No charges likely over mum leaving baby in car

Police say they will not investigate the case of a baby being left alone in a supermarket carpark while the mother went shopping.

The baby was spotted by other shoppers at the Porirua Pak'n Save about 9am on Saturday. The baby was in a capsule with a note on its blanket which said its mother was shopping and to call a mobile number if there were any issues.

The incident had not been reported to police and no one had come forward with information so it would not be investigated at this stage, said national police spokeswoman Annie Coughlan. "We don't know who the people are, we don't know the phone number, we don't know where to start. We would launch an investigation if we could but at this stage no one's come forward," she said.

A parent can be fined for leaving a child alone, but Senior Sergeant Justin Rakena of Porirua police said earlier today that if a formal complaint was made it was unlikely to result in criminal charges against the mother. He said it was dangerous for parents to leave their children in the car, although in many cases there was an "innocent" explanation, and the best solution was support for the parents from Child, Youth and Family.

"[Incidences like this] need to be taken on their merits and often it's a mum that's run into a shop, for example, and is only away for five minutes," Mr Rakena said. "Absolutely [it should be reported to police], but it doesn't mean to say we'd prosecute. I would suggest the majority of people in that situation aren't prosecuted."

The man who spotted the baby on Saturday when he and his family parked in the neighbouring space said he was shocked to see the hand-written note resting on the child's blanket. "It was written from the baby's perspective, and it said, 'My mum's in doing the shopping, call her if I need anything', and it had the cellphone number. We waited there for a little bit, wondering if the mum was just going to be two seconds and come back. And my wife said, 'I'm not going in without someone being here with the baby'."

Eventually another two passers-by waited by the car, with one of them phoning the mother and telling her to come outside. "We had gone in [to Pak'nSave] before the mother had come out because we had a baby ourselves that was in a hurry." The man said the baby looked well cared for.

Plunket national child safety adviser Sue Campbell said the risks of leaving a baby or young child alone in a car were significant. "Babies can dehydrate quickly and become very distressed. So for a newborn that's one of the key issues. Plus there's a security issue - a small baby is unable to defend itself if need be, or call for help, or anything like that." Ms Campbell said the circumstances of the mother were not clear, and caring for a baby could be overwhelming, especially for those without ready family support.

Question 1: (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a)   Police has very little information about the incident.

b)   The child’s mother will be convicted.

c)    Some people phoned the mother.

d)   Although some people found the baby, they left it alone.

Question 2: (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a)   Are people permissive with this situation?

b)   What are the risks of leaving a baby alone?

Question 3: (1,5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a)   Start, initiate (paragraph 3)

b)   Assistance (paragraph 4)

c)    Sue (paragraph 5)

Question 4: (1,5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a)   We would launch an investigation if someone came forward.

Unless...

b)   My wife said: “I’m not going in without someone being here with the baby”

My wife told ...

c)    Incidents like his need to be taken on their merits.

We...

Question 5: (3 points) Write a short essay (120 – 150 words) on the following topic:

            Do you think this mother should be punished? Why? Why not?

Optimistic Brits blow £260m a year on home fitness gadgets they will never use

Over the last five years UK adults spent more than £1 billion on home health and fitness equipment they rarely use.  Three quarters of adults have bought at least one piece of equipment so they can pursue health or fitness goals in the comfort of their own home.  However, just 21 per cent of these people use the equipment regularly and 41 per cent admit to using it briefly when they first buy it and then giving up.

The research from Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, suggests that the average home exerciser spends £235 on equipment that doesn’t get results. The survey revealed there are around 82 million items of health and fitness equipment currently in households across the UK, with exercise bikes, weights and workout DVDs proving most popular.

Much equipment that doesn’t get used ends up cluttering up attics and spare rooms (60 per cent), while some ends up being put to other uses, including drying washing (6 per cent).

In response to this, Nuffield Health has launched an Equipment Amnesty, urging people to ‘give up’ equipment they’ve bought and don’t use for a free two-day pass to use at their local Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Centre. 

Natalie Mumford, Director of Fitness and Wellbeing at Nuffield Health, commented: 'Exercising at home can be difficult to commit to. Think about joining our Equipment Amnesty. Send us a photo of yourself with your old at-home fitness equipment and download a free pass to try out one of our Fitness and Wellbeing Centres – we have experts on hand to help you.'

