TbcWCgry

TbGWW
HISTORY
The murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, 1170.
THE PLANTACENET KINCS
Henry ll
William the Conqueror's successors were William ll, Henry I
and Stephen, all Norman kings. On the death
I
of Stephen,
Henry ll, a Plantagenet king, ascended the throne of England.
Henry ll had two aims: to keep the barons under control and
to limit the power of the Church. To help him to solve these
problems he chose Thomas Becket, a churchman,
2
whom
he made his Chancellor.
Becket had always shown little'love for religious Iife. He Iiked
feasting and hunting, and wore fashionable' clothes. But
when the King made him Archbishop of Canterbury, he
changed his life and habits. He dined on bread and water and
wore a rough hair shirt.
4
368
1. On the death .
[deO]
=
Alta morte
2. churchman
['a:man]
=
ecclesiastico (uomo di
chiesa)
3, f ashionable
['fJnabl]
=
alla moda
4. a rough
lrnfl
hair shirt
=
un cilicio
The conf Iict between Becket and the King broke out
s
when
Henry drew up
6
the Constitutions of Clarendon. According
to
/
these, churchmen were to be tried
8
in the Church courts,
but, if found guilty,
e
they were to be taken to royat courts
for sentence of punishment.
After f ive years spent in exile, Becket returned to Canterbury
and was murdered by^four knights in his cathedral. Henry ll
was obliged to drop
ro
the Constitutions of Clarendon, while
Becket was proclaimed
a saint.
Richard t (Coeur
De Lion or Lionheart)
Henry ll died in 1189, and his son Richard succeeded him.
But very soon he left for the Holy Land,
11
on a crusade. His
brother
John
began to plot against him in England. When
Richard returned to E ngland in 1194, he had the country
under his eontrol again. Then he went to France to f ight
t2
King Philip. He died from a wound
13
received during this
war. He was suceeded by his brother
John.
lohn
(Lackland)
John
was a very unpopular king, false and cruel. He lost Nor-
mandy and the other English lands in France, except those in
the south-west. Then he came into conflict with the barons,
supported
L4
by the Church, who rebelled against him.
J ohn was f orced to make peace with h is enem ies on the
island of Runnymede in the Thames in 1215. ln the Creat
Charter or Magna Charta, which he seated
ls
here, the rights
of the barons and of the common people were established.
The Magna Charta is considered the f irst document of English
constitutional lif e.
Richard I tearing the
cross from Saladin
(risht).
5. to break out
=
esplo-
dere
6. to' draw up (drew
drawn)
=
redigere
7. According to
=
Secon-
do (in conformit a)
8. were to be tried
=
dovevano essere processati
9. guilty
['gilti]
=
col-
pevole
10. to drop
=
abban-
donare, lasciar cadere
1 1. Holy Land
=
Terra
Santa
12. to fight (fought
fought)
[fait
fc:t]
=
com-
battere (contro)
13. wound
[wu:nd]
=
ferita
14. to support
[so'pc:t] =
appoggiare, sostenere
15. to seal
[si:U =
sug-
gellare, ratificare
369
Henry lll
With Henry lll, the struggle with the barons continued. They
found a leader in Simon de Monfort, who summoned
16
the
First Parliament in 1265.
This was the f irst assembly that represented the people as
well as
17
the barons, because, besides a House of Lords
(with
barons and bishops), it contained a House of Commons in
which there were members from the towns and knights from
the shires.
18
Edward t
The ambition of Edward t, Henry lll's son, was to unite the
peoples of Britain under one crown. He sent an army to
Wales and, after a period of struggles and war, Wales came
completely under the English king's power. Edward gave his
baby son the title of "Prince of Wales". This title has been in-
herited by heirs to the English throne down to the present
day.
After this success, Edward I turned his attention
le
to
Scotland. He marched north and subdued
2o
Scotland without
much difficulty, but died before completing his conquest.
Edward I I
Edward lt, the son of Edward land the first Prince of Wates,
was a weak, foolish and self ish king.
Under his reign Robert Bruce, the patriotic leader of the
Scots, won a victory which f reed
2t
Scottand f rom all fears
"
of England for years to come. His small army defeated the
English at Bannockburn. lt was not until a Scottish king sat
on the English throne that Britain was united under one ruler.
