Scientists say processed meat could be bad for you

            Scientists say eating too much processed meat - like bacon, ham, or some sausages - can be bad for your health.

           

            They did a study of half a million people and found that those who ate lots of processed meat products - meat preserved using salt, smoke or chemicals - were more likely to get serious health problems in the future.

           

            The UK government recommends people eat no more than 70 grams of processed meat each day - the same as a couple of slices of bacon. But this report recommends people eat just 20 grams. Some sausages count as processed meat, but only if they have preservatives in them.

           

            The study actually found that eating a little bit of meat - even processed meat - had health benefits. Meat contains lots of nutrients like protein and iron which are essential to keep your body fit and healthy.

           

            Experts say that lean meat like chicken and turkey is healthiest.

           

            The study followed people from 10 European countries for around 13 years.

            What is red meat? Red meat includes beef, lamb and pork including minced beef, pork chops and roast lamb. It does not include chicken or turkey meat.

           

            What is processed meat? Processed meat is meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. So this means food like ham, bacon, and hot dogs.

            Is meat good for you? Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. It is one of the main sources of vitamin B12, which is also found in milk.

Match the words below to their definitions

benefits / essential / nutrients / preserved / processed / recommends    

describes food that has been treated with chemicals that preserve it or give it extra taste or colour

describes food that has been treated so that it can be kept for a long time without going bad

advises that you should do something

helpful or good effects

substances which plants or animals need in order to live and grow

necessary

True or false?

1.  All sausages are preserved.

2.  There is only one way to preserve meat.

3.  The report recommends less than the government does.

4.  You should avoid meat entirely.

5.  The study was only done in the UK.

6.  Two slices of bacon weight about 70 grams.

7.  Nutrients keep your body healthy.

8.  Some meats are better for you than others.

What is the missing word?

1.  Meat contains lots of nutrients like ________________ and iron.

2.  Experts say that ______________ meat like chicken and turkey is healthiest.

3.  The UK ______________ recommends people eat no more than 70 grams.

4.  But this _____________ recommends people eat just 20 grams.

KEY

processed            describes food that has been treated with chemicals that preserve it or give it extra taste or colour

preserved             describes food that has been treated so that it can be kept for a long time without going bad

recommends       advises that you should do something

benefits                                 helpful or good effects

nutrients                substances which plants or animals need in order to live and grow

essential               necessary

True or false?

1. False

2. False

3. True

4. False

5. False

6. True

7. True

8. True

What is the missing word?

1. protein

2. lean

3. government

4. report

Textbooks

Heavy, expensive course textbooks are the bane of students' backs and bank accounts – but will they be around for much longer’, asks Andrew Marszal.

According to researchers at the University of East London there is still a clear correlation between spending on course books and your degree grade.

Last month they published a paper revealing that those who obtained a first-class degree spent an average £239 on books, while those with a 2:2 averaged only £179. Students leaving with a third had shelled out just £146.

But textbooks are expensive. So what are the alternatives?

University libraries – generally free to borrow from – are perfect. However, they are unlikely to stock enough copies of the most essential reading to keep everyone happy.

Another option is to sell or indeed buy in the second-hand market. This is cheaper, greener and you don’t need to worry about folding the page corners.

One growing alternative is to buy or rent textbooks online. CourseSmart, set up to help students and universities access course materials on their digital devices, launched in North America in 2006. It currently has 3.3 million student and staff users, and launched in the UK last month.

So could this really be the start of a digital textbook revolution?

“In the consumer world we don’t expect to ever reach 100 per cent digital,” says Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director of CourseSmart. “ But as digital becomes better and better, there will come a point where it is impossible for students to prefer physical – we will see more interaction, more multimedia, video and integration with homework tasks, which will make learning from a physical book simply impractical.”

Not all agree. Mehdi Maghsoodnia of BookRenter.com, which specialises in renting physical textbooks, told a newspaper earlier this year that 99 per cent of the educational market still use physical texts. “To help students, you have to lower the cost of textbooks,” he said.

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

a) The more you spend on books the better marks you get.

b) University libraries offer more copies than students demand.

c) You need not be careful with second hand books.

d) Going digital will change the way students do their tasks.

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

a) What are the main advantages of buying second hand books?

b) What is CourseSmart?

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

a)         improbable par. 5

b)         created par.7

c)         mechanism, piece of machine par. 7

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

a) Last month they published a paper revealing that those who obtained a first-class degree spent an average £239 on books.

