School grades hit by lack of routine

Key
Question 1.
a) False. 2,136 respondents aged between 16 and 25 were asked how happy and confident they are in different areas of their life
b) True. Young people’s happiness has fallen to its lowest number of 70 in 2010.
c) False. The data comes from the charity's latest annual Youth Index, which looks at how young people feel about their lives across a range of areas from family life to physical health
d) False. Princes Trust chief executive Martina Milburn said: "The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. "Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults - unconfident, underqualified and unemployed.

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

a) What are the consequences of a lack of routine in young people’s lives?
b) How was the survey conducted?

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

a) total (par. 1) b) figures, information (par.3) c) effect (par.4)

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

a) Young people with poor exam grades are twice as likely to claim their days lacked structure as they grew up.
If young people’s days ...............................................................................
b) 14% of all young people said they had grown up without set mealtimes, whereas 30% of young people with poor exam grades answered that they had not eaten at regular times.
14% of young people said “I .................................................,” whereas 30% of those with poor exam grades answered “........................................”
c) First, 2,136 people between 16 and 25 were asked how happy and confident they were, then the responses were converted to a numerical scale.
After ................................................. , the researchers ……………..

Teenage Dutch sailor Laura Dekker vows never to return home

A teenage Dutch sailor just one day away from becoming the youngest ever person to sail around the world single-handed has vowed never to return to her native country because she faces being taken into care.
Laura Dekker, 16, has torn down the Dutch tricolor on her yacht Guppy in protest at the social workers who have repeatedly tried to stop her solo voyage to circumvent the globe.
In her last blog posting as she crosses the Atlantic headed for her finish line on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten on Saturday, Miss Dekker complains of her "intimidating, frightening and traumatic" treatment.From the moment my plans became public, youth care and other government organisations tried to stop me. They asked the judge to take me away from my father and to lock me up in a secure clinic! By doing this they tried to stop me from sailing.Over a period of 11 months, I was constantly afraid that youth care would lock me up."
The Dutch authorities, who tried to put Miss Dekker into care two years ago over her solo-sailing adventures, have claimed that the teenager is not doing enough school work while piloting her 38 foot yacht through heavy Atlantic seas.When her father refused to make an appointment to discuss it, Dutch truancy officers announced they intended to bring in the social workers once again.
"Now, after sailing around the world, with difficult port approaches, storms, dangerous reefs, and the full responsibility of keeping myself and Guppy safe, I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations put me through, were totally unfair," Miss Dekker wrote.I hear now that the Dutch government organisations have started causing problems again. I am seriously thinking about not returning to the Netherlands."


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

a) Laura promised not to go back to the Netherlands when she finished her voyage.
b) The island of Sint Maarten belongs to the Netherlands.
c) Laura’s father didn’t want to talk about her world tour with the Dutch authorities.
d) Once Laura has achieved her goal, there will be no more objections from the Dutch government organisations.

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

a) What is Miss Dekker’s great achievement?
b) How did the Dutch authorities react when she announced her plans?

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

a) without help from others (par.1) b) to go on the way to (par.3) c) unjust (par.5)

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

a) Laura Dekker has torn down the Dutch tricolor on her yacht.
The Dutch tricolor ......................................................
b) "I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations put me through were totally unfair,”
Laura felt that .................................................
c) She is thinking about not returning to her country because the social workers cause her a lot of problems.
If the social workers .................................................

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
Sport records or education.What do you think is more important?

Olympics fail to inspire as fewer young people take up sport

Six years ago London secured the Olympics on the back of a promise to inspire young people to swap the sofa for sport. Yesterday, eight months from the opening ceremony and following unprecedented levels of investment, it was revealed that the number of young people taking up sport is falling. Figures released by Sport England show that the number of 16-19 year olds playing sport three times a week has fallen from 930,400 to 825,900, while the number of women has dropped by 106,000.

Sport England invests about £250m a year – funds provided by the Government and the National Lottery – in grassroots sport but their latest Active People Survey shows it is not having the required impact in getting people to take up or participate. Economic reasons, such as cost or lack of time due to work commitments, were blamed by a third of those questioned.

The latest figures show 19 sports with decreasing levels of participation, including football, tennis and swimming, while only athletics, boxing, table tennis and mountaineering are increasing. Sports that have declining numbers face a funding cut.

Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, said: "Sports need to react to this. We need to do much more to make sport relevant and appealing to women." Ms Price insists the Olympics can still have a positive impact on participation. She said: "I think when we get into the Olympic year we will see an increase – I don't see that the opportunity is lost."

Lord Coe, chairman of the London organising committee, took an even more optimistic stance. He said: "I haven't seen the figures but my instinct is that they are increasing."

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) More than 100,000 teenagers have stopped doing sport three times every week.
b) Sport England’s money comes from people paying to do sport.
c) The Olympic Games could affect the number of people doing sport in England.
d) Lord Coe disagrees with the negative results of the survey.

Question 2 [2 points]
Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What reasons did people in the survey give for doing less sport?
b) What are the consequences for sports which have lower numbers of people doing them?

Question 3 [1.5 points]
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) to exchange (paragraph 1)
b) an effect (paragraph 2)
c) person in charge of an organisation (paragraph 4)

Question 4Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Six years ago London successfully secured the Olympics.
The Olympics …………
b) To increase the number of people doing sport, we need to do much more to make sport relevant and appealing to women.
If sport ……………………………., the number of people doing sport …………. .
c) Ms Price said: "I think when we get into the Olympic year we will see an increase – I don't see that the opportunity is lost."
Ms Price said ………….

Question 5
Write a short essay (between120-150 words) on the following topic:
“Although it is easy to do sport nowadays, fewer people than ever are getting regular exercise”. Do you agree?

Now, take this sport survey.

New planet discovered by Stargazing Live viewer

How would you fancy discovering your own planet? Sounds a bit out of this world but that's what happened to a Stargazing Live viewer.

Science history was made last night on the BBC Two show after people watching were asked to help in the hunt for planets elsewhere in the Universe.

An amateur star spotter discovered the new planet by looking at images from Nasa's Kepler telescope online. Experts reckon it's about the size of planet Neptune in our own Solar System.

Chris Holmes, from Peterborough, was the lucky man who found the new planet. "Being involved in a project like this and actually being the one to find something is a very exciting position," he said.

Match the words below to their definitions
amateur / fancy / position / project / reckon / spotter / telescope

want to have or do something
when you do something because you enjoy it, but it is not your job
think or believe
planned set of things which are done to accomplish something
situation
person who notices something
long tube containing lenses, which makes far-away things seem near when you look at them through it

True or false?

1. Chris Holmes owned the Kepler telescope.
2. The new planet is called Neptune.
3. The images were on the internet.
4. Chris Holmes was not excited to find the planet.
5. Chris Holmes was an amateur.
6. The new planet was in our own Solar System.
7. Only Chris Holmes was asked to look for new stars.
8. Experts don’t know how big the planet is.

Same or different?

1. discovering
a)the same as covering
b)the same as losing
c)the same as finding

2. hunt
a)the same as find
b)the same as hide
c)the same as search

3. images
a)the same as sounds
b)the same as pictures
c)the same as signals

4. lucky
a)the same as fortunate
b)the same as happy
c)the same as hopeless


KEY

fancy want to have or do something
amateur when you do something because you enjoy it, but it is not your job
reckon think or believe
project planned set of things which are done to accomplish something
position situation
spotter person who notices something
telescope long tube containing lenses, which makes far-away things seem near when you look at them through it



True or false?

