The
POLYGLOT ISSUE 8
A Letter from the Editor
At a time when our world seems to be becoming increasingly insular, nationalist and extremist, internationalism and cross-cultural awareness has never been more important. This is exactly what The Polyglot has to offer: a valuable insight into cultures and current affairs from all over the globe that would otherwise remain unfamiliar to us. In this issue, my first as new Editor-in-Chief, we have an exceptional range of articles, commenting on topics such as the European elections, the implications of a new highway through the Bolivian Amazon, Hurricane Irma and even a Spanish film review. Whether you study one or multiple languages, at A-Level or lower, or even if you study no languages and simply have an interest in remaining a culturally-aware citizen of the world, this issue of The Polyglot will provide you with easily-digestible pieces targeted at all audiences. This degree of accessibility is something that we at The Polyglot pride ourselves on, and I guarantee that you will find at least something in this issue that captures the imagination and encourages one to think far beyond the Anglo-centric bubble that we live in. Naturally, this achievement would not be possible without the blood, sweat and tears (not literally) of my crack team of writers and sub-editors, who have all worked equally hard to compose this magazine. A special word of thanks goes to Miss Poole and Johan Nerlov for their help and commitment.
Alexander Ainslie Editor-in-Chief
Contents P7
German Elections
P8 The Gotthard rail tunnel
P9 “Good Bye Lenin!”
P13
Crítica de ‘La isla mínima’
P4 New Threats to the World’s Rainforests
New Threats to the World’s Rainforests
Angus Blomfield explores the dangers facing the Rainforest - are we too late?
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he world’s rainforests, often nicknamed “the Lungs of the Planet” which highlights their importance to the environment, have recently come under serious threat from large multinational businesses; these businesses exploit their natural resources such as: timber, palm oil, gas and oil reserves, and
even the governments of the countries in which the forest lies. A prime example is Bolivia, whose parliament has just approved for a highway to be built through a biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon rainforest. However it is not only the rainforests themselves in danger, but their inhabitants - human
and animal alike; the indigenes are an integral part of the life cycle there, so any damage to the rainforest could have serious ramifications for them. This is becoming an increasing problem, as there have been encounters with tribes more and more frequently in recent years, for example: the CNPC (China National Petroleum
Corporation), one of the biggest oil companies in the world, has come across an isolated group near the Madidi National Park, raising major concerns about the group’s welfare. The threats posed are partially due to delayed annual funding from the G20, which has meant that environmental agencies in South America have had to stall some smaller scale operations, paving the way for new activity which the respective governments have not bothered stopping; as their main incentives to uphold the environmental standards are money-based. The delay in the transaction of the funds from the G20 is a result of Donald Trump’s recent disagreement with the deal proposed at the Paris Climate Summit of June this year, where he stated that the deal was “one-sided [...] unfair for the US, and far more beneficial for foreigners”. The US, being such an integral part of the efforts against deforestation and global warming, did remain a part of the Paris Agreement plans. However this time with a smaller financial contribution, which hindered the ability of South American governments to prevent damaging (and often illegal) activities such as: cattle-ranching, soya-farming, logging, fishing, bio-piracy (stealing resources such as plant medicine without compensating the indigenes from which the material or knowledge is obtained) dam construction and mining. Even though many governments, environmental trusts and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) seemingly work together with the common goal
to help aid the protection of the rainforest... there is a common enemy - the south-american governments through which the money goes. This is largely due to the corruption that they are often well known and criticized for, as well as the logging and oil firms which are confronted by little resistance to their illegal operations. This hinders the efforts to preserve the Amazon, so still every year about 18 million hectares of forest – an area the size of England and Wales – is felled. In just 40 years, possibly 1 billion hectares, the equivalent of Europe, has gone. Half the world’s rainforests have been razed in a century, and at current rates, they will vanish altogether in 100 years.
temperatures and leads to climate change; deforestation in Latin America, Asia and Africa can affect rainfall and weather everywhere from the US Midwest and Southeast (as seen by recent tropical storms like Irma), to Europe and China.
