P THE MAGAZINE FOR YOUR ENGLISH A2-B1

a
YEAR XXXV N°3 • December 2012 / January 2013 • Imprimé á Taxe Réduite
of English 3
4
Cinema

Elijah
Wood

REPORT 6
Dreams can come true

POSTER 8
Christmas at Blenheim Palace

WHAT'S ON? 12
London New Year’s Day Parade

g VISIT US ONLINE! www.elimagazines.com

 P COMICS

Les Musicos Salsa Party!

Okay guys! Tonight we’re We need good music;

having our salsa barbecue. some really great Latin
salsa music!

You have to be Hey, Frank! Just a

second, I need to What do you think?
here by eight!
speak to you!

Probably
better if Me too.
I don’t say.

Stop complaining! There

will be a wonderful
out-door concert!!!

More Sure!
sardines,
please.

2 Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.

 Hi everyone! S Contents
Christmas is finally coming! Do you already know how you
want to spend the holidays? If you still need some ideas, Cinema
Elijah Wood 4
start reading this edition of Tot straight away! We’ll see
Christmas at Blenheim Palace in the poster and we’ll visit
the London New Year Parade in What’s On. And that’s not Jo’s Stories
5
all. We’ll meet Elijah Wood and learn about his new role
in the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. That only
leaves me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas! Report
Dreams can come true 6

Lynn Poster
Christmas at Blenheim Palace 8

P www.elimagazines.com P info@elimagazines.com
Tot Mail
10

King of Test
Are you a dreamer? 11

the Elves What’s On?

London New Year’s Day Parade 12

Games Corner
Let’s take a look at the new 3D Disney film, King of the Elves, based* 14
on the famous novel by the American writer Philip Kindred Dick.

Can a simple, elderly* petrol-pump attendant from Derryville really On Tour

become King of the Elves? It seems so. One evening, an elderly 16
Poole
petrol-pump attendant, Shadrach Jones, finds some sick elves at
his petrol station*. He takes them home and puts them to bed.
During the night the elf king dies, but not before deciding that
… Shadrach will be the new king! Shadrach has to help the elves Hi, I’m Grammy. In this issue
to defeat* the horrible, ugly trolls, which is a very difficult and you’ll learn about:
dangerous task, full of risks and hidden enemies.
Disney has been working on this film since 2008. The book by P Relative pronouns
Philip Kindred Dick has millions of fans all over the world who are P Gerunds
now waiting for the release of the film! P Can / may for permission
P Introduction to “used to”
In which American state is the town of Derryville? Solve the clues P Comparative and superlative
and complete the grid to find out the answer! adjectives

1 Shadrach’s task will be …

1 and dangerous.
2 - 2 Shadrach works as a … *GLOSSARY
3 attendant.
3 He helps some sick … based: (here) which tells the story of
4 4 His task is difficult and …
5 defeat: win, beat
5 The elves’ enemies.
6 People who like the book elderly: old
6
and are waiting for the film. petrol station: a place where petrol
7 is sold
7 Shadrach is an … man from
8 Derryville.
8 The trolls are ugly and …
Answers on page 15

ELI srl, C.P. 6, 62019 Recanati, Tel. (071) 750701, Fax (071) 977851, AUDIO TEACHER’S NOTES
E-mail: info@elionline.com - www.elionline.com Direttore
responsabile: Lamberto Pigini.
Realizzazione testi: Lynn Bulmer. Autorizzazione Trib. di Macerata
N. 352 del 27 ottobre 1992. Realizzazione: Tecnostampa, Loreto
Your subscription includes free MP3 downloads of the Subscribed teachers are able to download both the MP3
© ELI Italy 2012
audio sections of all the magazines. audio files and the Teacher’s Notes in PDF format. You should
NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR ANY MEANS OR
FOR ANY PURPOSES WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. THE PUBLISHER IS PREPARED TO MAKE
Visit www.elimagazines.com and insert the access code register first in the Teacher’s Resources area of the website
PAYMENT FOR ANY COPYRIGHT OF PHOTOGRAPHS WHERE THE SOURCE HAS BEEN IMPOSSIBLE found in each magazine. www.elimagazines.com.
TO TRACE.
Although we check the content and suitability of the web sites featured or referred to in our ACCESS CODE 7003 7000 0013
magazines at the time of going to press, we are not responsible for any changes to which may have 3
occurred since, as these web sites are in no way associated with ELI.
 Cinema