A paper………………………………………..

b) In the consumer world we don’t expect to ever reach 100 per cent digital

100 per cent digital is………………………..

c) Mehdi Maghsoodnia said “To help students, you have to lower the cost of textbooks”

Mehdi Maghsoodnia said that …………………………..

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

Will digital information take the place of the traditional way of being informed?

Families and relationships

1. Can you solve the puzzle below?

My name’s Frank. Who is my mother’s younger sister’s father’s brother-in-law’s wife’s father’s only great grandson? My uncle is called John and his father is called Jim. Jim has two brothers called Jack and Jeremy.

2. What is the difference in meaning between the following?

a. Parents and relatives

b. Nephews and nieces

c. Stepsisters and sisters-in-law

d. Godfathers and great-uncles

e. A close relative and a distant relative

3. Read the passage below. Sally is describing her relationship with people in her family. Match the underlined phrase with the best definition below.

a. I look like my dad.

b. I take after my mum.

c. I get on (really) well with my cousin, Jake.

d. I’m very close to my twin sister, Karen.

e. I have a lot in common with my brother, Will.

f. I’m (a bit) like my Aunt Gillian.

1. I have a similar personality.

2. I have inherited some of her characteristics.

3. I have a very good relationship.

4. We share similar interests.

5. I have a similar appearance.

6. I have a deep, strong relationship.

4. Now use the underlined phrases in the exercise above to best describe the following relationships.

a. John and Rob really enjoy each other’s company, because they both love playing football, talking about cars, and going out. (John and Rob have a lot in common)

b. Claire has lots of friends, but if she has a problem to solve or a secret to share she always tells her cousin, Sue, first. They grew up together, and can trust each other completely.

c. My Aunt Rose has the same long nose and high cheekbones as my mum. People often mistake her for her sister.

d. My nephews, Paul and Colin, are both very talkative and outgoing.

e. My mum tells me that I get my fiery temper and stubborn nature from my granny.

5 There are many idiomatic expressions in English to describe family relationships. Divide the phrases into two groups: people are similar, and people are different.

We’re as different as chalk and cheese.

We’re like two peas in a pod.

We get on like a house on fire.

She’s the spitting image of her mother.

I have little to do with her.

You just can’t tell them apart.

6 Prepare to discuss the questions below.

Who do you take after? In what ways?

Is there anyone in your family that you get on really well with? In what way?

Apart from your close family, do you keep in touch with any distant relatives?

Tell your partner about your family.

Adapted from Onestopenglish.com

KEY

1. Frank
2. a. parents= mother and father; relatives= all the people in  your family

b. nephews= male children of your sister or brother; nieces= female children of your sister or brother

c. stepsisters= if, for example, your mother or father remarries and his/her new spouse already has a daughter, then she becomes your stepsister; sisters-in-law= if your brother marries, his wife becomes your sister-in-law

d. godfather= in the Christian religion, when a child is baptised, his/her parents ask friends or relatives to be the child’s godparents; great-uncle= your mother or father’s uncle

e. a close relative= mum, dad, granny, etc; a distant relative= a great-aunt …

3.         a. 5

b. 2

c. 3

d. 6

e. 4     

f. 1

4.         a. John and Rob have a lot in common

            b. Claire is very close to Sue.

            c. Aunt Rose looks like my mum

            d. Paul is like Colin

            e. I take after my granny

5. People are similar

We’re like two peas in a pod.

We get on like a house on fire.

She’s the spitting image of her mother.

You just can’t tell them apart.

People are different

We’re as different as chalk and cheese.

I have little to do with her. 

Dolphins 'whistle to find loved ones'

            Dolphins mimic the sounds of their loved ones to find them, according to new research.

            Scientists from Scotland and America studied the whistles of wild and captive dolphins. They found that those who copied each other's sounds were mothers and their offspring, and adult males who'd known each other for a long time.

            The findings suggest that mimicking whistles is done by dolphins who want to be reunited with each other. It's already known that dolphins develop their own individual whistle which describes their identity.

            Scientists also found that there were slight changes in the copied versions of whistles, which could be to avoid confusing other dolphins who might be listening.

           

Match the words below to their definitions

captive / confusing / identity / research / reunited / versions

detailed study of a subject

when an animal is kept in a closed area that they cannot leave

brought together again

characteristics of an person or animal that make them unique

particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing

mixing up two separate things or people in your mind, imagining that they are the same

True or false?