However not is all as bad as it seems. The 51 developing countries who share the world’s tropical forests all recognised their significance and promised to crack down on illegal forestation, replant trees and restore degraded forest lands. Some countries were highly ambitious - China, Brazil, Bolivia and Congo DRC together put forward targets that could protect over 50 million hectares of forest over the next 15 years, an And as the forests come down, area the size of Spain. If counthe people who live in or around tries stick to their pledges and them and depend on them let damaged forests recover, become impoverished. Without annual global greenhouse gas the forests, people urbanise emissions could be reduced by to cities, or migrate to richer as much as 24 to 30% - a significountries in search of work. cant amount. As well as this, the The world’s rainforests not only Brazilian court has prevented provide food, energy security, attempts to abolish several resincomes and medicinal plants ervations by the government in for 300 million people, but are the last 6 months. also home to the richest wildlife in the world. Having said that, countries with tropical forests are some But the threat isn’t only a of the poorest in the world, danger to the rainforest and desperate to develop and use those who live in it, but to many their natural resources to grow countries around the world. their economies. Their pledges Some low-lying countries like to stop or reduce deforestation Bermuda and the Bahamas in are mostly conditional on rich the Atlantic, the Pacific Islands countries financially and techof Palmerston, Marshall Isnically helping them do so; and lands, Cook Islands, Fiji, Solothe responsibility on reducing mon Islands, and the Maldives emissions and protecting the are vulnerable to the rising forests lies with rich countries sea levels. Tropical deforestathat have historically caused tion causes carbon dioxide, a most climate change. This alloprominent greenhouse gas, to cated responsibility has led to a linger in the atmosphere and pledge in Paris to raise $100bn trap solar radiation. This raises a year to help poor countries re-
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German Elections
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Focus on the German Elections by Charlie Harden-Sweetnam
iele ehemalige CDU/ CSU Wähler sind zur AfD übergetreten. Nach dieser Wahl ist zum ersten Mal seit 1961 eine extreme nationalistische, fremdenfeindliche anti-EU Partei im Bundestag vertreten. Dieser Anstieg der extrem rechten Politik wurde durch die Entscheidung von Angela Merkel im Sommer 2015 verursacht, die Grenzen zu öffnen, die etwa eine Million Menschen hineingelassen hat. Viele Kritiker sind der Meinung, dass es jetzt zu viele Migranten in Deutschland gibt, trotz der Tatsache, dass die Bevölkerung in Deutschland 82 Millionen beträgt. Merkel behauptet immer noch, dass sie keine andere Möglichkeit gehabt habe, als die Asylbewerber hinein zu lassen.
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Alexander Gauland, AfD Spitzenkandidat sagte: ,,Wir werden uns unser Land zurückholen” und ,,Wir werden Frau Merkel jagen”. Damit meint er, dass er eine parlamentarische Untersuchungskommission vorlegen werden, der die Legalität dieser Politik ermitteln wird. In Sachsen hat die AfD ihren größten Anstieg verzeichnet. In dem Heimatstaat der Pegida der AfD Bewegungen hat die AfD über 27% der Gesamtheit der Stimmen gewonnen, deshalb hat die AfD die CDU/CSU als Spitzenpartei abgelöst. Die AfD hat viele große Anstiege in Ostdeutschland verzeichnet. In machen Regionen hat sie 44% der Gesamtheit
der Stimmen gewonnen, aber sie hat viel schlechter in Westdeutschland abgeschnitten, die die Nord-Süd Kluft mit dem Brexitwahlergebnis widerspiegelt. Diese Trennung wurde auch in Berlin gezeigt. Die AfD hat ihre größten Ansteige in den ehemaligen kommunistischen Viertel wie Marzahn-Hellersdorf gemacht, in denen die AfD 20.6% mehr Gesamtheit ihres Ergebnisses erhalten hat. Viele sagen, dass diese Trennung wird wegen der Tatsache verursacht wird, dass die Ostdeutschen sich nicht mit ihre Vergangenheit beschäftigt haben. Das führt zu politisch rechten Meinungen und nationalen Gefühl. In Westdeutschland gab in 1968 es die 68er- Bewegung, in der die Westdeutschen dazu gezwun-