Elijah
Wood
Elijah Wood’s first acting appearance
was in a music video for Paula Abdul
when he was a young boy of just 8
years old! However, he is probably
most famous for his role of Frodo
Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

A child star The trilogy The future

Elijah Wood was born on 28th
January, 1981, in Iowa, USA.
When he was just seven years
old, he began playing the
piano and modeling. He was
a talented performer and his
mother decided to take him
to Los Angeles to a modeling
convention. He soon began
receiving offers for small parts
in music videos, TV shows,
and advertisements and his
career went from strength to
strength*. His most important
role as a child actor was in the
film Avalon in 1990. Then, as a
teenager, he became more well-
known, starring in more famous
films such as Deep Impact and
The Faculty.
The most important role of his
career arrived in 2001 when he
played Frodo Baggins in the
adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s
fantasy novels The Lord of the
Rings. The trilogy* (Lord of the
Rings: The Fellowship of the
Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers, and Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King) was an
enormous worldwide* success
and it led to many other great
films for Elijah. Probably the
funniest project for him was
Happy Feet and Happy Feet
two, in which he starred as the
voice of Mumble, the dancing
penguin!
This December we will see
Elijah in another big Hollywood
blockbuster, starring in The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
The film is part of the prequel*
to the Lord of the Rings trilogy,
so Elijah takes on* the role of
the mystical creature Frodo
Baggins once again. He is
looking forward to seeing the
film at the cinema. He says, “The
trailer* is awesome*. I’m very
excited!”
P past simple
present perfect
comparative and
superlative adjectives
introduction
to second conditional

*GLOSSARY
Find 10 ADJECTIVES from the text in the grid below. The
strength to strength: continue to remaining letters spell out the missing words in sentence.
be stronger
trilogy: series of three films Elijah says, “If I wasn’t an actor, I’d be a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”
worldwide: international, all over
the world I M P O R T A N T
takes on: embarks on, accepts A S F A M O U S E
prequel: the story before another W E L L K N O W N
story
E X C I T E D E O
trailer: a short advertisement for
a film S M A L L C R E R
awesome: incredible, wonderful O T A G R E A T M
M Y S T I C A L O
E G B I G E N T U
T A L E N T E D S
Answers on page 15.

4 Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.

Cartoon

Jo’s Buy “Verz”!

Stories

Excuse me
VERZ again! where can I find
People are crazy some VERZ? It’s down
about it! there!

SHOP ASSISTANT
SHELF
I really like
VERZ! They are 10 There
VERZ Pounds! you are.
again!

PRICE TAG
CHECKOUT

RECEIPT

I have a !!!
I will never That evening… surprise
eat VERZ! In fact, for you! Look,
tonight I’m going to it’s VERZ!
Anna’s house. She
only cooks really
nice things!

SHOPPING

TROLLEY

Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.

