Man fights off shark, stitches up own leg, goes to the pub

A junior doctor has recounted how he fended off a shark attack and stitched up his own wound on the beach before enjoying a pint of beer at a nearby pub.James Grant was spearfishing with friends near Colac Bay at the base of New Zealand’s South Island on Saturday when he was attacked by what he believed was a sevengill shark.The 24-year-old was in about 2 metres (6ft) of murky water when he felt a tug on his leg, which he initially thought was a friend playing a trick on him. "I looked behind to see who it was and got a bit of a shock," he told Radio New Zealand.He didn't see the shark and had no idea how big it was, he said, adding that he thought it could have been about 20cm (8in) across the jaw. However, he felt no fear. "[I thought] bugger, now I have to try and get this thing off my leg," he said.

He already had a knife in his hand and stabbed at the shark. "I am not sure how effective it was. I guess it let go so something must have happened. [I] put a few nicks in it."He quickly made it on to rocks on the shore, where he took off the wetsuit – borrowed from a friend – and saw bites up to 5cm long.Grant gave himself stitches using a first aid kit he kept in his vehicle for pig hunts. He and his friends then went to the Colac Bay Tavern, where he was given a bandage because he was dripping blood on the floor.

The stitching was finished off when he went to Invercargill hospital, where he was back at work on Monday.“It would have been great if I had killed it because there was a fishing competition on at the Colac Bay Tavern,” Grant told Stuff.co.nz. “I am pretty grateful to have my leg still,” he said. “When the stitches come out, I will be back in the water.”

 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. The man who was attacked by the shark was treated by his friend.

b. Colac Bay is on the south of New Zealand's South Island.

c. The shark was approximately 20cms in length

d. Grant realises how lucky he was in the attack.

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

a. What do we find out about the shark from the text?

b. What did Grant do after the shark attack?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. tell  (paragraph 1)                                             d) put a knife into (paragraph 2)

b. injury (paragraph 1)                                          e) edge of sea  (paragraph 2)

c. opaque  (paragraph 1)   

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. James Grant was spearfishing, when he was attacked by a shark

If...............

b. 'When the stitches come out, I will be back in the water, he said.

He said that....

c.It is believed he was attacked by a sevengill shark.

He.......

  

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

'What is your opinion of dangerous sports and why do some people enjoy doing them?

Videolink to interview

Tetris

             

Hundreds of Tetris fans got to play a super-sized version of the popular interlocking shapes game in the US city of Philadelphia on Saturday.

The 29-floor Cira Centre, which has hundreds of LED (light emitting diode) lights embedded in its glass facade, normally displays colourful geometric patterns at night. But on Saturday, images of Tetris shapes fell on two sides of the mirrored tower as competitors used joysticks to manoeuvre them into place.

Organisers hope it inspires onlookers and players to think about the possibilities of technology. It also celebrated the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris, a game revered as the epitome of elegance and simplicity, said Frank Lee, the game designer who oversaw the creation of the giant display.

Lee, a digital media professor at Drexel University, already holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest architectural video game display for playing Pong on one side of the Cira Centre last year. "This project began as a personal love letter to the games that I loved when I was a child - Pong last year, Tetris this year. But it ended up as a way of uniting the city of Philadelphia," said Lee.

Pong, one of the earliest video games, was developed by Atari in 1972. 12 years later Tetris was created by Russian computer programmer Alexey Pajitnov. The game challenges players to rotate and arrange falling shapes into complete rows and then it became a global phenomenon in the late 1980s after game designer Henk Rogers, who had seen Tetris at a trade show in Las Vegas, acquired the rights and struck a deal to put it on Nintendo's original Game Boy.

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. The game was reflected on the building as a real game.

b. This super size game was intended just for fun.

c. There have been more game shows at the Cira Centre.

d. Tetris was a successful game from the start.

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

a. How does the game of Tetris work?

b. Why was this project originally started?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a.       Set par 2

b.       To show par 2

c.       Next par 3

d.       To make up par 5

e.       Agreement par.5

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning. 

a. The 29-floor Cira Centre normally displays colourful geometric patterns at night. 

