1. CHARISMA: A KIND OF MAGIC? p.

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The text “Charisma: a kind of magic” is about an human quality, the Charisma. A charismatic
person is one who is able to attract people to himself and become a leader in their eyes.

An example of charismatic person is Michelle Obama, who often talks to young people and says
that with hard work all dreams can come true. She is now working on a project to inspire young
people to eat healthier.

Some positives examples of charismatic personalities are Martin Luther King, who was one of
the leaders of the civil rights in the US, who believed and fought for the racial equality or Nelson
Mandela, a political leader. They are leaders who share the qualities of self-sacri ce and personal
courage. On the other side, we also have negative examples of charismatic personalities, such as
all the famous military and political leaders who destroyed their countries and caused great harm
to their people. For this reason is important that we choose our leader considering if they have the
knowledge and the experience to do a good job, trying not to lose our critical judgement.

An example of charismatic person could be Emma Watson, who is on the list of the 100 most
in uential people in the world. She is an activist and founder of #HeForShe campaign. With this
campaign she highlights the role of men in promoting gender equality. But she also promotes
women's education and recently she has donated £1 million to a foundation for women who are
victims of abuse.

2. EXPLORERS: VALENTINA TERESHKOVA, IBN BATTUTA, JACQUES COUSTEAU

VALENTINA TERESHKOVA
Valentina Tereshkova was the rst woman who went in space, she parachuted out over 125
aircrafts, in particular she jumped from the spacecraft Vostok 6. She was born in Russia in 1937
and as a teenager she worked in a textile plant and her hobby was parachuting. In 1962 she was
selected for the Soviet Space programme and was chosen to be a pilot of the Vostok 6. The
spacecraft Vostok 6 took o from Tyuratam Launch Centre in 1963 and landed in Kazakhstan
always in June 1963. Then she married with a cosmonaut with whom she had a daughter.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: Would you ever parachute out of an aircraft?

Yes, I would like to parachute out from an aircraft. I am interested in every kind of new adventures.
I believe that one of the most beautiful sensation is ying and seeing all the world from the top.

Another type of adventures that I really would like to do is travel to Iceland to admire the northern
Lights.

IBN BATTUTA
This text is about “Ibn Battuta”, considered the greatest traveller of all time. Ibn battuta was an
islamic scholar, who was born in Morocco in 1304. At the age of 21 he left for a “Pilgrimage to
Mecca”, lasted for 30 years, travelling for 75.000 miles. During his journey, he visited a lot of
countries such as Arab lands, Spain, Russia, Turkey and India. When he came back to his native
city, he wrote a diary based on his journey. He died in 1369, renamed as “the traveller of the age”.
Later in 2009, his experiences were selected as the trama of a lm “Journey to Mecca”, dedicated
to him. A shopping centre (Mall) was also built, in Dubai, which takes his name.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: What’s the furthest you have traveled from home?
The furthest place from home that I visited is USA. I went there with my family and we visited New
York, Boston and Washington. It was a great journey, visiting a lot of new places, even though I
didn’t like the food. Another country that I would like to visit is the South Africa, especially
because I’m very curious about the culture.

JACQUES COUSTEAU
Jacques Cousteau was born in France in 1910 and he was an undersea explorer, an
environmentalist and inventor. In French navy he started exploring underwater and worked on a
special breathing machine which allowed divers to explore the underwater world and stay there
several hours. He also invented the aqualung, that is the rst scuba diving equipment.

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 In 1948 he started to travel with Calypso, his research ship. He wrote many books and produced
many lms and tv series as “the undersea world of Jacques Cousteau”, in which he shows the
undersea world populated by sharks and whales. He founded a society in order to protect ocean
life and he became a member of the French Academy. He died in 1997.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: Have you ever explored the underwater world?

No, I haven’t but I would like to. However, when I was in primary school, I had the opportunity to
visit the Naples aquarium with my classmates. Since I love the sea and the underwater world, one
of my dreams is to visit the Genoa aquarium or swim with dolphins.

3. WORKING FROM HOME ON THE RISE, p. 28

This text is about the advantages and disadvantages of working from home.

The text opens with the introduction of a man called Patel, who is a graphic designer and he is
just one example of a worldwide people who work from home. He explains that he prefers
working from home because he can spend more time with his family and have a better work-life
balance.

