CROSS your HANDS to STOP the PAIN

According to newly published research by British scientists, if you cross your arms across your body, you will confuse your brain and it will lessen the intensity of pain. Scientists at the University of London say the reason for this phenomenon is in a conflict of information between the two brain maps, maps for the body and folders to an external space.


Giandomenico Iannettija from the part of Physiology said that in everyday life, we are mostly using the left hand to touch the items on the left and right for the items on the right. In his words, brain areas that contained a map of the right body and right of the map outside world usually are activated together, resulting in effective treatment of pain.


When you cross your hand, these maps are no longer activated together, and that leads to reducing efficiency of brain processing of sensory stimuli, including pain.


The scientists used a laser in a study and on a hand of eight participants in the study generated the sting of four milliseconds. This is the so-called clean pain inflicted without touching.


The process is then repeated, and participants had crossed hands. The results showed that the perception of pain is milder if the hands are crossed. Iannetti also said that maybe we, when we are in pain had to cross our arms in order to feel less pain.


The researchers hope that their discovery could help in developing new drugs and therapies to reduce pain, which would be based on brain maps of the body.

GENE Responsible for CHEATING

If we can believe the results of researches of the relation of the genetic code and cheating, the lack of self control and love aren't guilty of adultery, but the gene DRD4 is. 

If you think that the cheating is caused by a lack of love or self-control, you are wrong. Scientists from the University of New York explored the behavior of 180 adults. After completing the questionnaire on sexual behavior, their DNA was tested to determine whether they carry "the gene for adultery".
The results have shown that carriers of DRD4 are more likely for the one-night sex, adultery, gambling and alcohol consumption. 

The explanation for this behavior lies in the fact that the body of people who carry this gene secrete more dopamine if you engage in the risks that they can provide pleasure, like sex for a one-night or gambling.

DETECTION of the FUTURE CRIMINALS

Warm-up comprehension:

1. What are the most common crimes in your country?

2. Is there anything we as individuals can do to reduce crime?

3.  What are some of the main causes of crime?

4. Are there any parts of your city or town where it is too dangerous to walk alone at night?

Vocabulary builders: 
1. psychopaths --? 
2. antisocial --?

U.S. scientists have discovered that by looking at the brain of a three-years old child can detect whether it have a criminal tendencies. The origins of crime and antisocial behavior can be found in children as young as only three years old, according to a criminal psychologist Adrian Raine and Nathalie Fontaine.

By this conclusion they reached by studying the brain scans in children after compare that with their subsequent behavior. Studies have shown that psychopaths and criminals have developed different parts of the brain that are associated with the behavior, guilt and empathy.

"By identifying these types of antisocial behavior and the with proper approach would prevent criminal behavior, " explains Raine and Fontaine.

Their research showed that punishment of children did not show significant improvement. Results are achieved only by hard work, counseling with troubled children, as well as praise for the breakthrough achieved. Progress was also demonstrated by those who were taking food and medicine rich with Omega 3 fatty acids.

The study was conducted at nine thousand twins whose development was followed over several years.

Scientists hope to be able to begin soon to implement to identify individual children from troubled families, but the question is how to protect these children from other types of marking from their childhood.

The HAPPIEST countries on the EARTH

Have you ever wondered where the most happiest people on the planet live? The answer is in northern Europe. British study conducted by the Legatum Institute from London, and that includes residents of 110 countries, representing 90% of the human population, found that the happiest country on earth is Norway, followed by Denmark and Finland.


Exploring what it is that what makes you happy by individual, they found that in addition to possession of enough money for all purposes, and that high standard that is characteristic of Scandinavian countries, where freedom of thought and expression really means to people, to practice their religion, a sense of safety and security at home, ability to care for themselves.


The main criteria for the detection of where the happiest people live were the economy of the state, enterprises, government, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital. It turns out that in addition to the aforementioned three countries, the ones that are meeting these criteria the most are Australia and New Zealand, as well as Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands and the United States, which were in top 10.


