The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
The Shenkerian
Cultural Magazine
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Settembre 2010
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
Summary
Sherlock Holmes - Prima Parte
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Los Angeles
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10 Best Movies of the Decade by Rolling Stone
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Fish Tank
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“Abbiamo superato il First Certificate�
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www.shenker.com N. Verde: 800 098 532
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The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
Sherlock Holmes Prima Parte
Reading The man with the Twisted Lip - 1 Qui di seguito riportiamo la prima di 12 puntate de “L’uomo dal labbro spaccato”, una intrigante avventura del famoso investigatore Sherlock Holmes. Da qui per un anno intero il furbo detective inglese ci terrà compagnia con le sue deduzioni e la sua sagacia. Buona lettura! From The adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: ADVENTURE VI. THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP - Part 1 Isa Whitney, brother of the late Elias Whitney, D.D., Principal of the Theological College of St. George’s, was much addicted to opium. The habit grew upon him, as I understand, from some foolish freak when he was at college; for having read De Quincey’s description of his dreams and sensations, he had drenched his tobacco with laudanum in an attempt to produce the same effects.
late – defunto; addicted to – dipendente da, schiavo del; freak – capriccio; had drenched – aveva inzuppato 3
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
He found, as so many more have done, that the practice is easier to attain than to get rid of, and for many years he continued to be a slave to the drug, an object of mingled horror and pity to his friends and relatives. I can see him now, with yellow, pasty face, drooping lids, and pin-point pupils, all huddled in a chair, the wreck and ruin of a noble man. One night - it was in June, ’89 - there came a ring to my bell, about the hour when a man gives his first yawn and glances at the clock. I sat up in my chair, and my wife laid her needle-work down in her lap and made a little face of disappointment. “A patient!” said she. “You’ll have to go out.” I groaned, for I was newly come back from a weary day. We heard the door open, a few hurried words, and then quick steps upon the linoleum. Our own door flew open, and a lady, clad in some dark-coloured stuff, with a black veil, entered the room. “You will excuse my calling so late,” she began, and then, suddenly losing her self-control, she ran forward, threw her arms about my wife’s neck, and sobbed upon her shoulder. “Oh, I’m in such trouble!” she cried; “I do so want a little help.” “Why,” said my wife, pulling up her veil, “it is Kate Whitney. How you startled me, Kate! I had not an idea who you were when you came in.” “I didn’t know what to do, so I came straight to you.” That was always the way. Folk who were in grief came to my wife like birds to a light-house. “It was very sweet of you to come. Now, you must have some wine and water, and sit here comfortably and tell us all about it. Or should you rather that I sent James off to bed?” get rid of – smettere; drooping – cadenti; lids – palpebre; yawn – sbadiglio; needle-work – lavoro di cucito; groaned – gemetti; hurried – frettolose; folk – chiunque (lett. gente); in grief – nei guai 4
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
“Oh, no, no! I want the doctor’s advice and help, too. It’s about Isa. He has not been home for two days. I am so frightened about him!” It was not the first time that she had spoken to us of her husband’s trouble, to me as a doctor, to my wife as an old friend and school companion. We soothed and comforted her by such words as we could find. Did she know where her husband was? Was it possible that we could bring him back to her? It seems that it was. She had the surest information that of late he had, when the fit was on him, made use of an opium den in the farthest east of the City. Hitherto his orgies had always been confined to one day, and he had come back, twitching and shattered, in the evening. But now the spell had been upon him eight-and-forty hours, and he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks, breathing in the poison or sleeping off the effects. There he was to be found, she was sure of it, at the “Bar of Gold”, in Upper Swandam Lane. But what was she to do? How could she, a young and timid woman, make her way into such a place and pluck her husband out from among the ruffians who surrounded him? There was the case, and of course there was but one way out of it. Might I not escort her to this place? And then, as a second thought, why should she come at all? I was Isa Whitney’s medical adviser, and as such I had influence over him.