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a)  Seventy five percent of British people have bought a home exercise device. 

b)  Some people interviewed do use their home exercise machines.

c) Nuffield Health is a small organisation. 

d)  Natalie Mumford says that working out at home is easy to do. 

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a)   What happens to the exercise equipment in many homes?

b)   How does the ‘Equipment Amnesty’ work?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) for a short time (para. 1) 

b) organisation that helps ill people (para. 2) 

c) document that allows you to use a service (para.5)  

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) Over the last five years UK adults spent more than £1 billion on home health and fitness equipment they rarely use.

      Despite ……………., UK adults rarely use it.

b)   Nuffield Health has launched an Equipment Amnesty, urging people to ‘give up’ equipment they’ve bought.

      An Equipment Amnesty ……………………….. by Nuffield Health and people …..………. to give up equipment they’ve bought.

c) Natalie Mumford commented: 'Exercising at home can be difficult to commit to. We have experts on hand to help you.'

Natalie Mumford commented that exercising at home …………………………. and that ………………………….

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

‘There is no excuse these days for not being fit and healthy.’  Do you agree?

Travel disasters

John and David’s flight home from Amsterdam was at eight in the morning. John’s friend Pieter picked them up at their hostel in his car. They had agreed to meet at half past five but Pieter arrived almost half an hour late – that, however, was just the beginning of their problems.

On the way from the hostel to the airport, a car broke down in the middle of a busy intersection, causing a traffic jam. Then, David realized that he had left his mobile phone in the hostel, but it was too late for them to turn back.

John and David didn’t know it, but Pieter was a horrible driver. When they got to the main highway, he was driving so slowly that John screamed at him, telling him to speed up. He then went so fast that David begged him to slow down.

When they arrived at the airport, Pieter dropped them off at the terminal, and they checked in, passed the security controls without being held up and got on the plane. Seconds later, the plane took off.

Eight hours later, they landed in New York, but they couldn’t get off the plane because there was a problem on the runway. Finally, forty-five minutes after landing, they got off.

1. Put the phrasal verbs from the story in the chart below. Use phrases or short sentences similar to the examples.

Intransitive They checked in.

Separable He picked them up.

Inseparable They couldn’t get off the plane.

                                               

2. Complete the questions with a phrasal verb. Please note that some phrasal verbs appear more than once.

1. What should you do when your car ________ ________?

2. Have you ever been ________ ________ in traffic for a long time and missed an important event? Or ________ ________by customs or passport control in the airport? Why did they ________ you ________?

3. When you go to the airport, does someone usually ________ you ________? Who?

4. And when you come back from a trip, does someone usually ________ you ________ at the airport?

5. How do you usually feel when the plane ________ ________? Do you ever feel nervous or scared?

6. Have you ever gone on a trip and forgotten to take something very important with you? What was it? Did you ________ ________ to go and get it?

Adapted from onestopenglish.com

KEY

Intransitive checked in broke down turn back take off

Separable pick up drop off slow down speed up hold up

Inseparable get off get to get on

1. breaks down

2. held up, held up, hold up

3. drop off

4. pick up

5. takes off

6 turn back

UK's 'oldest cat' turns 27-years-old

A cat from Bedford in England has just celebrated his 27th birthday, amazing his owners.

            Waddy was a "very poorly" kitten when he was chosen by owner Ann Munday from a veterinary surgery in 1986. With the vets' help, Mrs Munday said she nursed him back to health and from then "he has gone from strength to strength".

            The surgery which still treats the cat has verified his age as 27-years-old.

Record-breaking cats

            It's unusual for cats to live into their 20s.

            In 2007, a cat in Shropshire called Pussywillow, aged 26, was claimed to be the oldest in Britain, but the world record for the oldest cat ever, was set by Creme Puff who lived with her owner in Texas, USA, until her death in 2005 at the age of 38.

Match the words below to their definitions

celebrated / claimed / record / surgery / verified / veterinary

publicly acknowledged a significant or happy day or event

place where you go to ask advice or receive treatment from a doctor

proved that something exists or is true

said something was true without proving it

most extreme or remarkable example ever

connected with taking care of the health of animals 

True or false?

