My presentation

·  Write a paragraph in your self study blog/notebook about today’s presentation. Did it go well? Why/Why not? Were you surprised by the timing? What do you need to work when you give a presentation in the future?

In my opinion the presentation went quite well, because I succeeded in finishing it in a right time (4minutes) and I was able to explain the most important themes of the topic assigned to me.

The difficulty lies in being able to keep the attention of audience. In fact the major concern is that others people don’t understand what you say and this may distract them.

I understand that it is important not to be embarrassed and use simple and concise sentences, explain only the essential aspects of the topic and not to talk too fast.

In conclusion, I think this is an useful experience for my future!

Media

(1) Have a look at some English language T.V. news channels (BBC, Sky, CNN) and newspaper websites and write a paragraph on how you think they compare with their Italian equivalents.

1) The first article, that I read, said in the Guardian that Palestine has obtained the approvation of membership to the UNESCO. Educational, scientific and cultural organisation (UNESCO) has granted Palestine full membership in a move that Israel and the United States say could harm Middle East peace. In my opinion this article is very objective because it bases on facts not on feelings or beliefs and also because it reports all position not exalting one. I compare this  article

of The Guardian with the article of Messaggero that relates the same notice. The two articles present some common aspects: they are a concise reconstruction of the facts; they are objective and easy to understand. I notice that Messaggero’s article reports more direct speech and so it reveals directly what the State said. About headlines, in the both articles, verb grammar is the present simple but Te Guardian’s headline is more synthetic.

The second article, that I read, said in The Guardian that Ed Miliband, labour leader, attacks the coalition of “rigging “the tax system against manufacturing companies and long –term investment.

This article relates the economical problems that are presented in Britain and therefore it is accurate and reports a lot of per cent data. It is specific and it is completely based on Miliband’s idea the government hasn’t understand the scale of the economic problems Britain in facing.

The economical article, in the Messaggero said that Italy is in a perfect storm of higher unemployment and higher inflation. The two articles are specific, precise, objective and with exhaustive   statistical information. Regarding headlines verb grammar, in both articles, is used the present simple.

 2) How do news websites compare to newspapers? Are they more or less informative? Easier to read? Is there any difference in the types of stories they cover? Do you think we will still be reading newspapers in the future or will we get all our news on line?

 In my opinion news websites have a lot of positive factors if they are compared to newspaper. First of all they report news in real time, constantly updated and annotated with the contribution of the same readers. Multimedia and hypertext are powerful weapons in the hands of the hi-tech capable and competent journalist. All things that provide an undeniable competitive advantage to news websites over traditional media too slow. Secondly they are often easier to read than newspapers because news websites are more synthetic and concise.

I don’t believe that there are differences in the types of stories they cover because the news that are reported, especially in the most reliable web sites, are very objective and not biased.

Finally I fear that many newspapers published only on paper will found a lot of difficulties to maintain and gain readers. In conclusion I retain that necessarily they will have to invent innovative form of service to those who buy them.

ps these are the articles that I read:   

                                                                        The Guardian

Unesco grants Palestine full membership

Controversial move endorsed in UN cultural agency vote despite US threat of withholding £50m in funds

The UN cultural and educational agency Unesco has granted Palestine full membership in a move that Israel and the United States say could harm Middle East peace efforts Link to this video