gen wurden, ihre Geschichte zu bewältigen. Dennoch wissen wir, dass die meisten Migranten sich im Westen befinden, besonders NRWF, Hamburg und Bremen aber auch Berlin. Es gibt nicht so viele Migranten in Osten, aber wir sollen auch in Betracht ziehen, dass die meisten Menschen, die Hartz IV bekommen, in Ostdeutschland wohnen. Die Wiedervereinigung trägt die Schuld für die Entfremdung der Ostdeutschen, die sich als
Bürger zweiter Klasse fühlen. Schlüsselpositionen wurden an Westdeutsche gegeben und das bedeute, dass das neue vereinte Deutschland wird vom Westen regiert wird Eine Wiederholung der ‘Große Koalition’ zwischen SPD und CDU/CSU wird von Schulz abgelehnt. Die einzige andere Möglichkeit ist eine ,,Jamaica Koalition’’ aus CDU, FDP und Grünen. Frau Merkel hat eine Koalition mit der Linken und der AfD abgelehnt, weil sie sich mit dem extremen Flügeln des politischen Spektrums identifizieren.
Aktualisierung: Nach wochenlangen Diskussionen zwischen den Parteien hat die FDP den Tisch mit der CSU/CSU und den Grünen verlassen. FDP Vorsitzender Christian Lindner sagte, dass es kein gegenseitiges Vertrauen gebe. Der Präsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier sagte, dass es keine Neuwahlen gebe. Jetzt befindet sich Deutschland in einem sehr prekären Zustand und Merkel hat die größte Aufgabe ihres 12 jährigen Kanzleramts. Man muss den
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The Gotthard rail tunnel
James Healey explores the latest way to travel through the Alps.
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he Alps have always been a major obstacle for trains (or just about any other means of transport that doesn’t fly). But, thanks to the engineering talent of the Swiss and Italian, for the best part of the last century these trains have managed to pass through the old Alpine road and rail tunnels. However, these tunnels are small and are struggling to cope with the increasing capacity the Alps are facing. The answer – the world’s longest tunnel and one of the biggest projects engineers have ever been faced with. Named the Gotthard Base, this new rail tunnel is 57.1km long, surpassing the previous record of 53.9km held by the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. It links the towns of Erstfeld and Bodio, both in Switzerland, but they speak different languages, German and Italian respectively.
This makes travel time from one side of the Alps to the other much easier and safer – the old road tunnel was notorious for its dangerous single-lane structure and the many collisions that have happened in it since it was opened in 1970. Now there are limits to how many vehicles can enter it at any one time because of the lack of capacity. Not only is it safer, but it’s also much faster, plus the new tunnel will improve the air quality at both ends as passengers are encouraged to use the much faster rail service. There are two tunnels racing in both directions and trains can run through it at speeds of up to 250km/h. The ultimate goal of the tunnel is to link Rotterdam to Genoa – two major trading towns. During its 17-year construction period over 2,000 people have worked on the tunnel, with workers on site 24 hours a day,
365 days a year. Unfortunately, nine tunnel miners died in the process of making the tunnel. Not only is it the world’s longest tunnel, it’s also the deepest – with 2.3km of mountain pressing down on it, gravity constantly tried to close up the space which had been excavated. So all the way along the tunnel reinforced steel rings had to be inserted to prevent it from collapsing in on itself. The tunnel’s course is flat and straight, unlike older tunnels which wind up through the mountains. The completion of this amazing tunnel attracted many world-famous leaders such as Angela Merkel and François Hollande. Now trains run regularly through the tunnel, with around 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains passing through it every day, each with a travel time of only 17 minutes.