frightened – spaventata; soothed – calmammo; opium den – fumeria d’oppio; hitherto – fino ad allora (arcaico, stile letterario) twitching – scosso; shattered – devastato; spell – incantesimo, sortilegio; dregs – feccia; docks – porto; pluck … out – riprendere, ritrovare 5
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
I could manage it better if I were alone. I promised her on my word that I would send him home in a cab within two hours if he were indeed at the address which she had given me. And so in ten minutes I had left my armchair and cheery sittingroom behind me, and was speeding eastward in a hansom on a strange errand, as it seemed to me at the time, though the future only could show how strange it was to be. But there was no great difficulty in the first stage of my adventure. Upper Swandam Lane is a vile alley lurking behind the high wharves which line the north side of the river to the east of London Bridge. Between a slop-shop and a gin-shop, approached by a steep flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave, I found the den of which I was in search. Ordering my cab to wait, I passed down the steps, worn hollow in the centre by the ceaseless tread of drunken feet; and by the light of a flickering oil-lamp above the door I found the latch and made my way into a long, low room, thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke, and terraced with wooden berths, like the forecastle of an emigrant ship.
Continue next month…
cab – carrozza; cheery – confortevole; hansom – carrozza a due ruote; errand – compito; vile – squallido; alley – vicoletto; lurking – acquattato; wharves – banchine; slop – brodaglia worn – consumato; hollow – buca; ceaseless – incessant; tread – calpestare; latch – chiavistello; berths – cuccette 6
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
Los Angeles
Travelling
Background information Los Angeles L. A. On Set Eating out in Los Angeles Some Los Angeles Bars and Music Clubs California Speak Background information The name California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romantic novel ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510. The Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island.
Did You Know…? - The motto of the State of California is “Eureka!” (“I have found it!”), a reference to the discovery of gold in the State in the 1800s. It is the only State motto in Greek.
ruled – governata; featured – apparsa; novel – romanzo; thought – pensavano, credevano 7
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Settembre 2010
Los Angeles The Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá visited the site of the future city of Los Angeles in 1769. On 4th September, 1781, the Mexican provincial governor, Filipe de Neve, founded “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles de la Porciuncula,” meaning “The Town of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the Small Portion.” The pueblo became the capital of the Mexican province, Alta California, and it was the last place to surrender to the United States at the time of the American occupation in 1847. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico ceded California to the United States, and Los Angeles was incorporated as a city in 1850.
Did You Know…? - When Los Angeles was founded in 1781, 44
people (14 families) lived there. Nowadays, the Los Angeles fivecounty area has a population of almost 20 million people. It includes Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. If the five-county Los Angeles area were a state, it would be the fourth largest in the United States. L. A. On Set For many people, Los Angeles is synonymous with Hollywood, and Hollywood means movies. What better time than Academy Award month to explore the city through the lens of the film camera. Some Oscar-winning movies have been set in the wide boulevards and small alleys of the city, and we’re going to retrace some of them here.
surrender – arrendersi; treaty - trattato; ceded – cedette; alleys – viuzze; retrace – ripercorrere 8
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Settembre 2010
Our tour begins in Hollywood itself, and our first tour guide is Sunset Boulevard (1950, nominated for 11 Oscars, won three, including Best Original Screenplay), which explores Hollywood both literally and figuratively. The first film studio opened on this very Boulevard in 1911, and many stars of the silent screen era lived in mansions along this street in the 1920s. The film explores how one of these stars, Norma Desmond, is driven mad by the Hollywood machine after her star fades. Sunset Boulevard has faded too – it’s a bit sleazy these days and the stars have all moved to Beverly Hills, but it’s still a must-see on your trip to Los Angeles. Another more recent film classic captures the mood of the modern Sunset Boulevard – Pulp Fiction (1994, Oscar for Best Original Screenplay). The diner where Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) famously stop for a Big Kahuna burger is on Van Ness Avenue, just north of Hollywood Boulevard. Stop off here for a burger, visit a film studio then walk the famous boulevards of Sunset and Wilshire. Downtown Los Angeles is richly explored in 1997’s classic L.A. Confidential (Two Oscars: Best Screenplay and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Kim Basinger). Adapted from a James Ellroy novel, the film is set in the 1950s in a world of corrupt cops, organised crime and celebrity.