370
A Pailiament of Edward
l. Ihis is the earliesf-
known image of
Parliament in its
medieval infancy.
16. to summon
['snman] =
convocare
17. as well as
=
come
pu re
18. shire
[Jaie*] =
contea
19. to turn one's attention
=
volgere la propria atten-
zione
20. to subdue
[sab'dju:] =
soggiogare
21
,
to free
[fri:] =
liberare
22. fear
lfie*l
=
timore
ft,IONV fUIRTTRS RND COft'Ift,IRCC
THE BANK
The bank is essentially an organization which borrows, lends
and exchanges money. When we open a bank account we
lend money to the bank which pays us interest on what it bor-
rows. When we put money into the bank we make a deposit;
when we take money out of the bank we make a withdrawal.
lf we want to make frequent withdrawals we open a current
account and receive a cheque-book. If we want to ac-
cumulate interest on our deposit we open a savings account
and receive a pass-book.
For the bank these are borrowing transactions.
1
The bank also makes a number of lending transactions,
2
and
when the bank lends money the client has to pay interest. lf
the bairk thinks that the client can return the money in a
short time
3
it gives an overdraft. This means that the ctient
can make a withdrawal for more money than he has
deposited.4 The bank can also give a loan to a client who of-
fers property as security until the money has been paid back.
This kind
)
of loan is called a mortgage. Banks sometimes
lend money to f irms and commercial enterprises that need
capital for development. ln f act, some banks specialize in
foreign commerce, in agriculture, or in other f ields.
There are also transactions for third parties.
6
This means that
the bank acts for its client in paying and collecting bills, pay-
ing insurance, collecting dividends, etc.7
The State deposits its funds in the Bank of England, which is
the only bank that can issue bank-notes and decide on the
bank-rate for the whole
8
country.
COI{VER,SATION
Mario
John,
if lwant to work in England for a year, I must
open a bank account.
lohn
A good idea. What bank will you choose?
e
Mario I had thought of the Bank of England. My money
would be safe there.
lohn
l'm af raid that you can't-do that. Private individuals
cannot open accounts at the Bank of England. The
Bank of England issues bank-notes, decides on the
bank-rate and is where the state deposits its funds. lt
is not for ordinary people like us. You can go to
Lloyds.
Mario Shall lopen asavingsaccount?
John
No, of course not.
10
When you start paying British
taxes, you will not have enough money to save. You
can open a current account.
Mario Shall I need a reference?
1. borrowing transactions
=
operazioni di deposito
(f iduciario)
2. lending transactions
=
operazioni di prestito
3. in a short time
=
in
breve tempo
4. more money than he
has deposited
=
pi
danaro di quanto ne abbia
depositato
5. This kind
=
Questo tipo
6. for third parties
=
per
conto terzi
7 . etc.
[it'setra] =
eccetera
8. whole
[heul] =
intero
9. to choose chose
chosen
[cu:z
auz 'euzn]
=
sceg liere
10. of course not
=
no di
certo
371
lohn
My father can do that. He is an old client of Lloyds.
Mario What must ldo when lwant to pay in money?
lohn
You take a paying-in stip
11
and fill it in.
tz
You say if
the sum is in cash or if it is a cheque, and you credit
it to your account. You hand the money and the
paying-in slip to the bank-clerk behind the coun-
ter.
13
Yes, it is easy to make a deposit. But when I want to
make a withdrawal?
lohn
You take a cheque from your cheque-book and write
on it " Pay Cash". You sign it and give it to one of the
cashiers and he will give you the money.
Mario My father does some business with English f irms. He
asked me to open a separate account so that I can
act as his agent in England.
lohn
Well, that is more complicated. You must talk to the
Bank Manager about it. But Lloyds Bank has great
experience of foreign transactions and the Manager
will explain everything to you. You will need a letter
from you r f ather's f irm to show that you are
authorized to sign cheques on their behalf.
14
Mario Thank you very much for all this precious informa-
tion,
J
ohn.
lohn
Don't mention it,
ls
Mario
1 1. paying-in slip
=
mo-
dulo di versamento.
12. to fill in
=
riempire
(moduli, ecc.)