            Colourful...

b. "This project began as a personal love letter to the games that I loved but it ended up as a way of uniting the city of Philadelphia," said Lee.

            Lee said that...

c. Tetris became a global phenomenon in the late 1980s after game designer Henk Rogers acquired the game rights.

            If Henk Rogers...

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

Why do you think video games are so popular?

Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism

   

  Learning a foreign language is more than just a boost to your CV or handy for travelling. It will make you smarter, more decisive and even better at English, says Anne Merritt.

 

      Physiological studies have found that speaking two or more languages is a great asset to the cognitive process. The brains of bilingual people operate differently than single language speakers, and these differences offer several mental benefits.

    It is said that there are seven cognitive advantages to learning a foreign language. Many of these attributes are only apparent in people who speak multiple languages regularly – if you haven’t spoken a foreign tongue since your A levels, your brain might not be reaping these bilingual benefits. However, people who begin language study in their adult lives can still achieve the same levels of fluency as a young learner, and still reap the same mental benefits, too.

     You become smarter. Speaking a foreign language improves the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems. This skill boosts your ability to negotiate meaning in other problem-solving tasks as well.

     Students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardised tests than their monolingual peers, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary.

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. Speaking one or more foreign languages improves your mind.

b. The longer you don't speak a foreign language, the less benefits you get for your brain.

c. You must learn foreign languages when you are a kid if you want to benefit from that fact.

d. Foreign students do better on standardised tests, particularly in the categories of maths, reading and vocabulary.

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

a. What are the benefits of learning a foreign language?

b. In what aspects can speaking foreign languages help people?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a.  useful par. 1

b. benefit par .2

c.  to pick par. 3

d.  accomplish par. 3

e. to enhance, to improve par 4

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Physiological studies have found that speaking two or more languages is a great asset to the cognitive process.

According to physiological studies speaking two or more languages has…………….

b. If you haven’t spoken a foreign tongue since your A levels, your brain might not be reaping these bilingual benefits.

Unless you…………………………………….

c. Anne Merritt said: “Learning a foreign language is more than just a boost to your CV;it will make you smarter, more decisive and even better at English”.

Anne Merritt said that...

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

What can you do to improve your English?

Size 16 mannequins make being fat 'normal'

Large mannequins in shops are “normalising” being overweight and making increasing numbers of people feel that obesity is acceptable, the Chief Medical Officer has warned.

            Retailers recently began using size 16 models in shop windows in an effort to reflect the shape of “real women” in Britain. But in her annual report, Dame Sally Davies said the use of larger mannequins, combined with “size inflation” in many shops - meaning clothes with the same label have become larger - have normalised being overweight, blinding people to the health risks of obesity.

            Dame Sally said: "I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal weight, particularly in the fashion industry. “Yet I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising being overweight. “Larger mannequins are being introduced into clothes shops, 'size inflation' means that clothes with the same size label have become larger in recent decades, and news stories about weight often feature pictures of severely obese people, which are unrepresentative of the majority of overweight people.”

            In December Debenhams became the first department store to display size 16 mannequins in its 179 stores, and urged rival high street shops to follow its lead.

            Earlier in the year equalities minister Jo Swinson called for fashion stores to promote a more diverse range of women, saying it was “as if there’s only one way of being beautiful”.

Nearly all clothes shops in Britain use size 10 or size 8 mannequins although the average British woman is a size 16.

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. People are not so concerned about being obese.

b. Size 16 is not very common in Britain.

c. The only store that shows size 16 mannequins is Debenhams.

d. Jo Swinson wanted to show women that size doesn’t make beauty.

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

a. How are fashion stores affecting the idea of being overweight?

b. What is Dame Sally’s main worry?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. fat (par.1)                          b. sellers (par.2)                               c. danger (par.2)

d. described (par.3)             e. press, push (par.4)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Large mannequins in shops are normalizing being overweight.

    Being overweight ………………………………………………..

b. "I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal   weight, particularly in the fashion industry.”

     Dame Sally said that …………………………………………..

c. People are normalising being overweight so they are not aware of the risks of obesity.

      If people ………………………………………………………..

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

            What influence has the fashion industry had in your country?