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False

Same or different?

1. finding
2. search
3. pictures
4. fortunate

Pet dogs' paws have 'central heating' say scientists

Pet dogs keep their feet warm in frozen weather, thanks to a blood-warming system in their paws, say scientists.

Researchers in Japan used special microscopes to study pet dogs' paws. They found that dogs have a network of veins in their feet which help to keep blood warm - a bit like central heating in houses.

The system in dogs' paws has been seen in many other wild animals, including penguins' beaks and dolphins' fins. But this is the first time scientists have discovered it in dogs which are pets, and not just in the wild.

Dogs' paws can cope even in temperatures as cold as -35C. So when you're walking the dog in the ice and snow, your pooch's feet will probably feel a lot warmer than yours!

Match the words below to their definitions

researchers / microscope / central heating / penguin / cope / pooch

people who study a subject to discover new things
tool that uses lenses to let you see very small things
system in a building that heats air or water in one place and then sends it to rooms using pipes
black and white bird that swims in the ocean and can’t fly
deal successfully with a difficult situation
dog

True or false?

1. No other animals have a similar system.
2. The veins in dog’s feet keep their blood warm.
3. The system keeps a dog’s legs warm.
4. The scientists needed microscopes to see the veins.
5. Only pets can keep their paws warm.
6. Penguins keep their beaks warm in the same way.
7. The discovery was made in Japan.
8. Dogs can cope with temperatures below -35C.

What is the missing word?

1. They found that dogs have a network of ___________ in their feet.
2. But this is the first time ___________ have discovered it in dogs.
3. Dogs' paws can cope even in ___________ as cold as -35C.
4. Pet dogs keep their feet warm in frozen _____________.


KEY

researchers
people who study a subject to discover new things
microscope
tool that uses lenses to let you see very small things
central heating
system in a building that heats air or water in one place and then sends it to rooms using pipes
penguin
black and white bird that swims in the ocean and can’t fly
cope
deal successfully with a difficult situation
pooch
dog


True or false?

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. False

What is the missing word?

1. veins
2. scientists
3. temperatures
4. weather

Active people survey

WALKING

In the last four weeks, have you done at least one continuous walk lasting at least 5 minutes? (Please include any country walks, walking to and from work or the shops and any other walks you may have done. Please exclude time spent walking around shops.)

In the last four weeks, have you done at least one continuous walk lasting at least 30 minutes?

How would you describe your usual walking pace?

A slow pace A steady average pace A fairly brisk pace A fast pace Don’t know

CYCLING

In the last four weeks, have you done any cycling? (Please include any casual cycling in your local area, any cycling in the countryside or on cycling routes, cycling to or from work or any competitive cycling.)

If yes, on how many days?
Every day Every weekday Every other day
Every day at weekends One day every weekend Don’t know / can’t remember

SPORTS AND RECREATION

(All the activities you did, in the last four weeks, whether for competition, training or receiving tuition, socially, casually or for health and fitness, but do not include any teaching, coaching or refereeing you may have done.)

Did you do any sporting or recreational physical activity? What did you do?

On how many days in the last four weeks have you done this activity?

And how long do you USUALLY do this activity for?


SPORTS AND RECREATION

Now think about other types of sport and recreational physical activity you may have done. (All the activities you did, in the last four weeks, whether for competition, training or receiving tuition, socially, casually or for health and fitness, but do not include any teaching, coaching or refereeing you may have done.)

Did you do any sporting or recreational physical activity?

What did you do?

On how many days in the last four weeks have you done this activity?

And how long do you USUALLY do this activity for?

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Over the past four weeks have you been a member of a club, particularly so that you can participate in any sports or recreational physical activities?

Which sports or recreational physical activities do you take part in as a member of a sports club?

COMPETITION

Now thinking about the last 12 months, have you taken part in any organised competition for any sports or recreational physical activities? Please do not include any teaching, coaching or refereeing.

Which sports or recreational physical activities have you taken part in organised competition for?


INSTRUCTION OR COACHING

In the last 12 months, have you received tuition from an instructor or coach to improve your performance in any sports or recreational physical activities?

Which spots of recreational physical activities have you received tuition from an instructor or coach for in the last 12 months?

OVERALL SPORTS PROVISION

How would you rate your level of OVERALL satisfaction with sports provision in your local area?

Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied or dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied

LIKELIHOOD TO DO MORE SPORT

Would you like to do more sport or recreational physical activity than you do at the moment? Yes No Don’t know

Which one sport or recreational physical activity would you most like to do, or to do more often?

DANCE AND GARDENING

Have you done any dancing or gardening in the past four weeks?
Yes No Don’t know / Can’t remember

CULTURAL QUESTIONS

During the last 12 months, have you attended a museum or gallery at least once?
Yes No Don’t know

During the last 12 months, have you used a public library service at least once?
Yes No Don’t know

Have you attended any creative, artistic, theatrical or musical events in the last 12 months?
Yes No Don’t know

Have you spent time actually doing any creative, artistic, theatrical or musical activities,
or any crafts in the last 12 months?
Yes No Don’t know

CULTURAL QUESTIONS

During the last 12 months, have you attended a museum or gallery at least once?
Yes No Don’t know

During the last 12 months, have you used a public library service at least once?
Yes No Don’t know

Have you attended any creative, artistic, theatrical or musical events in the last 12 months?
Yes No Don’t know

Have you spent time actually doing any creative, artistic, theatrical or musical activities,
or any crafts in the last 12 months?
Yes No Don’t know

DEMOGRAPHICS

Which age band you fall into?

16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54
55 to 64 65 to 74 75 to 84 85+

ADDRESS DETAILS

Can I take your full postcode?

Please can you tell me the name of your town or village?


Please can you tell me the name of your street?


Please can you tell me your house number or name?

Olympics fail to inspire as fewer young people take up sport

Key

Question 1
a) True. Figures released by Sport England show that the number of 16-19 year olds playing sport three times a week has fallen from 930,400 to 825,900,
b) False. Sport England invests about £250m a year – funds provided by the Government and the National Lottery – in grassroots sport
c) True. Ms Price insists the Olympics can still have a positive impact on participation.
d) True. He said: "I haven't seen the figures but my instinct is that they are increasing."


Question 2
a) 33% of the people who took part in the survey said that they did not have enough money to pay to do sport or that they were short of time because of their job.
b) When fewer people are doing a particular sport, then that sport will receive less money from Sport England.


Question 3
a) swap
b) impact
c) chairman

Question 4
Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Six years ago London successfully secured the Olympics.
The Olympics were successfully secured by London six years ago.
b) To increase the number of people doing sport, we need to do much more to make sport relevant and appealing to women.
If sport is made much more relevant and appealing to women, the number of people doing sport will increase.
c) Ms Price said she thought that when they got into the Olympic year, they would see an increase – she didn’t see that the opportunity was lost.