1.  All dolphin whistles are the same.

2.  Some of the scientists came from America.

3.  Dolphins only copy the whistles of dolphins they know.

4.  All of the scientists came from Scotland.

5.  Only male dolphins copy whistles.

6.  Every dolphin has their own whistle.

7.  No one knew that dolphins whistled before this research.

8.  All of the dolphins studied were mothers.

Same or Different?

1. mimic

a) the same as follow

b) the same as copy

c) the same as ignore

2. findings

a) the same as results

b) the same as guesses

c) the same as questions

3. slight

a) the same as large

b) the same as similar

c) the same as small

4. offspring

a) the same as parents

b) the same as sisters

c) the same as children

KEY

research               detailed study of a subject

captive                  when an animal is kept in a closed area that they cannot leave

reunited                                brought together again

identity                   characteristics of an person or animal that make them unique

versions                particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing

confusing             mixing up two separate things or people in your mind, imagining that they are the same

True or false?

1. False

2. True

3. True

4. False

5. False

6. True

7. False

8. False

Same or Different?

1. copy

2. results

3. small

4. children

Textbooks

Key

Question 1

a) TRUE “there is still a clear correlation between spending on course books and your degree grade”

b) FALSE “[University libraries], they are unlikely to stock enough copies of the most essential reading

c) TRUE “ you don’t need to worry about folding the page corners”

d) TRUE “ But as digital becomes better and better, there will come a point where it is impossible for students to prefer physical – we will see more interaction, more multimedia, video and integration with homework tasks”

Question 2

a) The main advantages of getting second hand books are that they are not as expensive as the new ones; moreover, it is more environmentally-friendly and you need not be so careful with them.

b) CourseSmart is an alternative for students and staff to buy or rent digital books to store them and make them accessible in digital devices.

Question 3

a)       unlikely

b)     set up

c)     device

Question 4

a)       A paper revealing that those who obtained a first-class degree spent an average £239 on books was published last month.

b)       100 per cent digital is expected to ever reach in the consumer world.

c)       Mehdi Maghsoodnia said that to help students, you had to lower the cost of textbooks.

The plan to build the Titanic II cruise ship

            An Australian billionaire is planning to build an exact replica of the doomed ship Titanic.

            Clive Palmer, who's investing his money into the project, says it will look and feel like the original ship. It will be called the Titanic II and will be built in China.

            It's thought it will take three years to finish. When it's completed it will sail across the Atlantic Ocean as a tribute to those who built the original.

            Not everyone is happy about the plans though. A relative of the Titanic's captain has said it is in "poor taste". More than 1,500 people died when the Titanic hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912 and sank the following morning.

           

Match the words below to their definitions

billionaire / investing / project / relative / replica / tribute

 exact copy of an object

 putting money, effort, of time into something to make a profit

 something that you say, write or do which shows your respect and admiration for someone or something

 person whose wealth is at least 1,000,000,000 in their country's currency

 member of your family

 piece of planned work or an activity which is finished over a period of time and intended to achieve a particular aim

True or false?

1.  The ship will be constructed in Australia.

2.  The Titanic's captain doesn't like the plans.

3.  The original Titanic met with disaster.

4.  The Titanic sank over a century ago.

5.  Clive Palmer is an Australian billionaire.

6.  The Titanic II was built in China.

7.  The Chinese will take a decade to build the new ship.

8.  The Titanic sank immediately after the collision.

Missing Words

1.  When it's____________________it will sail across the Atlantic Ocean.

2.  It's thought it will take three years to__________________.

3.  A relative of the Titanic's__________________has said it is in "poor taste".

4.  More than 1,500 people died when the Titanic hit an_________________.

KEY

replica                   exact copy of an object

investing               putting money, effort, of time into something to make a profit

tribute                    something that you say, write or do which shows your respect and admiration for someone or                                     something

billionaire             person whose wealth is at least 1,000,000,000 in their country's currency

relative                  member of your family

project                   piece of planned work or an activity which is finished over a period of time and intended to achieve a                       particular aim

True or false?

1. False

2. False

3. True

4. True

5. True

6. False

7. False

8. False

Missing Words

1. completed

2. finish

3. captain

4. iceberg

Essex teenager has higher IQ than Einstein

KEY

Question 1.

a)      Shocked teachers by scoring 161 on the Mensa brain test.

b)      The “normal” teenager loves getting dressed up for themed around her favourite TV shows.

c)       I guess I am a bit of an Essex girl in that sense.

d)      Admitted they have no idea where her brain comes from.

