Former Footballer Matri Shares Health Scare on Italian TV Show
Alessandro Matri is a former footballer. He played for Juventus and Milan.
Matri is now on a TV show called "Ballando con le Stelle". It is a dance show in Italy.
On the show, Matri talked about a hard time in his life. He called it a "calvario". This word means a very difficult experience.
Matri said he was afraid. He thought he might have a serious illness called Sla. This is a disease that affects the body's muscles.
Federica Nargi is Matri's partner. She spoke about their relationship too.
Nargi said they have been together for 18 years. She said she fell in love with his simple way of life.
She also said she feels lost without him.
Tonight, Matri will face the judges on the show. People want to know what they will say about his dancing.
Vocabulary15 words
- dance
- moving your body to music
- calvario
- an Italian word for a very hard and painful time
- Sla
- a serious disease that makes muscles weak
- partner
- a person you love and live with
- judges
- people who decide if something is good or bad
- relationship
- a connection between two people who love each other
- disease
- a sickness in the body
- simple
- easy and not complicated
- lost
- feeling confused or alone
- former
- someone who had a job before, but not now
- footballer
- a person who plays football
- difficult
- not easy
- afraid
- feeling scared
- serious
- very important or dangerous
- show
- a program on TV
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Quiz
Answer key
1. He was a footballer 2. Sla 3. 18 years
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Alessandro Matri is a former _____. He played for Juventus and Milan.
Matri is now on a TV show called "Ballando con le Stelle". It is a _____ show in Italy.
On the show, Matri talked about a hard time in his life. He called it a "_____".
Matri said he was afraid. He thought he might have a serious illness called _____.
Federica Nargi is Matri's _____. She spoke about their relationship too.
Nargi said they have been together for _____ years.
She also said she feels _____ without him.
Tonight, Matri will face the _____ on the show.
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