Teenage Dutch sailor Laura Dekker vows never to return home

KEY
Question1
a. False.” A teenage Dutch sailor just one day away from becoming the youngest ever person to sail around the world single-handed has vowed never to return to her native country.”
b. True. “ the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten.”
c. True. “ The Dutch authorities, who tried to put Miss Dekker into care two years ago over her solo-sailing adventures, have claimed that the teenager is not doing enough school work while piloting her 38 foot yacht through heavy Atlantic seas.When her father refused to make an appointment to discuss it......”
d. False. “ Now, after sailing around the world ........ .I hear now that the Dutch government organisations have started causing problems again.”

Question 2
a. Laura Dekker, who is 16, has become the youngest person to finish her voyage around the world on her own.
b. The Dutch authorities reacted negatively towards her decision to sail round the world. They wanted to stop her father from seeing her and to lock her up so as to prevent her from fulfilling her plans.

Question 3
a. single-handed
b. headed / to head
c. unfair

Question 4
a. The Dutch tricolor on her yacht has been torn down by Laura Dekker.
b. Laura felt that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations had put her through had been totally unfair.
c. If the social workers didn’t cause her so many problems, she wouldn’t be thinking about not returning to her country.

Sir Paul McCartney attacks French school over vegetarian ban

Sir Paul McCartney has attacked the French Government for banning vegetarian meals in schools.
There will be no meat-free days in French schools for six million children following a new decree from their government that all students will have to eat meat if they want lunch at school. Taking a packed lunch is not an alternative as they are also banned.

The ban will shortly be extended to kindergartens, hospitals, prisons, colleges and old people's homes.

French agriculture minister, Bruno Lemaire, said in January that the Government's aim for nutrition was to defend the French agricultural model and counter initiatives such as those by vegetarian campaigners like Sir Paul – who has called for a reduced consumption of meat.

But writing on his website, Sir Paul said: "The French Government's recent decree effectively enforcing the consumption of animal products in public institutions is a backward step for France. It goes against the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union by prohibiting individuals' right to express their beliefs.No one needs to eat animals – and we can combat climate change and lessen the risk of suffering from heart disease and other ailments by reducing the amount of meat we eat."
This week People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched a new stamp range featuring the 20 most famous vegetarians of all-time, including the ex-Beatle. Sir Paul along with Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson and Morrissey have agreed to feature on the stamp. The stamps can be purchased throughout December at www.peta.org

Source: telegraph.co.uk

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

a) Students cannot take home-made lunches to school.
b) Currently there are no meat-free meals for people who are in prison. c) Sir Paul McCartney believes that the French Government’s decision does not respect people’s rights. D) According to McCartney, people who eat meat are more likely to suffer illnesses.

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

a) Why has Sir Paul McCartney reacted against the French Government?
b) What has PETA done about the ban?

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

a) soon (par.3) b) attenuate, decrease (par.5) c) buy (par.6)

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

a) The French Government has banned packed lunches.
Packed lunches ......................................................
b) " No one needs to eat animals and we can combat climate change.”
Sir Paul McCartney said that .................................................
c) Mr. Dahl suffered from heart disease because he ate too much meat.
If Mr Dahl .................................................

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
What do you think about climate change? How can you help?

Cambridge

Watch the video and answer the questions below:

1. How many colleges can you find in Cambridge?
   


2. How long did it take to build King's College Chapel?



3. Who founded Trinity College?



4. What's the name of the river that flows through the city?



5. What's the shortest way between the two buildings in St. John's College?



6. What's the best way to see the city?



7. Who built the chapel in Pembroke College?
   


8. What did he also build?
   


9. How far is Ely from Cambridge?



10. What shape is the tower at Ely's Cathedral?
    

KEY

1. over 30 colleges



2. over 100 years



3. Henry VIII



4. River Cam



5. Bridge of Sighs



6. going punting



7. Sir Cristopher Wren



8. St. Paul's Cathedral



9. a few



10. octogon

South Korea to Swap Textbooks for Tablets

South Korea’s government has announced ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms and provide the world’s first “smart education” system. It intends to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means bulky, paper-based books are out and handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in line to go digital are elementary schools, which will switch to online devices by 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the e-learning and mobile-learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are sufficiently trained in using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make sure that the two can work together,” he said.

The Ministry has not yet made a decision on which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry experts predict it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab rather than gadgets from international rivals Apple or Sony. In addition to digital content in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for its embrace of technology and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a [major] shift in education.”

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a) South Korea is not the first country in the world to go totally digital.
b) South Korea’s “smart education” project will start with high schools.

c) All schools will be equipped with Korea-made Samsung products.

d) Korean students are the tops when it comes to digital literacy.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What does South Korea’s government want to do?
b) How will students benefit from the new plans?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) heavy and big (paragraph1)
b) competitor (paragraph 2)
c) enthusiastic acceptance (paragraph 2)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) South Korea’s government has announced ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms.
Ambitious plans ......................................................
b) "It's very important to make sure that the two can work together,”
Lee Ju Ho said that .................................................
c) Korean students are fully prepared for digital society. That’s why they need a major shift in education.
If Korean students .................................................

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
What do you think of the idea of swapping textbooks for tablets?

Universities raise £50m in library fines

British universities have raised nearly £50 million from fining students for overdue library books, figures have revealed. Top of the pile was Leeds University, which has raised more than £1.8 million in the last six years. In second place was Manchester University, which collected almost £1.3 million and in third was the University of Wolverhampton with £1.25 million. At the bottom of the table was Imperial College London, which collected just £26,703 in fines.

With fines as little as 10p for each day a book is overdue, it shows that students are returning thousands of books late each year. However, many are never returned at all as more than 300,000 books remain unaccounted for across the country. Leading the way at number one was Bucks New University with 30,540, closely followed by Oxford University with 20,923 and the University of Kent with 19,613.
Penalties at the universities vary. Most students are fined 10p for every day a book is overdue, while at Edinburgh Napier University daily fines can be as much as £1 per day.

"The charge reflects the amount it would cost us to replace the item," the university revealed. "Sometimes a student who has genuinely lost an item will buy it through Amazon at a reduced price and give us the book - we are very happy to accept that.
For persistent offending, students can have their library account suspended or lose access to their university's IT system. Some may even be barred from graduating if they owe their university money. As little as a £5 debt at Exeter University will prevent graduation, as will £20 at Lancaster University or £25 at the University of Glasgow.

1 Match each number with the correct information based on what you read in the text.

1 £50 million
2 £5
3 10p
4 20,923
5 £25
6 30,540
7 £1
8 £1.8 million
9 £26,703
10 300,000

a) The total number of books missing from university libraries.
b) The highest rate charged per day for every day a book is not returned after the return date.
c) The total amount paid by university students to British universities for not returning books to the library on time.
d) The smallest total amount collected by a university library for late returns.
e) The limit on the money students can owe Glasgow University if they want to graduate.
f) The number of books permanently missing at Oxford University library.
g) The biggest number of books missing from one university.
h) The largest amount of money collected by a university library for late returns.
i) The limit on the money students can owe Exeter University if they want to graduate.
j) The most common daily library fine.