13. behind the counter
['kaunte*] =
allo sportello
14. on their behalf
[bi'ha:fl
=
per conto loro (a nome
loro)
15. Don't mention it
=
Non c' di che (forma di cor-
fesia)
Mario
Uocabulary
bank account
[a'kaunt]
current account
savings account
interest
['intristJ
transaction
Itrn'zk,fanl
client
['klaient]
overdraft
['auvadra:ft]
loan
[eun]
security
[si'kjuariti]
mortgage
['mc:gi$]
enterprise
['entapr
aizl
development
[di'velepment]
bill
tbill
fund
[fnndl
bank-rate
bank-clerk
tax
[tks]
cash
[kJ]
cashier
[k'Jia*]
firm
[fa:m]
withdrawal
[ui'drc:el]
conto bancario
conto corrente
conto a risparmio
interesse
operazione
cliente
fido bancario
prestito
garanzia
ipoteca
impresa
sviluppo
cambiale, conto
fondo
tasso di sconto
impiegato di
banca
tassa
danaro contante
cassiere
ditta
prelevamento
cheque
[cek]
cheque-book
pass-book
to borrow
['bcreu]
to exchange
[iks'eing]
to pay
in
to take out
to accumulate
[e'kju:muleit]
to return
to pay
back
to deposit
[di'pczit]
to specialize
['speJel
aizl
to act (as)
[kt]
to collect
Ika'lekt]
to issue
['irfu:]
to credit
['kredit]
to debit
['debit]
to sign
[sain]
to authorize
['c:araizl
assegno
libretto assegni
libretto di banca
prendere
a
prestito
scambiare
versare
prelevare
accumulare
restituire
rimborsare
depositare
specializzarsi
agire (in qualit
di)
riscuotere,
incassare
emettere
accreditare
addebitare
f irmare
autorizzare
372
We are back
1
in Trafalgar Square, where the National
Gallery is. lt stands to the north of Nelson's Column and
houses some of the most beautiful pictures in the world. The
building which contains the magnif icent collection is f ar f rom
being
2
a beautif ul piece of rchitecture. ln f act, it was
originally known as the "National Pepper Pot",3 but never
mind.
a
What it contains is certainty unique!
The Callery was built in 1838, but its story started when a
small, fourteen year-old Russian-Cerman boy came to London
to find a
job.John
Julius
Angerstein found a
job
in Mr Lloyd's
Coffee House, a place patronised
s
by sailors and sea
merchants.
Some years later the marine insurance company
6 rrsloyd's
of
London" was born.
John J
ulius Angerstein amassed a huge
fortune in his insurance business. And, like many of his con-
temporaries; he cotlected paintings. On his death, he willed
7
that his incredible collection should be sold to the Covern-
ment for a mere t 57,000,
I
and so the National Callery was
born.
ln it you can admire some of the most beautiful paintings in
the wortd. Masterpieces
n
by Leonardo, Raphael, Botticelli, to
say nothing of other ltalian, Dutch and English masters, are
to be seen
10
here.
Do not try to see everything during one visit: you will get
tired and will not be able to appreciate the collection
proper-
ly.
1t
You can go back another day, for another
portion of art
and beauty.
After leaving the National Callery, we will go to Piccadilly
Circus. lt is five minutes'walk to get to what is considered
the heart of London.
The best time to go to Piccadilly is at night, when hundreds
of lights stream
t2
f rom the bu ild ings, the restau rants, the
cinemas and the large signs.
13
ln the middle of the Circus
you will see Eros on his pedestal. Take a seat on the steps
around it, and enjoy the spectacle. lt is unique!
11 ROUND
LONDON
Bacchus and Ariadne
by Titian. One of the
many magnificent
paintings to be seen in
the National Gallery.