Question 2.

a)      Study at the University of Cambridge; Become a professional singer and dancer.

b)      Blonde, tan ...

Question 3.

a)       Smarter

b)       Smash-hit

c)       Backing

Question 4.

a)      In Essex, all girls are thought to be blonde and dim.

b)      Mrs Marbe said that Lauren was blonde but it seemed like she had shaken the stereotype that all Essex girls were stupid.

c)       If Einstein had taken the IQ test, his results wouldn’t have been better than Lauren’s.

Shetland that moon-walks to Fleetwood Mac is an internet smash

An advert for mobile internet firm 3, which sees a pony tapping its hooves to Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, has been lauded as 'the best thing ever' by fans on Twitter.

The clip has had more than two million YouTube hits in less than a week.

Mrs Williamson, 42, who runs the Benston stud farm on Shetland, said she was amazed at the five-year-old's new found fame.

Mrs Williamson was approached last year to supply the ponies for the advert, which was filmed on the cliffs of Eshaness on the islands. She said: 'The reaction has been incredible, we have had phone calls and emails from all over the world.’

'Socks just loves attention and I think that's why he was picked out to be the star.’  'It's gone viral now with millions of people watching him but he is blissfully unaware and is keeping his hoofs firmly on the ground.'

Socks was prepared for his starring role for two weeks by local animal trainer Elaine Tait, who told how she taught him to 'moonwalk' by giving him carrots as gifts.  She said: 'Since I only had two weeks in order to get Socks ready to moonwalk, I had to work quickly to gain his trust.’

One of Mrs Williamson's other ponies, Hugh, also starred on the advert.

However, she insisted that despite his fame she will not be selling Socks. She added: 'He has never been for sale and I won't be selling him no matter what the price.  'He's a very special little pony.'

Answer these questions in your own words.
1   Who are they?
a)    Hugh
b)    Elaine Tait
c)    Socks
d)    Mrs Williamson
e)    Fleetwood Mac

2   Where does the pony live?
3   Which part of the island was used to film the video?
4   What has happened to the video on Youtube?
5   How have fans contacted Mrs Williamson?

Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a)   Mrs Willamson said she was amazed at the five-year-old’s new found fame but that she would not be selling Socks.

      “I ………………………………… but I …………………………………..” said Mrs Williamson

b)   Mrs Williamson was approached by the producers last year to supply the ponies for the advert, which was filmed on the cliffs of Eshaness.

       The producers ………………………………………….. to supply the ponies for the advert and they …………………………….. on the cliffs of Eshaness.

c)   Socks just loves attention and that’s why he was picked out to be the star.

      Since Socks ………………………………………………………………. the star.

You can make your own version of the pony mixer. Here

EASTER VIDEO

Watch this video about Easter and answer the questions below

a) According to the Gospels, Jesus and his Apostles entered Jerusalem

1. to observe the passing of birds
2. to observe Passover
3. to observe pastures

b) With the Passover, the Jewish celebrate

1. the Hebrews release from slavery
2. the Hebrews going to Egypt
3. the holy season

c) Jesus was crucified

1. on Good Friday
2. on a Thursday
3. on what is now called holy Friday

d) Pesach is a Jewish word for

1. crucifiction
2. resurrection
3. passover

e) When was it decided that Easter should fall on a Sunday?

1. in 355 AD
2. in 325 AD
3. in 385 AD

f) It was decided that Easter Sunday would be

1. The first Sunday with full moon
2. The first Sunday to follow the full moon after the spring equinox
3. the first Sunday of the spring

g) Where does the word "Easter" come from?

1. It comes from the name of a pagan goddess of fertility
2. It relates to the east
3. It's related to eastern religions

h) Why are eggs related to Easter?

1. Because they are beautiful when coloured
2. Because they are a symbol of birth
3. Because they are a symbol of fertility

i) When did the rabbit become related to Easter?

1. Around the 16th century
2. Around the 6th century
3. Last century

j) Egg-shaped chocolate began to be made...

1. in the 20th century
2. not long ago
3. in the 19th century

Fron ESL.about.com

KEY

a) 2

b) 1

c) 1

d) 3

e) 2

f) 2

g) 1

h) 2

i) 1

j) 3