works are collages made up of hundreds of high-resolution photos which together form disturbing versions of familiar objects, like buildings, city squares and people.

The photos end up looking like gigantic jigsaw puzzles. Citadelle 2, which measures 180cm x 300cm and is made up of 1,500 individual images, shows the first floor of a grand* Parisian house.

You can click on the photo to zoom in and navigate your way round this strange home.

Liz

Contents 4

www.rauzier-hyperphoto.com

The Truth about Sherlock Holmes

Mirror Italian artist Maurizio Galimberti is an “instant artist”. He is one of Italy’s most influential contemporary photographers and he uses Polaroid technology. Use a mirror to find out what he says makes Polaroid photos so special!

CIGAMFOEGNARAEVAHAREMACDIORALOPEHTHTIWNEKATSOTOHP ESUACEBYGOLONHCETYRANIDROARTXENASIDIORALOP.SRUOLOCLA AREMACREHTOYNAHTIWTEGT’NACITAHTTIMORFSRUOLOCTEGNACI

........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................

6

Audio CD This is ‘Grammy’ - he will tell you which parts of English grammar to look out for.

Teacher’s Notes

Coverphoto: © Getty Images

In this issue look out for: • • • • • • •

when and if with present tense forms of -ing and the infinitive future tense - ‘going to’ to express intention past continuous nouns from verbs future in the past relative pronouns

Report

The Art of Smiles 8

British Decades

The 80s – Who Shot J.R.?

10

Thinking Green

S.O.F. = Save Our Forests 12

TEEN Quiz

Superfit or Superslob?

Answer on page 14

TEEN: Common European Framework - Intermediate Advanced (B2-C1)

Culture and Society

14

Playstation

16

TEEN People

Taylor Swift

4

Culture and Society

The Truth About Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is the original, and still our greatest, fictional detective over 120 years after he was created by Scottish writer and doctor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is known for his frightening intelligence and his use of logic to solve the most complicated of mysteries. We investigate the origins of the great man, and separate fact from fiction in... The Truth About Sherlock Holmes.

questions; superlatives

Sherlock is Born and Dies (Probably) Conan Doyle’s first story showing Holmes solving* his first murder was A Study in Scarlet (1887). Conan Doyle said that the initial inspiration for the character came from a doctor he worked for in Edinburgh, called Dr Joseph Bell, who used his knowledge of medicine to help with police investigations.

Holmes is helped by his good friend, Dr John Watson, who acts as a look out, decoy* and messenger. He is also Holmes’ biographer.

Sherlock Holmes was ‘killed’ in 1893 in The Final Problem, when he and the evil Professor Moriarty fell over the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, but under intense pressure from his fans, Conan Doyle brought him back to life for some final stories. It just proves that without a body, there isn’t a murder!

Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories and 4 novels about his heroic detective.

Forensic Science* Sherlock Holmes is a great forensic scientist. His attention to the tiniest detail from a crime scene, often using a magnifying glass to look at traces of tobacco ash* or hair, or by careful observation of his clients, how they dress, talk and walk and so on, gives him strong clues about what happened. He uses shoe prints and marks made by car tyres, as well as looking at fingerprints and handwriting. Holmes criticises the way a crime scene has been contaminated* by other people, especially by the police. While we understand the importance of these things today, at the time Conan Doyle was writing, the police were not using these techniques. Perhaps Sherlock Holmes was the inspiration for modern forensic science?

5

Elementary, my dear Watson... ...is often thought to be Sherlock Holmes’ most famous quote, but did he ever say this phrase?

Holmes often remarked that his logical conclusions were “elementary”, because for him they were simple and obvious. However, the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” does not appear in any of the 60 Holmes stories!

Want to find out more? www.sherlock-holmes.org is an international site dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. It has a big list of web resources about Conan Doyle’s famous detective.

At www.literature.org and www.gutenberg.org, you can download and read some of the best Sherlock Holmes stories for free.

Read the following famous quotes from some of the Sherlock Holmes stories, then answer the questions below.