2 Find words or expressions in the text that mean:

Paragraph 1
a) an action or obligation not carried out before a certain date
b) show, make public

Paragraph 2
a) missing, not located

Paragraph 3
a) differ
b) every day

Paragraph 4
a) constant, repeated
b) honestly

Sir Paul McCartney attacks French school over vegetarian ban

Question 1

a. True. “Taking a packed lunch is not an alternative as they are also banned.”
b. False. “The ban will shortly be extended to kindergartens, hospitals, prisons, colleges and old people's homes.
c. True. "The French Government's recent decree effectively enforcing the consumption of animal products in public institutions is a backward step for France. It goes against the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union by prohibiting individuals' right to express their beliefs.”
d. True. “No one needs to eat animals – and we can combat climate change and lessen the risk of suffering from heart disease and other ailments by reducing the amount of meat we eat."

Question 2

a. The French Government has prohibited vegetarian meals in schools and Sir Paul McCartney ,who is a vegetarian himself, thinks that meat is not essential in a balanced diet, so he doesn’t agree with the measure. He believes that we can reduce the risk of having certain illnesses and also help to fight climate change by not eating much meat.
b. They have put up for sale a collection of stamps with the photograph of some of the most famous vegetarians ever. These include singers, actors and other successful people.

Question 3

a. shortly b. to lessen c. purchased / to purchase

Question 4

a. Packed lunches have been banned by the French Government.
b. Sir Paul McCartney said that no one needed to eat animals and we could combat climate change.
c. If Mr. Dahl hadn’t eaten so much meat, he wouldn’t have suffered from heart disease.

South Korea to Swap Textbooks for Tablets

Key

Question 1

a. False. “South Korea’s government has announced ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms and provide the world’s first “smart education” system..”
b. False.” First in line to go digital are elementary schools,”
c. False.” The Ministry has not yet made a decision on which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry experts predict it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.”
d. True.” “Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations.”

Question 2

a. South Korea’s government wants the students to use new technology devices such as tablets and e-readers instead of traditional textbooks. It aims to make sure that teachers are technologically competent enough to be able to use the technology in the classroom.
b. The students who attend school will not have to carry heavy books and those who cannot go to school will be able to follow the lessons on the web.

Question 3

a. bulky
b. rivals/rivals
c. embrace

Question 4

a. Ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms have been announced by South Korea’s government.
b. Lee Ju Ho said that it was very important to make sure that the two could work together.
c. If Korean students were not fully prepared for digital society, they wouldn’t need a major shift in education.

Twitter Year

Kate Bussmann, Twitter expert, author of A Twitter Year the first ever "social-media almanac", which charts the events of the past 12 months, as recorded by Twitter's 100million users.

‘On the back of my book it says there are 230 million tweets a day. That's already out of date: there are now 250 million. When news breaks I don't go to the TV any more, I turn straight to Twitter. You instantly get a rounded view of what's happening – and what people think about it.

The most tweeted event of the year was Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement at the MTV awards, which generated 8,868 tweets per second (TPS). The royal wedding peaked at about 3,966 TPS. There are stats to prove Pippa Middleton didn't actually overshadow her sister. Of the tweets about the guests, 35.1 per cent were about the Queen, 20.5 per cent were about Prince Harry, and 14.7 per cent were about Pippa.

Reading Twitter during the riots was fascinating and terrifying: not only were journalists reporting on huge fires and major incidents, you also had people tweeting things like "A gang has just chased me home". But what happened the next morning was even more interesting. A musician called Sam Duckworth (of Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly) started an @RiotCleanUp account, helping people to come together to clean the streets.

After a natural disaster, phone coverage gets really patchy, but Twitter works. After the earthquake in New Zealand in January, a man in San Francisco, tweeted: "Is anyone near this area of Christchurch, and could they check on my Dad?" Somebody replied: "Yes, I'm five minutes away, I'll drive round to his house." They found him sitting outside and tweeted to say that he was fine. After the Turkish earthquake, a newsreader asked his followers whether any of them had a spare room for people who'd been made homeless. He had 23,000 followers, and 17,000 people emailed him saying yes.

The Twitter founders didn't know what they were creating. Now medical scientists are researching whether you can spot flu trends by tracking the words people are tweeting.’

Kate Bussmann's website

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) It is difficult to quantify the number of tweets per day because it is growing
all the time.
b) Kate Bussmann finds out about the latest events from the television.
c) When Beyoncé told the world that she was expecting a baby, it was the
second most popular subject of tweets in 2011.
d) 23,000 people contacted a Turkish news presenter to offer to let someone
stay at their home after the earthquake.

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

a) What different examples are given about how people used Twitter during the
riots in Britain?
b) How did a man in San Francisco find out that his father was safe after the
New Zealand earthquake?

Question 3 [1.5 points]
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) a complete, balanced picture (paragraph 1)
b) to make someone seem less important than another person (paragraph 2)
c) a group of people who spend time together and cause trouble (paragraph 3)

Question 4Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) After a natural disaster, phone coverage gets really patchy, but Twitter
works.
Although phone ….
b) Medical scientists are researching whether you can spot flu trends by
tracking the words people are tweeting.
The question of whether ………………………………………………. by
medical scientists.
c) When news breaks I don’t go to the TV to find out the details anymore, I
turn straight to Twitter.
If I want to …………….

Question 5Write a short essay (between120-150 words) on the following topic:
‘Our world is changing faster than ever before.’ Do you agree?

Computer Terms

Fill in the gaps with the following words

wire screen hackers mailbox search engine information web links sites bloggers blog mouse tail cursor steal

Computer technology has become a major part of people's lives. This technology has its own special words. One example is the word ............. A computer mouse is not a small animal that lives in buildings and open fields. It is a small device that you move around on a flat surface in front of a computer. The mouse moves the pointer, or ...................., on the computer ..................

Computer expert Douglas Engelbart developed the idea for the mouse in the early nineteen-sixties. The first computer mouse was a carved block of wood with two metal wheels. It was called a mouse because it had a .............. at one end. The tail was the ................ that connected it to the computer.

Using a computer takes some training. People who are experts are sometimes called .................... A hacker is usually a person who writes software programs in a special computer language. But the word hacker is also used to describe a person who tries to .................. information from computer systems.

Another well known computer word is Google, spelled g-o-o-g-l-e. It is the name of a popular “............. .................” for the Internet. People use the search engine to find information about almost any subject on the Internet. The people who started the company named it Google because in mathematics, googol, spelled g-o-o-g-o-l, is an extremely large number. It is the number one followed by one-hundred zeros.

When you "Google" a subject, you can get a large amount of ................... about it. Some people like to Google their friends or themselves to see how many times their name appears on the Internet.

If you Google someone, you might find that person's name on a ............. . A blog is the shortened name for a Web log. A blog is a personal ................. page. It may contain stories, comments, pictures and .................. to other Web .............. . Some people add information to their blogs every day. People who have blogs are called ....................... .

Blogs are not the same as spam. Spam is unwanted sales messages sent to your electronic ................... . The name is based on a funny joke many years ago on a British television show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Some friends are at an eating place that only serves a processed meat product from the United States called SPAM. Every time the friends try to speak, another group of people starts singing the word SPAM very loudly. This interferes with the friends' discussion – just as unwanted sales ...................... interfere with communication over the Internet.


KEY

Click here and listen to the answers

New verbs from old nouns

I was arranging to meet someone for dinner last week, and I said 'I'll pencil it in my diary', and my friend said 'You can ink it in', meaning that it was a firm arrangement not a tentative one!

