2001 | The World of English

Stranger than fiction

British novelist and politician Jeffrey Archer became a Member of Parliament at the age of 29. Bankruptcy forced him to resign, so he sat down and wrote a novel that made him a millionaire. But in July he was sentenced to four years in jail for perjury. This is the story of his rise and fall.

2001

The Naked Eye

People-watching is always fun, but now "reality television", in the guise of Big Brother, takes it one step further, satisfying our deepest voyeuristic desireswhile giving us a chance to influence the outcome. We are part of the plot!

2001

A Letter to Our Readers

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the World of English Summer Issue, in which we invite you to let your hair down (or if you haven't any, to let it grow) and forget, as far as you think wise, about exams, school and university (or, if you are an especially precocious pupil, kindergarten).

2001

A Real Hate of Real Estate

Why is selling and buying a house one of the most stressful and tiring experiences of your life? I think it's on a par with having a baby! Since buying a house is probably one of the largest purchases you make in their lifetime, you don't want to make a mistake.

2001

America at Last

After a year of fundraising, Dominika Bosak, Anna Curyło, Kinga Drozd, Marta Huszcza, Agnieszka Lew, Natalia Piórkowska, and Daniel Zawadzki journeyed from Kłodzko to Burnsville, Minnesota. This article is about the different activities they did and their thoughts about America.

Host families

2001

Potty about Potter

Harry's here, specs and all, long-awaited and long-debated!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has been the most hyped film production of recent years, and possibly, for its millions of younger devotees, in living memory. The bespectacled Harry is the latest literary pin-up, which just goes to show thatlooks aren'teverything.

2001

England's Eco-warriors

The environment is a hot issue in the UK. Since the 1980s, awareness has grown of the consequences of industrial pollution, nuclear waste, carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. More recently, the BSE beef crisis and the GM food controversy have made the British public even more sensitive to the appliance of science and agricultural error. We are turning into a nation of eco-worriers.

2001

The Magical Touch

"The idea that we could have a child who escapes from the confines of the adult world and goes somewhere where he has power, both literally and metaphorically, really appealed to me." J.K. Rowling's life, like that of her character, Harry Potter, has the lustre of a fairy tale. She has made her fortune, yet it isn't all plain sailing...

2001

You Are Now Entering the Phone Zone

An incredible 24 million mobile phone text-messages are sent and received every day in Britain. The young, especially, love this way of communicating, but many academics and teachers are increasingly worried about the quality of English they use when sending an SMS.

2001