Crítica de ‘La isla mínima’ Ethan Webb delves into ‘La isla mínima’
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os encontramos en el año 1980, 5 años después de la muerte del dictador Franco. En un pequeño pueblo andaluz de los marismas del Guadalquivir, donde la figura de la mujer no importa a nadie. En este lugar desaparecen dos chicas, Carmen y Estrella, las cuales tenían una mala reputac-
ión. Para resolver el caso envían desde Madrid a dos detectives de homicidios, Juan y Pedro. Juntos deben superar sus diferencias y enfrentarse a un salvaje asesino que lleva años matando a jóvenes mujeres en una comunidad posfranquista. Los actores principales que interpretan a la pareja de policías
que investiga el caso son Raúl Arévalo (Pedro) y Javier Gutiérrez (Juan). Se muestran ideológicamente opuestos, pero tienen que vivir juntos para resolver el caso. Pedro, el policía más brillante, es honesto y un poco taciturno y defiende con valor sus ideales democráticos. Sin embargo, durante la investigación, actúa algunos proced-
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imientos un poco crueles. Por otro lado, Juan se muestra como inteligente y valiente y no se preocupa de utilizar cualquier método para conseguir lo que quiere y, por esta razón, a veces, resulta bastante violento, como cuando le retuerce el brazo a una mujer inocente. Al final de la historia se descubre que ha sido un terrible torturador franquista pero, durante la película, parece haber perseguido un objetivo noble y haber conseguido eliminar al asesino. Por eso, finalmente, Pedro asiente cuando Juan le pregunta “Todo en orden ¿no?”. Con estos dos personajes, los guionistas quieren mandar un mensaje claro: para que la democracia pudiera llevarse a cabo, fue necesario esconder muchos abusos perpetrados por los franquistas. Así pues, la película se desarrolla en un país dividido entre los que habían apoyado la dictadura y los que aspiraban a un cam-
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bio político. Es decir, que en la transición quedan residuos de lo que fue la realidad anterior, fusionándose con el presente. La fotografía se usa de manera efectiva en esta película no solo para añadir un elemento estético a la acción sino para quedarnos con imágenes memorables que capturan los mensajes y momentos más relevantes de la historia. Para nosotros, la primera manera en la que Alberto Rodríguez logra esto es su uso estratégico de la cámara y su posición. Por ejemplo, en el escenario en el que se dispara a Juan, el director elige colocar la cámara para que se muestre no solo a Juan, sino también a Pedro luchando con un criminal en segundo plano. Así, se crea una imagen dramática y llena de acción que se nos pega en la mente. Además, la fotografía, particularmente en la pantalla ancha, aprovecha el paisaje tan bonito
de las marismas del Parque de Doñana, que se encuentra entre las tres provincias de Huelva, Sevilla y Cádiz, en Andalucía. Precisamente allí, en una marisma del río Guadalquivir que suele estar llena de aves acuáticas, se encuentran los cuerpos de las dos chicas que habían desaparecido. Por un lado, las vistas atractivas nos producen una impresión de belleza que contrasta efectivamente con la atmósfera tensa. Sin embargo, por otro lado, se podría decir que el hecho de que la región se retrate como desierta, con mucho espacio vacío, y que sea una isla implica un ambiente más hostil en el que la gente parece atrapada y sola. En conclusión, estamos ante una de las mejores películas españolas de los últimos años rodada por Alberto Rodríguez, que ha ganado merecidamente dos premios Goya como Mejor Guión Original y Mejor Guión
Meet Emmanuel Macron Ethan Webb takes us one step closer to Emmanuel Macron
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mmanuel Macron was elected president of France in May 2017, becoming the youngest president in French history at the age of 39. In France, the two major political parties are the centre-right Republican party and the centre-left Socialist party. Previously, between 2006 and 2009, Macron was a member of the Socialist party as was the previous president of France: François Hollande. However, from 2009 to 2016, Macron ceased to associate himself with the Socialist party, instead declaring himself to be inde-
pendent. When he announced his bid for presidency, Macron formed his own political movement called “En Marche!”. In English, this translates as “Forward!”. Macron has described this organisation as being post-partisan, combining elements both of the left and the right.
towards greater solidarity in Europe” Macron said. Being a former businessman himself, Macron says he will make France more business friendly and lower corporate taxes. Specifically, he has promised to lower the corporate tax rate from 33 percent to 25 percent.