Palestine has become a full member of the UN cultural and educational agency in a move that the United States and other opponents say could harm renewed Middle East peace efforts.
The US had threatened to withhold roughly $80m (£50m) in annual funding to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) if it approved Palestinian membership. The United States provides about 22% of Unesco's funding.
Huge cheers went up in Unesco after delegates approved the membership by 107 votes to 14 with 52 abstentions. Eighty-one votes were needed for approval in a hall with 173 Unesco member delegations present.
"Long live Palestine!" shouted one delegate, in French, at the unusually tense and dramatic meeting of Unesco's general conference.
While the vote has large symbolic meaning, the issues of borders of an eventual Palestinian state, security troubles and other disputes that have thwarted Middle East peace for decades remain unresolved.
Palestinian officials are seeking full membership in the United Nations, but that effort is still under examination and the US has said it will veto it unless there is a peace deal with Israel. Given that, the Palestinians separately sought membership at Paris-based Unesco and other UN bodies.
Monday's vote is definitive. The membership formally takes effect when Palestine signs Unesco's founding charter.
The US ambassador to Unesco, David Killion, said the vote would "complicate" US efforts to support the agency. The United States voted against the measure.
Israel's ambassador to Unesco, Nimrod Barkan, called the vote a tragedy.
"Unesco deals in science, not science fiction," he said. "They forced on Unesco a political subject out of its competence. They have forced a drastic cut in contributions to the organisation."
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, last week called Unesco's deliberation "inexplicable", saying discussion of Palestinian membership of international organisations could not replace negotiations with Israel as a fast track towards Palestinian independence.

                                                                        Messaggero

Unesco vota sì all'adesione della Palestina
L'Europa si spacca. Israele: una tragedia

I palestinesi: giorno storico, ora libertà più vicina. Al voto l'Italia
si astiene. Usa: non possiamo accettare adesione Palestina

ROMA - La conferenza generale dell'Unesco ha votato a favore dell'adesione della Palestina come membro a pieno titolo dell'organismo Onu. L'Italia si è astenuta dal voto: 107 Stati si sono espressi a favore dell'adesione della Palestina, 52 - tra cui appunto l'Italia - si sono astenuti, e 14 hanno detto no. Gli Usa, la Germania e Israele sono tra quelli che hanno detto no, mentre in sala ha fatto molto scalpore il sì di Paesi come la Francia, il Belgio, la Spagna, l'Austria e la Russia. Voti, questi ultimi, accolti dal forte applauso di molti partecipanti. L'Europa, insomma, si è spaccata al momento del voto.

Farnesina: Europa divisa, Italia si è astenuta. «L'Italia si è attivata per giungere ad una posizione coesa e unita dell'Europa, in mancanza della quale ha deciso di astenersi - detto il portavoce della Farnesina, Maurizio Massari - Da un lato riconosciamo i progressi compiuti dall'autorità palestinese di Salam Fayyad, dall'altro riteniamo che non fosse questo il momento per porre la questione della membership davanti all'Unesco, in una fase in cui si sta cercando di creare le condizioni per la ripresa del negoziato tra le due parti, visto che pende già una domanda dell'Anp all'Onu».

Usa: non accettiamo adesione Palestina. «Gli Usa non possono accettare l'adesione della Palestina all'Unesco» ha detto il rappresentante degli Stati Uniti intervenendo alla sessione plenaria dell'Unesco dopo il voto favorevole ai
palestinesi.

Israele: è una tragedia. «Il via libera dell'Unesco all'adesione della Palestina è una tragedia» ha detto il rappresentante di Israele alla sessione plenaria. «Dobbiamo prendere in considerazione la rottura di ogni legame con l'Autorità nazionale palestinese. Non possiamo accettare di continuo le sue iniziative unilaterali - ha affermato il ministro israeliano degli Esteri israeliano Avigdor Lieberman - Non sono disposto ad accettare che Israele diventi il "fesso" della Regione. Non è ammissibile che, una volta dopo l'altra, ci venga sputato in faccia, e poi si venga a dire che è solo una benefica pioggerella». Nei giorni scorsi Lieberman aveva accusato il presidente dell'Anp Abu Mazen di rappresentare uno dei «maggiori ostacoli» alla pace fra israeliani e palestinesi. Oggi è tornato ad accusare l'Anp di aver fatto il possibile «per esimersi dall'accogliere l'appello del Quartetto per la ripresa di trattative bilaterali di pace con Israele.

