I'm looking for an english language partner

Hi all,

my name is Stefano and I would like to improve my english.

I'm looking for a language partner to do practice english online (i.e. skype), I can teach Italian

Thanks a lot, Stefano.

A weekend in Parma Last weekend I spent two days in Parma with my family. Parma was the ancient capital of dukedom of Parma and today is one of the main cities of the region called Emilia Romagna. Although a relatively small city, Parma can boast some truly monumental architecture, a rich artistic heritage and a range of important cultural institutions. We left Genova on Saturday morning at 9.00 a.m., the trip took about three hours by car; when we arrived in Parma we left our car in the private car park of the hotel and we immediately started our sightseeing tour of the city. First of all we visited the splendid Romanesque Cathedral, which is dedicated to the virgin Mary and the octagonal Baptistery fully frescoed and with wondering decorative sculptures; after we went to a restaurant and we tested the traditional food: we started with torta fritta, which is a sort of fried bread, usually served with the local salami such as culatello of Zibello, salame of Felino or spalla cotta of San Secondo. As main courses we tasted pasta filled, as anolini in broth or pasta dough with herbs, with pumpkin or potatoes filling. In the afternoon we continued our visit of Parma, walking around the city centre. The streets were immersed in the Christmas atmosphere, they were well decorated with flashing and coloured lights and the shops were full of people looking for Christmas presents. We remained in Parma the day after too and we had enjoyable time.

November means Christmas The first days of November I went for a walk in the city centre and I relized that streets were already immersed in the Christmas atmosphere. I was surprised because it was still November but it looked like it was the Christmas Eve. Inside every shop I could listen to Christmas songs in the background and most of them were fully decorated with flashing lights, and Christmas trees; while children looked on the windows with awe and wonder. I usually enjoy Christmas atmosphere because colored lights and twinkling tinsels make the city more attractive, but as much as I love this period, I think that starting the celebrations so early detract from the true Christmas spirit. Althought I cannot blame shops for displaying Christmas stock as early as possible because they do have to make a profit, in order to keep the business going and be able to provide people with jobs, on the other hand I don't like the exasperated Christmas hype that tries to persuade us to buy many things that we really don't need. I hope that the Christmas period be for me an opportunity to think more to the others than ourselves.

Should we spend money on exploring space? Modern techonolgy is increasingly improving, in the latest 50 years has reached unimaginable results so that we are even able to send rockets into the space. But are we sure this is really necessary for the mankind? Exploring the space makes us feelpround of our abilities and it satisfies our thirst for knowledge that we have always hade since the ancient times. Furthermore scientists, studying space and planets, hope to find clues and answers concerning the birth of the universe. On the other hand, space missions are very expensive and risky. Besides, it is not often evident which are the real advantages of doing this kind of activities. Many people think that there are better ways of spending money and using technology; for example improving the quality of life of people less fortunate than us. To conclude I believe that exploring space might be helpful to answer to the basic questions concerning the secret of life in the universe, but preserving life in our planet should be a higher priority.

Write a letter to apply for job in a countryside camp Dear Mr Paul Taylor, I am writing in answer to your advertisement which appeared in the magazine on May 22. I would be very interested in working in one of your countryside camps. For the last two years I have been working as entertainer in one of the biggest camp site in Rimini and I gained a great exprience in dealing with people of different ages and especially teenagers. My collegues describe me as cheerful, talkative and polite person with visitors, but also responsible and reliable at work. As I like outdoor activities, I believe this job is most suitable for me. I enclose my curriculum vitae in English for your consideration and I would be very interested in an interview. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me any time. I look forward to hear from you soon. Yours sincerely, Felipe Martin

All young people should continue at school or college until at least the age of 18. Do you agree? In Italy students are obliged to attend school until they are 16; after that age they can chose if go on with their studies or leave school and possibly start working. I believe that young people should continue attending school at least until they are 18. There are two main reason for encouraging young people to stay at school. Firstly, because they get qualifications that can be useful to find job more easily afterward. Then, school gives students the opportunity to learn competences and skills that enable them to overcome with the difficult situations they will have to face when will be adults. On the other end unmotivated students don't see the school as an opportunity to improve their abilities and education, but waste their time doing nothing. Furthermore they often disturb the lessons and prevent their classmates from listening to the teacher. In conclusion I think that it's a mistake for young people to leave school too early because they could miss the chance to get a better work in the future and, last but not least, I believe that a man with a higher level of culture is a richer man too.

Is it better to visit places in your own country or a foreign country when you go on holiday? Nowadays traveling is easier than some years ago and visiting a foreign country is as common as moving in your own nation. For this reason, when people plan their holiday, they often have the dilemma whether is better to move abroad or to stay in their own country. I believe that people should do both. There are several reasons to stay in your own country. First of all, planning a holiday in your country gives you the opportunity to know in depth your origins and history. Secondly traveling in your country is usually cheaper than going abroad thanks to the shorter distance that you have to cover. Finally, because you speak the local language you will be less stressed and able to completely enjoy your vacation. On the other hand, traveling abroad allows you to know traditions and costumes different from ours and this may turn out a fascinating and captivating experience, especially for kids. Also, it may mitigate cultural barriers and unjustified prejudices. Finally it allows us to practice other languages, which is usually useful for our education. To sum up, I think that people should travel abroad from time to time, but also visit their own country to be able to appreciate what is good and interesting in both.

When to use take, bring, carry or fetch? I often confuse these words, their meaning seems pretty similar and I don't understand which one to use.

Fashion of the future Have you ever imagined how clothes could be in 100 years from now? Probably not. For mos t of us fashion is not such an interesting deal. People often enter into a boutique or a department store and buy whatever the fashion industry proposes in that season, according with their tastes and style. Maybe in a few years things will be different and we'll have to consider other features than just colours or style when we'll buy a new clothes. Lately industry has discovered and new materials to create cotas or jackets, able to protect us from the rain and, at the same time, that prevent us from sweating. Maybe clothes of the future will be able to monitor our health state and to warn immediately a doctor if our blood pressure or any other health parameter is not in the correct range. Perhaps our trousers or shirts will be able to change their color in according with our emotions, or when we meet the right partner. Scientific technology progresses very quickly and it will open up amazing opportunities, not only computers or smartphones will benefit of it, but even fashion will dramatically change.