/r

.1.1
HISTORV
LIFE IN SAXON ENCLAND
The king and hs lords
Every Saxon man followed a lord whom
t
he was ready to de-
f end to the death.
2
I n retu rn he received h is tord's protec-
tion. A king was the greatest
3
of the lords in his kingdom. He
was assisted in the rule of his kingdom by the Witan, a coun-
cil of lords and bishops who
a
advised the king. A king's
duties were to protect his subjects in case of war, to keep the
peace and see
s
that
justice
was done.
TbcWW.
1. whom
[hu:m]
=
che
(pron, relativo)
2. to the death
[deO]
=
fino alla morte
3. the greatest
-
il pi
g rande
4, who
[hu:]
=
che
@ron.
relativo)
5. to see (that)
vedere (a che)
A Saxon king and his witan have reached a verdict.
252
Saxon
Freemen and slaves
uuuLFJxJ
J
\W
swineherd's
hut
fi
Q
mr
Aa
Freemen received some land and cattle
6
from their lord and
in return they worked for him for two or more days a week.
They paid rent in money or grain or animals
(hens, pigs or
cows). They were f ree and cou ld
7
teave the village and
choose another lord.
ln contrast the slaves of Saxon England had no escape.They
were owned
8
by their masters, who had the right
e
to kill
them if they wanted. The murderer of a slave was punished
not for killing a man, but for doing damage
10
to another
man's property.
The vllage
Look at the drawing
11
of a Saxon village. You will see that
the hall was the most important building. The lord, his family
and servants lived there. Long tables ran along the sides of
the main room. Here the Saxon lords and their guests
feasted
tz
on bread, roast meats and vegetables, and drank
mead, a drink made from honey. During these feasts a
minstrel played the harp and sang, perhaps about Beowulf,
the hero of the legend who had died struggling with a dragon.
A lord and his lady
At dawn
13
the lord got up to spend the day hunting, or simp-
Iy seeing that the law was obeyed in the village and that
everything was going well. His wife stayed at home looking
after
t4
the children and giving orders to the servants. She
also spent some time tpinning and weaving
ls
wool, and
supervising the making of bread, butter and cheese.
village.
6. land and cattle
['kretl]
=
terra e bestiame
7. and could
[kud] =
e po-
tevano
B. to own
[eun] =
posse-
dere.
9. right
[rait] =
diritto
10. to do damage
l'dremi]
=
arrecare danno
1 1. Look at the drawing
['drc:i4] =
Guardate il dise'
gno
12. to feast
[fi:st] =
ban-
chettare
13. At dawn
[dc:n] =
Al-
I'alba
14. to look after
=
sorve-
gliare, aver cura di
15. spinning and weaving
['ui:vi4] =
filando e tessen-
do
253
fUION Y f|,IRTT RS R N D COfUIfUI RCC
THE DEPARTMENT STORE
The department store is a big shop where we can buy a large
number of different things. Fifty years ago there were not
many department stores. People went to different shops for
different things. They went to the butcher's to buy meat, to
the greengrocer's to buy fruit and vegetables, to the tailor's
for clothes, to the.tobacconist's for cigarettes, and so on.
1
Today we can buy all these things in one place: the depart-
ment store.
The department store has many advantages f or the
housewife. The modern housewife often has a
job;
she is very
busy and does not have time to go to five or six different
shops. And so she goes to the department store where she can
f ind everything she wants.
2
The department store saves time; it also saves money. Depart-
ment stores are usually run
3
by big organizations with bran-
ches in many different towns and even in different countries.
They buy enormous quantities of goods and sell them to
millions of people. This is what we call
(
a large turnovr D,
and it means that.lhe goods become cheaper
a
because it is
better to selt a million artictes at a profit of 1\o/o
s
than a
thousand articles at a prof it of Soo/a.