Macron is pro-EU but, even so, he has said he wants to make some changes so that the EU can be made stronger. “I propose to restore the credibility of France in the eyes of Germany, to convince Berlin in the next six months to adopt an active investment policy and move
Macron is married to Brigitte Trogneux, 24 years his senior, who was his teacher in La Providence High School in Amiens. They first met when he was a 15-year-old student and she was a 39-year-old teacher, but only became a couple once he was 18.
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Aryann introduces the Esperanto language
Esperanto
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round the world, a great deal of individuals speak Esperanto and many books are printed in the language, both interpreted and unique works; There are over a hundred periodicals frequently distributed in Esperanto.
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Esperanto was made by Dr. Ludwig L. Zamenhof, a Polish doctor, who distributed it in 1887, and from that point on, Esperanto has been learned by millions. Of the many tasks and propositions for a worldwide dialect throughout the hundreds of years, Esperanto is the special case that has stood the trial of time and is being talked today. It is in everyday use by a large number of people everywhere throughout the world, and the number is developing contin-
ually. Numerous worldwide gatherings are held in Esperanto. Books and magazines are distributed in their thousands to meet the requests of a global audience. A portion of the biggest global firms put on extraordinary publicising efforts in Esperanto. Lodgings, eateries and visitor resorts vie for the support of the Esperanto-talking explorer. Esperanto’s great accomplishment as the dialect of universal correspondence is because of three fundamental points of interest: it is anything but difficult to learn, politically nonpartisan and has numerous down to earth employments. Esperanto is substantially simpler to learn than some other dialects. Indeed, it can be learned in a fourth of the
time expected to take for most national dialect! The spelling is simple: each letter has precisely one sound. The elocution is simple: there are no weird mixes of letters to make new sounds, and the emphasis is dependably on the last syllable. The punctuation is simple: there are just sixteen essential principles, without any special cases. (That implies, for instance, that there are no sporadic verbs.) The vocabulary is simple, as well: numerous universal words are utilized, for example, telefono (phone), biologio (science), and matematiko (arithmetic). Esperanto gives an exceptionally “characteristic� impression when spoken. And, in view of its high ratio of vowels to consonants, it is frequently said to take after Spanish or Italian.
“Good Bye Lenin!” James Madeley reviews “Good Bye Lenin!”, Does it still hold up after 14 years?
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Good Bye, Lenin!” ist eine tragische Komödie aus dem Jahr 2003. Die Geschichte spielt in den 1980ern in Ost-Berlin in der Deutsche Demokratische Republik und handelt von einer kommunistischen Familie. In dieser Geschichte muss seine kommunistische Mutter überzeugen, dass die Berliner Mauer nie gefallen ist. Seine Mutter ist nach einem Koma aufgewacht und ihr Arzt hat gesagt, dass sie empfindlich sei und eine Überraschung sie töten könne. Meiner Meinung nach sind
alle Schauspiele hervorragend - besonders die männliche Hauptrolle, gespielt von Daniel Brühl. Alle Charaktere sind auch sympathisch. Die Geschichte war rührend und das Drehbuch, geschrieben von Bernd Lichtenberg und Wolfgang Becker, war ausgezeichnet. Die Handlung war auch lustig, auch wenn es viele Hintergrundwissen gab. Obwohl die Geschichte in den Achtziger spielt, kann meine Generation immer noch den Humor schätzen. Der FIlm kann uns viel über die
damalige Zeit beibringen. Zum Beispiel hat die Mutter einen neuen Trabant bestellt, und der Zuschauer lernt, dass es damals zehn Jahren bis zur Lieferung dauerte. Alles in Allem würde ich die Geschichte empfehlen, selbst wenn die Zuschauer nach den Achtzigern geboren wurden.