“I never guess. It is a shocking habit — destructive to the logical faculty.”

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

“It is a capital* mistake to theorise before one has data.

Insensibly*, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognises genius.”

221b Baker Street The most famous address in London...or is it? In A Study in Scarlet, Holmes and Watson move to a flat, consisting of two bedrooms and Holmes’ famous study, at 221b Baker Street in central London. However, in Conan Doyle’s time, the house numbers in Baker Street only went up to 100! In 1932 a large building, owned by a bank, was given the address 215 to 229 Baker Street. From that time, hundreds of thousands of fans wrote to Sherlock Holmes at this address. In fact the bank received so many letters that they employed a full-time ‘Secretary to Sherlock Holmes’ to answer them. In 1990, the Sherlock Holmes museum, a little further up Baker Street, was allowed to use the 221b address for the first time.

The Deerstalker* Holmes’ famous hat is a style worn in the countryside, often for hunting - it keeps your ears warm! - but Holmes’ hat is never described in Conan Doyle’s stories. The idea for the Deerstalker came from the original book illustrations.

Robert Downey Jr, who played Sherlock Holmes in the recent Hollywood blockbuster, did not wear a deerstalker because it is a hat worn in the country and not in the town.

What do these quotes tell you about the character of Sherlock Holmes? .............................................................................................

What do they tell you about how Mr Holmes sees the job of the detective?

Do you agree with him? .............................................................................................

Glossary ash: black or grey powder produced after burning something capital: (old fashioned) serious contaminated: not pure, eg police leaving their own fingerprints on objects decoy: (here) person who takes the attention of someone away from something deerstalker: type of hat made from wool, with flaps to cover the ears forensic science: use of science in legal matters insensibly: (old fashioned) without realising it, unconsciously solving: find the solution to, find the truth about

6

Report

Julia Roberts

THE ART OF

SMILES when and if with present tense; forms of -ing and the infinitive

Smiling is good for you, it makes you happy and helps you get on better with people around you.

Smiling is quite simply the best medicine – and it’s free. We take a look at some surprising facts about smiling and discover the meaning of smiles around the world.

Smile Therapy

Scientists say that smiling is good for your health. In tests, they have discovered that when you smile your heart rate* goes down, your muscles relax and your brain works better! Smiling also reduces pain and strengthens the immune system*. If a mother smiles, her breast milk* is sweeter, and babies have been shown to smile even while they are still in the womb. Some psychologists even go so far as to recommend ‘smile therapy’ as a gentle way of helping their patients. Smiling helps us get along with* each other, and makes us feel good. Smiling is the key that opens the door to a better life!

The Truth Behind Smiles According to recent research, the best smiles are the

most natural ones. If you look carefully you can often tell if a smile is genuine or not by seeing how quickly it appears on someone’s face. If the smile appears in less than half a second, it is probably genuine. People often smile with their eyes as well as their mouth, in fact a genuine smile usually lights up the whole face, with the widest smiles going all the way up to the cheeks. Did you know that women tend to smile more often than men and they are also better at working out if a smile is genuine or not?

A Brief History of Smiles Smiling is universal. All humans do it to communicate with each other, but smiling is slightly different in different countries around the world and smiling customs* change through time. Although the Americans and the British share the same language, they tend to smile in different ways. In general, the Americans smile showing their teeth while the British tend to keep their mouths more closed. No one really knows why this is, but it may well have something to do with British reserve and, in common with many countries in the East, such as Japan, a sense that showing all your teeth is not polite.

Has a photographer ever asked you to smile for a picture? Each language uses a different word to make people smile for a photo. In Britain and Italy that word is cheese because to say it you have to open your mouth into a smile, in Spain they say patata, in Australia it’s money and the Japanese say whisky.

A Smile is Not Just a Smile...

The Mona Lisa is famous for her enigmatic* smile. But one Italian scientist has recently suggested that the expression on the Mona Lisa’s face reveals she had very high cholesterol levels with areas of subcutaneous fat in evidence! For

7

Tom Cruise some Hollywood stars their smile really has been their fortune. Julia Roberts shot* to international stardom for hers in Pretty Woman, the same happened to Tom Cruise.