Palestinesi: siamo felici, ora libertà più vicina. «Siamo felici: il voto di oggi all'Unesco ci da più potere per andare avanti sulla strada della libertà e della liberazione - ha detto Yahya Yakhief, membro della delegazione palestinese a Parigi - Oggi la comunità umana ci ha sostenuto». Il ministro degli Esteri palestinese Riyad Al Maliki ha commentato: «Questo è davvero un momento storico che restituisce alla Palestina alcuni dei suoi diritti».

                                                                   The Guardian

Ed Miliband attacks government over business tax changes

Labour leader says government's proposed tax changes will rig system against long-term investment and manufacturing firms

Ed Miliband has accused the coalition of "rigging" the tax system against manufacturing companies and long-term investment.
In a speech on Monday, the Labour leader voiced his support for "producer capitalism" as opposed to "predator capitalism", calling on the government to withdraw tax changes he said would punish up to 200,000 businesses that invest for the long term.
Miliband's attack came as David Cameron and the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said the government was serious about stimulating growth in the economy, with the 119 successful bidders in the second round of the regional growth fund being announced.
With the latest growth figures due to be revealed on Tuesday, Cameron used an article in the Financial Times to promise "all-out mission" to kickstart major infrastructure projects and get the economy moving.
But Miliband said the government's "business as usual approach" was failing to reward the long-term investment and training needed to boost the economy, citing the government's determination to press ahead with planned 2012 reductions in capital allowances to fund corporation tax cuts as an example.
The capital allowances let companies offset investment in plants, buildings and patents against corporation tax. Commons Library analysis suggests the tax change will benefit firms making profits, but not those reinvesting.
Miliband accused the chancellor, George Osborne, of pretending that it was not possible to encourage good business practices while making changes to the tax system that do the opposite.
He welcomed the second phase of regional growth funding – worth £950m – but said the decision to cut back on the allowances was "the wrong choice".
Banks are expected to benefit from the government's planned tax changes, while the biggest losers may be manufacturing and high-end engineering companies.
The self-employed will also be hit – they do not pay corporation tax but currently benefit from the capital allowances the Treasury is cutting.
Up to 200,000 businesses will face higher tax bills as a result of the change, and some firms could pay as much as £30,000 more or face a tax increase of at least 50%.
Speaking on a visit to an engineering technology firm in Derby, Miliband said: "We must end the fast buck, something for nothing culture so that we can build a new economy that serves the interests of British business, of most people, of the next generation and of our nation as a whole."
He said high value manufacturing should be "at the heart" of the modern economy, adding: "We need to build a new economy not on shifting sand but on the firm foundations of businesses that invest, invent, train, as well as make and sell real products and services.
"These businesses can help reverse the decline in apprenticeships and high quality training which can provide the gateway to decent jobs and a good standard of living for millions of families.
"A new generation of decent jobs in high-value manufacturing should be the future for many of the sons and daughters of the squeezed middle. Instead, the government is intent on making matters worse by effectively rigging the system against long-term investment and manufacturing firms.
"This is a government showing it is wedded to an old set of orthodoxies which do not serve the interests of most people or businesses. Day by day, this government is showing it is completely out of touch with British businesses who want to do the right thing."
Miliband said businesses needed "Labour's plan for jobs and growth now so that we can get Britain's economy moving again and people back to work".
Figures for the third quarter of this year are expected to show growth after nine flat months, but the March budget projection of 1.7% annual growth remains unlikely to be reached.
Speaking on Sky News, Miliband the government "hasn't understood" the scale of the economic problems Britain is facing.
"We are getting a perfect storm of higher unemployment and higher inflation," he warned. "We see energy bills going up, we see pay at the top going up by 50% while everybody else's living standards are being squeezed.
"I don't think the government have got to grips with the scale of the problem afflicting our economy and what needs to change."



