2

TbcWCclry
HISTORY
ROMAN BRITAIN
lulius
Caesar and Britain
Julius
Caesar invaded
l
Britain in 55 B.C.2lt is probable that
he wished
3
to punish
a
the Britons for sending help to the
Cauts
s
during his campaign
6
against them. He returned
again to Britain in 54,7 defeated
8
Cassivelaunus, a British
chief, and imposed tributes. Then he left the istand.
e
For nearly a century Britain remained f ree. ln 43 A.D.,
10
the
Emperor Claudius sent his general Aulus Plautius to con-
quer
11
Britain.
rbcWW
1. to invade
[in'veid]
=
in-
vadere
2. in 55 B.C.
before Christ
3. to wish
[wi"t]
=
deside-
rare
4. to punish
['pnnirf] =
pu-
n ire
5. Gaul
[gc:l]
6. campaign
[km'pein]
=
campagna
7. in 54
=
in fifty-four
B. to defeat
[di'fi:t] =
sconf iggere
L island
['ailand]
=
,isola
10. in 43 A.D.
=
in forty-
three Anno Domini
1 1. to conquer
['kcnka*]
=
conquistare
Hadrian's Wall. The
northern limit of Roman
occupation.
150
British resistance
Caractacus, a British chief, tried to stop the invaders, but was
captured
12
and sent to Rome.
Seventeen
13
years after the conquest,
Queen
Boadicea
revolted against the Romans and sacked
t4
Verulanium
(St.
Albans) and Londinium (London),
but her army was defeated
by Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman governor of Britain. The
Romans were unable
tt
to conquer Scottand, where the Picts
lived. They never attempted to conquer lreland
Queen
Boadicea's
statue near Westminster
Bridge in London.
12. to capture
['kpe*] =
cattu rare
1 3. seventeen
['sevn'ti:n]
=
diciassette
14. to sack
[sk] =
met-
tere a sacco
15. to be unable
['rn'eibl]
=
essere incapace, non riu-
scire
16. Hadrian's Wall
['hi-
drieriz uc:ll
=
Vallo di Adria-
no
17. to keep back
=
per
contenere
18. law
[c:l =
legge
1 9. civilization
[sivilai'zeiJen]
=
civilt
20. theatre
['Oiata*]
=
tea-
tro
21 . public baths
[ba:0s] =
terme.
22. such as
=
come (qua-
li)
23. empire
['empaie*] =
rmpero
24. to rule
[ru:l]
-
gover-
nare
25. three hundred and fif-
ty years
=
350 anni
26. Once again
=
Ancora
una volta. Once
[unns] =
una volta
Hadrian's Wall
Under the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, the Romans built a
great fortif icatioh, called Hadrian's Watl,
t6
f rom Carlisle to
Newcastle-on-Tyne, to keep back
t7
the Picts of Scotland. lt
still remains where it was built.
The Roman rule
The Romans introduced their administration, their system of
law,
l8
their civilization
Le
and later Christianity. Roman ar-
chitecture also came to Britain: tem.ples, theatres,20 am-
phitheatres, public baths
21
and villas of
-Roman
style were
e rected.
Many towns derived f rom Roman m ilitary camps
(castra),
such as
22
Colchester, Leicester, Silchester, Winchester, and
others.
The end of the Roman rule
At the beginning of the f ifth century the Romans began to
leave Britain.
The empire
23
was in danger, hordes of barbarian tribes had
invaded it.
The Romans had ruted
24
Britain for three hundred and fifty
years,
25
and now they were obliged to go. Once again,
26
Bri-
tain became a land of conquest.
151
fUION V ft,IRTT RS RN D COft,IfUIC RCC
THE POST OFFICE
This is an important buitding.
I
lt is the central post office. ls
it a big building? Yes, it is. Where is the central post office?
The central post office is usually in the centre of the city. The
small post off ices are branches of the central post off ice.
We go to the post office when we want to post letters and
parcels. We do a lot of things at the post off ice, and we
usually find a lot of people there. lnside a post off ice there
are many counters. The post office clerks sit behind the
counters and serve people. This counter is for postage stamps
and letters (normal, first class, and registered). There are
counters f or pensions, f amily allowances,
2
National
lnsurance
3
and for licences
(television
licence, car licence,
dog licence, etc.).
Do we always post letters at the post off ice? No, we can put
letters in the red pillar-boxes outside in the street" But we do
a lot of things at the post office, and we learn a lot of new
words!
1. building
['bildin]
cio
2. family allowance
[e'lauens]
=
assegno Jami-
liare
3. National lnsurance
[in'Juarans]
zione di) Previdenza Sociale
A post
office in London.
Uocabulary
branch
[bra:nc]
parcel
['pa:s[
postage stamp
['paustig
stmP]
pension
['penfan]
counter
['kaunte*]
f iliale
pacco
f rancobollo
pensione
sportello
licence
['laisans]
pillar-box
['pilebcks]
to register
['regista*]
licenza
cassetta
per im-
bucare
(a
pilastro)
raccomandare
(lettere, ecc.)