silent screen – cinema muto; mansions – ville; driven mad – impazzita; fades – si affievolì, sbiadì; sleazy – squallido; must-see – “da vedere”; mood – essenza, umore; diner – ristorante, tavola calda; richly – riccamente, ampiamente; organised crime – criminalità organizzata 9
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Settembre 2010
Much of the action takes place in LA City Hall, and the familiar pyramid-topped high-rise can be seen at 200 North Spring Street. The J&J Sandwich Shop, 119 East 6th Street, opposite the Pacific Electric Building, is where Bud White (Russell Crowe) dangles the terrified DA (District Attorney) from a window. Also in the same area is the “Night Owl Café”, site of the massacre in the film. Heading back to Hollywood, sleazy journalist Sid Hudgens (Danny De Vito) has his office beneath the illuminated spire and revolving globe of the Crossroads of the World, 6671 Sunset Boulevard, a glorious 1930s shopping mall designed as an ocean liner, complete with port holes. Also in Hollywood is the bar where Captain Smith (James Cromwell) gives Bud White his gun and badge back: Boardner’s, 1652 North Cherokee Avenue on Hollywood Boulevard. Finally, for a view above all the action, head to the Hollywood Hills and the Griffiths Observatory. The home of Lyn Bracken’s (Kim Basinger) high-class pimp Pierce Patchett in the film is Richard Neutra’s 1929 Lovell House. It’s a private residence, an example of the International Style in Los Angeles, at 4616 Dundee Drive, Los Feliz, below the Griffith Observatory, which you can see on the skyline in the movie.
takes place – avviene; pyramid-topped high-rise – alto edificio sormontato da una piramide; dangles – fa penzolare; spire – guglia; revolving globe – globo girevole; ocean liner – transatlantico; port holes – attracchi portuali; badge – distintivo head – dirigetevi; pimp – protettore 10
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The Griffith Observatory, situated in Griffith Park not very far from the famous “Hollywood” sign, has been featured in many films over the years, most memorably in the closing scenes of Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean’s classic 1955 film about teenage angst. The Observatory has an extensive array of space and science displays, most of which is free, and there is a wonderful view of the city.
Did You Know…? - A 1910 merry-go-round featured in The Sting (1973) is on Santa Monica Pier. Eating out in Los Angeles
Musso & Frank Grill - 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Opened in 1919, it is steeped in Hollywood history – it was the hangout of a host of famous Hollywood celebrities from days gone by. (It also appeared in the films Ocean’s Eleven and Ed Wood)
Giorgio Baldi - 114 W. Channel Rd., Santa Monica
An Italian trattoria with a star-studded clientele, where Signor Baldi cooks the food of his childhood. Thanks to the celebrity diners, the prices are pretty high.
Cliff's Edge - 3626 W. Sunset Blvd.
One of David Lynch’s favourite diners, and the location is fantastic. Skooby's Hot Dogs - 6654 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood Near the Ritz Theater, on Hollywood Boulevard. It has the best hot dogs in Hollywood, the best fries in Los Angeles, and the best lemonade in California (and it made an appearance in Lethal Weapon).
closing – ultima, di chiusura; angst – angoscia (esistenziale) merry-go-round – giostra, carosello; steeped – inserito; hangout – ritrovo 11
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
The Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City Walk – 1000 Universal Studios Blvd. Universal City The vast, open dining area is dominated by a gold '57 Cadillac revolving over the circular bar at the center of the restaurant. Unlike the other local Hard Rocks, this one has two levels, both jammed full of rock 'n' roll memorabilia. Some Los Angeles Bars and Music Clubs
Boardner’s - 1652 North Cherokee Ave. Hollywood,
This great little bar has a fascinating history going back to the 1930s. It has been featured in many films, including L. A. Confidential, Ed Wood, Hollywood Homicide and Leaving Las Vegas.