5
 \ REPORT
Dreams can come true!
In Brazil, in the town
of Salvador de Bahia,
a project called
“Projeto Axé-Centro
for the defence and
the protection of
young people” was
founded in 1990. It
is a very important,
internationally
recognized, non-profit
organisation.
6
Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.
Teaching wishes
The main goal of the
Axé Project is the social
reintegration* of children and
teenagers who live in favelas*.
Most of the time these young
people don't even have a birth
certificate, so they have no
rights. It is important to take
them off the streets and let
them know about all the things
that they are entitled to*.
Children living on the streets,
in misery and degradation*,
get used to have no hopes,
dreams or wishes. We need to
help them believe and most of
all we need to teach them how
to dream!
Music, dance, fashion ...
Arteducation!!
For these children Art is the
best way of learning: on one
hand it means creativity and
freedom, and on the other
hand it means discipline and
commitment. Through music,
dance and drawing children
start believing in a project and,
most important of all, they
start believing in themselves.
In this way children/teenagers
can choose to follow dance and
Capoeira*, music, visual arts or
fashion classes, and they can
also change subjects if they
want to. This education lasts
until they become adults.
The Axebuzu and the
Canteiro dos desejos
The Axebuzu is a colourful bus,
which is parked* in the most
difficult areas of the city. It has
a library and a video library.
Children can enter to watch a
cartoon movie or, with the help
of a youth worker, they can
even learn to read.
The Canteiro dos desejos, is
a real school where children
from the age of 5 to 12 may
play with other children, which
helps them to make contact
with other people and feel less
alone.
 Axè, in its 19 years, has helped Axé is a word which means the
over 18,000 children. It has energy which everything needs
helped and guided an average to live in the dialect of Bahia.
of 1,500 children every year.
85% of those children have not
returned to a life of criminality
or drugs.

*GLOSSARY
capoeira: Brazialian martial art
involving music and harmonious
movement which looks like a
Complete the text, which comes from an interview with dance
Silvane, with words from the box. degradation: poverty
entitled to: the right to have or do
eat • study • guitar • years something
favelas: slums in which houses are
made from materials which have
My name is Silvane and I am 16 __ __ __ __ __ old. Until been thrown away
six years ago, I didn’t want to __ __ __ __ __ and I spent parked: stood in one place
reintegration: return to a normal
my time standing near the traffic lights, asking for
life in society
money to buy something to __ __ __ .
I have been in Axe for almost three years. I have leant
many thing: I’m learning to play the keyboard and the
__ __ __ __ __ __ . I’m also learning classical singing,
P relative pronoun which
which makes me really happy. It’s a great experience and present simple revision
I believe in my future. language to express
consequences
Answers on page 15

7
Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.
 poster

Blenheim
Palace
Welcome to Blenheim Palace
in the village of Woodstock, in
Oxfordshire. The palace was
built in the early 18th century
and is one of England’s largest
houses!

Christmas at the palace is

usually very special and this
year will be no exception*! This
December Blenheim Palace will
be decorated in a very special
theme which tells the Christmas
story of the Three Kings.
Visitors to the Palace will be
able to follow the journey of
the Three Kings which will be
represented in different areas
of the palace, with a special
“Star of Bethlehem” shining
in the Great Hall to show the
Kings the way.

You will also be able to go on

special Winter Wonderland
Walks around the gardens!
We hope to see the 2,000 acre
grounds covered with snow
for a true “White Christmas”,
which will certainly add to the
excitement and atmosphere*
of this magical palace!

8
 a of English

Blenheim palace is often used as a film set.

Many scenes of one particular Harry Potter
film were filmed there, but which one?

a Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

b Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
c Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Answer on page 15

*GLOSSARY
atmosphere: (here) special feeling
exception: something different or
unusual La soluzione è a pagina 15

9
 Tot Mail
Dear Tot,
My name is Melody and I have
a small problem. Every year, my
friends and I organise a little
Christmas party, but this year
we want to do something a bit
bigger! We have already found
a venue, some of our friends are
organising the food and drinks
and some others are organising
the music. But we need to
thinks of something which will
make our party really special;
something which makes this
party the best one ever! Can you
give me some ideas?
Melody
10 Unauthorised photocopying is illegal.
Dear Melody,
From what you’ve already
written , it seems like you have
all the right ingredients for
a perfect party: music, good
friends and lots of enthusiasm.
But of you really want to make
your party unforgettable,
we can give you a few ideas.
Firstly, it would be a nice
idea to decorate the venue,
choosing a colour that will
represent the theme of the
party: red would be good for
a Christmas party, or maybe
white or gold, or even silver
or blue. Then, you could make
some Christmas dishes which
are traditional in different
countries around the world.
You could get some receipes
on the Internet. And for the
entertainment, why not make
a list of songs you can dance to
and maybe a few games which
everyone can play? Lastly,
we suggest you make a small
gift to give to everyone who
comes to the party, as a way
to remember the wonderful
evening!
Wishing you a very merry
Christmas!
The Editor
y TEST

Are you a dreamer

or a realist?
Find out with this quiz!