But small shops have some advantages too. The small
shopkeeper knows his regu lar customers. He knows their
special needs and tries to satisfy them. Every customer is im-
portant for him. If you want special and personal treatment,
you have to go to the small shopkeeper.
l/ocabulary
need
[ni:d]
basement
['beismant]
notice
['neutis]
to mean meant
meant
[mi:n]
Iment]
to forget forgot
forgotten
to try
ltrai]
to satisfy
['sretisfai]
cheap
[ci:p]
expensive
[iks'pensivJ
1. and so on
=
e cos via
2. everything she wants
=
tutto ci di cui ha biso-
gno
3. to run (ran run)
=
dirigere. ll significato nor-
mafe carrere
4. the goods become
cheaper
=
la merce di-
viene pi a buon mercato
5. 10o/o
bisogno, esigenza
seminterrato
awiso (al
pubblico)
voler dire
dimenticare
cercare (di),
tentare
soddisfare
economico, a
buon mercato
caro, costoso
department
[di'pa:tmant]
department
store
shopkeeper
[Icpki:po*J
customer
['kastema*]
iob [ecbl
tailor
['teila*l
advantage
lad'va:ntigl
organization
[c:ganai'zeitanl
branch
lbra:ncl
turnover
['ta:n'auve*l
profit
['prcfit]
treatment
['tri:tment]
reparto
grande
magazzino
negoziante
cliente
impiego, lavoro
sarto
vantaggio
organizzaztone
f iliale
giro d'affari
prof itto
trattamento
254
COI{VER,SATION
(Tom and Mario in the Street)
Tom Shall we go to the football match
6
this afternoon?
Mario Yes, that's a good idea, but l've got to do a lot of
shopping f irst and we haven't got much time.
Tom What do you have to buy?
Mario I need a pair of gloves and a pullover because the
weather is cold.
Tom Yes, you need warm clothes for an English winter. ls
that all?
7
Mario No. I want a record of the Rolling Stones for my
sister's birthday, I need a f ilm for my camera, and I
,
must not forget to buy a bottle of good ltalian wine.
Tom You can find all those things in a big department
store. There is one on the corner of this street.
Mario Cood, that will save time.
(ln
the department store)
Tom Here we are.
Mario This is an enormous store; there are fourteen f loors.
8
Where can I find what I want?
Tom This notice tells you everything. Men's clothes on the
sixth f loor that's for the gloves and the pullover.
Photography and records ar on the ground f toor
e
where we are standing now. The food department
10
is in the basement we must go there to buy the
wine.
(Some
time later)
Mario Well, that was quick. Only half an hour.
Tom Did you find everything you needed?
Mario Yes, it was very easy.
Tom Was it expensive?
Mario No, it was rather
ll
cheap, except
rz
for the wine.
Tom Yes, sf egurse, All wine here is imported. lf you stay
in England
you
must learn to drink beer.
Maro There are a lot of people here today.
Tom There are a lot of people here every day. This depart-
ment store has an enormous turnover and that makes
things cheap.
13
6. football match
lmecJ =
incontro di calcio
7, ls that all?
=
Questo
tutto?
8. floor
[flc:*]
=
piano (di
edif icio)
9. ground floor
=
pianter-
reno
10. food department
=
reparto alimentare
1 1. rather
['ra:a*J
=
piut-
tosto
12. except
[ik'sept]
=
ec-
cetto
13. and that makes things
cheaP
=
ecirende
economici
gli articoli (in ven'
dita)
255
RROUND
LONDON
Af ter visiting
I
the Houses of Parliament, another f asci-
nati ng2 sigha is waiting for us not far away: Westminster
Abbey.
The Abbey is the work of Henry the Third and dates f rom
1245, but there are still a few remains of the original church
started by Edward the Confessor. The Undercroft
3
of the
monks' dorm itory and the Dark Cloister,
a
f or instance.
t
Walking round this beautif ul abbey you will see that nearly
every prominent figure in English history is buried
6
here, and
that every sovereign, poet, writer or actor of some im por-
tance has a memorial here. One part of the Abbey that will
particularly interest you is Henry the Fifth's Chapel,
just
behind the High Altar. ln it you will admire the king's helmet,
saddle and shield. And a fifteenth century statue of the King,
mounted
7
and in full armour,
s
shows him as he must hav
looked
e
in those days.
Every stone of the Abbey has its exc iting story. The best
thing
10
to do would be to invest a little money in one of
those guide books about the Abbey and read it while walk-
ing
11
around. It will be a fascinating trip into the past!
