Coronavirus: Louis Vuitton owner to start making hand sanitiser

Louis Vuitton owner LVMH will use its perfume production lines to start making hand santiser to protect people against the coronavirus outbreak. France has now seen 120 deaths from the coronavirus as the pandemic spreads.

The luxury goods maker says it wants to help tackle a nationwide shortage of the anti-viral products across France. "These gels will be delivered free of charge to the health authorities," LVMH announced on Sunday. LVMH will use the production lines of its perfume and cosmetic brands... to produce large quantities of hydroalcoholic gels from Monday," LVMH said in a statement. "LVMH will continue to honour this commitment for as long as necessary, in connection with the French health authorities," the company said.

The factories normally produce perfume and makeup for luxury brands like Christian Dior and Givenchy. The French luxury conglomerate also owns well-known brands such as champagne maker Moet & Chandon, watchmaker Tag Heuer and jeweller Bulgari.

France has closed its restaurants, cafes and non-essential stores in an effort to combat the virus, which has infected an estimated 162,687 people and killed more than 6,000.

Governments across the world have called on manufacturers to help make products that are running low during the virus outbreak.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to ask UK engineering firms on Monday to shift production to build ventilators for the NHS.

In China, at the peak of its coronavirus outbreak in February, electronics giant Foxconn switched some of its production from Apple iPhones to make surgical masks.

Question 1. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

1. The gel made by LVMH will be quite expensive.

2. They will only produce a small amount of gel.

3. Some firms dealing with accessories also belong to LVMH.

4. Other companies in the world will be helping to provide necessary items during the crisis.

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

1. Why does Louis Vuitton want to make these products?

2. Why has France closed restaurants and cafés?

Question 3. Find words and phrases in the text that correspond to the words given.

1. beginning (par.1)

2. face (par 2)

3. famous (par.3)

4. calculate (par.4)

5. be short of (par 5)

KEY

Question 1

1. False.  "These gels will be delivered free of charge to the health authorities,"

2. False. " ... to produce large quantities of hydroalcoholic gels from Monday."

3. True. " ... The French luxury conglomerate also owns well-known brands such as ....

           watchmaker Tag Heuer and jeweller Bulgari."

 4.    True. " Governments across the world have called on manufacturers to help make products that are running low during the virus outbreak."

Question 2.

1. They want to help the country to cope with the lack of products necessary during this sanitary crisis.

2. France has closed bars, restaurants and cafés, places where groups of people gather and could be at risk of catching the virus since quite a lot of people have caught it already.

Question 3.

1. outbreak

2. tackle

3. well-known

4. estimated / to estimate

5. running low / to run low

Bruce Springsteen's son has been sworn in as a firefighter in New Jersey, an achievement proudly witnessed by his famous parents.

The Boss and Patti Scialfa proudly attended the swearing-in ceremony for their son, Sam, one of New Jersey's newest firefighters.

Sam Springsteen, 25, joined the Jersey City Fire Department on Tuesday, along with 15 others. The new recruit's parents sat in the front row at the City Hall ceremony. Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen - known for hits like Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark and I'm On Fire - told reporters at the event that he and his wife, Patti Scialfa, were "just excited for him today".

Jersey City officials said it was the fire department's tenth class since the US city's mayor, Steven Fulop, took office seven years ago, taking its membership to the record number of 666. He tweeted that The Boss and Scialfa also attended, adding, "They're such nice people. We got to spend some time in my office talking about music but more than that they're proud parents of a new JC Firefighter. Congrats to all the new FF joining the best FD anywhere."

Scialfa first publicly announced her son was training to become a firefighter last August, in a congratulations message posted on Instagram. In the post, she noted her son's "brave heart", told him to "stay safe" and wrote that he had followed his dreams.

Bruce Springsteen has sold more than 135 million records worldwide and more than 64 million records in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. He has won 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, a Tony Award and was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1999.

Scialfa is well known as a backing vocalist for Springsteen's E Street Band, and has also released her own albums. The couple married in 1988.

Question 1. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Bruce and Patti are not really happy with their son's decision to become a firefighter.

b. The number of members in Jersey City Fire Department is usually around 700.

c. Steven Fulop is proud of the fire department in jersey.

d. Patti Scialfa only performs accompanying Bruce's band.

Question 3. Find words and phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

a. to be present at (par 1)

b. to remark (par. 4)

c. prize (par.5)

d. to bring in (par.5)

e. renowned (par.6)

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

How important is music in your life?

KEY

Question 1

a. False. " The Boss and Patti Scialfa proudly attended the swearing-in ceremony for their son, Sam, one of New Jersey's newest firefighters...." he and his wife, Patti Scialfa, were "just excited for him today"

b. False. " it was the fire department's tenth class since the US city's mayor, Steven Fulop, took office seven years ago, taking its membership to the record number of 666"

c. True. " Congrats to all the new FF joining the best FD anywhere"

d. False. " Scialfa is well known as a backing vocalist for Springsteen's E Street Band, and has also released her own albums."

Question 3

a. attended / to attend

b. noted / to note

c. award

d. inducted / to induct

e. well known

Are Our Kids Tough Enough?

The Chinese education system – with its long school days and tough discipline - tops global league tables. But how did British pupils cope when five Chinese teachers took over part of their Hampshire school?

For the BBC documentary Are Our Kids Tough Enough? An experiment was carried out at the Bohunt School in Liphook. Fifty children in year nine had to live under a completely different regime – one run by Chinese teachers.