                                                                    Messaggero

Italia ancora sotto attacco sui mercati
Disoccupazione record fra i giovani: 29%

Senza lavoro oltre due milioni di persone. Btp oltre il 6%, il differenziale con il bund sfonda quota 400. Piazza Affari affonda
Effetto Iva, l'inflazione schizza al 3,4%

ROMA - I mercati continuano a non fidarsi dell'Italia e i rendimenti dei Btp schizzano in alto. Il tasso sui titoli quinquennali ha segnato il record storico dall'introduzione dell'euro nel 1999 al 5,9%, mentre i decennali sono saliti oltre il 6% e il differenziale con il bund ha sfondato quota 40 punti base. Borse europee in calo, Milano la peggiore: -3%.

Il tasso di disoccupazione a settembre è balzato all'8,3%, dall'8% di agosto e dello stesso mese dell'anno precedente. Lo rileva l'Istat in base a stime provvisorie. Fra i giovani (15-24 anni) i senza lavoro sono saliti al 29,3%, dal 28% di agosto. Si tratta del dato più alto dal gennaio 2004, ovvero dall'inizio delle serie storiche.

Il numero dei disoccupati a settembre sale a 2,080 milioni, in aumento del 3,8% rispetto ad agosto (+76 mila unità). Su base annua la crescita è del 3,5% (+71 mila unità). Sull'altro fronte, gli occupati scendono a 22,911 milioni, in calo dello 0,4% (-86 mila unità) rispetto ad agosto (invariati nel confronto con l'anno precedente).

Quasi una donna su due in Italia né lavora né è in cerca di un posto, ovvero non rientra né nella fascia degli occupati né in quella dei disoccupati. Infatti, l'Istat, nelle stime provvisorie, rileva che a settembre il tasso di inattività femminile è pari al 48,9%, mentre quello maschile si attesta a 26,9%.

Più in particolare, il tasso di disoccupazione maschile aumenta di 0,3 punti percentuali nell'ultimo mese, portandosi al 7,4%; anche quello femminile mostra un aumento della stessa entità e si attesta al 9,7%. Rispetto all'anno precedente il tasso di disoccupazione maschile sale di 0,2 punti percentuali e quello femminile di 0,3 punti percentuali. Sul fronte opposto, il tasso di occupazione si attesta al 56,9%, in diminuzione sia su base mensile (-0,2 punti percentuali) che su base annua (-0,1 punti percentuali).

I dati Istat mostrano «un'ulteriore voragine occupazionale che non si può nascondere dietro il falso ottimismo e la propaganda». È quanto afferma il segretario confederale della Cgil, Fulvio Fammoni, che sottolinea «il fallimento di un governo disastroso, palesemente inadeguato e che deve andarsene».

Il tasso d'inflazione annuo a ottobre è salito al 3,4% dal 3% di settembre. È il dato più alto da ottobre 2008. Lo rileva l'Istat nelle stime provvisorie, che indicano un aumento dello 0,6% su base mensile, il rialzo maggiore da giugno 1995. Pesano gli effetti della manovra, in particolare dell'incremento dell'Iva.

Italia ancora sotto attacco. In attesa del vertice dei leader del G20 che si terrà in Francia, a Cannes, il 3 e il 4 novembre prossimi, e dal quale ci si aspettano nuove misure per risolvere la crisi del debito di Eurolandia, il differenziale tra il Btp decennale e l'analogo bund tedesco è balzato oggi sopra quota 400 punti base a 409, dai 384 di venerdì, mentre il rendimento del decennale italiano vola sopra il 6%.

Borse in calo. Piazza Affari giù, ancora la peggiore in Europa. L'indice Ftse Mib dei titoli principali cede oltre il 3%. Sotto pressione sul listino Fiat e i bancari. In calo anche le altre piazze europee. Deboli anche Parigi, Londra e Francoforte. A livello settoriale affondano le materie prime, gli automobilistici e i bancari.