Before leaving the Abbey, do not miss the doorway leading
12
to the Chaptr House: it is a real hidden
13
treasure. Henry
the Third wanted a place to discuss matters of State with his
feudal Lords, and built it here. On the 26th of March, 1257,
t4
the King and his Lords gathered here for the f irst time. We
can say that Parliament was born here.
256
Westminster Abbey. The
Nave, showing choir-
screen.
1. After vlsiting
=
Dopo
aver visitato
2. to fascinate
['fasineit]
=
affascinare
3. Undercroft
['nndekrcft]
=
Cripta
4. Dark Cloister
-
Chio-
stro Fosco
5. for instance
['instans] =
ad esempio
6. to bury
['beri] =
seppel-
lire
7. mounted
['mauntid]
=
a
cavallo
f . in f ull armour
['a:me*]
=
con completa armatura
9. as he must have looked
=
come doveva apparire
10. The best thing
=
La
miglior cosa
1 1. while walking
=
men-
tre camminate
12. do not miss the door.
way leading (to)
=
non
trascurate (mancate) la por-
ta ad arco che conduce (a)
13. to hide (hid hidden)
=
nascondere
14. On the 26th of March,
1257
=
On the twenty-sixth
of March, twelve fifty-seven
The two following poems,belong to the large family
are simple and genuine, and sometimes exquisite.
Radltffi@Da[M
of English anonymous composifions. These
The fox'
iu^ped2
up on a moontght nght3
The fox
jumped
up on a moonlight night,
The stars they were shining
o
and all things bright;
5
(
Oh, ho! > said the fox,
(
it's a very f ine night
For me to go over the down,
6
O. ))
The fox soon came to a farmer's yard,7
Where the ducks and the geese were sore afeared;
I
< The best
e
of you all shatl grease
10
my beard
When I trot home to my den,
11
O. ))
OId Cammer Hipple-Hopplq hopped
t2
out of bed,
She opened the casement
13
and popped out
t4
her head;
(
Oh husband ! oh husband ! the grey goose is dead,
And the fox is gone throught the town, O. ,
The fox and his wife, without any strife,
ls
They cut up the gogse without fork and knifq,
And said it was the best they had had in their life
And the young ones
16
picked the bones,
t7
O.
My mother sad
My Mother said that I never shoutd
18
Ptay with the gypsies
le
in the wood.
20
The wood was dark, the grass was green,
tn came Sally
"
with a tambou rine.22
went to the sea no ship to get across,
paid
ten shiltings for a blind
2a
white horse.
Lp on his back-2s and was of
26
in a crack,
27
ally tell my Mother I shall never come back.
1 . fox
lfcks]
=
volpe
2. to
jump (up)
[gnmp] =
saltare (su)
3. oJ a .,.
=
ln una notte di plenilunio
4. to shine (shone shone)
=
splendere
5. bright
[brait] =
lucente
6. down
[daun] =
duna, collina
7. to a farmer's yard
=
all'aia di un fattore
8. were sore,..
=
erano spaventate da morire
9. the best
=
la migliore
10. to grease
[gri:z] =
ungere
1 1. den
[den] =
tana
12. to hop
[hcP] =
saltare
13. casement
['keismant] =
finestra
14. to pop out
=
ficcare fuori
15. without any strife
=
senza alcuno sforzo
16. the young ones
=
i piccoli
17. to plck the bones
=
ripulire le ossa
18. that I never should
=
che non dovevo
19. gypsy
['$ipsi]
=
zingaro
20. wood
[wud]
=
bosco
21 . ln came Sally
=
Entr Sally
22, tambourine
[tambo'ri:n]
=
tamburello
23, no shlp to get across
=
nessuna nave per at-
traversarlo
24. bllnd
[blaind] =
cieco
25. I up(ped) on his back
=
Saltai sulla sua
g roppa
26. to be off
=
partire
27. ln a crack
[krrek]
=
in un batter d'occhio
257
Bob
Mary
.
Bob
Mary
Bdb
Ma
BRANI DI TRADUZIONE DALL'ITALIANO
1
Bob Dove vai stasera, David?