Surveyed men said that they are happy to spend quality time with their friends and family, for opportunities and possibilities to get a good education, to be entrepreneurs, as well as the fact that their work and effort will be rewarded many times. These qualities make Norway, Denmark and Finland the most prosperous countries in the world, reports Forbes.com.

Kids run more slowly than 30 years ago

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	levels	a.	figures
2	data	b.	concerning
3.	roughly	c.	variety
4.	reasons	d.	rates
5.	decreasing	e.	usually
6.	worrying	f.	dropping
7.	generally	g.	about
8.	conditions	h.	talented
9.	range	i.	causes
10.	skillful	j.	illnesses

A new report from the American Heart Association says fitness levels in children are lower today than they were 30 years ago. The researchers looked at data from the past 46 years. The statistics were on more than 25 million children in 28 countries. The research team found that on average, today's children run one kilometre about one minute slower than their parents did three decades ago. The figures were roughly the same for boys and girls. The distance a child can run is decreasing by around half of one per cent every year. One of the biggest reasons for the slowdown in children's running ability is obesity. Kids are overweight because they are eating too much and not exercising enough.

The researchers say their report is worrying. If children are becoming fatter and less fit, they will be unhealthier in the future. Lead researcher Dr Grant Tomkinson said: "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life." Dr Tomkinson said: "We need to help to inspire children and youth to develop fitness habits that will keep them healthy now and into the future. They need to choose a range of physical activities they like or think they might like to try, and they need to get moving." He added: "Young people can be fit in different ways. They can be strong like a weightlifter, or flexible like a gymnast, or skillful like a tennis player."

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Kids are running more slowly because they have shorter legs.	T / F
b.	Researches looked at statistics on over 25 million kids worldwide.	T / F
c.	Boys are running much more slowly than girls.	T / F
d.	Obesity is one of the biggest reasons for kids running more slowly.	T / F
e.	The researchers are not so concerned about what they found out.	T / F
f.	The researchers said too many kids today have heart disease.	T / F
g.	A doctor said we need to inspire children to start exercising.	T / F
h.	The doctor suggested kids could become a gymnast or tennis player.	T / F

Better tables for beautiful people in Paris restaurants (10th November, 2013)

BEFORE READING 

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	trendy	a.	body
2	good-looking	b.	certain
3.	former	c.	reservation
4.	policy	d.	ex-
5.	physique	e.	fashionable
6.	sure	f.	place
7.	regularly	g.	system
8.	furthermore	h.	frequently
9.	booking	i.	in addition
10.	seat (verb)	j.	attractive

Two trendy restaurants in Paris give good-looking people better tables than not-so-good-looking people. This is according to staff who used to work at the two eateries. The former employees told a Parisian newspaper about the restaurants' seating policy. They said: "The good-looking customers are led to the good places, where they can be easily seen; the non-good-looking ones must be seated in the corners of the room." This rule did not apply to celebrity diners. The rule for them was that, "pretty or ugly, old or young," they got the good tables. Even the waiters and waitresses were employed based on looks. One ex-waitress said: "Anyone short, without a model's physique and over 30 need not apply."



The ex-staff members said the restaurant owners wanted to make sure the restaurant had a good image by seating attractive guests in easy-to-see places. They said the restaurants' owner would visit regularly to make sure his 'beauty policy' was working. If he saw someone whose face he didn't like at a good table, he would tell the staff: "There are good-looking people, you put them here; there are bad-looking people, you put them there." Furthermore, staff could not promise to give a table to customers who telephoned to make a booking, just in case they were not beautiful. Staff only decided where to seat them after they came to the restaurant and looked at their faces.

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Most restaurants in Paris seat attractive diners at good tables.	T / F
b.	Staff at two restaurants refused to talk to a Parisian newspaper.	T / F
c.	Old celebrities at two Paris restaurants are given good tables.	T / F
d.	You cannot become a waiter at the two restaurants if you are aged 32.	T / F
e.	The restaurant put good-looking people in seats others could see them.	T / F
f.	The owner of the restaurants rarely visited them.	T / F
g.	It is easy to book your favourite table at the restaurants by telephone.	T / F
h.	Staff seated people who booked by phone after looking at their faces.	T / F

Can learning another language keep your brain healthier?