A study of the “International Labor Organization” showed that the home-working is increasing, the
main reasons of this rise are:

- Thanks to technology, there are broadband connections with a quick way to receive and send
data from home.

- On the other hand, we have lower costs for companies and less sick days for employees.

There are a lot of advantages of working from home:

• The companies are able to reduce workstations and increase o ce space.

• While employees could reduce the commuting that caused stress and develop time-
management skills.

But there are also some disadvantages:

• For some people the o ces are a break from family and a creative environment thanks to
colleagues.

• Moreover, home-working is not suitable for people who have got a young family and don’t have
a separate workstation.

The text ends with Patel’s opinion: he explains that who has family and time management is better
working from home.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

1. Would you like to work from home in the future?

In my own opinion, I wouldn’t like working from home in the future. Although I work better
individually, I strongly believe in teamwork and in sharing ideas and projects with my colleagues.
2. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of distances learning?

In my opinion the only advantages of distance learning are logistical and environmental. In fact, in
this way, pollution is reduced. Students are also facilitated, especially those at the university who
can review the recorded lessons. On the other hand, any kind of direct relationship with friends or
teachers is lost. To this problem we can also add that there are many problems about connection
with the computer. Personally I prefer the traditional education.

4. HOW TO AVOID MISTAKES ONLINE, p. 41

This text provides advices on "How to Avoid Online Mistakes". It is recommended not to share
personal information such as: date, telephone number, home address, because this information
could be useful for robbers to nd out where you live.

We also have to be careful when we click on “Reply all”, because in this way everyone will read
the message. Also on Facebook we must be careful not to confuse between public post and
private message. To avoid online mistakes, we must also include the importance of "Private
Settings", which helps you to decide how visible you want your pro le, contacts, photos and
videos. You must also use a secure password that includes letters, numbers and punctuation. Use
di erent passwords for di erent accounts, don't share your password with anyone. Another point
to consider is the use of language if you don't want to run the risk of being rejected. It is
preferable to make a good impression with appropriate language, without grammatical mistakes.
To avoid this you should ask someone else to check what you have written.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: Have you ever done anything on the Internet that you have
regretted?
Maybe as a child I used to post stupid things like videos with my friends where we tried to make
people laugh, but the only result was that we were ridiculous.

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 5. IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO MANIPULATE IMAGES IN ADVERTISING? p. 48
This text put emphasis on the “acceptability to manipulate images in advertising”. In recent years,
photoshopping has become very popular in the advertising industry in order to create perfect
bodies for celebrities and models.

This practise has led to many controversy, because many people are against the unrealistic and
distorted image. Amanda Fortini, an expert of fashion, writes many articles on fashion for the New
York Times in which she defends photoshopped images. She defends photoshopping because
she thinks that people are intelligent and they understand which photos are retouched. She also
believes that manipulation is an ancient phenomenon used to sell products and we have to
accept them as ctional and fantasy, so we should enjoy them and not criticize them. According
to Amanda Fortini it’s acceptable to manipulate images, but we need to use our critical skills to
distinguish real images from the fake one.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

1. Is it acceptable to manipulate images of people in advertising?

In my own opinion is acceptable to manipulates people’s image, but I strongly believe that we
must not overdo it. For example, I approved little changes but not who completely change his
aspects. Maybe the practise of photoshop comes from insecurities, because many times we are
dissatis ed of our aspects. So I personally believe that the school should educate to appreciate
ourselves, our appearance, our body.

2. Have you ever bought something just because of an advert?

Yes, many time I bought an item only after seeing it in advertising, I believe that advertising has a
strong power to in uence our minds. However for many items that I would like to buy, I prefer to
go in the physical store and not to buy them online, especially if they are shoes or clothes.

6. MARIA MONTESSORI, p.58

This text is about “Maria Montessori”. She was born in Ancona in 1870 and became the rst
female doctor in Italy. Later she founded “Children’s house” where she developed the Montessori
method, an informal style of teaching. She strongly believes that children are unique individuals
who must be free to learn without being criticized or restricted. For this reason they were
authorized to choose the pace, the topic and the lessons. As a result children loved learning, and
this gave them happiness and con dence.