Many of these new verbs are linked to new technology. An obvious example is the word fax, which is a shortening of facsimile – originally, an exact copy of a book or document. We all got used to sending and receiving faxes, and then soon started talking about faxing something and promising we'd fax it immediately. So, noun into verb in two easy stages. Then along came email and we were soon all emailing each other madly. How did we do without it? I can hardly imagine life without my daily dose of emails.

Email reminds me, of course, of my computer and its software, which has generated another couple of new verbs. On my AppleMac computer I can bookmark those pages from the World Wide Web that I think I'll want to look at again, thus saving all the effort of remembering their addresses and calling them up from scratch. I can do the same thing on my PC, but there I don't bookmark; I favourite – presumably coming from 'favourite pages', so the verb is derived from an adjective not a noun. I wasn't really sure people said this, but someone told me recently that they had favourited a site I was looking for and so they could easily give me its address.

A few years ago I noticed that lots of my friends had acquired pagers, and kept saying things like 'I'll page you as soon as I know what time we're meeting'. They couldn't say it to me, though; I refused to have one. So my children bought me a mobile phone – now known simply as a mobile – and I had to learn yet more new verbs. I can message someone – that is, I can leave a message (either spoken or written) for them on their phone. Or I can text them – write a few words suggesting when and where to meet, for example. How long will it be before I can mobile them – that is, phone them using my mobile. I haven't heard that verb yet, but I'm sure I will soon. Perhaps I'll start using it myself!


FILL THE GAPS BELOW WITH THE CORRECT NEW VERBS AND TENSES USED IN THE ARTICLE ABOVE.

1. I won't send the letter by post, I will __________ it to you early tomorrow morning when I go into the office.

2. I can easily give you that website address because I have ________________ it on my computer.

3. My friend's mobile was on but he wasn't answering so I __________________ him instead of speaking to him.

4. I'll ___________________ you this afternoon from the internet cafe.

5. If we're definitely going to go away on holiday during Christmas Season, I'll _________________ in the dates.

KEY:

1. fax 2. favourited 3. messaged 4. e-mail 5.ink

Amazing rescue – Thanks to mobile phone!

Two teenagers capsized in the sea off the south coast of England and called Japan on a mobile phone to ask for help. That was when brother and sister Ken and Emily Booth were on a sailing holiday near Southampton. But because of huge waves their small boat capsized and they were thrown into the sea.

Ken, 17, and Emily, 16, spent 30 minutes trying to right the capsized dinghy, but without success. They couldn’t get back into the dinghy, and they couldn’t attract the attention of passing ships. After they had been in the water for about 40 minutes, the situation was getting serious, and they felt very cold. Then Emily remembered her mobile phone in its watertight container in her pocket and reached for it.

But she didn’t think of dialling 999, the emergency number. Instead she phoned their father, who was 6,000 miles away in Tokyo on a business trip. Emily explained: ‘I thought it would be quicker to phone someone I knew and tell them our position. I dialled Dad’s number and contacted the coastguard.’

About ten minutes later, after they had held on to the dinghy for nearly an hour, they heard a helicopter. Next, everything happened very quickly, and ken and Emily were picked up and carried to safety.

Afterwards, the coastguard said that the teenagers were lucky to be alive and very, very lucky that the mobile phone had worked. ‘Anyone in trouble should contact the coastguard direct on 999,’ he added.


1. Answer these questions from the text:

a. How were the teenagers rescued?
b. Why did their dinghy capsize?
c. How far is Tokyo from Southampton?

2. Find in the text words or expressions which mean the same as:

a. (n) small sailing boat
b. (v) turned over in the water
c. (n) opposite of danger.

3. What do the underlined words refer to?

a. they: ...
b. it: ...

4. Fill in each blank with one word from the list:

Higher sighted graduates rooted labour backgrounds

a. University ... spend a lot of time looking for a job.
b. ... -saving machines have made Man’s life easier.
c. People from different cultural ... can co-exist and live in peace if they believe in tolerance.
d. A short-... person is someone who can’t see very well.

5. What would you say in the following situations?

a. Ask your brother to help you with a maths exercise.

b. Your teacher wants you to do an exercise, but you don’t know what you’re supposed to do. Express lack of understanding and ask for clarification.

6. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form:

a. Susan gave up (go) ... to the gym a year ago.
b. My friends (listen) ... to music when they heard an explosion outside.
c. I managed (solve) ... the problem by myself.
d. Emily said she (dial) ... her father’s number.

7. Join each pair of sentences using the words given:

a. Jo trains regularly. Yet, she is too fat. (although)

b. Nancy is nice. Nevertheless, she doesn’t get on well with her husband.(in spite of)

8. Make compound adjectives that match the definitions below:

a. A person with a kind heart:
b. An exercise that consumes too much time


Key

1. Answer these questions from the text:
a. Emily phoned her father who was in Tokyo and the helicopter came to rescue them.
b. Because of huge waves.
c. 6,00 miles.

2. Find in the text words or expressions which mean the same as:

a.dighy:(n) small sailing boat
b.capsized:(v) turned over in the water
c.safety:(n) opposite of danger.

3. What do the underlined words refer to?
a. they: Ken and Emily b. it: mobile

4. Fill in each blank with one word from the list:
a. graduates
c. labour
d. backgrounds
e. sighted

5. What would you say in the following situations?
a. Can you help me with maths, please?
b. I'm sorry sir I don't quite follow you. Could you be more explicit?

6. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form:
a. going
d. had been listening
c. to solve
d. had dialled

7. Join each pair of sentences using the words given:
a. Although Jo trains regularly, he is too fat.
b. In spite of her nice nature, she doesn't get on well with her husband. / In spite of the fact that she is nice, she...

8. Make compound adjectives that match the definitions below:
a. a kind-hearted person
b. a time-consuming exercise

Hawaii

Watch the video and answer the following questions about Hawaii

1. How many islands does Hawaii have?
2. and How many miles?
3. How many tourists visit Hawaii every year?
4. Where is Honolulu?
5. What’s the most famous beach in Honolulu?
6. When and where was surfing invented?
7. What happened on 7th December 1941?
8. What’s the largest island?
9. What does it mean?
10. What is Kilauea?
11. Name three animals you can see in Hawaii.
12. How often do jam sessions take place?
13. What kind of climate does Hawaii have?
14. What does “aloha” mean”?


Key

1. 137
2. 1500
3. 7 million
4. In O’ahu island
5. Waikiki
6. about 1000 years ago in Hawaii
7. Japanese attack in Pearl Harbour
8. Hawaii
9. The big island
10. A volcano(the most active)
11. Sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seal, whale.
12. Every week
13. Tropical
14. Hello, goodbye and I love you.

Twitter Year

Key

TV giraffe takes a tumble into a swimming pool

Talk about head over heels, but this is quite the giraffe gaffe!
Firefighters were called to the set of ITV1 drama Wild at Heart in South Africa after Lucy, one of the show's giraffes, fell into a swimming pool. Crew worked into the night to dig a trench so she could get out safely.
Wild at Heart star Stephen Tompkinson said: "It was such a bizarre sight - as soon I walked round the corner all I could see was this great neck sticking out of the pool."
No one's quite sure how it happened, but it's thought she was trying to drink from the pool when she took a tumble. The nine-year-old giraffe must have been thirsty, as she managed to squeeze through a fence which usually prevents her from getting near the pool.
The giraffe emerged without any injuries from the rescue, which happened in September during the show's filming.
Lucky was 14 months pregnant at the time, so it was important they got her out safely and kept her calm.