Il Giappone vuole prima conoscere i dettagli sulle mosse del fondo salva-stati Ue per poi decidere il «ruolo da avere». Lo apprende l'agenzia Ansa da fonti autorevoli che esprimono giudizi in linea con la prudenza della Cina. La disponibilità ad aiutare l'Italia e l'Europa c'è, come già spiegato dal premier Yoshihiko Noda nell'intervista di venerdì al Financial Times, ma prima di ogni via libera c'è la volontà di conoscere meglio i termini delle operazioni per stabilizzare la crisi del debito dell'Eurozona.

«Vorremmo maggiori sforzi dell'Ue e dell'area euro per allentare i timori sulla crisi tramite un approccio più forte e dettagliato: la cosa più importante - aveva detto Noda - è assicurare che la crisi non contagi Asia o economia globale».

Altri potenziali investitori, come Brasile e Russia, hanno indicato la disponibilità a sostenere la zona dell'euro anche attraverso colloqui bilaterali con il Fmi. Il Giappone, allo stato, è già il più grande detentore di obbligazioni del fondo salva-stati fuori dal blocco dell'Eurozona, con un impegno di 2,7 miliardi di euro circa a seguito della sottoscrizione del 20% delle tranche emesse a gennaio e giugno, rispettivamente, a favore di Irlanda e Portogallo.Sul mercato dei cambi, il governo giapponese oggi è intervenuto per indebolire il valore dello yen, che aveva appena battuto un nuovo record nei confronti del dollaro. È quanto indicato dal ministro delle Finanze giapponese, Jun Azumi, il quale ha precisato che Tokyo è intervenuta da sola, senza l'aiuto di altri governi. Il dollaro, sceso a 75,32 yen, livello minimo dalla fine della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, ora tratta sopra 79 yen.

.

Counting Sheep

Reading

A) The test is a sort of experiment to see if somebody is sleep deprived. In fact it shows that if a person doesn’t wake up when the spoon falls on the plate positioned near the bed, he needs to sleep. In fact he sleeps so deeply that he doesn’t perceive the heavy noise. The last sentence means that it is necessary to give more importance to sleeping. According to P.Martin we should give sleeping the same importance that we give to diet.

B, C & D)

1- The invention of the electric light change our sleep because now people don't get up any more with the sun and go to bed at nightfall. Nowadays our hours of sleep are mainly determined by an alarm clock.

3- Research has shown that naps are useful because they give more energy.

4- The average person sleeps only 6.2 hours at night during the week, but research has shown  that is necessary to sleep eight or even eight and an half hours. The time of our sleeping can change according to profession. For example doctors are often sleep deprived especially when they are on “night call” and may get less than three hours sleep.

6- “Sleep debt” is the sleep not satisfied. We become sleep deprived for this sleep dept that can improve every day in which we don’t recover it.

7- The most popular drug is caffeine it’s used because it helps to keep us awake but it makes us more nervous and irritable.

8- According to resource driving very tired is as dangerous as driving when drunk. The difference is that driving when drunk is strictly forbidden by the law, whereas driving when exhausted isn’t.

9- People sleep less than they used to because in the modern age there are a lot of reasons not to sleep. For example in our society there are shops and services that are available all hours; mobile phones, TV and internet tempt us away from our beds.

11- Tiredness of engineers contributes to the worst nuclear incident in history at Chernobyl in 1986. This happened because the engineers, in the early hours of the morning, made a series of mistakes with catastrophic results.

12- The average person needs eight or even eight and half hours whereas the average adult sleeps only 6.2 hours a night during the week and this aspect causes the ‘sleep debt’.

F) 

1- I agree with Paul Martin that we live in a sleep deprived society because in modern society the most people sleep less than they need to fell at their best. Firstly in our society there are a lot of reasons as distractions and amusements not to sleep. TV, mobile phones, internets tempt us away from our beds. Secondly our society is always on the move, most of the people have some engagements and cares that contribute to limit the time to sleep. In conclusion the result of sleep deprivation is a society irritable, unhappy and exhausted.

2- I think that it’s right that doctors who are ‘on night call’ sleep less than three because they don’t have the possibility to recover “sleep debt”. In fact in my opinion there’s a great difference between sleeping during the day and sleeping in the night. The first category of people sleep less because some activities must be done on the hours of daylight: for example taking child to school or making shopping. Therefore I agree with Paul Martin.

