PERIOD II: RECOVERY 1

READING 1

Going to the Zoo

Hi! My name is Hannah and I am nine years old. I am so excited! I am excited because tomorrow my daddy’s going to take me to the zoo. I love the zoo!

We are going to see snakes! The last time I went to the zoo I saw the cutest tiny green snake. I want to see more snakes!

We are going to see the tigers. I am going to roar at the tigers! Can you roar like a tiger too?

I am going to hop like a kangaroo when I see the kangaroos! When I see the penguins I am going to waddle like them. They look so funny when they walk!

I am going to sing like the birds and I am going to flap my arms and fly with them too! I am going to be a beautiful blue bird with a bright yellow beak! My song will be the most beautiful song ever!

We are going to find the giraffes too. They have very long necks. I am going to pretend that my neck is very long just like a giraffe! I don’t like eating leaves like giraffes do. No, leaves taste awful! I am only going to pretend to eat them.

My daddy’s going to let me buy something from the gift shop. I don’t know what I am going to want but I can’t wait to see what there is! We are going to have fun! I am so excited!.

Learning English.

Today, millions of people want to learn or improve their English but it is difficult to find the best method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or to study in your own country?

The advantages of going to Britain seem obvious. Firstly, you will be able to listen to the language all the time you are in the country. You will be surrounded completely by the language wherever you go. Another advantage is that you have to speak the language if you are with other people. In Italy, it is always possible, in the class, to speak Italian if you want to and the learning is slower.

On the other hand, there are also advantages to staying at home to study. You don't have to make big changes to your life. As well as this, it is also a lot cheaper than going to Britain but it is never possible to achieve the results of living in the UK. If you have a good teacher in Italy, I think you can learn in a more concentrated way than being in Britain without going to a school.

So, in conclusion, I think that if you have enough time and enough money, the best choice is to spend some time in the UK. This is simply not possible for most people, so being here in Italy is the only viable option. The most important thing to do in this situation is to maximise your opportunities: to speak only English in class and to try to use English whenever possible outside the class.