152
The first sfamps (1 840) showed the head of Queen Victoria
.
country. This practice
ha.s been continued with the
and did not carry the name of the
sfamps of Great Britain ever since.
COI{VERSATION
(A
street in the centre of the city)
Mario What is that big building?
lohn
lt's the central post office.
Mario Cood ! I have something .for my girl-f riend in ltaly.
Now I can send it.
lohn
ls it a letter? You can put your letter in this red pillar-
box in the street.
Mario No, it isn't a letter, it's a small parcel.
lohn
We can go to the post office immediately.
(ln
the post off ice)
Mario There are a lot of people in the post office today.
Who are those old men at that counter?
lohn
They are pensioners. They take their money at the
counter where it says Pensions.
Mario And those women and children? They do not come
for pensions.
l
oh n
X; Ji .;:'"i":,lru' f:,"11:i:l :',,i;,""i':","1:i
radio and television licences, dog licences, car
licences and many other things.
Mario Where can I send my parcel?
lohn
That is your counter: it says Parcels. You can send
your parcel express or registered, but it costs a lot of
money. ls it im portant?
Mario Of course! lt is for my girl-friend (To post office c/erk)
Express and registered, please.
Post office clerk Express and registered for ltaly. That costs
one pound and eighty pence.
Mario That is a lot of money!
153
Here we are in Trafalgar Square, one of the most famous
I
squares in London. U nti I 1B2g
2
it was a mass of old and
ugly
3
houses, but then the site was cleared and the new
square was designed
o
by Sir Charles Barry to commemorate
Nelson's victory and tragic death at Trafalgar. A very tall co-
lumn stands in the middle of the Square: it is Nelson's
Cotumn,
5
and it supports the 17 foot
6
statue of Lord Netson.
The huge capital
7
on which
8
Netson stands is made from
bronze melted
n
from the guns of the Royal Ceorge while the
bronze reliefs
10
at the base of the column are in metal taken
from French cannons captured in Nelson's sea battles. The
four enormous lions at the base appeared in 1867.
rr
lf you want to watch something unusuat, try to arrive
t2
at
the Square by five minutes to ten
13
in the morning..Jhun you
witl r"
t4
the two great fountains spout into tife:
15
a spten-
did sight!
16
]f you" are in London at Christmas time, do not miss
t7
the
spectacle o{ the huge Christmas tree f rom Scandinavia, with
tirousands
18
of lighls twinkling
re
in the frosty
20
night air,
and old English carols enchanting
your ears. And now it is
time to start walking. Onwards
21
to Westminster!
154
I1 ROUND
LONDON
1. the most famous
['feimas]
=
le pi famose
2. Until 1829
=
Until eigh-
teen twenty-nine
=
Fino al
1829
3. ugly
[',rgli] =
brutto
4. to design
[di'zain] =
disegnare, progettare
5. Nelson's Golumn
['kclem]
=
la Colonna di Nelson
6. 17 f oot
=
seventeen
foot
=
di 17 piedi
7. capital
['kpitll -
capi-
tello
B. on which
[wic] =
su cui
9. to melt
=
fondere
10. relief
[ri'li:fl =
rilievo
1 1. 1867
seven
i
12. try to arrive
=
cercate
di arrivare
13. by f ive minutes to ten
14. you will see
15. spout into life
=
nascere zampillando
16. sight
[sait]
spettacolo
17. do not miss
perdete
18. thousands
['0auzendz]
=
migliaia
19. to twinkle
l'tuink| =
scintillare
20. frosty
['frnsti] =
gelido
21 . Onwards
['cnuedzl -
Avanti
A limerick is a stanza
I
either
3
very innocent or
anonymous, though some
obscure.
of five lines,
2
very common in Anglo-saxon countries. lts subject is
very naughty,4 but always humorous and absurd. They are usually
of them were written by famous poets. The origin of the word limerick is
There was a young man of Bengal
Who
5
went to a fancy-dress ball,
He went,
just
for fun,
6
Dressed up as a bun,
7
And a dog ate him up in the hatl.
8
There was a young man f rom the city,
Who saw what he thought was a kitty.
e
To make sure
10
of that
He gave it a pat.
11
They uried
t2
ir clothes what a pityl
There was a young lady of Niger,
t4
Who smiled as she rode
15
on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
t6
With the lady inside,
And a smile
t7
on the face of the tiger!
There was an old man of Blackheath,
r8
Who sat on his set of false teeth
le
Said he, with a start,
20
(
O Lord, bless my heart!
2t
f 've bitten myself underneath! >
22
There was a young tady named
23
-Rood,
Who was such an absotute
prude
u
That she
pulled
down the blind
2s
When changing her mind
26
Lest a curiouieye should intrude.
27
1. stanza
['stnza] =
stanza
2. line
[ain]
=
verso
3. either .,- or
=.
o ... o
4. naughtV
['nc:tiJ =
birichino, audace
5, Who
[hu;J
,..
maschera
6.
just
for fun
[f'rn]
=
tanto per ridere
7, bun
lbrrn] =
biscotto
8. hall
[hc:l]
=
salone
9. kitty
['kiti]
=
gattino
10. to make sure
=
per
sincerarsi
1 1, pat
[ptJ =
buffetto
12. to bury
['beriJ =
seppellire
13. what a pity!
