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CIDEB
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«Sweet and Sour» is an involving and varied collection of gripping and enjoyable short stories whose captivating storylines greatly enhance readers’ enjoyment. All of them feature light and dark sides of human nature. Some stories have a devilish or unpredictable twist in the tale, some show how ordinary people are driven to murder, revenge and deceit by unexpected circumstances or odd events. Sweet and Sour includes stories by Vivien Alcock, Margery Allingham, Isaac Asimov, Bernard Capes, Roald Dahl, W. W. Jacobs, Alison Lurie, Katherine Mansfield, Ruth Rendell, Salman Rushdie and Saki.» |
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After Doña Inés is kidnapped for a bet, Don Juan Tenorio falls in love with her, inadvertently causing a series of events which lead to her death. Highly complex and extremely ‘modern’, Don Juan is at times romantic and passionate, a sinner and a positive figure in his ability to feel remorse. |
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Pip Pirrip is a poor orphan boy destined to become a blacksmith. But a chance meeting with an escaped convict and an invitation to the house of the eccentric Miss Havisham mark the beginning of great changes in his life. After receiving a large amount of money from a secret benefactor Pip goes to London to be educated as a ‘gentleman’. But who is his secret benefactor? |
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Othello is a successful general, but a very simple man who trusts Iago completely. When he elopes with and marries Desdemona, he is overwhelmed by the happiness that seems to be his. Iago, embittered by his failure to win promotion in the army, decides to poison the general’s happiness... |
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This selection of ten short stories about women by modern writers (James Joyce, Katherine Mansfield, Roald Dahl, James Thurber, Edna O’Brien, Anne Cassidy, Malachi Whitaker and Janet Frame) from different English-speaking countries – England, Ireland, America and New Zealand – explores such themes as love’s dilemma, loneliness, crime, myths and nostalgia. Dictionary work, the role of the narrator, setting, story and plots, speech modes and characterisation are all featured in the analysis sections of each story. |
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A stimulating selection of extracts from important works and short stories by major authors of the 19th and 20th centuries – Mary Shelley, Emily Brontë, R. L. Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and George Orwell – which aims to improve students’ linguistic competence and introduce them to concepts of literary analysis through a wide range of activities. Each chapter also includes a chronology of the author’s life and a synoptic table to help students to contextualise what they read. |
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'The Young King' tells how a shepherd boy becomes a king and realises that money is not worth human suffering. In 'The Star Child' a baby is found in the forest and discovers his true identity after many adventures. 'The Nightingale and the Rose' is a tale of a nightingale who sacrifices her life to create the perfect red rose for a student in love. |
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Doctor Faustus, a brilliant scholar, enters into an agreement with the Devil. He agrees to sell his soul in return for twenty-four years of knowledge, power and riches. But he realises the full implications of his rash action. |
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«Le Morte d’Arthur» tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The tale begins with Arthur’s birth, his education, and his rise to the throne. It also recounts the tragic love story of Sir Lancelot and Guinevere, the destruction of the Round Table and Arthur’s mysterious disappearance or death.» |
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The tragic story of the romance between an abandoned orphan, Marianela, and a young blind man, to whom she acts as a guide. When Marianela’s love regains his sight, he falls in love with a young rich girl, and forgets about poor Marianela. This story manages to have a great resonance through the way the author portrays Marinela as the embodiment of innocence and love. |
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«La Celestina» is a story from the Renaissance that stands out from the crowd, which prefers a more authentic portrayal of reality instead of the sentimental approach typical of the period. A young man, Calisto, infatuated by the splendid Melibea, asks for help from the greedy and shrewd Celestina, who organises a romantic meeting between the two. A romance blossoms, however, it ends quickly in tragedy…» |
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This is a progressive grammar book aimed at students who already have a basic knowledge of the Italian language and who want to deepen and consolidate the basic skills already acquired. It can be used either for self-study or to accompany a language course. Despite dealing with complex structures, the book maintains the same clarity and simple layout as the first volume, whilst avoiding the use of difficult terminology. The book is divided into 24 units, and each one deals with a specific grammar point, placing particular attention on the aspects which create the most difficulty for those learning the Italian language (the difference between passato prossimo and imperfetto, i modi indefinite, the passive etc.) The use of explanations and numerous examples automatically allow enjoyment of the text and simplify the comprehension of the topics dealt with, establishing the fundamental concepts of the language. The numerous, varied and motivating exercises favour learning and memorisation of the grammar rules through the use of current expressions of the Italian language in authentic contexts. The lexis and the syntax of the exercises develop progressively, increasing in difficulty. The 8 appendices offer: • summary verb pages (auxiliaries, regular and irregular verbs conjugated in the three different forms); • summary page on the passive form; • notes on changing direct speech into indirect speech. A series of summary exercises allow for checking and consolidation of the knowledge acquired, and the index means the book can also be used for quick reference. |
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In Genoa, the death by poisoning of a Milanese doctor upsets the peaceful atmosphere of the guest house, ‘Quarto dei Mille’, where Dr Capri spent the last night of his life. There isn’t enough evidence to think that it was suicide and the story has many mysterious aspects to it: why did someone who lived in Milan make an appointment with a lawyer in another city? And why did a rich man stay in a modest guest house and not in a 5-star hotel? Try to discover, with little Anna, the motives behind this mysterious death? |
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These stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, R. Austin Freeman, Edgar Wallace, Edmund Crispen and Geoffrey Bush, Margery Allingham and Julian Symons focus on the development of the detective genre: from the rationality of the Victorian investigator to the modern theme of the criminal as anti-hero. |
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In 17th-century Madrid, a beautiful gypsy called Preciosa has the admiration of all who see her dance and predict the future. A young gentleman abandons his place in society to go and live with they gypsies because he is in love with her. However, things become complicated when the gentleman is accused of a crime and is imprisoned. Preciosa asks for clemency from the Corregidor… |
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A telephone number on a fifty-euro banknote, a bunch of red roses, a suspicious florist. All apparently commonplace things, which could go unobserved by anybody... but not the eyes of the attentive and alert Grandini, a retired police commissioner. Is the telephone number a cry for help, or does the commissioner simply see mysteries everywhere? Let yourself get involved in this adventure and help the commissioner solve this enigma! |
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«The Ransom of Red Chief» is a wonderfully funny and ironic story about two inexperienced kidnappers and their unusual ‘victim’, with a great surprise ending. O. Henry’s unique talent enabled him to create a world full of ordinary people who did extraordinary things.» |
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The Durbeyfield family are poor and simple people, but their ancestors were the mighty d’Urbervilles, an ancient and noble family. When the Durbeyfields meet with misfortune, they send their eldest daughter Tess to visit her wealthy cousin and ask for help, but the wealthy cousin has a young son, Alec Stoke-d’Urberville, who finds Tess very attractive… |
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Amelia Sedley and Becky Sharp are two friends. Amelia comes from a wealthy family but her father is made bankrupt. She marries George Osborne, a vain and shallow young man who does not really love her. Becky Sharp, on the other hand, comes from a penniless family, and is determined to use her beauty and charm to find a good position in life. |
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Silas, a weaver, is betrayed by his best friend and the woman he loves. He loses all faith in humanity and moves to the village of Raveloe. There he lives a solitary life, working and hoarding his gold coins, until one day his gold is stolen… |
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