David Ho intenzione di rimanere a casa stasera. C' un bel programma
alla
televisione,
1
e non voglio perderlo. Tu esci?
Bob S, vado da
John.
leri sera ero a casa di Tom, anche
John era l, e ci ha invitati a
passare la sera da lui.
Ti sei divertito ieri seia?
S, la serata fu interessante. Ci fu una conversazione di un'ora almeno
2
su un
film che avevamo visto domenica scorsa. A Tom non era piaciuto, e cercava di
dirci perch. Noi l'avevamo trovato molto interessante e la nostra opinione sul
film era molto diversa da quella di Tom. Poi prendemmo dei drinks, c'era del
whisky molto buono. Tom l'aveva avuto da un amico di suo padre che vive in
Canada. Ascoltammo anche della buona musica.
Davd Una bella serata, allora. Bene, devo andare ora. Arrivederci, Bob!
Bob' Arrivederci, David.
2
John
uscito per fare delle compere.
3
Ora dal cartolaio, vuole comprare delle matite
e delle penne a sfera. Poi passer
dal fornaio. La mamma gli ha chiesto di comprare del
pane.
Quando
avr comprato il pane, torner a casa: ha dei compiti da fare. Rimarr a
casa finch non avr finito i suoi compiti, poi andr da Peter a giuocare
a tennis. Peter
un buon amico di
John,
e lo invita spesso a giuocare a tennis con lui.
Dopo un'ora di giuoco i due ragazzi andranno ad un bar a bere una Coke. ll bar ad
alcuni minuti di cammino dalla casa di Peter. Si fermeranno un poco
nel bar,
poi
John
torner a casa, ed aspetter
(l')ora
di cena.
4
3
Bob Che ore sono, Mary, per favore? Non ho l'orologio oggi, l'ho lasciato da
John
ieri
sera.
Mary Sono le cinque e tre quarti al mio orologio, ma credo che il mio orologio sia un
poco indietro. Se vuoi l'ora esatta, devi andare nella camera di Bill.
Ma Bill dorme ora. Aveva molto sonno ed ha deciso di fare un sonnellino.
Non capisco perch Bill dorma sempre. Bill non verr a giuocare con noi?
Penso che verr, se lo sveglieremo in tempo. A che ora ti aspetta
I
Jane?
Alle sette precise, abbiamo ancora del tempo.
Posso prendere la racchetta di Meg? Ho lasciato la mia al club l'altro giorno.
.. Lasci sempre tutto in giro! Non so dove sia la racchetta di Meg. Faremo cos,
'' usciremo fra alcuni minuti,
6
andremo al tennis club, e poi da
Jane.
Cos Meg
non si arrabbier
t
se non trover la sua racchetta. Va bene?
8
-
Come vuoi,
e
Mary.
David
Bob
Bob
1. alla televisione
=
on television
2. almeno
=
at least
3. delle compere
=
some shopping
4. ora di cena
=
dinner time
5. aspettare
258
gressivo)
6. fra alcuni minuti
=
in a few minutes
7. arrabbiarsi
=
to get angry
B. Va bene?
=
Alt right?
9. Come vuoi
=
As you like
JOHCS
"l say waiter! My plate's wet".
"That's not wet, sir. That is the soup".
"What do you call this?"
"That's bean soup, sir". -'
"l don't care what it's been, what is it now?"
"l'll have my bill now".
"How did you find your
steak, sir?"
"Oh, I
just
moved the potatoes
and there it was."
"This lobster's only got one claw."
"a suppose he's been in a fight, sir."
"Well, bring me the winner, then!"
"l think l'd Iike my soup without."
"Without what, sir?"
"Without your thumb in it."
lmpatient diner: "Are you
the same waiter I gave
Slow waiter: "Yes
,
sir'4.
lmpatient diner: "FLrnny, t was expecting a much
A customer in a small ltalian restaurant in Soho had been waiting for half an hour to be
served. Finally he called the waiter and asked: "Will my spaghetti be long?" "How should
I know?" said the waiter. "l never measure it""
my order to?"
older man".
WL
[na'\
I
/t
"Oh,
all right
-
the chef's
speciality.
"
259