Vocabulary
Match each words to its definition

crew / gaffe / injuries / pregnant / prevents / tumble

when you do something that is a embarrassing mistake
stops something from happening
group of people who work together
damage to your body
fall down quickly
when a person or animal is having a baby

True or false?

1. Lucy was the only giraffe in the show.
2. The pool had water in it.
3. The show was being filmed in South Africa.
4. The fence kept Lucy away from the pool.
5. Lucy was not hurt by the accident.
6. Firefighters rescued Lucy from the pool.
7. Stephen Tompkinson knows how Lucy fell into the pool.
8. Lucy fell into the pool last September.

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

1. emerged

a) the same as arrived
b) the same as came out
c) the same as entered

2. bizarre

a) the same as frightening
b) the same as strange
c) the same as amusing

3. calm

a) the same as agitated
b) the same as safe
c) the same as relaxed

4. trench

a) the same as ditch
b) the same as hollow
c) the same as mound


KEY

gaffe
when you do something that is a embarrassing mistake
prevents
stops something from happening
crew
group of people who work together
injuries
damage to your body
tumble
fall down quickly
pregnant
when a person or animal is having a baby

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True

1. b) the same as came out
2. b) the same as strange
3. c) the same as relaxed
4. a) the same as ditch

Merry Christmas

Christmas Traditions Explained

What does the word 'Christmas' mean?

The word Christmas is taken from 'Christ's Mass' or, in the original Latin, Cristes maesse. Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on this day.

Is Christmas only a religious holiday?

Certainly, for practicing Christians around the world, Christmas is one the most important holiday of the year. However, in modern times traditional Christmas festivities have become much less related to the Christ story. Examples of these other traditions include: Santa Claus, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and others.

Why is Christmas so important?

There are two reasons:
There are approximately 1.8 billion Christians in a total world population of 5.5 billion, making it the largest religion worldwide.

And, some think more importantly, Christmas is the most important shopping event of the year. It is claimed that up to 70 percent of many merchants' annual revenue is made during the Christmas season.It is interesting to note that this emphasis on spending is relatively modern. Christmas was a relatively quiet holiday in the USA until the 1860s.

Why do people give gifts on Christmas day?

This tradition most probably is based on the story of the three wise men (the Magi) giving gifts of gold, incense and myrrh following the birth of Jesus.
However, it is important to note that gift giving has only become popular in the last 100 years as figures such as Santa Claus have come to be more important, and emphasis has been shifted to giving gifts to children.

Why is there a Christmas Tree?

This tradition was begun in Germany. German immigrants moving to England and the USA brought this popular tradition with them and it has since become a much loved tradition for all.


A. What does the word 'Christmas' mean?
1. Christ's Mass
2. Many Christians
3. Birth of Jesus

B. Is Christmas only a religious holiday?
1. Yes, it is strictly a religious holiday.
2. No, it is based on religious traditions, but there are also other traditions.
3. No, it is strictly a non-religious fun holiday.

C. Which is NOT a reason for Christmas' popularity?
1. It is celebrated by one of the largest religions worldwide.
2. It is an important holiday for business.
3. It is a traditional exam period at universities.

D: Why do people give gifts on Christmas day?
1. Christ suggested it.
2. The tradition was probably based on the story of the three wise men.
3. Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer started the tradition.

E. Why is there a Christmas Tree?
1. It is a tradition introduced by the American Indians.
2. The pilgrims brought the tradition with them from England.
3. It is a tradition begun in Germany.

Key

A 1, B 2, C 3, D 2, E3

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve, also called Old Year's Night, is celebrated on December 31st, the final day of the year. It is celebrated all over the world with parties and social gathering with usually a lot of fireworks and noise.
In the United States of America, New York is the place where this celebration is associated with. People gather in the Times Square just before midnight in the last minute of the countdown to see the "ball dropping".
The celebration is also associated with parties in other parts of the world. In France, for instance, the celebration is called le Réveillon. Special food is prepared accompanied with champagne. People also go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris to see fireworks display. In Japan, people traditionally clean their home. Buddhist temple bells are rung 108 times at midnight. In Brazil, the beach of Copacabana is considered by many to be the place of the most beautiful fireworks show in the world.
On New Year's Eve, people commit themselves with resolutions. These are made to reform a habit and should go into effect and remain until fulfilment.

Questions

1. What "drops" at midnight in Times Square?

a. a ball
b. a clock

2. Where in The USA is the biggest New Year's Eve party?

a. New York b. Los Angeles c. Washington Square

3. Where do temple bells ring 108 times?

a. Japan
b. Brazil
c. France

4. Countries around the world celebrate New Year's Eve

a. In the same way
b. in different ways


KEY
1.a
2.a
3.a
4.b

2011 Boxing Day Activities and Celebration

Boxing Day is celebrated as a public holiday or a bank holiday in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, United Kingdom and many countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. In South Africa this holiday is popular as the Day of Goodwill.

Boxing Day Public Holiday

Boxing Day is usually celebrated on 26th December as St. Stephen's Day, the day following Christmas Day. Boxing Day is a worldwide holiday but it is not always celebrated on 26 December: If 26th December is a Saturday, the public holiday is commonly moved to next Monday. And if 25th December falls on Saturday, both the following Monday and Tuesday might be public holidays. Moreover, the actual date of Boxing Day celebrations differs between countries.
In Ireland, the 1871 UK Bank Holidays Act set up the banquet day of St Stephen as a non-moveable public holiday on 26th December. Since Partition, the name "Boxing Day" is employed only in Northern Ireland (which remained part of United Kingdom). Boxing Day is a movable public holiday like in the rest of the United Kingdom.
The Banking and the Financial Dealings Act of 1971 launched "Boxing Day" as a public holiday in Scotland. And In the Australian state of South Australia, 26th December is a public holiday celebrated as a Proclamation Day.
Boxing Day is commemorated in Canada, Britain and some other countries. There is not much participation in the United States because it is not an American Holiday.


Boxing Day Customs

• Bear in mind the people who have granted a service to you throughout the year. The person who delivers your newspaper, the post, and staff of your business or household ought to be remembered and rewarded with a gift basket, tip or bonus.
• Bear in mind those in need. Custom has it that on the Boxing Day in Victorian England, the poor went from house to house and were given boxes that were full of clothing, gifts and food. Give canned clothing, goods or your time to associations that assist the needy.
• Sporting events. In England football games, regattas, horse racing and Brighton Swimming Club's yearly dip into the icy English Channel are just some of those events that occur on Boxing Day.
• Shopping is a main part of Boxing Day activity. Malls are full with people capitalising on the benefits of after Christmas deals.
• Commemorate with friends. Make food and drink available. Make it low-key, as Boxing Day ought to be less frantic and more comforting than Christmas day.

Boxing Day Activities

Apart from recovering from an overload of turkey, pudding and additional substances, Australians have a few typical activities connected with Boxing Day.
The Boxing Day Test Match is held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and is between the Australian cricket team and the team that is touring Australia that summer. For several years, the test was held in Adelaide. Numerous Aussies watch or attend the match live.
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starts and this race is famous for the hazardous conditions frequently encountered. Deaths have occurred over the years.
In a few capital cities, the yearly post-Christmas sales start, with masses of shoppers speeding through the doors at opening time.