Having a good smile isn’t always cheap. If you look online you can see ‘before and after’ shots of celebrity teeth – some of them must have given a lot of money to their dentists! Recent research suggests that European explorers coming across native art for the first time may have misinterpreted what it meant. In the Caribbean, some 500 years ago, the native people used to carve* faces showing bare teeth. When the Europeans first saw these they immediately saw them as grinning* devils and this might have influenced the way they saw the native people themselves. Today, some anthropologists are asking if those carvings were not simply smiling...

The Enlightened Smile In India the smile is seen as a symbol of inner peace and joy.

Indian people believe that smiling strengthens your immune system (a fact which has recently been supported by scientific research in the West). There is even a popular form of yoga based around stimulating laughter and smiling called Hasyayoga.

The smile is central to the character of the Buddha, in fact the Sutras, which are the teachings of the Buddha, often say he would smile before answering a question. He is often shown with a calm, soft, confident smile – the manifestation of inner peace and wisdom.

It’s a Smiley World The simple smiling face on the yellow background, known as Smiley, was the invention of American commercial artist Harvey Ball, around 1963. Smiley started life simply as an advertising logo, but it has more recently become an integral part of text messages on mobile phones and on the Internet. It has developed into a whole series of simple faces which express different emotions, known as emoticons. The Smiley is the symbol of World Smile Day (another of Harvey Ball’s great ideas) held on the 1st Friday of October each year to raise money for children’s charities and...to remind people to smile all day for at least one day in the year.

Did you know that if you laugh for 15 minutes every day you could lose two kilos a year?

The world’s first toothbrush was invented on the Okinawa Peninsula, Japan, in around 300 AD

Smile is the title of a number of famous songs. The most famous of these comes from the Charlie Chaplin film, Modern Times (1936), and it has been performed by many different singers since then, including Michael Jackson.

“The true meaning of karate is the ability to smile on any and every occasion, even when times are difficult. If you can’t smile, you can’t fight, but if you are smiling, do you need to fight?” These are the words of a famous martial arts master.

Do you agree with this quote? ................................................................................................................

Can you usually work out if a smile is genuine or not? ................................................................................................................

Do you try to smile even when things are difficult for you? ................................................................................................................

Glossary breast milk: milk produced naturally by mothers carve: make shapes in wood etc., using a sharp tool eg knife customs: traditions

enigmatic: mysterious get along with: be friendly with grinning: big smile, showing teeth heart rate: the speed at which your heart beats immune system: your body’s protection against disease and illness shot: (figurative) move as fast as a bullet from a gun

8

British Decades

80

the s WhO shOt The Eighties in the UK started with high unemployment and industrial unrest*, but by the middle of the decade the so-called* ‘economic miracle’, mainly in the financial services sector, led to enormous wealth for some. These young, wealthy materialists became known as yuppies*. Punk got killed off by an increasingly commercial music industry, and there was a woman in charge*...

J.R.?

Margaret Thatcher Politically, the Eighties was Margaret Thatcher’s decade. Britain’s only female Prime Minister to date, Thatcher inspired adoration and hatred in equal measure with the British public. She was determined to change the way the British economy worked. In the process she fought the Trade Unions, especially the miners, and moved from state ownership* of industries, such as electricity and the railways, to full privatisation.

One of the Iron Lady*’s most memorable quotes tells us something of her character. “I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” Whatever history says about Margaret Thatcher, under her leadership, Britain was a very different country by the end of the 80s.

9

Dallas But that’s enough of the serious stuff. In 1980, the most important event in the history of the planet had happened, we weren’t interested in politics! What we really wanted to know was ‘Who shot J.R.?’!

Dallas was an incredibly popular soap opera based on the fictitious Ewing family from Texas. The Ewings’ wealth came from oil and cattle ranching*, the popularity of the show came from the villain J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman. When J.R. was shot by one of his many enemies at the end of Series 1 in March 1980, the UK, along with the rest of the world, went Dallas mad. The tabloid press* talked of almost nothing else all summer. The episode of Dallas which was shown later in the year, when we found out who really had shot J.R., is still one of the most watched TV shows of all time!

