The world, in English - April week 2
Hello and welcome! Here you will find out what happened around the world these days and of course, practice your english.
💭To think:
Nowadays, Disney is incredibly successful, but for that to happen, Walt Disney faced hundreds of rejections. Still, he believed in his idea so much that he only allowed himself to stop once it became a huge success.
🎤 A MacBook, a mic, YouTube Premium… and Justin Bieber’s comeback
Coachella is a music festival that happens every year in California, and it kicked off last weekend with big names like Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims, and Justin Bieber.
Bieber had been on a four-year hiatus due to health issues, but now he’s back and made a $10 million comeback last weekend. Yes, that’s how much he was paid, making him one of the highest-paid artists to ever perform at Coachella.
His show was extremely simple: just a MacBook open on YouTube and a mic. Still, Bieber made it memorable. The performance lasted 90 minutes and felt like a trip down memory lane, with him singing along to his old videos in the background, basically performing with his younger self.
Of course, the internet had opinions. Some loved it, others hated it. But this humble writer thinks it was actually a great performance. It was simple, yes, but the kind of simple that works. And honestly? Most of the time, that’s enough.
We got the chance to sing “Baby” with teenage Bieber and his adult version at the same time. There’s something about that kind of nostalgia that hits in a very specific way, a mix of happy and emotional. Like I said… simple, when done right, is more than enough.
📚Vocabulary
Mic = microfone
Happen = acontece
Kicked off = começou
Hiatus = pausa (tempo sem trabalhar)
Due to = devido a
Health issues = problemas de saúde
Comeback = retorno
Perform = performar, apresentar
Extremely = extremamente
Performance = apresentação
Memorable = memorável
Lasted = durou
Memory lane = lembranças do passado
Background = fundo
Younger = mais novo
Opinion = opinião
Humble = humilde
Simple = simples
Honestly = honestamente
Enough = suficiente
Nostalgia = saudade / nostalgia
💵 Dollar drops below R$5 for the first time in over 2 years
For the first time since April 2024, the dollar dropped below R$5, closing at R$4.99 on Monday (April 13). And yes, it might not look like a big difference, but trust me, it is.
There are many factors that affect a country’s currency, and on April 13, one of them was Donald Trump. The U.S. president suggested that Iran could be open to negotiating a peace agreement, which helped calm the market.
When global tensions decrease, investors tend to feel more confident, which can benefit emerging economies like Brazil.
Another important factor was the decision by the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in the U.S., making investments in other countries more attractive.
📚Vocabulary
Drop = cair
Close (price) = fechar (valor no final do dia)
Trust = confiar
Currency = moeda
Factor = fator
Affect = afetar
Suggest = sugerir
Negotiate = negociar
Peace agreement = acordo de paz
Global tensions = tensões globais
Decrease = cair
Tend to = tendem a
Market = mercado
Emerging = emergente
Investor = investidor
Interest rates = taxas de juros
Attractive = atrativo
⚽ Super Bowl halftime show? No… World Cup halftime show
Yes, you read that right. For the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup will have a halftime show.
This was confirmed by Gianni Infantino, who posted on Instagram saying: “I can confirm the first halftime show of the World Cup in New York, Times Square.”
The process of choosing the main artist will include help from Chris Martin and Phil Harvey, both from Coldplay.
Let’s be honest… expectations are already sky high.
📚Vocabulary
Halftime = intervalo (de jogo)
Confirm = confirmar
Post (verb) = postar
Main artist = artista principal
Choose = escolher
Help (verb) = ajudar
Expectations = expectativas
First time ever = primeira vez na história
🚨 From gossip to prison: Choquei’s owner arrested for money laundering
Well… apparently gossip alone isn’t paying enough anymore 👀 (just kidding… kind of).
Authorities uncovered another major scheme, this time involving MC Ryan SP, MC Poze do Rodo, and Raphael Souza, the owner of the gossip page Choquei.
Nicknamed “Narco Fluxo,” the operation revealed a billion-real money laundering scheme. In just two years, the group allegedly moved over R$1.6 billion.
According to investigators, artists were used as a kind of visibility shield, making it harder to detect illegal activity.
The police are investigating possible crimes such as supporting criminal organizations, money laundering, and using social media to profit from illegal actions.
In Choquei’s case, there are also concerns about the spread of false information online.
📚Vocabulary
Apparently = aparentemente
Gossip = fofoca
Enough = suficiente
Kidding = brincando, zoando
Kind of = mais ou menos
Authorities = autoridades
Uncovered = descobriu
Scheme = esquema (geralmente ilegal)
Owner = dono
Nicknamed = apelidado
Money laundering = lavagem de dinheiro
Allegedly = supostamente
According = de acordo com
Shield = escudo
Investigate = investigar
Crime = crime
Illegal = ilegal
Such as = assim como, como
Organization = organização
Profit (verb) = lucrar
Spread (information) = espalhar
Concerns = preocupações
False information = informação falsa
🎬 Weekend tips
Put a smile on your face, the weekend is here… and next week we even get a holiday on Tuesday. Not bad at all ✨
Here are a few ideas to enjoy it:
🍿 Twilight is back in theaters:
The Twilight Saga: New Moon is back in cinemas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the saga. Yes… it’s really been 20 years.
🎶 Coachella – Weekend 2:
You can watch the shows live on YouTube, since the festival is being streamed. The lineup includes names like Justin Bieber, Addison Rae, Luísa Sonza, Karol G, and more.
📚Vocabulary
Holiday = feriado
Not bad at all = nada mal
Enjoy = aproveitar
Theater / Cinema = cinema
Twilight = crepúsculo
Celebrate = celebrar
Anniversary = aniversário
Live (adjective) = ao vivo
Lineup = lista de artistas
Stream (verb) = transmitir online
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