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The POLYGLOT Quiz How many living languages are there? 381 3462 6909 11354 Khmer, the language with the largest alphabet, is the official language of Cambodia. How many letters does it have? 74 89 102 236 Which country has the largest number of (not necessarily official) languages spoken? Botswana Zimbabwe Papua New Guinea India Which number is closest to the number of languages are spoken there? 87 122 291 820 Which county has the most official languages spoken (at 16)? South Africa Israel Zimbabwe Greenland Which EU member has the lowest mean number of languages spoken per person (at 1.5)? UK Denmark Portugal Hungary What percentage of US citizens speak more than just English at home? 4% 8% 20% 32%
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Which is closest to the number of students in the Abingdon School are bilingual (or trilingual, …)? 36 110 181 279 Which is closest to the percentage of French students learn two or more foreign languages? 11% 33% 55% 99% Which is closest to the percentage of UK students learn two or more foreign languages? 1% 3% 5% 9% Bonus: How many English words (ignoring derivatives and obscure/archaic words) can you come up with that begin with ‘dw’? [Hint: There are four] How many points did you get? (Answers on the back page) DISCLAIMER: There is a very small but non-negligible probability that the following descriptors are NOT 100% accurate. That being said, our scientists tell us that after weeks of research they think they’ve found the most accurate diagnoses possible based on your performance in the quiz. 1-9: You probably don’t even know English 10-23: Still not deserving of praise, but could be worse 24-37: Approaching Polyglot standards 38-44: You clearly cheated
Entrevista con Sra Sánchez Alonso Cuéntenos un poco sobre de dónde viene usted? “Vengo de Zamora, una pequeña ciudad en el norte de España.” ¿Dónde ha estudiado y en qué se ha especializado? “Estudié en la Universidad de Salamanca (una de las más antiguas de España). Estudié primero la carrera de filología hispánica, después la de filología inglesa y por último mi máster para ser profesora.” ¿Fueron siempre los idiomas sus asignaturas preferidas en la escuela? “Si, mi madre es profesora de inglés y siempre me gustaron las lenguas. De hecho, siempre supe que quería ser profesora.” Cuando llegó por primera vez a Abingdon, ¿cuáles fueron sus pensamientos iniciales? “Diferente, pero diferente es positivo!” Resume sus gustos musicales en tres cantantes o grupos. “Efecto Pasillo, Bruno Mars y Pablo Alborán.” Para usted, cuál elemento del inglés le parece más extraño? “Los acentos difíciles de Liverpool y Newcastle, es un reto entenderlos.” Si pudiera retroceder a cualquier época que quisiera, a cuál iría y por qué? “La generación del 27 antes de la Guerra Civil española, porque esos fueron momentos artísticos más libres en España.” Usted se encuentra varada en una isla desierta y solo puede tener 5 posesiones, cuáles elegiría? “Un cuchillo, una manta, un libro, un mechero y un amigo para tener alguien con quien hablar!” Si pudiera obtener cualquier superpotencia que quisiera, ¿cuál sería y por qué? “Transportarme automáticamente, porque me gustaría poder ir a distintos lugares sin perder tiempo.” Qué es lo que más teme? “Sobre todo que el mundo se destruya - con guerras o cambio climático etcétera.. Pero también las serpientes! “ Si pudiera vivir en cualquier libro, programa de televisión, o película, cuál escogería? “Rayuela, de Julio Cortázar - porque trata de un juego mental y fue un libro pionero en el género de escoger tu propia aventura.”