Mainly A's
Hmm, you are a dreamer but
with some caution*! Sometimes
you are happy to get lost
in fantasies and amazing
adventures, but then you
suddenly go back to reality.
Maybe you’re careful because
you’re afraid of disappointment.

1 You're going on holiday. What
are you taking with you?
a A guide book
b A swimsuit
c A pair of binoculars
3 Your friends give you a goldfish.
What do you call it?
a Nemo, like the one in the movie
b Rainbow
c Fish! Or maybe Gold!
Mainly B's
A real dreamer! You love to
imagine and dream up* the
most wonderful, fun ideas! You
could do it for hours, even if
you sometimes get disappointed
and tell yourself not to do it
again.

2 If you were a flower, what 4 You like a girl/boy. What do you do? Mainly C's
would you be: a I dedicate my favourite It’s no good. You just can’t
a A tulip song to him/her dream! You are very, very
b A rose b I write him/her a beautiful practical. You have too much to
c An orchid letter do ....why should you waste your
c I ask him/her “Do you like me?”. time dreaming?
If the answer is yes, then that’s
great!

5 For you, the Internet is:

a A very useful invention!
b The most important revolution
of the last century
*GLOSSARY
c An invention like all the
others caution: care
dream up: imagine
6 What do you want to be when
you grow-up:
a A teacher
b A vet
c An architect

Unauthorised photocopying is illegal.

11
 What’s on?
New Year’s
Day Parade,
London!
The 1st January, 2013, will
be the 27th Anniversary of
the New Year's Day Parade
in London. It has become the
biggest event of this type in the
world! Let’s find out more…
Small beginnings
New Year’s Day used to be a
very boring day in London.
After the celebrations of New
Year’s Eve were over, people
didn’t used to have anything
to do on the 1st January …..
until, in 1987, the New Year’s
Day Parade began. Hundreds
of dancers and musicians
from and around the world
paraded along the streets of
London in an American style
marching parade and it was an
immediate success!
12
12 Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.
New Year 2013
Plans are already underway*
for the 2013 parade. It will
begin at 11.45am at Piccadilly
where the performers will
first assemble*. When Big
Ben strikes* 12 o’clock
they will set off along the
following route - Piccadilly,
Piccadilly Circus, Lower
Regent Street, Waterloo Place,
Over quarter of a century ….
Pall Mall, Cockspur Street,
Since it began as a small, but
Trafalgar Square, Whitehall
successful, street parade, the
and Parliament Street. The
London New Year’s Day Parade
parade ends at around 3pm
has grown to be the biggest
at Parliament Street next to
of its kind in the world.
some of London’s most famous
It is attended by a street
landmarks: the Houses of
audience of over half a million
Parliament and Westminster
spectators* and it is watched
Cathedral.
around the globe* by another
220 million people.
More than 10,000 performers
from around the world,
The parade has many famous
including marching bands,
supporters, too. Stars from
cheerleaders, clowns, acrobats,
the world of entertainment,
kites and much more, will
sport and the arts go along
march the route around
to watch or participate in the
London, playing music,
spectacular event in the streets
dancing, singing and bring
of London. And even Her
London alive with an explosion
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a
of colour from the extravagant
great supporter of the event!
costumes and wonderful
carnival floats*!