1. to be back
ritorno
2. lar lrom being
=
lon-
tano dall'essere
3. pepper pot
=
pepaiuola
4. never mind
=
non im-
porta
5. to patronise
['ptranaiz]
cliente abituale di)
6. marine insurance com-
PanY =
comPagnia di
assicu razione marittima
7. to will
=
disporre (per
testamento)
8.8 57,000
=
fifty-seven
thousand pounds
9. masterpiece
['ma:ste'pi:s] =
cap.olavoro
10. are to be seen
=
si
vedono
1
'l
. properly
['prcpeli] =
a
modo, come si deve
12. to stream
[stri:m] =
riversarsi, sgorgare
13. sign
lsainl =
insegna
373
Here is another nonsense song, this time by Lewis Carrol. Lewis Carrol is the pseudonym
of
Charles Dodgson (1832-1898), mathematician and logician, another master in the art of nonsense.
His mathematical books are completely forgotten, while his reputation rests on his nonsense
works. Lewis Carrol is also the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
The gardener's
song
He thought he saw
t
an etephant,
That practised
2
on a f ife:
3
He looked again, and found it was
A letter from his wife.
" At length
a
I realize",5 he said,
"The bitterness of Lif e !"
He thought he saw a Buffalo
Upon the Chimney-piece;
6
He looked again, and found it was
His sister's Husband's Niece.
7
"Unless
8
you leave this house", he said,
"l'lt send for
e
the Poticel"
He thought it was a Rattlesnake
10
That questioned
rr
him in Creek:
He looked again, and found it was
The middle of Next Week.
"The one thing t regret",
t2
he said,
"ls that it cannot speak".
He thought he saw a Banker's Clerk
13
Descending f rom the bus:
He looked again, and found it was
A H ippopotamus:
"lf this should stay to dine", he said,
"There won't be much for us!"
He thought he saw a Kangaroo
That worked a coff ee-m ilt:
t4
He looked again, and found it was
A Vegetable-Pill.
Were I
15
to swaltow
16
this", he said,
"l should be very illl"
1. He thought ...
=
Credeva di aver visto
2. to practise
['prktis]
(on)
=
esercitarsi (a)
3. fife
[faitl
=
piffero
4. At length
[en0J
=
alla fine
5. to realize
l'rialaizl =
rendersi conto di
6. chimney-piece
=
mensola del camino
7. niece
[ni:s]
=
nipote (di zio) (femm.)
8. unless
[en'les]
=
a meno che
L to send for
=
mandare a chiamare
374
10. rattlesnake
['rtlsneik]
=
crotalo (serpente
velenoso)
1 1 . to question
['kuesen]
=
interrogare
12. to regret
[ri'gret]
=
dispiacersi di
13. banker's clerk
[kla:k]
=
impiegato di banca
14. That worked ...
=
Che usava un macinino da
caff
15. Werg I ...
=
Se dovessi
16. to swallow
['suclau]
=
inghiottire
He thought he saw a Coach-and-Fou r
17
That stood beside
18
his bed:
He looked again, and found it was
A bear without a Head.
"Poer thing"
le
he said, "poor silly thingl
It's waiting to be f ed!"
20
He thought he saw an Albatross
That f luttered
2t
round the lamp:
He looked again, and found it was
A Penny-Pgptage-Stam p.
"You'd best "" be getting home", he said,
"The nights are very dam pltt
23
17. coach-and-four
=
tiro a quattro
18. beside
[bi'said] =
accanto a, di lato a
19. Poor thing
=
poverino
20. to feed (fed fed)
=
nutrire, alimentare
lllustrations by John
Tenniel (1
866).
to flutter
['flnte*]
=
svolazzare
You'd best ...
=
Faresti meglio ad andartene a
casa
damp
[dmp]
=
umido
21 .
22.
23.
375
BRANI DI TRADUZIONE DALL'ITALIANO
1
ll libro che sul tavolo molto interessante, il libro che ho sempre desiderato avere.
Simon, i cui gusti sono differenti dai miei, non ama leggere, e
preferisce
i film che vede
all'Odeon ai libri che io leggo. lo penso che chi non legge perde
1
una buona opportunit
di imparare molte cose nuove. I romanzi che lo zio legge sono di ' Evelyn Waugh: uno
scrittore inglese i cui libri sono molto divertenti. Tutto quello che Simon legge sono
3
i
suoi fumetti,
a
che egli trova molto interessanti. lo penso che chi legge fumetti spreca il
proprio tempo, ma Simon li trova molto divertenti. Un libro che lessi recentemente
"Culliver's Travels": lo lessi in inglese, il che non fu una cosa molto facile, ma lo trovai
uno dei libri pi interessanti
)
che abbia mai letto.