BEFORE READING 

1 . SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	study	a.	leading to
2	delay	b.	proved / proven
3.	types	c.	away
4.	contributing to	d.	analysed
5.	at bay	e.	benefit
6.	gender	f.	postpone
7.	evaluated	g.	for good
8.	advantage	h.	sex
9.	confirmed	i.	report
10.	permanently	j.	kinds

A new study shows that being bilingual may delay dementia by five or more years. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland discovered that people who spoke two languages did not show any signs of three types of dementia for more than four years longer than those who were monolingual. A co-author of the report, Dr. Thomas Bak, said: "Bilingualism can be seen as a successful brain training, contributing to cognitive reserve, which can help delay dementia." This means that speaking two languages keeps the brain in better health and helps to keep diseases like Alzheimer's at bay for longer than if someone spoke just one language.



Dr Bak's research found that bilingualism and the delaying of dementia had little to do with social status, gender, occupation or educational background. Bak's team evaluated the medical records of 648 people from India who had been diagnosed with dementia. Of these patients, 391 were bilingual or trilingual and many were illiterate. Dr Bak wrote: "The fact that bilingual advantage is not caused by any differences in education is confirmed by the fact that it was also found in illiterates, who have never attended any school." He suggested that learning a language later in life could keep the brain healthier. He said language learning was "socially more enjoyable, and it forces your brain to train permanently"

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Learning a language may slow down dementia by five years or more.	T / F
b.	Tests showed bilingual people had no signs of any type of dementia.	T / F
c.	A doctor said language learning was good training for the brain.	T / F
d.	Language learning cannot delay Alzheimer's disease.	T / F
e.	The research found dementia depended on social status and jobs.	T / F
f.	All of the people researched were bilingual or trilingual.	T / F
g.	The research included those who couldn't read and didn't go to school.	T / F
h.	The doctor suggested that language learning was enjoyable socially.	T / F

EDUCATION

Eggs are great. Where ______________________ without them? They are so useful. ______________________ life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are ______________________ of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it ______________________ . You can ______________________ hard-boiled ______________________ scrambled eggs. There are also many things ______________________ top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I ______________________ it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and ______________________ starts dripping ______________________ .

PLANETS

How _______________________ get there? How is it only our planet has life? Will we ever travel to other planets? These are _______________________ about. I think our planet is the best. It looks so beautiful from space _______________________ blue and green. The other planets _______________________ me. Mercury is just a red, hot ball, pretty much the same as Mars. Saturn looks like a real planet. _______________________ extra-special look. The other planets don’t look that interesting. I don’t really know much about Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter. When I was at school, _______________________ was a planet. But now it isn’t. Scientists have decided there are _______________________ in our solar system and not nine. I wonder why _______________________.

PERSONALITY

What _____________________ you have? Do you ever think about your personality? I do. I think it’s very _____________________ personality. My own personality has changed a _____________________. When I was a child, I _____________________, but now I’m brimming with confidence. I have learned how to be with people and let my _____________________. The personalities of my friends _____________________ me, which I’m happy about. There are parts of my personality I’m not too happy with. I’m quick to get angry with people and sometimes _____________________ get my own way. I think overall I have a good personality. I’m easy to get on with and I’m quite happy and cheerful. I might take some personality tests and _____________________ about me.

HERE ARE THE RESULTS

The results . . .

1. You are a generous and moral (not to confuse with moralizing) person. You always work on self-improvement. You are very ambitious and have very high standards. People might think that communicating with you is difficult, but for you, it isn't easy to be who you are. You work very hard but you are not in the least selfish. You work because you want to improve the world. You have a great capacity to love people until they hurt you. But even after they do. . . you keep loving. Very few people can appreciate everything you do as well as you deserve.