Foxfire Room 12516 Magnolia Blvd, East San Fernando Valley
This family-owned bar has been here since the 1950s. Dim lights, dark wood panelling, great people-watching, and check out the monitor near the back entrance showing patrons coming in from the parking lot. It appeared in Magnolia (1999).
The Formosa Cafe - 7156 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood
Since the Formosa Cafe is the nearest bar to the historic Warner Hollywood Studio, this little café has been frequented by just about every movie star in Hollywood. Listing all the celebrities who have come here is impossible. It featured in L. A. Confidential.
Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas
- 1200 N Alta Loma Rd, West
Hollywood Near the famous sidewalk of Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Bar is among the favourites of actors and rock stars.
vast – enorme; jammed full – straripanti, pieni; dim lights – luci basse, flebili; panelling – rivestimento; check out – controllate, date un’occhiata; patrons - avventori; sidewalk – marciapiede 12
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California Speak smart casual – informal, well-made clothes culture vulture – someone who enjoys museums, concerts, etc. grab something to eat – have a quick meal 24/7 – open twenty–four hours every day Latino – Hispanic awesome – fantastic mega – very big laid back – relaxed make waves – cause problems mickey-mouse – unimportant zip – nothing in the bag – settled up for grabs – available split – (to) leave no sweat – no problem
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10 Best Movies of the Decade by Rolling Stone Focus On 10 -The Lord of the Rings: The Trilogy Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, from the Tolkien books, is an amazement that no epic released in the past 10 years can equal, much less surpass in size and scope. Hobbits, wizards, dark lords all roamed fictional Middle-Earth as Frodo (Elijah Wood) labored to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom. Gollum, the scary, schizoid, computer-generated villain, entered the global conversation. 9 - Mystic River Clint Eastwood, blew through the decade on a creative high, directing the diverse likes of Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Torino and Invictus. But the 2003 film that I believe stands with his 1992 Western masterpiece, Unforgiven, is Mystic River. Everything Eastwood knows about filmmaking and living is poured into this fierce drama about friends who grew up together in working-class Boston. Now, driven by guilt and anger, their bonds are severed.
wizards – maghi; roamed – si aggiravano; poured – riversato
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Tim Robbins and Sean Penn, at his brilliant best, deservedly won Oscars for their acting. 8 - The Departed Martin Scorsese finally won his Oscar for this crime classic that some felt was too old-school to be profound. By casting Leonardo DiCaprio as a cop pretending to be a hood and Matt Damon doing the opposite, Scorsese hit us with harsh glimpses of how corruption starts in childhood. Damon's character was hooked at 12 when a local hood (Jack Nicholson in full Jack glory) bought him off with groceries. This uncompromised vision of a society rotting from inside remains a triumphant bruiser of a film. 7 - Brokeback Mountain The late Heath Ledger helped define the decade as the Joker in The Dark Knight. But in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain he gave the film its soul. Ledger is Ennis Del Mar, the married Wyoming ranch hand daring a forbidden love (it's 1963) with rodeo rider Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). Seeing him inhale the scent of a shirt hanging in Jack's closet is a scene that pierced your heart. 6 - The Incredibles Of all the Pixar miracles of the decade, The Incredibles is the best. It's not every cartoon that deals with midlife crisis, marital dysfunction, child neglect, impotence fears, fashion faux pas and existential angst.