Michelangelo's David 'has weak ankles and could collapse'

            

Weak ankles leave Michelangelo's statue of the boy warrior David vulnerable to collapse, Italian scientists confirm with new tests

            It is one of the world's most famous statues, representing the Renaissance ideal of the male physique, but Michelangelo's David is in danger of collapsing because of its weak ankles, new tests have revealed.

            Italian scientists have found tiny fractures in the statue's ankles which means it is at risk of toppling over. The tests by the National Research Council and Florence University confirmed what has long been feared – that the celebrated work has been weakened over the centuries by its great weight.

            Vibrations caused by the millions of tourists who flock to Florence to see it and the rumbling of passing traffic is thought to have damaged the statue. The cracks have also been blamed on the fact that for more than a century the 17ft-high, 5.5 tonne statue of the boy warrior leaned at an angle, and also on the poor quality marble from which Michelangelo sculpted it.

            "Micro-fractures are visible in the left ankle and the carved tree stump (that bears some of David's weight), threatening the stability of the sculpture," the research council warned in a statement.

            Scientists made small plaster copies of David's fissure-ridden ankles, placing them in a centrifuge and exposing them to strong pressure.

            The statue stood in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, exposed to the elements, for more than 350 years before it was removed in 1873 and placed in the Galleria dell'Accademia. A copy was made and now stands outside the city's Renaissance-era town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio.

            For years there have been calls for the statue to be removed from the city centre and transferred to a specially-built, earthquake proof museum away from traffic and road works.

            Michelangelo spent three years creating the statue of David, the biblical hero who killed Goliath with a single stone from his slingshot. It was commissioned by the city's rulers in the early 1500s as a symbol of the Florentine Republic's commercial and military strength and its capacity, despite its small size, to ward off bigger neighbouring states.

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. This is the first time the scientists are afraid that the statue might collapse.

b. Michelangelo used the best marble to create the statue.

c. David stood in the wind and rain for more than 350 years.

d. The statue was meant to show how powerful Florence was in the XVIth. century.

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

a. What has caused the fractures in the statue?

b. What solution has been proposed?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. verified (p.3)                     b. crowd, gather (p.4)                      c. supports (p.5)

d. take away (p.7)                e. ordered (p.9)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. David is in danger of collapsing because of its weak ankles.

David is in danger of collapsing since ……………………………………..

b. They want to remove the statue and to place it in a museum.

They want the statue ………………………………………………………….

c. Michelangelo spent three years creating the statue of David.

It ………………………………………………………………………………….

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

            Do you think all children should learn the history of art?

Man fights off shark, stitches up own leg, goes to the pub

Question 1

            a) False:A junior doctor has recounted how he fended off a shark attack and stitched up his own wound.

            b) True: Colac Bay at the base of New Zealand’s South Island

            c) False:He didn't see the shark and had no idea how big it was, he said, adding that he thought it could have been about 20cm (8in) across the jaw

            d) True: “I am pretty grateful to have my leg still,” he said.

Question 2

a)       possibly sevengill shark/possibly 20cms across the jaw/swimming in 2 metres of murky water

b)       swam to rocks on shore/ took off wetsuit/saw bites/ gave himself stitches/went to Colac Bay Tavern to have a beer/

Question 3

a)       recount                                d)stab

b)       wound                                 e)shore

c)       murky

Question 4

a. James Grant was spearfishing, when he was attacked by a shark

If James Grant had not gone spearfishing, he would not have been attacked by a shark.

b. 'When the stitches come out, I will be back in the water, he said.

He said that when the stitches came out, he would be back in the water.

c.It is believed he was attacked by a sevengill shark.

He is believed to have been attacked by a shark

Michelangelo's David 'has weak ankles and could collapse'

KEY

Question 1

            a) False. “The tests by the National Research Council and Florence University confirmed what has long been feared – that the celebrated work has been weakened over the centuries by its great weight.” 

            b) False. “and also on the poor quality marble from which Michelangelo sculpted it.”

            c) True. “ The statue stood in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, exposed to the elements, for more than 350 years.”

            d) True. “ as a symbol of the Florentine Republic's commercial and military strength and its capacity, despite its small size, to ward off bigger neighbouring  states.”