True/False

1. Boxing Day is always celebrated on the 26th December.
2. They celebrate Boxing Day in America.
3. People usually go shopping on Boxing Day.
4. Boxing Day meals with friends are not as formal as Christmas celebrations.
5. The Boxing Day Test Match is always played by Australian teams.

Complete the sentences and answer the questions

1. In Australia it is called ……………………. Day
2. Name three sporting events celebrated in England on Boxing Day.
3. Name three countries where Boxing Day is celebrated.
4. Name two Australian cities where the Boxing Day Test Match has been played.

Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given

1. happen
2. introduce, start
3. pay supplement
4. plunge
5. distribute

If you want to do some more activities on Boxing Day, click here

KEY

1. F
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F

1. Proclamation Day
2. Football, regattas, horse racing, swimming, cricket
3. Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, United Kingdom.
4. Melbourne, Adelaide

1. occur
2. launch
3. tip, bonus
4. dip
5. delivery

The giant Christmas tree made entirely out of Lego

A very unusual Christmas tree has been unveiled in London - it's made out of Lego bricks!
The 12 metre high tree is made out of a whopping 600,000 bricks and has taken two months to build. It's so tall that the builders needed to use a crane to put the star on the top !
The 1200 baubles are also made of Lego and have been made by kids at local schools and Scout groups.
The tree is on show at St Pancras International rail station in London and will be there until the new year.
The tree was created by Duncan Titmarsh who is the UK's only Lego Professional. Duncan has built many weird and wonderful things out of the plastic bricks, including a Lego house, but this is his most ambitious project yet.


Match the words below to their definitions

ambitious / baubles / crane / professional / unveiled / whopping

showed something new for the first time
very large
ball-shaped Christmas decoration for hanging on a tree
tall metal machine used for lifting heavy things
person who does a job that people usually do as a hobby
something that needs a lot of skill and effort to do


True or false?

1. The baubles were made by Duncan Titmarsh.
2. The tree took a long time to build.
3. The tree will be taken down right after Christmas.
4. St Pancras International station is in London.
5. There are 1200 baubles hanging on the tree.
6. This was Duncan Titmarsh’s first Lego project.
7. Children put the star on top of the tree.
8. There is only one Lego Professional in the UK.

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

1. weird
a) the same as familiar
b) the same as peculiar
c) the same as missing
2. unusual
a) the same as uncommon
b) the same as expected
c) the same as ordinary
3. created
a) the same as destroyed
b) the same as forecast
c) the same as made
4. project
a) the same as decision
b) the same as undertaking
c) the same as thought



KEY

True or false?
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True

Vocabulary

unveiled showed something new for the first time
whopping very large
baubles ball-shaped Christmas decoration for hanging on a tree
crane tall metal machine used for lifting heavy things
professional person who does a job that people usually do as a hobby
ambitious something that needs a lot of skill and effort to do

What is the missing word?

1. peculiar
2. uncommon
3. made
4. undertaking

Advertising

How good is your memory?
Match each of the slogans below to the brand that used it in their advert:
1. Driving quality
2. Impossible is nothing
3. The future’s bright, the future’s …….
4. Because I’m worth it.
5. Shift the way you move.
6. Just do it
7. I’m lovin’ it
8. New thinking, new possibilities
9. We've run out of capsules up there
10. Leave an impression

L’Oréal
Nike
Macdonalds
Nespresso
Hyundai
Orange
Ballantine's
Adidas
Mitsubishi
Nissan

Key
1 Mitsubishi 2 Adidas 3 Orange 4 L’Oreal 5 Nissan 6 Nike 7 Macdonalds 8 Hyundai 9 Nespresso 10 Ballantine's

‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’
Do you agree or not?
Can we make people or animals change the way they do things?

You supposedly can't teach an old dog new tricks, but the marketing industry has come up with a novel way to sell pet food – by designing an advert that only canine consumers can understand.
The advert, which at first looks like a standard commercial for pet food, uses high-frequency squeaks and signals to grab the attention of any dogs in the room. The idea is that they will become so excited they will jump up and wag their tail at the screen, until the owner relents and buys the promoted product.
The advert has been created for Nestlé, the world's largest food company which owns the Purina brand of pet food.
Georg Sanders, a nutrition expert at Nestlé Purina PetCare in Germany, said: “Dogs’ hearing is twice as sharp as humans. They can pick up frequencies which are beyond our range and they are better at differentiating sounds.”
“Dogs who often play with a squeaky duck as they are running around with their owner will certainly react most strongly to this sound,” he added.
The advert is being aired in Austria this weekend and could hit Britain next year if successful. It features various scenes of a golden retriever and his owner frolicking about a field, interspersed with shots of falling bunches of vegetables.
However, the soundtrack contains various squeaks and bells as well as some high-pitch sounds which humans cannot hear.
This is not the first time that Purina has experimented with this form of advertising. Last year in Germany it put up a series of billboards which gave off the smell of pet food, hoping to catch the attention of dogs out for a walk.
However, advertising executives pointed out that adverts designed for animals had been tried before with limited success. Whiskas cat food tried a similar experiment more than a decade ago, when it screened a 40-second promotion during Coronation Street, featuring pictures of fish, mice and birds in an attempt to grab the attention of cat watchers.
However, none of the cats monitored during the advert appeared interested, or energetic enough, to rouse themselves from their owner's warm lap and approach the screen to investigate.

1 Choose the best title for this text
a) Animals get some exercise outside.
b) Animals get their own adverts.
c) Animals in TV programmes

2 Match the correct answer to each question:
a) How does the advert try and attract dogs’ attention?
b) How should dogs react to the commercial?
c) Which dogs are expected to respond more to the advert?
d) What will viewers see on the screen during the advert?
e) What technique did advertisers use last year in Germany?
f) Why was the Whiskas advert not a success?

i. Dogs which regularly play with high-pitched toys are predicted to respond more.
ii. It uses sounds that humans do not detect but dogs do.
iii. The animals did not express any interest in the advertising.
iv. They should express their interest in the dog food by moving their tails and bodies.
v. They will see shots of a dog and a person enjoying time in the countryside.
vi. Adverts in the streets produced aromas to attract dogs.



Key
a) ii b) iv c) i d) v e) vi f) iii

Match each word to its meaning:
a) A slogan is
b) A logo is
c) A jingle is
d) A billboard is
e) A brand is

i. A short verse or song used in an advert on the radio or TV.
ii. A very large board showing an advertisements, usually at the side of a road.
iii. A short, easily remembered phrase used to advertise a product.
iv. A product made by a particular company.
v. A symbol used to represent a particular company or product.

Key
i. jingle ii. billboard iii. slogan iv. brand v. logo

Here is the advert:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/purina-commercial-targets-dogs-owners-14656222?playlist=1363932§ion=1206834&tab=9482931

What is Purina’s slogan?
Answer: ‘Your pet, our passion’

Now, watch the advert with Harvey the dog and decide what the advert is for.