deservedly – meritatamente; harsh – abbaglianti; glimpses – scorci, occhiate; rotting – in decomposizione; bruiser – colosso late – defunto; scent – profumo; faux pas – gaffe 15
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Created by Brad Bird, the film advanced animation by forgoing the usual talking animals and focusing on humans - in this case, a family of retired superheroes. Skeptics who thought the movie was too PG-dark to be a mainstream hit can eat their words now. The Incredibles didn't ring cartoonish, it rang true. 5 – No Country For Old Men Set in 1980 in West Texas, where the chase is on for stolen drug money, No Country for Old Men - which won a Best Picture Oscar for the Coen brothers - was a literate meditation on America's blood lust for the easy fix. Javier Bardem also took home a golden boy for playing Death in the form of a killer with a stupendously bad haircut. Adapting the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the Coens worked fresh territory by tackling good and evil with a rigorous fix on the complexities involved. 4 – A History of Violence Is Canadian director David Cronenberg the most unsung maverick artist in movies? Bet on it. I could have picked 2007's Eastern Promises to prove my point. But I'm going with 2005's A History of Violence - both films starred Viggo Mortensen at his best - because it just slammed me with its subversive wit. Things look normal in the small town where a reformed hit man (Mortensen) runs the diner and runs home to his hot wife (Maria Bello). Then the past shows up. Cronenberg knows violence is wired into our DNA. His film showed how we secretly crave what we publicly condemn.
by forgoing – rinunciando; didn’t ring – suonava; chase – inseguimento; by tackling – affrontando; unsung – non riconosciuto, non celebrato; maverick – dissidente, cane-sciolto bet on it – scommetteteci; hit man – sicario 16
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3 – Mulholland Drive There was no better movie this decade to get lost in - with or without controlled substances - than David Lynch's dark, dazzling mood piece about an amnesiac (Laura Harring) and a wanna-be actress (Naomi Watts) who link up to solve a murder in the city of bruised angels. Smart viewers didn't worry about negotiating the plot. They just surrendered to his film's visionary daring and swooning eroticism. You can still discover a lot about yourself watching Mulholland Drive. It grips you like a dream that won't let go. 2 – Children of Men Alfonso Cuarón's film of P.D. James's futuristic political-fable novel is indisputably great. A hypnotic Clive Owen starred as a resistance leader pinning his hopes on the last pregnant woman on Earth. Is it possible to capture the terrible absence of a world without children? Cuarón did it. No movie this decade was more redolent of sorrowful beauty and exhilarating action. You don't just watch the car ambush scene (pure camera wizardry) - you live inside it. That's Cuarón's magic: He makes you believe. 1 – There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is a profound portrait of an American primitive take that, Citizen Kane - deserves pride of place among the
decade's finest. Daniel Day-Lewis gave the best and ballsiest performance of the past 10 years.
bruised – ammaccati; daring – audacia; swooning – estasiante pinning – appuntando; ambush – imboscata; ballsiest – la più dura, coraggiosa e presuntuosa 17
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As Daniel Plainview, a prospector who loots the land of its natural resources in silver and oil to fill his pockets and gargantuan ego, he showed us a man draining his humanity for power. And the director Anderson, having extended Plainview's rage from Earth to heaven in the form of a corrupt preacher (Paul Dano), managed to "drink the milkshake" of other risk-taking directors. The score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood was a sonic explosion that reinvented what film music could be. And the images captured by Robert Elswit, a genius of camera and lighting, made visual poetry out of an oil well consumed by flame. Read the entire article on rollingstone.com
loots – saccheggia 18
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Fish Tank, by Andrea Arnold Film Review by Total Film There’s only one fish in Fish Tank. It gets killed. There’s also a horse. But that goes too. There’s even a little bit of hope for 15-year-old Mia (a brilliant Katie Jarvis), when friendly, hunky Connor (Michael Fassbender) starts making her single mum Joanne (Kierston Wareing) happy. But that gets snuffed out sharpish. The point? Good times are hard to hold onto in Andrea Arnold’s Red Road follow-up. The title refers to the claustrophobia of growing up in a place where vulnerable but hard-nosed children seem destined to repeat the mistakes of their neglectful parents. In depicting this gloomy setting, Arnold paints it as it is with teens swearing, boozing, and smoking; the more punches thrown the more affecting the film becomes.