Question 2

            a) The statue has been damaged by the lots of tourists who have visited it and by the traffic. In addition, the sculpture suffered the effects of the climate for long times, which together with the bad quality of its material make it weak.

            b) People have proposed to take the statue away from the centre of Florence and place it in a special museum which could resist earthquakes and far from cars and road works.

Question 3

a)     Confirmed /  to confirm

b)     To flock

c)      Bears /  to bear

            d)   removed  /  to remove

            e)  commissioned  /  to commission

Question 4

a)     David is in danger of collapse since it has weak ankles.

b)     They want the statue to be removed and placed it in a museum.

c)      It took Michelangelo three years to create the statue of David.

Tetris

KEY

Question 1

            a) TRUE “images of Tetris shapes fell on two sides of the mirrored tower as competitors used joysticks to manoeuvre them into place”

            b) FALSE Organisers hope it inspires onlookers and players to think about the possibilities of technology.

            c) TRUE Lee, a digital media professor at Drexel University, already holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest architectural video game display for playing Pong on one side of the Cira Centre last year.

            d) FALSE “Pong, […] was developed by Atari in 1972. 12 years later Tetris was created...“ “it became a global phenomenon in the late 1980s“

Question 2

            a) The game challenges players to rotate and arrange falling shapes into complete rows.

            b)  This project began as a personal love letter from Frank Lee, a university professor, to the games that he loved when he was a child.

Question 3

a)    embedded

b)    displays

c)    upcoming

            d)   create

            e)   deal

Question 4

            a) Colourful geometric patterns are normally displayed by the 29-floor Cira Centre at night.

            b) Lee said that that project had begun as a personal love letter to the games that he had loved but it had ended up as a way of uniting the city of Philadelphia.

            c) ) If Henk Rogers hadn't acquired the game rights,  it wouldn't have become a global phenomenon in the late 1980s.

Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism

Question 1

            a) True. “Physiological studies have found that speaking two or more languages is a great asset to the cognitive process”

            b) True “ if you haven’t spoken a foreign tongue since your A levels, your brain might not be reaping these bilingual benefits.”

            c) False. “People who begin language study in their adult lives can still achieve the same levels of fluency as a young learner, and still reap the same mental benefits, too.”

            d) False. „Students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardised tests than their monolingual peers, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary”

Question 2

a)       It will be easier for you to find a job, it makes travelling easier, you will become more intelligent, more resolute and your mother tongue will also improve.

b)       Speaking foreign languages helps people in tasks involving problem solving; it can also help bilingual students to do better in maths, reading and vocabulary tests.

 

Question 3

a)       handy

b)       asset

c)       reap/ reaping

d)       achieve

e)       boost

Question 4

a)       According to physiological studies speaking two or more languages has been found to be a great asset to the cognitive process.

b)       Unless you have spoken a foreign tongue since your A levels, your brain might not be reaping these bilingual benefits.

c)       Anne Merritt said that learning a foreign language was more than just a boost to your CV; it would make you smarter, more decisive and even better at English.

Size 16 mannequins make being fat 'normal'

Question 1

            a) True. “normalising” being overweight and making increasing numbers of people feel that obesity is aceptable.”

            b)  False. “using size 16 models in shop windows in an effort to reflect the shape of “real women” in Britain” …. “the average British woman is a size 16.”

            c)  False.“ Debenhams became the first department store to display size 16 mannequins in its 179 stores, and urged rival high street shops to follow its lead.”

            d)  True. “ Jo Swinson called for fashion stores to promote a more diverse range of women, saying it was “as if there’s only one way of being beautiful”.

Question 2

            a) Fashion stores are showing size 16 mannequins in their shop windows and their clothes are larger for their size tan they used to be.

            b) Dame Sally is worried about the fact that people  no longer care about the health problems that being obese might cause.

Question 3

a)     overweight

b)     retailers

c)      risk

            d)  portrayed / to portray

            e)  urged / to urge

Question 4

a)     Being overweight is being normalised by large mannequins in shops.

b)     Dame Sally said that she had long been concerned that being underweight was often portrayed as the ideal  weight, particularly in the fashion industry.

c)      If people were not normalising being overweight, they would be aware of the risks of obesity.