2. You are a fun, honest person. You are very responsible and like taking care of others. You believe in putting in an honest day's work and accept many work-related responsibilities. You have a very good personality and people come to trust you easily. You are bright, witty and fast-thinking. You always have an interesting story to tell.

3.You are a smart and thoughtful person. You are a great thinker. Your thoughts and ideas are the most important. You like to think about your theories and views alone. You are an introvert. You get along with those who likes to think and learn. You spend a lot of time, thinking about morality. You are trying to do what is right, even if the majority of society does not agree with you.

4. You are perceptive and philosophical person. You are a unique, one soul of your kind. Next to you there's no one even slightly similar to you. You are intuitive and a bit quirky. You are often misunderstood, and it hurts you. You need personal space. Your creativity needs to be developed, it requires respect of others. You are a person who clearly sees the light and dark sides of life. You are very emotional.

5. You are self-assured and in charge. You are very independent. Your guiding principle in life is 'I'll do it my way.'. You are very self-reliant and know how to stay strong for yourself and the people you Love. You know exactly what you want and are not afraid of pursuing your dreams. The only thing you demand from people is honesty. You are strong enough to accept the truth.

6. You are kind and sensitive. People relate to you very well. You have many friends and you love helping them. You have this warm and bright aura that makes people feel good when they are around you. Every day, you think about what you can do to improve yourself. You want to be interesting, insightful and unique. More than anybody else in the world, you need to love. You are even ready to love those who don't love you back.

7. You are happy and unflappable. You are a very sensitive and understanding person. You are a great listener who know how to be non-judgmental. You believe that everybody has their own journey in life. You are open to new people and events. You are highly resistant to stress and rarely worry. Normally, you are very relaxed. You always manage to have a good time and never lose your way.

8. You are charming and energetic. You are a fun person who knows how to make people laugh. You live in a state of harmony with the universe. You are spontaneous and enthusiastic. You never say no to an adventure. Often, you end up surprising and even shocking people. But that's just how you are. . . You always remain true to yourself. You have many interests and if something proves of interest to you, you will not rest until you acquire a profound knowledge of this area.

9. You are optimistic and lucky. You believe that life is a gift and you try to achieve as much as possible and put this gift to the best use possible. You are very proud of your achievements. You are ready to stick by the people you care about through thick and thin. You have a very healthy approach to life. The glass is (at least) half full for you. You use any opportunity to forgive, learn, and grow because you believe that life is too short to do otherwise.

— with Dharmender Gill and 15 others.

CHOOSE ONE

Don’t think about it too long, just choose, see what hits you first, and find out what your choice says about your personality, have FUN and share your choice in the comments.

Vladimir Putin most powerful person in the world

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	announced	a.	putting together
2	spot	b.	make a difference
3.	compiling	c.	areas
4.	former	d.	yearly
5.	ongoing	e.	declared
6.	matter	f.	control
7.	annual	g.	continuing
8.	run	h.	position
9.	spheres	i.	colossus
10.	giant	j.	ex-

The American business magazine "Forbes" has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the most powerful person in the world. He knocks US President Barack Obama from the top spot. "Forbes" is well known for compiling annual lists comparing the rich and famous. In its latest ranking, it asked: "Who's more powerful: the autocratic leader of a former superpower or the handcuffed commander-in-chief of the most dominant country in the world?" The magazine cites a number of reasons why Obama lost his top ranking and has become a "lame duck" president. These included the recent "government shutdown mess," his foreign policy on Syria and the ongoing spying and security leaks scandals


Forbes wrote: "There are nearly 7.2 billion people on the planet. These are the 72 that matter the most." It added that its list is: "An annual snapshot of the heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who truly run the world." It is put together by Forbes' editors, who have four "dimensions" to take into consideration. One is whether the candidate has power over lots of people; second is the financial resources at the disposal or control of each person; third is to what degree the person has power "in multiple spheres"; and finally, the extent to which he or she "actively uses their power". These factors put the U.N. Secretary-General 22 places behind the CEO of retail giant Wal-Mart.