1 Is it?:
a) How useful dogs are.
b) How effective TV adverts are.
c) How easy it is to adopt a dog.
2 Which of these things does Harvey NOT do:
a) cut the grass
b) collect the children from school
c) play chess
d) turn on the TV
e) go for a walk in the park
f) iron clothes
g) cook
h) clean the windows
i) switch off the light

Key: 1 b) 2 e)

Ireland

Play the video and answer the following questions

1. What’s Ireland nickname?
2. Name the provinces Ireland was divided into.
3. Name of a famous Irish College.
4. What’s Newgrange?
5. When was it built?
6. Who supposedly visited the fortress of Cashel?
7. How high are the cliffs of Moher in Galway?
8. How many shades of green can you see in Ireland?
9. Name of the pub in Dublin

KEY

1. Emerald island
2. Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Ulster.
3. Trinity College
4. A tomb
5. 5000 years ago
6. St Patrick.
7. 650 feet from sea.
8. 40
9. Blazing saddles

What's a Hen Party?

In England, it is custom for the bride to have a 'Hen-do' and the man to have a 'stag-do'.

Read the article about hen and stag do's and try and fit the vocabulary in the correct gaps.

Note:
A hen night/party - a party for women only, usually one held for a woman before she is married.
A stag night/party - a party for men only, usually one held for a man before he is married.
A do is casual British English for party. "We're having a do this weekend for my son's birthday."

Missing Words
• Couple - two persons considered as joined together, as a married or boyfiend/girlfriend.
• Extravagance - spending more money than you need to.
• Stages - parts of an activity ; periods of development
• Emerge - to appear; start.
• Elaborate - containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts.
• Expert - a person with a high level of knowledge.
• Hotspots - popular and exciting places.

1. While stag parties have long been a pre-marital ritual, the hen do seems to be a more recent custom that began to _____________ in the mid-1980s.
2. Cities such as Brighton and Newcastle have become _________ for gaggles of young women, shuttled around from pub to pub in rented limousines, dressed with veils and L-plates.
3. Wedding etiquette _________ Peggy Post says in recent years, the tide has actually started turning in terms of what women want from a hen do.
Where once it was seen as a "last night of freedom", as life has become ever-more hectic for today's career-focused female, the hen night is instead about spending time with friends.
4. "It once had the reputation for being the one last fling but it's now more a last chance to bond with close friends before you're part of a ________," she says.
As someone who has been organising stag and hen parties in the UK since 1997, Ian Lucas of 5. Redseven can comment on how the occasion has evolved. He says that there have been three noticeable _________ in the development of the modern-day hen:
"What started off as a night with friends at home with a few bottles of wine in the 80s became a night on the town in the 90s and a weekend away in the 00s."
6. Over the years, as women have had more money through careers and marrying later, so hen parties have become increasingly __________.
"Alcohol forms a massive part of these celebrations. It's the key thing, the socialising. But it's not like it used to be with groups of girls and guys turning up in a town to get drunk and fall down in the streets," says Mr Lucas.
7. Of course, there are always those who can, and will, push it to the limit in ______. Before of her wedding to England footballer Wayne Rooney, Coleen McLoughlin spent £20,000 on a weekend with her friends.


Key
1. emerge
2. hotspots
3. expert
4. couple
5. stages
6. elaborate
7. extravagance

Scientists try to bring woolly mammoth back from dead

It sounds like the film, Jurassic Park but scientists in Russia and Japan are experimenting to see if they can bring a woolly mammoth back from the dead.

Their starting point could be a fossilised thigh bone found in August which contains well-preserved bone marrow cells.

They'd be cloned and inserted into an egg of an African Elephant, the mammoth's closest surviving relative.

The woolly mammoth became extinct over 4000 years ago.

Experts think that might have happened when climate change affected the vegetation they ate.
Bringing a mammoth back won't be easy.

The Russian and Japanese scientists will need to find a suitable female elephant to have the calf but woolly mammoths were much bigger than modern elephants, so this may not be possible.

The calf would also actually be half-elephant, half-mammoth, so it wouldn't look exactly like a pre-historic mammoth.

On the other hand, we know cloning can work. The first animal to be cloned was a sheep named Dolly, in 1997, who lived to the age of six. And an extinct Pyrenean ibex was brought back from 10-year old DNA, though it didn't survive very long.

Vocabulary
Match each words to its definition
cloned / experimenting / fossilised / ibex / marrow / prehistoric / suitable

performing scientific procedures to find something out.
when a dead animal or plant has turned into rock
soft, fatty tissue in the centre of a bone
when an animal of plant has been created using the genes from another one.
acceptable or right
describes the period before there were written records
type of wild goat

True or false?

1. The cells came from a mammoth’s leg bone.
2. No one has ever cloned an animal before.
3. The scientists have found a suitable female elephant.
4. The clone would be exactly like a mammoth.
5. Woolly mammoths ate plants.
6. Mammoths and elephants are closely related.
7. The Pyrenean ibex was called Dolly.
8. Over 4,000 years ago, the climate changed.

What is the missing word?

9. They'd be cloned and __________ into an egg of an African Elephant.
10. Climate change affected the __________ they ate.
11. Woolly mammoths were much bigger than ___________ elephants.
12. The __________ would also actually be half-elephant, half-mammoth.



KEY

experimenting
performing scientific procedures to find something out.
fossilised
when a dead animal or plant has turned into rock
marrow
soft, fatty tissue in the centre of a bone
cloned
when an animal of plant has been created using the genes from another one.
suitable
acceptable or right
prehistoric
describes the period before there were written records
ibex
type of wild goat


1. True
2. False
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True

inserted
vegetation
modern
calf

Penguins filmed bathing in mud spa to keep cool

Penguin chicks move from a river dip to mud-bathing to try to cool down.
You might think life as a penguin is all about keeping warm in freezing cold temperatures, but cooling down in the sunshine is just as important.
A group of king penguin chicks have been caught bathing in a load of mud to do just that. Summer temperatures in St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, can reach 17C so the birds use streams and thick, cooling mud to stop their large, fluffy bodies from overheating.
They were filmed for the Frozen Planet series. The crew said that although they were expecting to see the chicks paddling in rivers and streams, their mud-bathing display was "unexpected".Penguin chicks move from a river dip to mud-bathing to try to cool down.

VOCABULARY

Match each word to its definition

bathing / fluffy / overheating / paddling / spa

place where people go to become more healthy, by doing exercises, eating special food and so on
going for a swim
soft and woolly or like fur
becoming too warm
swimming in shallow wáter

True or false?

1. Penguins need to cool down when it is cold.
2. The mud cools the penguins.
3. In winter, temperatures can reach 17C in St Andrew’s Bay.
4. Young penguins have fluffy feathers.
5. The sunshine helps the penguins to cool down.
6. The penguins only use mud to cool down.
7. The penguins were filmed for the series “Frozen Planet”.
8. All the streams are full of thick mud.

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

1. freezing
a) the same as icy
b) the same as humid
c) the same as stopping

2. unexpected
a) the same as anticipated
b) the same as surprising
c) the same as early

3. chicks
a) the same as adults
b) the same as females
c) the same as infants

4. load
a) the same as heavy
b) the same as pool
c) the same as pile


KEY

spa place where people go to become more healthy, by doing exercises, eating special food and so on
bathing going for a swim
fluffy soft and woolly or like fur
overheating becoming too warm
paddling swimming in shallow water

True or false?
False
True
False
True
False
True
True
False

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?
1 icy
2 surprising
3 infants
4 pile