hunky – aitante; snuffed out – ammazzato; sharpish – subito follow-up – seguito; hard-nosed – a muso duro; gloomy – triste, malinconica; swearing – che bestemmiano; boozing – che si ubriacano 19
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A powerful, poignant and beautiful film, Arnold crafts Brit realism at its best. The title? Every fish wants to swim in the ocean. It’s just not always possible. Read the entire review on totalfilm.com Review by Film Critic Connor, the only prominent man in Fish Tank, is handsome, charming and inscrutably masculine; an English blue-collar laborer who works at a warehouse. When he visits his girlfriend Joanne at her apartment in the projects of Essex, he is attentive and lustful while also being a complete sweetheart to her youngest. He is played with seductive humor and potent sexuality by the great Michael Fassbender who, in his natural and brilliant way, reveals the covert actuality of Connor: That he is a manipulative monster and a pedophile. But, seeing as he is neither unnervingly awkward nor brutal and forceful in his actions, we don't see what Connor is until he has already committed his crime and set himself towards returning to normal life. Fish Tank is not a film about Connor, however; it is a film about one of his victims and, just maybe, his first real sparring partner. Robed in sweatpants, tank-tops and a black hoodie, Mia is the elder of Joanne's two children and a burgeoning dancer inspired by Nas and Eric B. & Rakim. She grabs Connor's attention when he finds her provocatively mimicking the moves in a rap video;
blue-collar – colletto blu; warehouse – magazzino; lustful – libidinoso, lussurioso; covert – segreta, furtive; unnervingly – snervantemente; awkward – goffo; sweatpants – pantaloni della tuta; hoodie – felpa; burgeoning – fiorente 20
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he parries by introducing her to Bobby Womack's cover of “California Dreamin'' on a family trip out to the lake.For Connor, Mia is a challenge and a rare catch - as is Jarvis in an urgent, formidable debut performance. When she teases him with talk of a clueless boy who has the hots for her, he prods and laughs with devilish superiority. In the film's most visceral scene, Mia watches Connor and her mother in a particularly intense bout of lovemaking and is even more excited by the fact that Connor knows she is there. Yet, the film does not play like a battle of the sexes; partially because Connor's unyielding control of young Mia never is in question. As she performs a private dance to Womack's sultry tune for him, the culmination of his work is felt and sends a deep chill down the spine. Read the entire review on filmcritic.com Review by Slant Magazine The British director's filmmaking style is precise and concise, as tight and lean as her teenage heroine. Because this coming-ofage tale contains not one extraneous word or image, its strong visceral atmosphere is allowed to organically emerge. Arnold immediately captures the over-the-top emotions of adolescence via a disturbing and hilarious opening sequence that moves like an unstable train ride through the projects of impoverished Essex. Fifteen-year-old Mia, played with a terrific awkward ease by
parries – evita; catch – preda; teases – prende in giro; clueless – incapace; prods – punzecchia, pungola; unyielding – inflessibile, fiscale; sultry – sensuale; tune – motivo musicale chill – brivido; tight – conciso; lean – snello 21
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newcomer Katie Jarvis, is a simmering rebel with no outlet, looking for a fight. Arnold's handheld cam trails the girl as she aims rocks at an estranged friend's apartment window before stomping away like a raging bull to challenge a posse of sexed-up, hip-hop dancing popular girls, the confrontation ending in Mia delivering a vicious head butt to a pretty nose. The doors in the flat Mia shares with her partying mum and little sister Tyler (an adorably wise-beyond-her-years Rebecca Griffiths) aren't opened and closed, but forced-in and slammed. Arnold makes Mia's inner discordance visual. It's unnerving to try to reconcile a sweet heart in a snow globe in Mia's room and the strawberries on her pajama bottoms, with the dangerous hammer in her hand as she takes off to free a chained horse. Yet within minutes we know everything there is to know about this young heroine and the threat of violence both external and internal that makes up her working-class world. The only time gangly Mia can relax is when she's listening to the rap music that speaks directly to her own ghetto reality, or when she's break-dancing alone. The scene in which we see her simultaneously get drunk and dance in an empty space to dull the pain is heartbreaking in its honesty. That Jarvis herself isn't a trained dancer - she doesn't even like dancing, according to the press notes - adds yet another layer of poignancy. Fish Tank is the anti-Flashdance, a story about a working-class girl whose dream, like in real life, will forever remain a dream. Read the entire review on slantmagazine.com
newcomer – principiante, novellina; simmering – bollente; outlet – sfoghi; stomping away – scappa via danzando con passi pesanti; slammed – sbattute; layer – strato; poignancy – brama, desiderio 22
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Abbiamo superato il First Certificate!