Did you know...?

The newly elected leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, was a Dallas fan when he was a kid and he amazed visitors to his childhood home by solving the Rubik’s cube in under two minutes!

Nouns from Verbs Can you make the correct nouns from the following verbs? Use the article on the 80s to help you.

adore

............................................................

hate

............................................................

lead

............................................................

own

............................................................

privatise ............................................................

past continuous; nouns from verbs

The British Film Renaissance While British TV was still dominated by American shows like Dallas, something rather interesting was quietly going on in the British film industry – they were making some great films and what’s more, they were beginning to win big prizes.

Winning four Oscars in 1981, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, Chariots of Fire was the fact-based story of two British athletes running in the 1924 Olympics. One of the athletes, devout Christian Eric Liddell, ‘ran for God’, the other, Harold Abrahams, a British Jew, ran to fight prejudice.

This critical success led to growing confidence in British films and there were more Oscar -winning epic films from the Brits* – Gandhi (1982), A Passage to India (1984) and A Room with a View (1986). Other great films asked questions about attitudes in British society – My Beautiful Launderette (1985) which questioned attitudes to race, My Left Foot (1989) told the story of disabled Irish artist-writer, Christy Brown, and Distant Voices, Still Lives (1989) was about working class life in 40s and 50s Britain.

Mr Rubik and His Cube The Rubik’s Cube, invented in 1974 by Hungarian Erno Rubik, was the toy phenomenon of the 1980s. The toy was originally developed as a way of teaching Rubik’s students about 3D models.

35 years later, 350 million of the infuriating* puzzles have been sold. If you find the original 3x3x3 cube too easy (the current world record stands at just over 7 seconds), then you can move on to the new 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 cubes!

1980s Film Trivia Quiz Anything seemed possible in the 80s.

Time travel was big, but so were ghosts, aliens, and mysterious, ancient legends.

What films are we talking about...?

1. • 2. • 3. • 4. • 5. • 6. •

“The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” Which 80s hit had a time-travelling car?

In which 80s film did two time-travelling history students meet Napoleon and Sigmund Freud?

Who wanted to “phone home”?

“Who you gonna call?” to get rid of those ghosts?

Who was the coolest, hat-wearing archaeologist of the 80s?

In which film did something terrible happen to the kids?

Answers on page 14

Glossary Brits: (informal) nickname for British people cattle ranching: farming cattle over wide areas of grassland in charge: in power infuriating: extremely annoying Iron Lady: nickname given to Margaret Thatcher by Soviet Russia

ownership: possession, the state of being an owner so-called: name given to something; it often means that the speaker or writer thinks the name has been given incorrectly tabloid press: less ‘serious’, more gossipy newspapers unrest: opposite of calm yuppies: (word made from: young and upwardly mobile) negative nickname given to ambitious, highly paid young people

Save Our Forests

12

Culture and Society

TEEN Quiz.

Superfit or How well do you know yourself? Take this humorous TEEN Quiz and discover your true attitude to life and health!

TEEN Quiz: Superfit or Superslob*...?

c.

buy a burger from the shop next door, I’ll have salad tomorrow.

d.

Salad! What’s that?

3. You are thirsty. What do you drink?

a.

Whatever I feel like, it will make no difference to me.

b. c. d.

One litre of spring water, slowly.

A diet drink.

A high-caffeine, high-sugar drink, I need the energy.

4. How much exercise do you do a week?

1. How well do you look after yourself?

a.

I’m pretty fit, so I don’t need to do any exercise.

a. b. c.

I am too young to need to

b.

Tuesdays I go to the swimming pool,

I take good care of myself.

on Wednesdays I go to the gym, on

I am going to start looking after

Thursdays I ...

myself next week, I am too busy

c.

right now. forms of the future, including ‘going to’ to express intention

d.

On Mondays I go to yoga class, on

worry about that sort of thing.