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A Russian magazine said Putin is the world's most powerful person.	T / F
b.	Barack Obama was number one before Vladimir Putin.	T / F
c.	A magazine suggests Obama has limited use of his power.	T / F
d.	The magazine likens Obama to a spring chicken.	T / F
e.	The magazine took a photograph of 72 powerful people.	T / F
f.	People who chose the most powerful person looked at four areas.	T / F
g.	One factor to be most powerful was influence in different areas.	T / F
h.	The U.N. Secretary-General was 22 places higher than Wal-Mart's CEO.	T / F

POWER

Power corrupts, and ____________________ absolutely. This is an interesting saying. It’s very true. If you look at the world leaders ____________________, they are the most corrupt. When someone ____________________, they want more. Maybe power ____________________. It eats into your brain and makes you want more. Once you have a lot of power, you forget about being a real human being. The ____________________ people in power is taking lots of money from the country and forgetting about the people. ____________________ country, I suppose. The most powerful person in the world is the president of the USA. But in America, the president doesn’t ____________________ of power. Every four years, Americans can vote a president ____________________.

FIRST IMPRESSION

____________________ impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand ____________________ someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good ____________________ someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand ____________________ is my kind of person. First impressions ____________________ when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to ____________________ first impression. The interviewer can ____________________ like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you ____________________ ? Do you look happy? Do ____________________ interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your ____________________ .

COCKROACH

Cockroaches may make your skin crawl, but the insects—or, to be exact, their brains—could one day save your life.

That's because the central nervous systems of American cockroaches produce natural antibiotics that can kill off bacteria often deadly to humans, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and toxic strains ofEscherichia coli, scientists said this week.

Two species of locust tested so far also have the same bacteria-killing molecules in their tiny heads.

The findings suggest that the insect world—which makes up 80 percent of all animals on Earth—may be teeming with new antibiotics, said study co-author Simon Lee of the University of Nottingham in the U.K.

Such a discovery is crucial, because scientists are scrambling to combat strains of several infectious diseases, including MRSA and E. coli, that are resistant to traditional antibiotics, Lee said.

(Related: "Sharks Carrying Drug-Resistant 'Bacterial Monsters.'")

"It's a promising new lead. We are looking in an unusual place, and to my knowledge no one else is looking there," Lee said.

"That's what we need in terms of [finding new] antibiotics, because all the usual places"—such as soil microbes, fungi, and purely synthetic molecules—"have been exhausted."

(Also see: "Blockbuster Ocean Drugs on the Horizon?")

Insect Brains Have "Clever Defense" Against Bacteria

Lee and colleagues dissected the tissues and brains of cockroaches—which "smell as bad as they look," Lee said—and locusts in the lab.

(Read more about how locust brains switch on swarming behavior.)

The team tested nine separate types of antibacterial molecules found in the insects' brains and discovered that each molecule is specialized to kill a different type of bacteria.

This "very clever defense mechanism" allows the bugs to survive in the most dirty of domains, Lee said.

The scientists found the bugs had antibiotics only in their brain tissue, the most essential part of the body, he added.

A bug might live with an infected leg, for instance, but a brain infection would almost certainly be fatal.

Insect-brain drugs for humans are still years away, Lee said, but there's one hopeful glimmer: When the team added the insect antibiotics to human cells in the lab, there were no toxic effects.

PICNIC

Everybody likes picnics. _________________ seems to be a popular activity all over the world. Having a picnic makes everyone happy. There’s _________________ food and somewhere nice to eat it. I think it’s interesting to see the different things ___________________. In England, people _________________ full of sandwiches and cake. In India, people take small metal containers of curry. In Japan, people take _________________ food that are beautifully presented. I think it’s easy to tell where picnickers ___________________ looking at what they bring to the picnic. The _________________ picnics is that they are outside and you can eat and feel the warm sun. I’ve _________________ picnics in the snow, although I guess they might happen somewhere.