1.  Waddy is male cat.

2.  There has never been a cat that is older than Waddy.

3.  A cat named Shropshire lived until the age of 26.

4.  Cats don't often live past 20.

5.  Creme Puff lived in Britain.

6.  Anne Munday owned Pussywillow.

7.  The oldest cat was American.

8.  Anne Munday is married.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

1. amazing

a) the same as worrying

b) the same as confusing

c) the same as astonishing

2. unusual

a) the same as common

b) the same as unfortunate

c) the same as rare

3. poorly

a) the same as sickly

b) the same as cheap

c) the same as bad

4. chosen

a) the same as bought

b) the same as selected

c) the same as found

KEY

celebrated             publicly acknowledged a significant or happy day or event

surgery                  place where you go to ask advice or receive treatment from a doctor

verified                  proved that something exists or is true

claimed                 said something was true without proving it

record                   most extreme or remarkable example ever

veterinary              connected with taking care of the health of animals

True or false?

1. True

2. False

3. False

4. True

5. False

6. False

7. True

8. True

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

1. astonishing

2. rare

3. sickly

4. selected

Getaway donkey ruins robbery

A gang who tried to burgle a convenience store was forced to abandon its raid when their getaway donkey made too much noise and gave the game away.

The trio of Colombian criminals were forced to ditch their ill-gotten gains, during the 2 a.m. theft, after the animal started to bray and alerted police.

The group had managed to steal rum, oil, rice, cans of tuna and sardines from a small shop in the tiny north Caribbean town of Juan de Acosta, according to Noticias Caracol.

They planned to load the goods onto 10-year-old Xavi, who they had stolen some 12 hours before, and make their escape.

But the animal let out a series of 'hee-haws' and unfortunately for the trio alerted nearby police.

They had to ditch the donkey, which was still carrying the stolen items, and ran to safety away from the officers.

Shop owner Fabio Orozco said: "They came through the roof to rob. They took rum, rice, everything."

The donkey was detained in the town police station for 12 hours until owner Orlando Olivares was notified and came to collect him.

All the items that had been stolen were returned to the store.

 Read the text and match the words with its meanings.

1.       bray                                               a.            Get rid of

2.       ditch                                              b.            Robbery

3.       goods                                           c.            Sound of an animal

4.       load                                              d.            succeeded in

5.       managed to                                 e.            Shop

6.       nearby                                          f.             Not far

7.       rum                                               g.            Objects for sale

8.       store                                             h.            Pack

9.       theft                                               i.             Very small

10.    tiny.                                                j.             A kind of drink

KEY

1.       c

2.       a

3.       g

4.       h

5.       d

6.       f

7.       j

8.       e

9.       b

10.    i                                                                                             

Rephrasings 6

Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

1. Peter hasn’t seen Kate for several years.

The last time ………………………….

2. She hasn’t written to him for ages.

It ………………………

3. The train arrived much later than I expected.

I hadn’t …………………..

4. I don’t really want to go to Scotland for the summer.

I’d rather ……………..

5. Something about her reminded him of his mother.

There was ………………….

6. Our lessons were held in a very cold classroom.

The classroom in …………………

7. Could you please open the window?

Would you mind ………………………

8. The exam was so difficult that I couldn’t finish it.

 It was …………………….

9. Even though they disliked him, they agreed to help.

Despite ………………..

10. I hadn’t realized the meal would be so expensive.

The meal ……………..

No charges likely over mum leaving baby in car

KEY

Question 1:

a)      TRUE. We don’t know who the people are, we don’t know the phone number.

b)      FALSE. If formal complaint was made it was unlikely to result in criminal charges against the mother.

c)       TRUE. With one of them phoning the mother and telling her to come outside.

d)      TRUE. We had gone in (to Park’nSave) before the mother had come out.

Question 2:

a)      Yes, they are, the mother can be in a hurry; it’s only for a very short period of time.

b)      Health (dehydration) safety.

Question 3:

a)      Launch

b)      Support

c)       Prosecute

Question 4:

a)      Unless someone came forward, we wouldn’t launch an investigation.

b)      My wife told me she was not going in without someone being there with the baby.

c)       We need to take incidents like this on their merits.