Focus On Elena Baioni,
Vimercate, 27 anni, impiegata. Livello raggiunto: 69. Valeria Galbiati, Vimercate, 21 anni, studentessa. Livello raggiunto: 75. Uno degli attestati più ricercati è il First Certificate in English, rilasciato dalla University of Cambridge, e che corrisponde al livello B2 degli standard del Consiglio d’Europa. Vi proponiamo le esperienze di due studentesse di Vimercate, Elena Baioni e Valeria Galbiati, che grazie a Shenker hanno ottenuto questo importante riconoscimento! Elena Baioni
Da quanto tempo studi con Shenker?
Da quando ho 8 anni! Ho iniziato prestissimo, frequentavo ancora le elementari e lo Shenker era l’unica scuola di inglese a Vimercate. La mia insegnante, perfetta pronuncia irlandese, ancora oggi mi fa lezione e, con estremo piacere, abbiamo allacciato anche un’amicizia che dura da molti anni.
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Per un po’ mi sono fermata, poi dal 2005 ho ricominciato, partendo dal livello 35 (lo studio e la pratica nel lavoro mi hanno mantenuto in allenamento!), e in poco tempo sono riuscita a raggiungere il livello 69.
Quali sono ora i tuoi obiettivi?
Grazie allo Shenker sono riuscita a ottenere il First Certificate, che in teoria viene consigliato fare quando si è arrivati al livello 75, ma grazie allo studio e alla mia testardaggine sono riuscita a superarlo anche dal livello 69.
E i meriti del Metodo Shenker?
Sono molti i meriti del Metodo. Riesce a darti da subito maggiore sicurezza e scioltezza con la lingua e soprattutto acquisisci padronanza con la pronuncia.
Cosa ne pensi del fatto che ad ogni lezione ci si può rapportare con insegnanti diversi?
È ottimo perchè la fonetica e il continuo esercizio riescono a garantirti una pronuncia perfetta che possa essere riconosciuta all’istante anche da persone che hanno provenienze diverse. È l’orecchio che si abitua con esercizio e studio metodico.
Pensi di continuare il percorso iniziato con il Metodo?
Ho già acquistato un numero di programmi tali da garantirmi il raggiungimento dell’obiettivo finale, il livello 100!
Cosa è cambiato nella tua vita grazie a Shenker?
Riesco a parlare in inglese con scioltezza utilizzando tutti i giorni la lingua anche sul posto di lavoro, diventa facile e piacevole chattare attraverso internet con gli amici che ho in tutto il mondo, ma soprattutto la conoscenza della lingua diventa un importante passepartout quando viaggio.
Qual è la differenza tra lo Shenker e le altre scuole di inglese? 24
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Settembre 2010
Con Shenker l’inglese si impara davvero. È impossibile non raggiungere determinati livelli poiché ogni volta i continui esami ti stimolano a far bene e studiare con impegno e costanza.
A questo punto ti chiedo: riesci a definire il Metodo Shenker in un’unica parola?
Lo Shenker per me è sinonimo di garanzia. Se una persona ha necessità di apprendere l’inglese, con Shenker ci riesce di sicuro.
Dovessi consigliarlo a qualcuno cosa gli diresti?
