In an educational context, the term ‘learner independence’ has gained increasing importance in recent years. It is of particular (9) ______ to language learning and commonly refers to the way students confidently control and organize their own language learning process. While (10) ______ people seem to have an almost instinctive flaw for languages, others have to rely on strategies to maximize their skills and learn a foreign language more effectively. The main thing to remember is that becoming a truly independent learner ultimately depends above all on taking responsibility for your own learning and being prepared to take every opportunity available to you to learn. You also increase your chance of (11) ______ by learning according to your own needs and interests, using all available resources. Research shows that learners (12) ______ adopt this approach wife undoubtedly manage to broaden their language abilities considerably and, (13) ______ , are more likely to achieve their objectives in the longer term.
Madison Square Garden, a world – famous sporting venue in New York City, has actually been a series of buildings in varied locations rather than a single building in one spot. In 1873, P.T. Barnum built Barnum’s Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome at the corner of Madison Avenue and 26th Street, across from Madison Square Park. Two years later, the band leader Patrick Gilmore bought the property, added statues and fountains, and renamed it Gilmore’s Gardens. When Cornelius Vanderbilt bought the property in 1879, it was renamed Madison Square Garden. A second very lavish Madison Square Garden was built at the same location in 1890, with a ballroom, a restaurant, a theater, a rooftop garden, and a main arena with seating for 15,000. However, this elaborate Madison Square Garden lasted until 1924 when it was torn down to make way for a forty-storey skyscraper. When the second Madison Square Garden had been replaced in its location across from Madison Square Park, the boxing promoter Tex Rickard raised six million dollars to build a new Madison Square Garden. This new Madison Square Garden was constructed in a different location, on 8th Avenue and 50th Street and quite some distance from Madison Square Park and Madison Avenue. Rickard’s Madison Square Garden served primarily as an arena for boxing prize fights and circus events until it outgrew its usefulness by the late 1950s. A new location was found for a fourth for Madison Square Garden, a top Pennsylvania Railroad Station, and plans were announced for its construction in 1960. This current edifice, which includes a huge sports arena, a bowling center, a 5,000-seat amphitheater, and a twenty-nine-storey office building, does retain the traditional name Madison Square Garden. However, the name is actually quite a misnomer. The building is not located near Madison Square, nor does it have the flowery gardens that contributed to the original name.
Samba is one of Brazil’s most popular music and dance styles. In many ways, it is a symbol of the country itself. In the words of one of the modern samba’s main artists, Seu Jorge, “Samba is our truth, our peculiarity… and our flag.” When people today hear the word samba, they often think of the festival of Carnaval and the city of Rio de Janeiro. But there are many different types of samba, and these styles differ throughout Brazil. Today, one of the most popular types of samba comes from Bahia, a state In the eastern part of the country. It’s called samba reggae. From the 16th to 18th centuries, over three million Africans were brought to Brazil to work as slaves. Today in Bhia, 80 percent of the population is black. Samba from this region of Brazil is heavily influenced by African rhythms. Modern samba reggae is a mix of Rio samba, African drumbeats, and Jamaican reggae. It is a bit slower than Rio samba, and is usually performed in large groups sometimes with over 200 drums playing at one time! Bahia’s most famous drumming group is Oludum. Many say the group invented the samba reggae sound. But Olodum is not only a musical group. Its members have also created local organizations to help young people and the poor. Every year in the city of Salvador in Bahia, the lively sounds of samba reggae fill the streets during Carnaval. One of the world’s greatest parties.
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