2
Il film a cui andammo ieri fu molto emozionante. Anche Tom, che solitamente molto
quieto, non riusciva a nascondere
6
la sua emozione ed il suo entusiasmo. Uno degli at-
tori che preferisco lavorava
7
nel f ilm che vedemmo ieri: secondo me,
8
il miglior ttore
che io conosca. L'eroina che aveva una parte di co-protagonita
e
non era un gran che,
10
devo dire. E poi le donne che appaiono nei film western non mi sono mai piaciute, non
so perch.
Quando
l'eroe spar ai fuorilegge, Bob cominci a battere le mani,
11
il che io
non apprezzai molto. A me piace chi ha molto autocontrollo, e
(lo)
dissi a Tom.
"Che
diavolo dici?" disse Tom. Evidentemente non condivideva
"
le mie idee. C' molta gente
che ha proprie idee sull'argomento, e Tom uno di loro.
3
Due uomini andarono al mercato con le loro mogli; i loro bambini furono lasciati a casa.
Cli uomini volevano comprare del bestiame per la loro fattoria, le donne volevano com-
prare del pollame, lazzoletti e coltelli.
l mercato gli uomini andarono al recinto del bestiame
13
e guardarono
i buoi, i vitelli e
le
pecore
chi erano in vendita.
ta
Le donne cominciarono adsaminare la merce che era
sulle bancarelle.
15
Cli uomini scelsero due grossi buoi e cinque pecore,
e le donne com-
prarono anche due oche grasse per il pranzo di Natale.
16
Poi essi lasciarono il mercato e
tornarono a casa dove i loro bambini li stavano aspettando. Le loro mamme avevano
comprato dei pesci rossi
17
per loro.
Questa
fu una grande sorpresa per i bambini.
1. perdere (occasioni, ecc.)
=
to miss
2.di
=by
3. sono
=
is
4. fumetti
=
comics
5. uno dei piu interessanti
=
one of the
interesting
nascondere
=
to conceal
[ken'si:l]
lavorare (in film)
=
to star
secondo me
=
in my opinion
9. avere una parte
di co.protagonista
=
to co-star
10. (non) un gran che
=
nothing much
1 1. battere le mani
=
to clap one's hands
12. condividere
=
to share
Ueo*l
most 13. recinto del bestiame
=
catile ring
14. in vendita
=
on sale (for sale)
15. bancarella
=
stall
[stc:U
16. il pranzo di Natale
=
the Christmas dinner
17. pesce rosso
=
gold fish
6.
7.
8.
376
JOI{S
Mary, the attractive barmaid, was collecting empty glasses when a red-faced man wear-
ing a vivid check suit almost knocked her over with a slap on her back.
"l say, sweetheart", he said in a loud voice. "Where can I go to wash my hands in this
dump?"
"lf
you go through into the other bar", the girl replied, "there's a door marked
Centlemen. But don't mind that
-
go right in".
"Can
you spare a little something, mum?" said a seedy-looking man to a richly-dressed
lady coming out of a large department store.
"Certainly", she answered, and handed over a 2p piece. "Tell me", she went on. "What
has brought you to this sorry state?"
"Well, mum", answered the beggar'"l used to be like you once, always giving away large
sums of money to the poor
and destitute".
Two rather deaf old gentlemen were travelling on the Underground. "ls this Wembley?"
one shouted as the train was drawing into a station.
"No", replied the other. "lt's Thursday!"
"What did you say?"
"Thursday, Thursday!"
"Yes, so am l. Shall we get off here and have a drink?"
"How did you get along with Daddy while I was away?"
"Just
fine. Every morning he took me down to the lake in a rowboat, and let me swim
back for a couple of miles".
"lsn't that a long distance for you to swim?"
"No, the swimming part was O.K. lt was
just getting out of the bag that I found a bit
d iff icu lt".
"Daddy, there was a man here today to see you".
"With a bill?"
"No. Just
an ordinary nose like yours".
When I was born my mother said: "O.K. The
joke
is over. Now bring me the baby"
After I was born my father took up a new hobby shooting storks.
"lt's pollution
but of a
rather high order."
377