Book excerpt: Are you looking for an improver's course in Italian which will make you sound like a native? If you already know some Italian and want to take it further, Perfect your Italian will guarantee success! Taking you from a good GCSE level (level B2 of the Common European Framework), this course teaches you advanced structures and vocabulary so that by the end of the course you will be at GCE Advanced Level, CEF level C1: Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Full of authentic texts and dialogues about complex subjects, this course covers a wide range of topics of the sort you will want to talk about when in Italy and teaches you the kind of everyday language and features of speech that will enable you to communicate with confidence and feel comfortable taking part in conversation with native speakers of Italy. The choice of material aims to give you something of the flavour of Italy today and each unit is based around a single theme with lively interviews and conversations on the accompanying recording. There are activities based on the interviews and texts to help you remember what you've learnt and put your knowledge into practice. The units are divided into sessions - to help you organize your learning time and break up the material into manageable chunks - and there are reminders throughout to refresh your memory of points you have learnt. Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online. Learn effortlessly with new, easy-to-read page design and interactive features:/p> NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. GRAMMAR TIPS Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding. USEFUL VOCABULARY Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. DIALOGUES Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at: www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of the culture and history of Italy. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.