Read all about it! The September Spotlight

The September edition of Spotlight goes on sale next Wednesday. Eamonn Fitzgerald spoke to Editor-in-Chief Inez Sharp about the next issue.

Fitzgerald:  "Pass the test" is our cover story in September. What's the test and how can we pass it?

Sharp:  When you're learning a language, it can be hard to measure your progress. A great way to motivate yourself and learn effectively is to work towards an exam. This month in the Spotlight language feature we explain the many English language exams on offer and give you the chance to find your level by trying out the sample material adapted from seven different examinations. 

Fitzgerald:  Hurricane Katrina literally knocked down New Orleans four years ago and now a Hollywood star is helping to rebuild it. Who is he? 

Sharp:  Most of us know the Hollywood actor Brad Pitt from movies such as Oceans Eleven and Babel. In fact Pitt has also been working for a number of humanitarian causes including helping those people who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He set up an organization called Make It Right which is now building innovative new housing for the people of New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. This month in Spotlight we take a look at these new homes and interview the happy owners. 

"Home to koalas, possums and platypuses"

Fitzgerald:  In our Travel section, we visit a place of mysterious rainforests and white beaches. It's called the Rainbow Region, right?

Sharp:  Right. Lots of good things come together in Australia's Rainbow Region to make this very special place to visit. Located on the country's east coast north of Sydney, the area not only has fabulous beaches and steaming rainforests, the Rainbow Region is home to Australia's largest hippy population which makes for a very laid-back lifestyle. In the hinterland, visitors will find a landscape of rolling green hills home to koalas, possums and platypuses. The area is also considered sacred by local Aboriginal tribes. What more could you ask for? Take a trip with us to the Rainbow Region in the company of Spotlight author Kris Madden.

 "A real trip down an American memory lane"

Fitzgerald:  What will our columnists have on their minds in September?

Sharp:  Like just about everybody in Britain, Colin Beaven, our UK correspondent is talking about the expenses scandal that has rocked the UK since the Daily Telegraph wrote about it in May this year. Most Brits still cannot believe what MPs were claiming money for  —  plasma televisions, house repairs and so on. Around 300 MPs will leave Parliament at the next election because of the scandal, the biggest exodus since 1945. Colin has some ideas on where we might find replacements.

Our US columnist Ginger Kuenzel is at home this month sorting through her cupboard and rediscovering all sorts of things about her past — promises made, friendships lost, money found. A real trip down an American memory lane.

A little further away, Peter Flynn, our Australian columnist, is looking at the soon-to-be-arriving digital television. In fact this is not the only change coming up for TV viewers down under. Find out more in Peter's column.

"Our plus learning booklet is what you need"

Fitzgerald:   Readers can get a lot more from Spotlight by using the plus booklet. What special exercises does it have to go with the September issue?

Sharp:  If you really want to make the most of Spotlight as a learning tool, our plus learning booklet is what you need. This month we have exercises on the grammar of “may” and “might”, advice and practice for using that short but useful word “put” and useful vocabulary for cars and other vehicles — and that's just a small selection.

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