3- Yes I think it should be illegal to drive when the driver is exhausted and tired. The problem is how calculate when a person is completely worn out. I think tiredness is a subjective state and so each person should understand when the state of weariness is so deeply that is necessary to stop driving.

4- I think that the best three sleep tips are:

1) give a sleep a high priority in our life;

2) Listen to our body, if we feel tired, we probably need more sleep;

3) have a regular routine, try to go to bed at roughly the same time every day.

The first sleep tip is very important because sleeping is necessary to fell us better, happier and more relaxed. Therefore we should give sleeping the importance it deserves, otherwise we risk our health.

The second sleep tip is very interesting because if we listen our body we can fell happier and satisfied. The needs and the lacks of our body condition our behaviour. When a person is relaxed, he is happier outgoing and sociable.

The third sleep tip is important because it indicates the way to avoid sleep deprivation and to recover out sleep debts. This tip is strictly connected to the firs tip, in fact a regular life without excesses is fundamental to give sleep an high priority in our life

Listening practice using a DVD

I watched the movie ‘I’m legend’: in the first five minutes there were two characters who spoke about football during a TV show, and then an interview to an important doctor who said about a cure for the cancer.

Step 1

Listening the first five minutes of the film without subtitles I’ve found a lot of problems.

First of all I have understood only disconnected words because the characters spoke too fast and therefore my level of comprehension was low. I’ve realized only the general situation that will be not quite right at the moment of the third step.

Step 2

Listening the first five minutes of the film with English subtitles I’ve understood the context but the characters spoke too fast and therefore I couldn’t understand some parts of the phrases.

Regarding the vocabulary I didn’t know only these words: nutshell, measles, harmful, cancer-free.

Step 3

Listening the first five minutes of the film with English subtitles and stopping every sentence of the subtitles, the comprehension was better because I read and listened every sentence slowly.

Regarding the vocabulary, the meaning of the words wasn’t difficult except the four unknown words.

Reading and listening several time have permitted to repeat the first step more easily.

In conclusion the difficulty was the too fast speech and the fact that a lot of words were linked and they were not pronounced distinctly, and also the presence of the American slang made the understanding more difficult. On the contrary I didn’t have particular problems for the meaning of the worlds.

Here there is the dialog that I didn’t understand at the first step because the two voices were too fast:

-..spring training camp and he's definitely got the inside track. Word is that they're having some 

problems with injuries.

-Really? Are they looking into free-agent signings last second, anything like that?

-Possibly, and they've got a strong farm club too.

They've got some triple-A ballplayers they might bring up.

Peter would certainly be able to tell us more about that.

Who do you like?

So far, I like what I'm seeing in New York. They've got a strong ball club, as usual. 

That's in the American. And in the National, I'm still liking Chicago with a little bit of a twist 

here for Los Angeles.

Okay, so we're looking at New York-Chicago World Series possible Los Angeles. 

Could be a dark horse.

Hold him to it at the end of the season.

That's gonna do it for us from the Sports Desk.

Back to the studio. Thanks, Dave.

Thanks for nothing, Eddie.

Here I understood more because the actress spoke slowly to explain her theory:

Um, I'm not... I find the best way to describe it is, if you can imagine your body as a highway 

and you picture the virus as a very fast car being driven by a very bad man...imagine the damage 

that car could cause.But then if you replace that man with a cop the picture changes. 

And that's essentially what we've done.

What’s your soundtrack??

Reading: a-b-c-f page 71

I think that “what kind of music do you like?” is a good question to know information about character and lifestyle of people. According to psychologists, I retain that musical tastes can show some important aspects about somebody because every kind of music conveys particular and specific feelings and sensations. Therefore everyone chooses and loves a type of music on the basis of own character, political position and lifestyle. So I fit myself into the first category of the article: “upbeat and simple music”. In fact I love listening to pop and country music, according to this article I am cheerful, sociable and outgoing and I enjoy helping people.