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Entretien avec Dorsaphe
Pouvez-vous nous dire un peu d’oú vous venez? “Je viens de Reims, dans la région Champagne-Ardenne, dans le nord-est de la France.” Oú avez-vous étudié? “Au Lycée George Clemenceau, puis j’ai eu ma licence d’Anglais à l’Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA).” Est-ce que les langues étaient vos matières favorites? “Pas toutes les langues. À l’école, je préféré l’Italien et surtout l’Anglais. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé étudier la Biologie au lycée. ” Quand vous êtes arrivée à Abingdon, quelle était votre première impression de l’école? “J’étais très impressionnée, car je ne m’attendait pas a ce que ça soit aussi grand. J’ai vu quelques vidéos sur youtube, mais c’etait beaucoup mieux en vrai.” Décrivez votre temps d’enseignement à Abingdon en trois adjectifs/mots. “Intéressant, Enrichissant, Agréable.” Donnez-nous un sommaire de votre goût musical utilisant trois artistes. “Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake.” Quelle est l’aspect le plus étrange de l’anglais. “Les Anglais sont très souriants (même si il y a un stéréotype que les Anglais “font la tête”) et les hommes sont très galants.” Si vous pouviez voyager n’importe où dans le monde, où iriez-vous et pourquoi? “En Australie; j’adore les pays anglophones, et j’ai envie de visiter ce pays, car il est riche en histoire et culture.” Vous êtes échoué sur une île déserte et vous ne pouvez avoir seulement cinq choses, quelles seraient-elles? “Mon téléphone, une douche, un bon bouquin, une voiture et une canne à pêche.” Que craignez vous le plus? “De ne pas atteindre mes objectifs professionnels.” Si vous pouviez obtenir un super-pouvoir, lequel serait-elle et pourquoi? “J’aimerais le pouvoir de me transporter instantanément.” Pour un mois entier, préféreriez-vous avoir un hoquet constant, ou ne pas être capable de parler le français? “Ne pas être capable de parler le francais.”
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Noël en France
Discover France’s most cherished Christmas
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omme en Angleterre, les quatre semaines avant Noël sont consacrées à la préparation de noël. Le premier décembre, les enfants ouvrent la première fenêtre/porte sur leur calendrier de l’Avent
une tradition provençale mais qui mérite d’être mentionnée car cela semble difficile! Imaginez avoir 13 desserts après la fête principale de Noël. En France, ils sont importants parce qu’ils symbolisent le Christ et les 12 apôtres. Le vin français à Noël - Le vin chaud est très apprécié à Noël et Le Réveillon - La soirée du 24 sur les marchés de Noël mais pas décembre est celle où les familles à la maison. françaises s’assoient ensemble Salutations françaises de Noël pour fêter Noël et déguster des Les Français se souhaitent Jomets et vins français festifs. C’est yeux Noël ou Bonnes Fêtes. Il est le nom du repas de la veille de important de ne jamais souhaiter Noël française, qui est un grand et bonne année avant minuit le jour long festin. Le nom vient du verbe de l’an, car cela porte malheur . réveiller signifiant réveiller ou re- Cartes de Noël - Les Français vivre. De plus en plus de familles n’ont pas vraiment tendance à commencent cette tradition de envoyer des cartes de Noël, mais Noël le jour de Noël où il est plus ils les gardent pour célébrer la facile pour toute la famille de se nouvelle année. réunir. Craquelins de Noël - Les biscuits Messe de minuit - Un service de Noël ont été inventés par un religieux qui a lieu de la veille Anglais inspiré par sa visite à de Noël. C’est en fait une traParis au 19ème siècle. Apparemdition de Noël importante en ment, il a vu les bonbons envelFrance pour beaucoup de gens oppés comme des craquelins qui essaient d’assister à la messe, et une fois qu’il est retourné à bien que de plus en plus de gens Londres, il a ajouté un message préfèrent les services le jour à l’intérieur. Au fil du temps, ils même de Noël. ont été développés pour avoir des Les Treize (13) desserts - C’est couronnes en papier et de petits
cadeaux et étaient extrêmement populaires en Angleterre. Malgré cela, les craquelins ne font jamais partie des traditions de Noël françaises. Festive Circus - aimé par les enfants! Marché de Noël - Les marchés de Noël sont très populaires en France, mais ce n’est peut-être pas exclusivement une tradition de Noël française. Il y a quelques villes et villages en France où les artisans produisent des cadeaux et des délices culinaires locaux, tels que le foie gras et confit de canard. Galette des Rois - Le «gâteau du roi» célèbre l’Épiphanie en France. Il existe trois versions du gâteau et la plus populaire se compose de couches de pâte feuilletée avec un centre de frangipane ou de pomme. Chants de Noël - il n’y a pas beaucoup de chants de Noël traditionnels, les chants d’église sont généralement chantés à la place.