Optimistic Brits blow £260m a year on home fitness gadgets they will never use

Key

Question 1.

a)  True. Three quarters of adults have bought at least one piece of equipment so they can pursue health or fitness goals in the comfort of their own home.

b) True. 41 per cent admit to using it briefly when they first buy it and then giving up.

c) False. The research from Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity

d)   False. Natalie Mumford, Director of Fitness and Wellbeing at Nuffield Health, commented: 'Exercising at home can be difficult to commit to.

Question 2.

a)   It either never gets used, or the owners start off by using it but then stop doing so after a short time.

b)   People with unused home exercise equipment should take a picture of themselves next to their machine, upload it to the Nuffield Health site.  Then, they can obtain a coupon to use the facilities at the nearest Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Centre and get advice from the trainers there.

Question 3.

a) briefly

b) charity

c) (a) pass

Question 4.

a)  Despite spending more than £1 billion on home health and fitness equipment over the last five years, UK adults rarely use it.

b)   An Equipment Amnesty has been launched by Nuffield Health and people are being urged to give up equipment they’ve bought.

c) Natalie Mumford commented that exercising at home could be difficult to commit to and that they had experts on hand to help us.

Aston Martin

 Watch the video and answer the following questions.

1. Which is the best car in the shop?
2. Who is it for?
3. How old is he turning?
4. What colour is the car?
5. How much does it cost?
6. Is it new?
7. What does the complete check include?
8. How much would it be?

KEY

1. It’s an Aston Martin DB6.
2. For the nephew.
3. He’ll be 9 the following day.
4. It’s silver.
5. It costs £4.
6. No, it isn’t.
7. It includes cleaning, polishing (and everything which is humanly possible to it).
8. It would be £5.

Essex teenager has higher IQ than Einstein

A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Essex has been revealed as having an IQ higher than Einstein.

Lauren Marbe, 16, shocked teachers by scoring 161 on the Mensa brain test after she was entered with other pupils from her school for fun. The "normal" teenager loves fake tanning, blonde highlights, manicures and getting dressed up for parties themed around her favourite reality TV show.

But her remarkable brain test score means she is now officially smarter than Professor Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and even Albert Einstein - who all have an IQ of 160.

The schoolgirl, who is already predicted straight A's and A*'s for her GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary School), said she was delighted to have "blown away" the Essex stereotype. Miss Marbe said: "It was such an achievement and I got a bit tearful to tell you the truth.” She added: "I am blonde, I do wear make-up and I do go out. I love my fake tan and fake nails as well so I guess I am a bit of an Essex girl in that sense. I watch TOWIE and I love the programme, it's addictive but now most people do seem to think that's what everyone in Essex is like. I love living in Essex and I'm glad that I might be able to show people that we aren't all ditzy and blonde."

Lauren is now aiming to take A-Levels in art, physics and maths after her GCSEs, this summer, and would love to study architecture degree at the University of Cambridge. But she admits she is torn between her academic ability and pursuing her dream of becoming a professional singer and dancer. The teenager has already performed in the West End for two years as part of the chorus for Andrew Lloyd Webber smash-hit Joseph, with Lee Mead, from 2007.

Her proud parents admitted they have no idea where her brains come from. Mrs Marbe said: "Living in this area there is a lot of pressure to be the stereotypical Essex girl but she has a real nice support from the other girls. Most of the time Essex gets a bit of a negative press. People think all girls are blonde and all girls are dim.  Lauren is blonde but it does seem like she has shaken the stereotype that all Essex girls are stupid.”

Einstein never took an IQ test as none of the modern intelligence tests existed during the course of his life, but experts believe he had an IQ of around 160. The IQ test is designed to test a range of abilities to determine the level of intelligence of the student - in the UK the average score is 100.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a)      Lauren’s teachers took for granted her good results.

b)       Lauren likes going to fancy dress parties.

c)       Lauren behaves like an ordinary Essex girl.

d)      Lauren’s parents are quite intelligent.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a)      What does Lauren want to do in the future

b)      What does a “typical” Essex girl look like?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a)      More clever (par. 2)

b)      A great success (par. 4)

c)       Backing (par. 5.)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a)      People think that in Essex all the girls are blonde and dim.

In Essex, girls…

b)      Mrs Marbe said: “Lauren is blonde but it seems like she had shaken the stereotype that all Essex girls are stupid”

Mrs Marbe said that…

c)       Einstein never took an IQ test. His results wouldn’t be better than Lauren’s

If…

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

            Appearance is very important in our society.