The Montessori method also improved children’s skills and made them more independent. It also
taught them to cook, dress themselves and put things away. As a matter of fact, it was based on
the repetition and di erentiation activities. The Montessori method saw the teacher as a guide of
the classroom, and not as a leader. The method was based on self-teaching and self-correcting
and learning by doing experiments. A typical room in a Montessori school o ered everyday
materials like books, objects and games, but also furnitures and cabinets that were light and low,
so the children could arrange them as they prefer. This environment promoted cooperation rather
than competition. Nowadays, this method is adopted in many European and American’s schools.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: How does the Montessori approach compare with the way you
were educated?
The scholastic approach with which I was educated was completely di erent from the Montessori
method. I remembered that we were obligated to follow what the teacher said, we were not able
to choose the topic’s lessons. The professors didn’t stimulate the attention of the students and
moreover, they preferred notions rather than cooperation. From this point of view, I prefer the
university which allows me to organize my time better.

7. ALESSI’S INVENTIONS, p. 70
This text is about “Alessi’s invention”, a famous italian design company. Alessi believed that
design was superior to pro tability and taking risk was more important than failures. His president,
Alberto, believed that the most original design concepts came from the borderline between what
was possible and what was impossible. Alberto transformed the company into a worldwide
success by employing famous designers, increasing export and innovation. He used di erent kind
of material such as: metal, stainless steel and plastic.

Alberto’s rst project was “Alessi D’Après”, commissioned to Salvator Dalì and other artists, but
the project was too di cult and the production was stopped. Moreover the company used a
formula to decide which project had a practical function, if it appealed to the senses, t current

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 trends, and were reasonably priced. Many famous designers had worked for Alessi, like: Philippe
Starck and Stefano Giovannoli. Alessi’s productions nowadays includes new products like:
watches, telephone, glasses and car as the “Fiat Panda” equipped with internet access.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION: How much importance do you place on design when shopping?

I believe that the importance of design when we buy is relatively important, it all depends on the
object we want to buy and above all on the use we plan to make of it. I personally believe that an
e cient object is better than an aesthetically beautiful one. Many times, however, there are
several factors to consider, such as the cost. For example, if I had to buy a computer, I would
prefer to spend more and have an e cient one rather than spending less and not having the
programs I need.

8. BUSINESS ICONS: ESTEE LAUDER - AKUI MORITA, p. 80

“Estee Lauder” is the founder of the US cosmetic rm. She had a di cult childhood, but since she
was young she had interest in her uncle’s business. When she graduated, she helped her uncle to
sell products. Some years later, she founded her company, that at the beginning only sold 4
products. Her fortune came when she got an order from a famous beauty shop in New York.

The company’s success began with the launch of a special perfume and other products that
became a best selling skincare. Nowadays the company owns di erent brands in more than 120
countries.

Akio Morita is the co-founder of the Sony company, one of the rst global companies, he made
Sony the number one American consumer brand. He was the eldest son of a wealthy Japan family
and he had a comfortable childhood. He trained as a physicist, but when he was 26, he founded
his rst company. The company produced the rst recorder, pocket radio and transistor television.
Later it changed its name in “Sony”, from the English “sonny boy” to give an impression of a
company full of energy and youth. He moved in the USA, and this journey helped him to
understand the American market. Sony noticed young people’s love for music and launched the
“Walkman”. In fact, Morita was a workaholic but also a playaholic, he loved art, music and sport.
He also wrote a book in which he a rmed that academic achievements are not important to have
success in business.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION: Who are the business icons in your country? Why are they
successful?

In our country there are a lot of famous brands such as: Chiara Ferragni’s brand, Valentino or
Dolce & Gabbana that becomes a very business icons. For example, Chiara Ferragni, started with
a blog called “The Blonde Salad” when she was a teenager, and now she is considered as a
“digital entrepreneur”. She has completely changed and revolutionized the world of fashion.

But she is also a charismatic person, and maybe this is the reason of her success. She has
emerged especially in this period during the covid. Aware of its popularity, and in uence, she has
created a campaign for the San Ra aele hospital. For this reason she received the ambrogino
d'Oro, the highest honor of the Municipality of Milan. But Chiara also ghts against body shaming,
and the importance of mental health.

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