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World and Press September 2 2022

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Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien Sprachtraining, Landeskunde, Vokabelhilfen und Übungsmaterial für Fortgeschrittene Sprachniveau B2 - C2

14 News & Topics

14 News & Topics September 2 2022 | World and Press Black Death may have come to Europe via Silk Road SCIENCE The ancient Silk Road, from China to Europe, transported goods – and probably the Black Death. mit -Vokabeltrainer By Tom Whipple 1 IN THEYear of the Tiger, death came to the Chuy Valley. During one short and terrible year – a year we now mark as 1338 – the cemeteries were filled, the headstones inscribed with the Syriac word for “pestilence”. The valley’s catastrophe was merely the first minor act, research has confirmed, in a greater cataclysm that would sweep Eurasia. Here, in this remote Kyrgyz community where the mountains of the Tian Shan meet the steppes of central Asia, a study argues the Black Death began. 2 “What we have in this burial ground is the Big Bang of plague,” Johannes Krause, from the Max 0 – 1 BLACK DEATHder Schwarze Tod; Beulenpest — Silk Road Seidenstraße — headstone; s.w.u. tombstone “"tu…mst´Un‘ Grabstein — to inscribe “In"skraIb‘ beschriften; eingravieren — Syriac “"sIrIœk‘ syrisch — pestilence “"pestIl´ns‘ Pestilenz — minor leicht; unbedeutend — cataclysm “"kœt´klIz´m‘ Katastrophe — to sweep s.th. über etw. hinwegfegen — Kyrgyz “"k‰…gIz‘ kirgisisch 2 burial ground “"beri´l‘ Grabstätte — Big Bang Urknall — plague “pleIg‘ Pest — evolutionary anthropology “Æi…v´"lu…S´n´ri; ÆœnTr´"pÅl´dZi‘ 0 – 1 WITCH Hexe — posthumously “"pÅstS´m´sli‘ posthum — to pardon “"pA…d´n‘ begnadigen; s.w.u. pardon Begnadigung — to convict “k´n"vIkt‘; s.w.u. to sentence verurteilen — Witchcraft Act “"wItSkrA…ft‘ Gesetz gegen die Hexerei — hunt Jagd — to span s.th. s. über etw. erstrecken — to execute “"eksIkju…t‘ hinrichten; s.w.u. execution — to torture “"tO…tS´‘ foltern 2 to propose a bill e-n Gesetzentwurf einbringen — to set the record straight den Sachverhalt Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, said. His and his colleagues’ research began when Philip Slavin, from the University of Stirling, became intrigued richtigstellen — lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — conviction “k´n"vIkS´n‘ Verurteilung — to ensure “In"SO…‘ sicherstellen — miscarriage of justice “mIs"kœrIdZ‘ Fehlurteil; Justizirrtum 3 call for Forderung nach — necromancer “"nekr´mœns´‘ Schwarzkünstler(in) — to gather pace Fahrt aufnehmen — to issue a formal apology to s.o. s. bei jdm. in aller Form entschuldigen — to vilify s.o. “"vIlIfaI‘ jdn. verunglimpfen — in effect in Kraft — s.th. is punishable by death from 1338 and 1339, indicating a sudden surge in mortality. There was also a hint as to what it was. 3 “Most inscriptions are quite laconic,” Slavin said. “But some are longer than others.” Among those, one word kept coming up. “One thing that repeats in the inscriptions was that the person that was buried there died of pestilence.” What kind of pestilence? It was difficult not to make the connection that these people were buried less than a decade before perhaps the most famous pestilence in history would lay waste to half of Europe – a pestilence whose origins have until now been posited as anywhere from the Caspian Steppes in the west to Mongolia in the east or Siberia in the north. 4 For a paper in the journal ‘Nature’, the researchers tracked down the skeletons contained in those graves and analysed their DNA. Within their teeth they found the genetic signature of Yersinia pestis, the plague bacterium. More than that, though, Thousands of ‘witches’ could be posthumously pardoned in Scotland HISTORY Thousands of people, mostly women, were convicted in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. mit Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. By Ellen Francis -Vokabeltrainer 1 THOUSANDSof people were convicted of practicing witchcraft in Scotland in a hunt that spanned nearly two centuries – and the majority of those sentenced to death and executed were women. Many were also tortured. 2 Now, a bill proposed in the Scottish Parliament is trying to set the record straight, said Natalie Don, a Scottish lawmaker who introduced the proposal. A 1353 illustration from Pierart dou Tielt depicting the citizens of Tournai, Belgium, as they bury victims of the Black Death. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons by two cemeteries in the region and the headstone inscriptions. Out of 467 tombstones that had a date, from a period covering nine centuries, over a quarter were evolutionäre Anthropologie — intrigued “In"tri…gd‘ fasziniert — headstone inscription “In"skrIpS´n‘ Grabinschrift — to indicate darauf hindeuten — surge “s‰…dZ‘ starker Anstieg — mortality “mO… "tœl´ti‘ Sterblichkeit 3 – 4 laconic “l´"kÅnIk‘ kurz und einfach — to lay waste to s.th. etw. verwüsten — origin Ursprung — to posit “"pÅzIt‘ postulieren — journal “"dZ‰…n´l‘ Fachzeitschrift — to track down ausfindig machen — skeleton Skelett — plague bacterium Pestbakterium — genome “"dZi…n´Um‘ Genom — strain The Witches’ Well, a monument at Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle which honors those who were burned at the stake for witchcraft. | Photo: Getty Images It could allow for posthumous pardons to thousands of women who faced convictions hundreds of years ago. The pardons would ensure they are “recognized as victims of a miscarriage of justice and are no longer recorded in history as criminals,” Don said Thursday in a video. Erregerstamm — ancestor “"œnsest´‘ Vorgänger — rodent “"r´Ud´nt‘ Nager 5 – 6 to diversify s. verändern — a profusion of “pr´"fju…Z´n‘ e-e Fülle an — to be at the root of s.th. Ursprung von etw. sein — to give rise to s.th. etw. entstehen lassen — to circulate “"s‰…kj´leIt‘ kursieren — evidence “"evId´ns‘ Belege — grave goods Grabbeigaben — landlocked ohne Zugang zum Meer — coral Koralle — pearl Perle — trade route Handelsroute — foothold Ausgangspunkt 3 Calls for legal pardons for socalled witches or necromancers have gathered pace in Scotland, where the country’s most senior politician, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, issued a formal apology in March to those vilified under the Witchcraft Act. The act, which was in effect from 1563 to 1736, made practicing witchcraft punishable by death. “It was injustice on a colossal scale, driven at least in part by misogyny,” Sturgeon said on International Women’s Day. “They were accused and killed because they were poor, different, vulnerable, or in many cases just because they were women.” 4 In one incident in 1679, for example, six people labeled the Bo’ness Witches were accused of “"pønIS´b´l‘ auf etw. steht die Todesstrafe — injustice “In"dZøstIs‘ Unrecht — misogyny “mI"sÅdZ´ni‘ Frauenfeindlichkeit — to accuse “´"kju…z‘ beschuldigen; anklagen — vulnerable “"vøln´r´b´l‘ angreifbar 4 – 5 to label bezeichnen — devil Teufel — historian Historiker(in) — to strangle “"strœNg´l‘ erdrosseln — stake Scheiterhaufen — bulk Großteil — charge Anklage; Vorwurf — to campaign for s.th. s. für etw. einsetzen when they compared its genome to those taken from bodies across 14th-century Europe – where plague killed as much as 60 per cent of the population – they found that this strain was their ancestor. When they looked at the rodent communities in the mountains above, they found they still carry a strain most closely related to this ancient one. 5 As the plague spread, it diversified, forming a profusion of variants, much as we have seen with the coronavirus. These Kyrgyz infections, though, seem to be at the root of all of them. “This is the strain that gave rise to the majority of strains circulating in the world today,” said Krause. 6 Archaeological evidence suggests that this valley was not at the time quite so isolated as it seems today. Among the grave goods buried alongside the residents of this landlocked region were corals, pearls, and silks, as well as coins from across Asia. “Put this together, and you see that this is a trading community situated at the heart of those long-distance trade routes commonly known as the Silk Roads,” Slavin said. With a foothold here, the disease could have found a way to spread. … © The Times, London/News Licensing This article originally appeared in The Times, London. Get the vocabulary trainer! www.phase6.de/wp/1822 Die Nr.1 unter den Vokabeltrainern. meeting with the devil. According to historians, they were strangled and burned at the stake. Documents confirm about 12,000 witch executions, the bulk from 1580 to 1650, one historian found in a timeline on the witch hunts of Europe, where some countries have issued pardons. … In Scotland, at least 2,500 people were convicted and executed on the charge of practicing witchcraft between 1563 and 1736, Don said. 5 Witches of Scotland, a group campaigning for those convicted under the 1563 act, welcomed the proposal. “We are hopeful that this will bring about some posthumous justice to the thousands of people who were executed by the state during the witch hunts,” it said in a statement published by British media. … © 2022 The Washington Post

World and Press | September 2 2022 Literature 15 By Lorraine Berry 1 IN HISfascinating ‘Riverman,’ Ben McGrath tells the story of an American wanderer, Dick Conant, who canoed thousands of miles of American rivers before he vanished in North Carolina in 2014. As McGrath travels to the places Conant tied up his boat, he meets locals whose encounters with the man shed light on Conant’s adventurous spirit. The glimpses of McGrath’s life makes the book into a diptych depicting American manhood. 2 The story begins with a chance encounter with Dick Conant in 2014, when McGrath saw an unknown boat lashed close to his home on the Hudson River. book world ‘Riverman’ by Ben McGrath Conant was inside a neighbor’s home telling stories to those who had gathered. McGrath describes Conant as a “stranger” to the 21st century, commenting that the man was dressed in “denim overalls, a faded baseball cap, and muddy brown boots, and had a patchy, rust-colored beard.” 