Therefore I agree with the psychologists who think that personality clues are revealed in the music’s tempo and lyrics ; and I assent to the article about what it say about  people personalities.

 In fact, for example, one of my friends loves listening to energetic and rhythmic music as hip hop. As the article rightly says she is extrovert, romantic and she often speaks their mind without thinking; another friend, who is quite vain and intellectual, often listens to jazz music.

In conclusion I think that this article gives correct and true information through musical tastes, and I retain that music is very often the mirror of our personalities.

Reading e: read the article again and underline new words or phrases that you would like to learn , and compare with a partner.

Adverb: unnecessarily - adjective: unnecessary - noun: uselessness

Unnecessarily is an adverb used to say that something is useless. Example: My mother is unnecessarily fussy because I’m in love with him. / “People who like country and pop music try to avoid their lives unnecessarily complex.”

Adjective: Upbeat -synonymous: cheerful, offbeat, well being, optimistic.

Example: I saw a film with an upbeat ending.

 Adverb: remarkably – adjective: remarkable noun: remarkableness

Remarkably is an adverb used to say that something or somebody is extraordinary unusual. Examples: Mario is a man remarkable for his courage because he enjoys helping people. / “their research has shown that knowing another person’s musical tastes can provide remarkably accurate personality predictions.”

Phrase: “people with dramatic personalities, whose moods go up and down a lot, are attracted to opera, not influenced by it”.

 It is an expression used to say that a person is moody, changeable. –Adj: moodily noun: moodiness

The psychology of music (10/06/2011)

Question D, page 69: 

N° 1: On a typical day when and where do you listen to music?

N°2:  Do you listen to different kinds of music at different times of day?

My answer:

I often listen to music during different moments of day.

Firstly, as soon as I got up I turn on the radio and listen to music while I’m having breakfast and wearing myself. I turn up the volume to sing the most famous songs especially while I’m taking the shower.

Secondly, I never  forget to take my ipod so I can listen to music on the bus on the way to university.

I’ll listen to music on my car as soon as I’ve acquired a driving licence.

Listening to music helps me to relax before a difficult and heavy day. In addition I love listening to music after the university while I’m returning to home;  music helps me to change activities and to take my mind off my studies and all the cares of everyday life.

Finally I take my favourite cd and listen it before to go to bed because it almost sends me to sleep. I don’t listen to different kinds of music because I like exclusively pop music. Obviously I listen the same genre of music but different songs during the different moments of the day. Therefore I choose the songs according to my emotions and feelings.

I would like to learn to play the guitar because I want to write songs by myself and play them for everybody. I think playing a guitar is a good way to influence a person to be nice and good.

In conclusion I believe that listening to music is very important because it helps to intensify my emotions and it can change how I feel;  music can also be used to bring a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety away.

Question D:

N° 3: what music would you play..?

My answers:

If I were feeling sad and I wanted to feel more cheerful I would play a music with fast and high rhythms , for example a pop music song.

If I were feeling depressed and I wanted to feel even worse I would play a slow and low music, for example a song of soul genre.

If I were feeling furious about something and I wanted to feel even angrier I would play loud music with irregular rhythms.

If I were feeling nervous or stressed and wanted to calm down I would play a slow and low music, for example an ambient or blues song.

If I wanted to create a romantic atmosphere for a special dinner I would play a music with a regular rhythms and with a voice that speaks  lower and more slowly, for example an Adele’s song.

Some of my favourite English songs are:

1)      In my place – Coldplay

2)      Iris – Goo Goo Dolls

3)      Something about you – Five For Fighting

4)      Someone like you – Adele

5)      Trouble – Pink

6)      Paradise – Coldplay

7)      Home – Michael Bublè

8)      Superman - Five For Fighting

9)      Don't you remember – Adele

10)   Forever young - Alphaville