=
che peccato!
14. Niger
['naiga*] =
Niger
15. to ride (rode ridden)
=
cavalcare
16. ride
lraid] =
cavalcata, corsa
17. smile
[smaill =
sorriso
18. Blackheath
['blkhi:0] =
luogo immaginario
19. set of false teeth
[ti:O] =
dentiera
20. start
=
sobbalzo
21 . ,, O Lord ...
=
< Misericordia,divina!
>
22. I've...
-
Mi sono morsicato nel di sotto ! To bite (bit
bitten)
=
mordere, morsicare. Underneath
[mda'ni:O] =
sotto
23. to name
[neim] -
chiamare, nominare
24, Who was .,,
=
Che era talmente pudica
25. to pull down
=
tirare
gi. Blind
[blaindl
siana
26. to change one's mind
=
cambiare
parere
27. Lest ..,
r Per timore che un occhio curioso
la spiasse. To intrude
[in'tru:d] =
intromettersi
155
BRANI DI TRADUZIONE DALL'ITALIANO
1
lohn
Ciao, Tony. Sono molto contento di vederti. Ti vedo raramente (in) questi giorni.
Sei molto occupato?
Tony Si,
John,
lavoro molto ed ho poco tempo per vedere gli (my)
amici.
Iohn
lo sto andando in citt ora: vuoi venire con me?
Tony
Questa
un'idea, cosi possiamo conversare un poco.
Iohn
Devo prendere la macchina o
preferisci
andare in autobus? C' molto traffico
og8i.
Tony Hai una macchina,
John? Quando
la comprasti?
Iohn
Due mesi fa. Vuoi vederla?
Tony
Quando
ritorniamo dalla citt,
I
John.
Vogliamo
2
andare ora? C' un autobus
fra
3
cinque minuti.
lohn
D'accordo, Tony.
2
La giornata stata bella oggi: non abbiamo avuto pioggia recentemente, ed io sono
felice. Mi sento sempre cosi quanto il tempo
a
bello.
Sono appena ritornata dalla citt, dove ho comprato un libro.
Quando
entrai nella
libreria, vidi un vecchio amico, Charlie.
Chrlie sempre vissuto in citt, perch odia vivere in campagna. Dice che il silenzio
della campagna lo deprime. lo adoro la campagna, ed ho sempre preferito
vivere qui,
perch odio il traffico ed i rumori.
Charlie era appena_ritornato da Londra, dov'era stato per affari.
5
Mi invit a prendere
un tazza di caff
6
con lui, e facemmo una lunga chiacchierata.
Quando
lo lasciai,
Charlie promise di telefonarmi. Ringraziai Charlie per il caff e tornai a casa. Charlie
un ragazzo simpatico, siamo sempre stati buoni amici.
3
Susan Dove sei stato tutta la mattina,
John?
John
Sono stato in citt.
Susan
Quando
arrivasti in citt?
lohn
Alle didci.
Susan Che cosa facesti in citt?
Iohn
Giuocai a tennis con David.
Susan David giuoca bene?
John
Mica male.
Susan ll tempo era bello?
lohn
Dapprima era bello, poi cominci a piovere, ed andammo ad un colfee bar.
Susan Che cosa vuoi fare adesso?
Iohn
Vogliamo bere qualcosa?
Susan Buona idea! Devo fare del t o del caff?
Iohn
Una buona tazza di t quello che desidero ora.
1. dalla citt
=
from town
5. per allari
=
on business
['biznis]
2. Vogliamo ...?
=
Shall we ...?
6. prendere una tazza di caff
=
to have a cup of
3. lra:= in.
coffee
4. tempo (atmosferico)
=
weather
['uee*]
156
JOr{S
Teacher: Bobbie, name two pronouns.
Bobbie: Who, me?
Teacher: Correct.
Teacher: < Now, children, if I see a man beating a donkey and I stop him, what virtue do
I show? >
Pupil: < Brotherly love >.
< I think l've lost another pupil >, said the professor
when his glass eye rolled down the
sink.
Small boy to father: < Here's my report card and one of yours
that I found in the attic >.
A young
student, being depressed for a poor
report, asked: < What do you
think the trou-
ble with me is, Dad
-
heredity or env'ironment? >
A teacher of chemistry had
just
written the formula HNor on the blackboard.
< Will you
tell us what that is,
Jones?
> he asked.
< well ... er... >, stammered
the boy, < it's ... er ... it's on the tip of my tongue, sir >.
< Then I advise you
to spit it out >, said the teacher, o n".uu* it,s nitric acid >.
< Tommy >, asked the te.acher, < if r lay one egg on the table and two on the chair, how
many eggs will I have altogether? >.
< Personally >, answered Tommy, <t I don,t think you
can do it >.
-ze
Jr
-,,W2o
"ln my day, Filbert, we
iust
scratch ed our
initials into the desk-
top."
ihoe
n-
157