3 It’s a moment near the beginning that lets readers know that McGrath is bringing his own more urban vision of 21stcentury America into his work; Conant’s story becomes a means for McGrath to push against the boundaries of his life. Successful as a ‘New Yorker’ writer, he is discontent as a “man stuck at home with a newborn and a toddler and a view of a storied river out the window.” 4 McGrath is drawn further into the riverman’s life when he’s contacted by officials who have found his business card in the missing man’s belongings. While searchers cover the waters of Albemarle Sound looking for Conant, McGrath begins his own journey to learn more about the life of a man who had spent years on the waterways. 5 In small town after small town, he hears residents’ stories of an entertaining raconteur. Conant was well-read, and frequently wrote in his journals about what he had learned, along with his impressions of where he had been on any given day. Family members contact McGrath after the appearance of his first ‘New Yorker’ story, and the siblings’ childhood memories provide grist for the narrative. But in Montana, where Conant lived, McGrath discovers women librarians who resorted to banning Conant from the library for violent acts. 6 ‘Riverman’ is rich with detail about small-town America, those little communities that have made their livings off the commerce generated by waterways. Embedded in the narrative, however, are multiple anecdotes about the ways that class intersects with the picture. Conant was not a recreational boater equipped with the latest hightech expensive gadgets and gear. He carried his life on his boat, and at times it doesn’t appear different from those whose entire life stories are contained within shopping carts. 7 But unspoken in McGrath’s story are issues of race and gender. I’m a woman who has spent much of her life participating in outdoor recreation; it is hard to imagine how less free a woman or a person of color would be to show up in town after town as a lone traveler. 8 For men like Conant, the domestic life, the settled life, was impossible. And despite his own success, one senses that McGrath, too, wishes to feel the freedom he sees in Conant’s itinerant journey. What emerges is a story that wends its way through the fluid state of American masculinity in our tumultuous times. © 2022 Star Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ‘Riverman: An American Odyssey’ by Ben McGrath, 272 pages, is published by Knopf, ISBN 978-0451494009. 0 – 1 TO CANOE“k´"nu…‘ mit dem Kanu fahren — to vanish verschwinden — to tie up festmachen — locals Einheimische — encounter Begegnung — to shed light on s.th. Aufschluss über etw. geben — adventurous spirit “´d"ventS´r´s‘ Abenteuergeist — glimpse flüchtiger Blick — diptych “"dIptIk‘ Diptychon — to depict “-"-‘ darstellen; abbilden — manhood; s.w.u. masculinity “Æmœskj´"lIn´ti‘ Männlichkeit 2 – 3 to lash anbinden — faded ausgebleicht — muddy schmutzig — patchy h.: dünn — rust-colored rostrot — means Mittel — boundary “"baund´ri‘ Grenze — discontent “ÆdIsk´n"tent‘ unzufrieden — newborn Neugeborenes — toddler Kleinkind — storied sagenumwoben 4 – 5 official Behördenmitarbeiter(in) — business card Visitenkarte — belongings Habseligkeiten — waterway Wasserstraße — raconteur “ÆrœkÅn"t‰…‘ Geschichtenerzähler — well-read belesen — journal “"dZ‰…n´l‘ Tagebuch — siblings Geschwister — grist Schrot; h.: (fig) nützliche Details — narrative “"nœr´tIv‘ Geschichte — woman librarian “laI"bre´ri´n‘ Bibliothekarin — violent gewalttätig 6 to generate “"dZen´reIt‘ erwirtschaften — to intersect “ÆInt´"sekt‘ s. kreuzen — recreational boater “Ærekri"eIS´n´l‘ Freizeitbootsfahrer(in); s.w.u. recreation Freizeitbeschäftigung — equipped ausgerüstet — gadgets Geräte — gear Ausrüstung — shopping cart Einkaufswagen 7 – 8 to participate “pA…"tIsIpeIt‘ s. beteiligen — lone einzeln — domestic life häuslicher Alltag — settled sesshaft — to sense ahnen — itinerant journey “aI"tIn´r´nt‘ Wanderschaft — to emerge “I"m‰…dZ‘ s. herauskristallisieren — to wend one’s way through s. hindurchbewegen — fluid fließend — tumultuous “tju…"møltju´s‘ stürmisch crossword puzzle | By Katrin Günther All the words are in the articles on pages 14 and 15. Solution on page 16. Across 2 A brief look (Book world) 7 Using very few words (Black Death) 9 A plant, animal, or object that is related to one existing at a later point in time (Black Death) 11 A storyteller (Book world) 13 Unfairness; wrong (Witches) 17 After a person’s death (Witches) 18 Unhappy; dissatisfied (Book world) 19 An accusation, typically one formally made against a prisoner brought to trial (Witches) 20 A disaster (Black Death) Down 1 To say or write unpleasant things about s.o. or s.th. (Witches) 3 To release s.o. from the legal consequences of an offence or conviction (Witches) 4 To make or become more diverse or varied (Black Death) 5 Dislike of or strong prejudice against women (Witches) 6 To suggest s.th. (Black Death) 8 The fact of officially being found to be guilty of a particular crime (Witches) 10 Fascinated (Black Death) 12 Turbulent (Book world) 14 A meeting (Book world) 15 Surrounded by land and having no coast (Black Death) 16 To cross one another (Book world) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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