FAMINE

There __________________ that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s __________________ that people __________________ enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is __________________ food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people __________________ . Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give __________________ to help __________________ . Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones __________________ own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but __________________ tells people there are __________________ . That’s shocking.

Media says Obama knew US spied on Merkel (29th October, 2013)

BEFORE READING 

SECURITY:Rank these and share your rankings!!. Put the most important for state security at the top. 

• military security   • political security   • economic security   • security of borders

• environmental security   • food and water security   • energy security   • cybersecurity

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	sources	a.	intensified
2	tapping	b.	cordial
3.	administration	c.	headquarters
4.	warm	d.	supposedly
5.	base	e.	references
6.	allegedly	f.	serious
7.	suspicious	g.	ex-
8.	escalated	h.	monitoring
9.	grave	i.	doubtful
10.	former	j.	government

Several German news sources are questioning how much President Obama knows about the US spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The 'Spiegel' magazine reported that the USA's National Security Agency (NSA) started tapping Ms Merkel's mobile telephone in 2002, under the George W. Bush administration. It says President Obama knew that the tap was still in place as early as 2010, before he visited Berlin in June of that year to tell Germans of the warm friendship that existed between their two countries. A newspaper reported that the contents of Ms Merkel's SMS messages and phone calls went straight to the White House. The US Embassy in Berlin was used as a base for the surveillance.



The spying allegedly began when former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was in office. US intelligence sources were suspicious of his refusal to support the second Iraq War. Obama told Ms Merkel last week that he had not known of the bugging. However, a media report cites an NSA official who said Mr Obama ordered the programme to be escalated. A document from the NSA warned of "grave damage for relations" if its spying programme was discovered. Ms Merkel is shocked that the USA may have engaged in the sort of spying she thought was a relic of the Cold War. She was also spied on in the former East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The article says American media is asking questions about the spying.	T / F
b.	The USA may have started tapping Merkel's phone in 2002.	T / F
c.	A magazine said President Obama knew about the spying from 2008.	T / F
d.	The White House was used as the base for spying on Angela Merkel.	T / F
e.	The spying supposedly began with Ms Merkel's predecessor.	T / F
f.	Obama told Merkel he had known nothing about her bugged telephone.	T / F
g.	A US agency warned spying could damage international relations.	T / F
h.	Angela Merkel spied on other people before the Berlin Wall came down.	T / F

SECURITY

We have to think about security ___________________. It seems the world is becoming a more dangerous place. Most of the people I ___________________ about home security. They have ___________________ and some of my friends have a web cam filming their house. Of course, personal security is also very important. In many countries, people have ___________________ themselves. In other countries, ___________________ spray. In recent years, Internet security is a big issue. We are ___________________ about it. There are whole industries based on Internet security ___________________ to make your computer more secure. The most important thing ___________________ is never put too much personal information on the Web.

Japanese food to get UNESCO status ( 27 October 2013)

BEFORE READING 

TASTIEST: Rank these according to the tastiest to least tastiest cuisine.

• Japanese   • French   • American   • Mexican

• Indian   • Chinese   • Italian   • Thai

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	important	a.	meals
2	cuisine	b.	linked
3.	heritage	c.	special
4.	dishes	d.	all around
5.	unique	e.	significant
6.	healthy	f.	necessary
7.	throughout	g.	good for you
8.	role	h.	cooking
9.	associated	i.	part
10.	essential	j.	tradition

The United Nations is going to put traditional Japanese food on its list of important world cuisines. It will be the fifth time for UNESCO to give a country's or region's food its cultural heritage status. French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Turkish food are already on the list. Traditional Japanese food is called 'Washoku'. It is very famous for its variety. It ranges from sushi (raw fish on rice) to ramen noodles, tempura and sukiyaki. Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs said it wants to put all of its food on the list, not just one or two famous dishes. The agency said Japanese food is special because of its artistic presentation. It also uses unique ingredients. Many dishes are important because they celebrate the four seasons.