For four weeks, they wore a special uniform and started the school day at 07:00. Once a week there was a pledge to the flag. Lessons were focused on note-taking and repetition. Group exercise was undertaken. The pupils had to clean their own classrooms. There were two meal breaks in a 12-hour day

Neil Strowger, headteacher, Bohunt School. In Shanghai last year, I had seen the incredible commitment of the students, enormous class sizes and immaculate behaviour. I had also witnessed PE lessons where the students stood in groups chatting, as PE was considered neither important nor a respite from the interminable monotony of the Chinese classroom.

In early spring, parts of my school were taken over by Chinese teachers. The Chinese flag was flying proudly over the sports field. But as early as the second day reports were coming in that the pupils were behaving badly – disengaged with the lessons, chatting and not listening to their teachers. Chinese teaching methods were on a collision course with teenage British culture and values. Our pupils are used to being able to ask questions to the teacher.

Perhaps, as a result of the amount of time spent together, teacher-pupil relationships got better and some pupils began to express a preference for the Chinese style. They liked having to copy "stuff" from the board as they thought this would help them remember it. Some more able pupils also liked the lecture style of the Chinese classroom.

What have I learned from the experiment? I believe that a longer school day would have value for our pupils and that teachers should not on occasion be afraid of delivering monologues in the classroom. It is, however, clear to me that Chinese parents, culture and values are the real reasons that Shanghai Province tops the oft-cited Pisa tables rather than superior teaching practice.

No educational approach or policy is going to turn back the British cultural clock to the 1950s. Nor should it seek to.

                                          www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33735517

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. During the experiment students had to learn many things by heart and copy what the teachers said

b. Physical Education is very important for Shangay students

c. According to Neil Strowger it is not the teaching practice but Shangay culture and values what make Shangay students get the best results in survey education tables

d. British authorities are considering some changes in educational laws having in mind past policies.

Question 2: [2 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words.

a- What did the experiment at Bohunt School consist of?

b- Did students like the experiment?

Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

a – deal (paragraph 1)

b- responsibility (paragraph 4)

c- chronicle (paragraph 5)

d- ties (paragraph 6)

e- speeches (paragraph 7)

Key

Question 1

a- True     Lessons were focused on note-taking and repetition. 

b- False     PE was considered neither important nor a respite from the interminable monotony of the Chinese classroom.

c- True   It is, however, clear to me that Chinese parents, culture and values are the real reasons that Shanghai Province tops the oft-cited Pisa tables rather than superior teaching practice.

d- False No educational approach or policy is going to turn back the British cultural clock to the 1950s

Question 2

a- It consisted of spending four weeks developing different activities. 50 students had to follow instructions according to Chinese schools methodology, they even had to wear a special uniform and spend more hours at school. They had to take notes and memorise all the things the teacher said.

b- At first it was really hard for them, they misbehaved because they were not able to cope with so much work and discipline. After some time together, some students started to develop a taste for that kind of activities as they realised that they were learning things better.

            Question 3

a- Cope

b- Commitment

c- Reports

d- Relationships

e- Monologues 

The Queen insists on round ice cubes in her drinks

The Queen is quite particular when it comes to dining, with the royal chefs prepared to cater to her every whim, whether it's her preference for avoiding starchy foods, to having a special chocolate biscuit cake created for dessert.

The monarch’s specifications also apply to her beverages, in which she reportedly prefers round ice cubes floating inside. 

According to Karen Dolby, the author of Queen Elizabeth II’s Guide to Life, the requirement comes from the sound made by the ice. 

“The Queen likes her ice cubes in her glass to be round so they don’t chink quite as much as square ones,” Dolby told The Sun. 

This means that the Queen’s occasional gin and Dubbonet, her favourite cocktail according to her former chef Darren McGrady, is served free of square ice.

The preference doesn’t just apply to ice in the 93-year-old’s drinks either, as the Queen reportedly has all drinks served with the round ice cubes. 

Interestingly, apart from making less annoying noise, round ice cubes also have the added benefit of diluting a drink less than a typical ice cube. 

Although cubed ice cools a drink faster and to a lower temperature, according to one study, ice spheres “melt slower, chill the drink in a reasonable amount of time, and dilute the drink less”.

Despite the preference, McGrady previously revealed that the Queen is “not a foodie” but rather “eats to live,” whereas her husband Prince Philip “lives to eat”.

1) If the Queen were not so particular…

a) royal chefs will not cook easier dishes.

b) royal chefs would have prepared different dishes.

c) royal chefs would not cook easier dishes.

d) royal chefs will cook easier dishes.

2) Round ice cubes are the preferred ones… 

a) despite making less noise.

b) as they melt slowly.

c) because they are noisier.

d) although they are noisier.

3) The Queen…

a) is believed that she eats to live.

b) is believed to be eating to live.

c) is believed to eat to live.

d) is believed that eats for a living.

KEY

1.- d

2.- b

3.- c

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH 2

Write down the British or American words for the following:

American Eng. British Eng.
1. eraser 1. …………………………………………
2. ………………………………………… 2. aerial
3. band-aid         3. …………………………………………
4. ………………………………………… 4. bill (at a restaurant)
5. bathrobe         5. …………………………………………
6. ………………………………………… 6. biscuit
7. bureau 7. …………………………………………
8. ………………………………………… 8. caretaker
9. closet (for clothes) 9. …………………………………………
10. …………………………………………         10. curtains
11. freeway         11. …………………………………………
12. ………………………………………… 12. lorry
13. kerosene         13. …………………………………………
14. ………………………………………… 14. nappy
15. vest         15. …………………………………………


KEY
1. rubber
2. antenna
3. plaster
4. check
5. dressing gown
6. cookie
7. chest of drawers
8. janitor
9. wardrobe
10. drapes
11. motorway
12. truck
13. paraffin
14. diaper
15. waistcoat