Ho fatto in passato, e continuo a fare, parecchia pubblicità al Metodo. Una mia collega si iscriverà nei prossimi giorni e, se tutto andrà bene, l’insegnante storica che mi segue dall’età di 8 anni, potrebbe tenere dei corsi presso l’azienda per cui lavoro. Spero proprio che la convenzione si faccia! Valeria Galbiati
In cosa il Metodo Shenker ha influito nella tua vita?
Ha riacceso la passione per l’inglese! Fin da piccola infatti avevo una particolare predilezione e interesse per questa lingua, che però si era spento con il passare del tempo, dopo aver incontrato a scuola insegnanti che non mi hanno seguita.
Come ci hai conosciuto?
Mia madre aveva avuto modo di frequentare lo Shenker grazie alla sua azienda, l’Alcatel. Lei stessa, che ha “provato” altri metodi e altre scuole di lingua, sostiene che il vostro Metodo è sicuramente il migliore!
Puoi dirmi nello specifico in cosa ti ha aiutato il Metodo Shenker?
Allena la memoria, aiuta a esprimerti con nuovi vocaboli e nuove strutture grammaticali. Grazie a Shenker riesco a parlare con scioltezza e maggiore padronanza della lingua.
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The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
Il tuo percorso Shenker…
Ho iniziato partendo dal livello 36. Avevo studiato la lingua alle scuole elementari. Ma il mio vocabolario era piuttosto limitato e quella che mi mancava di più era la capacità di esprimersi in inglese con naturalezza.
La fonetica in questo dovrebbe averti dato un valido aiuto…
Assolutamente! Le prime quattro lezioni di fonetica sono indispensabili per avere una pronuncia perfetta. Nel Metodo poi la fonetica è fatta benissimo, è breve ed essenziale.
In che senso breve?
Faccio un esempio: nella mia facoltà si tiene un corso di fonetica lungo e noioso in cui le troppe nozioni finiscono per perdersi completamente. Lo Shenker invece, attraverso 4 incontri, riesce a fornirti gli strumenti chiave di accesso, quelli basilari e indispensabili per comprendere la lingua.
Che facoltà frequenti?
Mediazione linguistica e culturale presso la Statale di Milano.
Complimenti! Lo Shenker ti sarà servito di sicuro…
Veramente è anche grazie a Shenker se ho scelto questa facoltà. E visto che l’inglese lo avevo garantito grazie al Metodo, ho scelto di studiare il francese e lo spagnolo. Inoltre prima di iscrivermi presso questa facoltà ho preferito prendermi un anno sabbatico in cui perfezionare proprio la lingua inglese.
Sei partita dal livello 35 e sei arrivata…?
In un anno e mezzo sono arrivata al livello 75.
La tua più grande soddisfazione?
È stata quella di superare il First Certificate e di parlare correttamente in inglese. 26
The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
Nella tua vita privata c’è un episodio in particolare che ricordi in cui ti sei sentita particolarmente orgogliosa di parlare bene in inglese? Più che orgogliosa direi contenta di saperlo parlare: nel dicembre 2005 sono andata in Spagna dove ho conosciuto un ragazzo con il quale è nata una storia. Io non conoscevo lo spagnolo e lui l’italiano. Però riuscivamo a comunicare in inglese! Quando poi ho fatto uno scambio culturale in Francia, non conoscendo ancora il francese, riuscivo a farmi capire solo con l’inglese. Per fortuna che l’avevo studiato con Shenker!
Riusciresti a definire il Metodo in una parola?
La prima cosa che mi viene in mente è organizzazione. Si tratta di un Metodo strutturato a livello di apprendimento, lezioni, flessibilità: organizzazione ben gestita, appunto.
E il grande merito?
Attraverso al ripetizione ha la capacità di far memorizzare vocaboli e frasi senza alcuno sforzo. Il merito va sì al Metodo, ma anche agli insegnanti che rappresentano una grande risorsa di pronunce e provenienze diverse. Tutto ciò è sicuramente positivo.
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The Shenkerian
Settembre 2010
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