Vocable April 2025

The April 2025's Vocable is entitled "South Africa: How to mend the past?".  

In this edition you can find:

     - African historical background as well as articles about controversial situations between the nation and the US government. For example, some Afrikaners cheer as Trump amplifies claims of persecution or a corner of Cape Town dealing with tourism / heritage dilemma. (p. 6 - 11)

     - How today's generation of Youtubers becomes a source of gun-using tutorials. Weapon owners share tips and lifehacks about shooting faster etc. These people get called Guntubers. (p. 12 - 14)

     - "The London Gazette": a mine of information since 1665. Britain's oldest newspapepr is described as a treasure trove of trivia where we would find some official documents along with laws. (p. 15 - 17)

     - Project Iceworm that took place in American town that was built in Greenland in order to expand the US's power and interest (p. 18 - 19)

    - Britain's negotiations and a possible come back to the EU due to Ukrainian crisis. ( p. 23 - 24)

    - What is the "matcha obsession" and why it became such a trend between Gen Z and millennials. (p. 30 - 32) 

    - Interesting facts about celebrities and important people such as tate McRae, a populat singer, or Mike leigh, a major figure in British litterature, or Michelle Obama. (p. 34-39)

    - Why "The Great Gatsby" parties on from stage, 100 years after publication. (p. 40-41)

    - The secret to the success of "Saturday Night Live" TV humorisctic show which celebrates its 50th anniversary. (p. 44-45) 

    - The famous "Coachella Valley" : palm springs, the Cahuilla Indians, the festival capital of the world, the Salton sea and so much more... (p. 46-47)

Who won the space race?

 

President Kennedy's Speech at Rice University, 1962

 

Vocable n°914 – October 2025

 

Main topic: “The End of the American Dream?”

In this October 2025 issue of Vocable, we take a closer look at a big question: is the famous American Dream coming to an end? This edition explores how the myth of success and opportunity in the U.S. is being challenged — and how, for many, Europe might now represent a new kind of dream.

Right from the first pages, the editorial introduces the main theme: the decline of the American Dream. The magazine’s cover — showing the Statue of Liberty walking toward an “Exit” sign — perfectly illustrates the idea that America itself may be leaving behind its founding myth.

On page 6, the feature article “The End of the American Dream?” digs into this topic. It explains how immigration to the U.S. is reaching record lows, and how more and more Americans feel disillusioned with the promise of equal opportunity.

Further on, page 10 features an article from The Economist titled “Still want to be a London cab driver?” It looks at the struggles of traditional taxi drivers in London, who now face intense competition from digital platforms like Uber.

Politics takes center stage on page 16, with The New York Times’ profile “5 things to know about Zohran Mamdani.” This young American politician represents a new generation — progressive, idealistic, and determined to make change happen.

Then, on page 23, we switch to science and the environment with The Conversation’s article “Noise and light in cities disrupt birdsong.” It reveals how urban pollution — both sound and light — interferes with birds’ natural communication, reminding us how deeply city life affects the natural world.

Later, page 34 takes us into the world of cinema. In “Richard Linklater on the filming of Nouvelle Vague”, the American director reflects on his latest project, inspired by the legendary French film movement. It’s a great way to end the issue — bridging American and European cultures.

Finally, at the back of the magazine (pages 45–50), readers will find vocabulary exercises, idiomatic expressions, and a quiz to test their comprehension of the articles.

Written by Leana

Comparing American and French viewing habits

Hello Anika and Karla, we are working on streaming services, particularily Netlix. We were hoping you could help us out by filling in this form we made to know more about how Americans use the internet on a daily basis. Feel free to share this survey with your classmates, the more the merrier!

American version:

https://forms.gle/QGz8J3oVurgaR2oB7

Did you get Netflixed?

Hello Chloe, Ian and everyone!

We have created surveys so you could discover and analyze whether you are addicted to streaming services or not.

This way, we can conclude our sequence by comparing French data and American data.

Feel free to check the links below and answer the questions.

Have fun!

American survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGJ9NhS871HWjKs2Rfk-oOjsMA9XTujU4cuFgid9zrV7kQug/viewform?usp=header 

Enea, Diemid, Amélie, Alona

Screening habits of streaming service

Hello Jace and McKinley, here is our survey to know more about you, and your screening habits, so please take a little of your time to answer it. 

Try to share our survey with other students to collect more answers.

Enjoy !

Anthony, Milhàn, Swann

American link : https://forms.gle/WQhhULzBChKh2SKA7