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Translation
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ike in England, the four weeks before Christmas are dedicated to preparations for Christmas. On the 1st December, children open their first window/door on their advent calendars. Christmas Eve – The evening of 24th December is when French families sit down together to celebrate Christmas and enjoy festive French foods and wines. Le Réveillon – This is the name of the French Christmas Eve meal, which is a big and long feast. The name comes from the verb réveiller meaning to wake up or revive. Increasingly more families start this Christmas tradition on Christmas Day when it is easier for the whole family to gather together. Midnight Mass – A church service is held on Christmas Eve. It is actually an important Christmas tradition in France for many people who try to attend the mass, although more and more people prefer services on Christmas Day. Traditional French Christmas Food – Food is a big part of French Christmas traditions. It depends on the region but some common French Christmas foods include: Smoked salmon and oysters with
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brown bread and butter Foie gras Goose Capon or turkey stuffed with chestnuts Servings of vegetables such as green beans cooked with garlic and butter and provincial herbs and sautéed potatoes. To finish the feast you will get the amazing looking and tasting La Buche de Noel (yule log), a sponge cake decorated like a yule log, traditionally made of chocolate and chestnuts. Les Treize (13) desserts – This is a Provencal tradition but worth mentioning as it sounds challenging! Imagine having 13 desserts after the main Christmas feast. In France they are important because they symbolise Christ and the 12 apostles. French wine at Christmas – Mulled wine is very popular at Christmas time and in Christmas markets but not at home. French Christmas greetings – French people wish each other Joyeux Noel or Bonnes Fetes. It’s important to never to wish anyone Bonne Annee (Happy New Year) before midnight on New Year’s Eve as this brings bad luck. Christmas Cards – French people don’t really tend to send Christmas cards, instead they save them
for celebrating the new year. Christmas Crackers – Christmas Crackers were actually invented by an Englishman who was inspired by his visit to Paris in the 19th Century. Apparently he saw the ‘bon bon’ sweets wrapped like crackers and once he returned to London he added a message inside. Over time they developed to have paper crowns and small gifts and were extremely popular in England. Despite this crackers never became a part of French Christmas traditions. Festive Circus – loved by kids! Marché de Noel – Christmas markets are very popular in France, although perhaps not exclusively a French Christmas tradition. There are a few towns and villages in France where artisans produce gifts and local culinary delicacies, such as foie gras and condit de canard. Galette des Rois - The ‘king’s cake’ celebrates Epiphany in France. There are three versions of the cake and the most popular consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a centre of fragipane or apple. Chants de Noel - there are not many traditional Christmas carols, church hymns are usually sung instead.
THE POLYGLOT TEAM Editor-in-Chief Alex Ainslie Head of Art and Design Johan Nerlov Supervising Editor Sarah-Jane Poole The Polyglot Contributors Ethsn Webb Charlie Harden-Sweetnam Aryann Gupta Angus Blomfield James Madeley James Healey Ben Wilson Want to write for The Polyglot? Contact us at sarahjane.poole@abingdon.org.uk The Polyglot is a publication wholly produced and owned by Abingdon School, a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity (Charity No. 1071298). Copyright in all articles and images remains with the creators and owners of those works. Previously published images and quotes or other excerpts from published words are used either by explicit permission or under the term of Fair Use or a Creative Commons license.
QUIZ ANSWERS (Number indicates points awarded) Q1 a: 1, b: 3, c: 4, d: 2 Q2 a: 4, b: 3, c: 2, d: 1 Q3 a: 1, b: 2, c: 4, d: 3 Q4 a: 1, b: 2, c: 3, d: 4 Q5 a: 3, b: 1, c: 4, d: 2 Q6 a: 1, b: 3, c: 2, d: 4 Q7 a: 1, b: 3, c: 4, d: 2 Q8 a: 1, b: 4, c: 3, d: 2 Q9 a: 1, b: 2, c: 3, d: 4 Q10 a: 1, b: 3, c: 4, d: 2 Q11 1 for each of dwell, dwarf, dwindle, dweeb
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