Next question, please.

I am going to join my local gym soon.

d.

Computer games are great exercise for your thumbs!

2. You are in a supermarket choosing your lunch, do you...?

a.

5. What is your ideal holiday?

a. choose your favourite sandwich (salami, chicken and ham with lots of mayonnaise) from the

with my friends.

d. c.

fridge next to the salads.

b.

buy a nice, fresh, organic salad.

I don’t mind, I just want to have fun Mountain climbing in the Himalayas.

I lie on the beach and watch other people swimming, windsurfing, sailing...

d.

Doing as little as possible, I need a rest.

13

Superslob ...? *

6. How do you get to school in the mornings?

I don’t know, I wake up when I get there.

I jog or walk.

I would walk, but I am always late.

Car, taxi, helicopter, teleport.

7. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you think?

Hey, I look pretty good!

I am a perfect example of the human race.

It’s very unhealthy to be too thin.

I don’t look at myself in the mirror.

8. What sort of clothes do you wear?

a. b. c. d.

I look good in everything I wear.

Stretch lycra*.

I wear clothes I feel comfortable in.

Whatever is lying on the floor when I wake up in the morning.

9. Which of the following phrases best describes your attitude to life?

a. b. c. d.

Score 0-5: You are a superslob, but that’s great because you don’t care!

c. d.

Score 6-10: You are full of good intentions, but try and make at least some of them happen!

a. b.

Score 11- 15: You are superfit, just make sure you leave some time to relax and enjoy life.

b. c. d.

add up your score... = 3 points = 2 points = 1 point = 0 points

Score 16 +: You are young now, but one day you will wake up and you will be old!

a.

Now a b c d

Life is cool.

Glossary

Life is an exciting challenge.

easy come, easy go: (idiom) phrase meaning a relaxed attitude to life, not letting anything worry you lycra: artificial fabric, often used to make close-fitting sports clothes slob: (informal, often impolite!) a lazy person, who is untidy and unclean

I’ve got lots of dreams.

Easy come, easy go*!

14

Playstation

Crossword

Smile!

Have you read our report on smiles? Use the clues below to complete the crossword!

3.

7.

8.

1.

1.

2.

2.

6.

Tom Cruise is one, so is Julia Roberts.

Laughing will help you lose two of these every year!

3.

Smiling is good for your ......................................... .

4.

5.

In October we celebrate World ......................................... .

5.

6.

7.

4.

The Mona Lisa’s smile...

Who smile more than men?

Cure yourself gently with smile ......................................... .

8.

Smiling is the best ......................................... .

Sherlock Holmes, fact or fiction?

Have you read our article on Sherlock Holmes? Use what you found out about him to answer the questions below.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

T F

Sherlock Holmes worked with his friend Dr Joseph Bell to solve terrible crimes.

Sherlock Holmes lived in a house with his wife and children.

Sherlock Holmes’ first case was called The Woman in Black.

Sherlock Holmes’ greatest enemy was Professor Moriarty.

There are many ‘facts’ about Sherlock Holmes that aren’t true.

Sherlock Holmes was the first detective to use the techniques of forensic science.

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

Answers below Answers: P. 3 “Photos taken with the Polaroid camera have a range of magical colours. Polaroid is an extraordinary technology becuase I can get colours from it that I can’t get with any other camera.” P. 8-9 Nouns from Verbs: adoration; hatred; leader; ownership (owner is also acceptable); privatisation; 80s Film Trivia: 1. Back to the Future; 2. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure; 3. ET; 4. Ghostbusters; 5. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford); 6. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. P. 10-11 True or false: 1T, 2T, 3F, 4T, 5T, 6F, 7T. P. 14 Crossword: 1. celebrity, 2. kilos, 3. health, 4. Smile Day, 5. enigmatic, 6. women, 7. therapy, 8. medicine. Sherlock Holmes: 1. F, 2. F, 3. F, 4. T, 5. T, 6. T.

Liven up your lessons!