The Let's Help London
Challenge
Every year, since 1997, there
has been a competition at the
New Year’s Day Parade to help
raise money for many different
London charities. Each of the
boroughs* of London is invited
to participate by entering the
parade with a particular act
or float which represents their
borough.
Grand Finale Concert
To be sure that the parade
has been an unforgettable
experience, there will be a
grand finale concert on the
evening of 2nd January, too!
A choir of 150 singers will close
the London celebrations with
a spectacular evening of music
and song!
*GLOSSARY
assemble: gather, meet
boroughs: regions of the city
floats: carnival cars
globe: world
spectators: people who watch a
performance
strikes: makes a sound to let us
know the time
underway: in progress, happening
P introduction to “used to”
present passive
future simple “will”
Read the article again and say of the sentences
are true or false.
T F
1 New Year’s Day was always very exciting in London.
2 The New Year’s Day Parade began in 1981.
3 The parade route is over 5 miles long.
4 The parade ends near the Houses of Parliament.
Answers on page 15
Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.
13
13
 J gAMES CORNER

Did you enjoy the report

in this issue of Tot?
Read it again and say
if the sentences are
true or false.

T F

1 Axé is a word which means “the energy which we all need to breathe” in the dialect of Bahia.
2 In the Axebuzu children can play, watch cartoons and learn to read.
3 Art is freedom and creativity, but it also requires discipline and commitment.
4 Axè, in its 22 years, has helped over 30,000 children.
5 Many of these children have a birth certificate.
6 The Axè Progect was founded in Bahia, in Brazil, in 1990.

Read What’s On? again and put

the following verbs into the
correct sentences. Be careful to
use the correct tense, too!

attend • begin • close • be • be

1 The 1st January, 2013, _______________ the 27th

Anniversary of the New Year's Day Parade in
London.
2 The Parade __________________ by a street
audience of over half a million spectators.
3 The Parade ___________ at 11.45am at Piccadilly
4 Every year, since 1997, there _____________ a
competition at the New Year’s Day Parade.
5 A choir of 150 singers _____________ the London
celebrations with a spectacular evening of music
and song.

Answers on page 15

14 Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.

 Answers
Page 3: 1 difficult, 2 petrol-pump, 3 elves, 4 dangerous, 5 trolls, 6 fans, 7 elderly, 8 horrible: Colorado. page 4: important, famous, well-known, enormous,
15
awesome, excited, mystical, talented, small, great: SECRET AGENT. pages 6-7: years, study, eat, guitar.
pages 8-9: c.pages 12-13: 1 false, 2 false, 3 false, 4 true. page 14: A 1-F, 2-T, 3-T, 4-F, 5-F, 6-T; B 1 will be, 2 is attended, 3 will begin, 4 has been, 5 will close.
page 16: SCOUT CAMP.
Partner:
Spanish • German
English • French
GRADED READERS Discover the joy of reading in English!
ELI Readers
 On Tour
This seaside town in
Dorset is known as
“The coast with the
most”! Let’s find out
why.
Perfect in summer …
Poole is an ancient coastal* town
which is in Dorset, on the south
coast of England. It is visited by
thousands of tourists every year,
who travel there to visit the miles
of golden, sandy beaches with
clean, clear water and beautiful
cliffs. Along the beaches there
are many places where you can
practice a variety of watersports,
too, including windsurfing, sailing,
kite-surfing and beach volleyball!
16 Unauthorised photocopyng is illegal.
Poole
Tassa Riscossa / Taxe Perçue
… and in winter, too! *GLOSSARY
Poole comes alive with the
arrival of the Christmas season! coastal: near the sea
In December there are many join in: participate in
A Tot of English N°9 - 2012 - Poste Italiane S.P.A. - Sped. in abb. post. - D.L. 353/2003 (Conv. in L. 27/02/2004 n. 46) Art. 1, comma 1, DCB - Ancona
events in the area which are fun lantern: a lamp made from paper
for everyone. There is a special with a candle inside
restaurant in the town centre
where you can have afternoon
tea with Santa Claus. Or you can
P relative pronouns
join in* the wonderful children’s
lantern* procession in which
children walk through the streets
carrying paper lanterns which they
have made at school!
Did you know? \
Lord Baden-Powell set up the first ever ...
on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in 1907.
a=  c= m= o= p=
s=n u= p= t=
n 
_____ ____
Answer on page 15.