With audio CD and Teacher’s guide English

y ar im pr

ol ho sc

ry nta me ele

te iate edia intermed term r-in e w lo

intermediate advanced

advanced

Français

ntary eleme

ool sch ary prim

Lingua latina

lower-intermediate intermediat e

inter m adva ediate nced

te dia me r e int erlow

adv anc ed

ry ta en m e l e

HECCRBQ ZPSR

Italiano e iat ed rm e t in erlow

e diat rme inte

ediate interm d ce advan

ele me nt ar y

te dia me te inter a i ed rm te -r in e low

inte rme diat e

EspaĂąol

ry ta en m ele

Deutsch

advanced

e diat rme inte nced a v ad

elementary lower-in termed iate inte rme diat e int adv erme anc diat ed e

ELI Language Magazines www.elimagazines.com

TEEN People

Taylor Swift is one of most important musicians to come out of America in recent years. She is a singersongwriter* and actress, and she has already sold over 13 million records throughout the world. Her music is an appealing mix of different musical styles, including country and pop, and she is still only 21 years old!

Life

Taylor Swift

future in the past; relative pronouns; conjunctions

Taylor Swift was born on 13th December 1989.

She grew up on a farm with her close-knit* family made up of mum, dad and younger brother, Austin. She started writing songs when she was 10. For her it was a way of expressing the loneliness of growing up on her remote* farm, a long way from friends. It was not long before Taylor was playing her guitar and singing in public at karaoke clubs and festivals. When she was 11 her parents agreed to take her to country-music capital Nashville - it was a journey that would change her life.

What does music mean to you?

“Music has always been a part of my life. I moved to Nashville when I was 13 and started trying to get a recording deal*. When I signed to Sony, I was the youngest singer-songwriter they had ever had.

Music is an important part of every day for me because it is my way of expressing my emotions. We don’t always understand exactly how we are feeling, but then maybe you hear a song that seems to express how you feel and it becomes your favourite song. That is what makes music so special and why it is such an honour to be able to write songs that might one day become someone’s favourite song. I hope that my music can reach out* to people wherever and whoever they are.”

Who inspired your musical career?

“My grandmother, who was a professional opera singer, and country singers Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes. One of my biggest musical influences has been Shania Twain, and I love Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. I have always loved Country music. The first record I bought when I was 6 was an album by LeAnn Rimes.”

What do you love doing when you are not playing or singing?

“I love cooking and writing to my friends and fans. I love clothes and cowboy boots, bracelets and black-and-white photos, which I find really powerful. My favourite kind of people are funny, honest, kind and not afraid of showing their emotions. And I love little kids. But I have to honest, my guitar is my best friend, because I can tell it about everything that happens to me.”

What the papers say...

The New York Times has described Taylor as “one of the best singersongwriters in pop music and one of our most sophisticated country singers, because she is more in touch with her inner self* and her emotions than adults.” Nielsen SoundScan, which monitors music sales, has said that “Taylor is the top-selling digital artist in music history.” The Academy of Country Music has “praised her music and is enormously grateful to her for making Country music popular with young people”.

Facts and Figures Taylor Swift and her music are everywhere: ringtones, videos, magazine covers, on our TV screens and in the cinema (in CSI and in Valentine’s Day for example). She has sold millions of downloads, has over 76 millions contacts on her MySpace page, and more than 164 million viewings of her YouTube channel. Some record-breaking facts. In 2008, at a festival in Nashville, Taylor signed autographs for 8 hours consecutively; Love story has been downloaded by more people than any other country song; her album, Fearless (1999), reached number one in the ‘Top One Hundred’ more quickly than any album before it and it stayed at number one for a record 192 weeks! Not bad for a twenty-one-year-old!

Glossary close-knit: affectionate, emotionally close deal: contract inner self: internal feelings, thoughts and emotions reach out: (here, figurative) move towards someone to touch them remote: (here) far from the nearest town or village, on its own singer-songwriter: someone who writes and performs their own songs

Complemento operativo allegato al volume CHANGE UP upper intermediate. Non vendibile separatamente. © ELI 2011

16