'Washoku' is very healthy and has a good balance of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and protein. It is one of the reasons why Japanese people live for so long. It also helps to keep obesity levels low. The cuisine is also important as different meals throughout the year help to bring families and communities together. Food plays an important role in many ceremonies that mark seasonal traditions. The menu for New Year's celebrations, rice-planting events and harvest festivals are all very different. Japan's government said food helps Japanese people keep a strong sense of culture. It also said 'Washoku' is closely "associated with an essential spirit of respect for nature."

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The U.N. will give modern Japanese food a special prize.	T / F
b.	Five other cuisines are already on the UNESCO list.	T / F
c.	Japan doesn't want only sushi andsukiyaki to be on the U.N. list.	T / F
d.	A cultural agency said Japanese food is presented in an artistic way.	T / F
e.	The Japanese diet is well balanced and good for a long life.	T / F
f.	Japanese cuisine helps keep communities apart.	T / F
g.	Rice-planting food and New Year's food are the same in Japan.	T / F
h.	'Washoku' is connected with a respect for nature.	T / F

Baldness treatment a step closer (25 October 2013)

BEFORE READING 

HAIRSTYLES: Which one is your most likeable and least likeable?? 

• straight   • closely cropped   • very long   • wavy

• curly   • shaved   • punk   • ponytail

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	at hand	a.	unlike
2	suffer from	b.	guarantee
3.	treatment	c.	regarding
4.	different	d.	care
5.	procedure	e.	answers
6.	in terms of	f.	coming soon
7.	solutions	g.	retreating
8.	assure	h.	shake up
9.	receding	i.	be troubled with
10.	revolutionise	j.	method

Help may soon be at hand (or head) for the millions around the world who suffer from and worry about baldness. Scientists from the University of Durham in the UK, and Columbia University Medical Centre in the USA, say they are close to finding a solution to grow new hair. This is also good news for burns victims, who are likely to be those first helped by any new treatment. The scientists have grown new hair follicles in the laboratory. This is different from currently available treatments, which simply transplant hair from the back of the scalp to cover bald spots and areas without hair at the front of the head. Unlike transplants, the new procedure will allow the hair to keep growing naturally in the follicle
.

Researcher Colin Jahoda did not give a timeframe in which his research will be commercially available. He said: "It's closer, but it's still some way away because in terms of what people want cosmetically they're looking for re-growth of hair that's the same shape, the same size, as long as before, the same angle. Some of these are almost engineering solutions." He did assure those with receding hairlines and those thinning on top that there is hope. He said: "I think baldness will eventually be treatable, absolutely." Professor Jahoda's colleague Angela Christiano was equally positive, saying their research could "revolutionise" hair-loss treatment. She said: "The first step is actually showing that it can be done.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Scientists in India are close to finding a solution to baldness.	T / F
b.	The research may help people who have suffered burns on their skin.	T / F
c.	Current methods transplant hair from the body to the head.	T / F
d.	The new method actually grows new hair.	T / F
e.	Researchers said the new treatment would be available from 2015.	T / F
f.	People want hair the same size and angle as before.	T / F
g.	A professor said engineering solutions were needed.	T / F
h.	Another professor said the new treatment was not revolutionary.	T / F

CLOTHES

I have ______________________ clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes ______________________ something at the back of a drawer that I ______________________ . I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. ______________________ don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really ______________________ of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. ______________________ embarrassing. The ______________________ I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d ______________________ if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. ______________________ going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give ______________________ .I have ______________________ clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes ______________________ something at the back of a drawer that I ______________________ . I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. ______________________ don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really ______________________ of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. ______________________ embarrassing. The ______________________ I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d ______________________ if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. ______________________ going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give ______________________ .

MOVIES

I love watching movies. At the cinema, ______________ computer. I'm a big movie fan and love ______________ my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies ______________, independent movies... They're all good. Recently ______________ watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. ______________ the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we ________________ the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing ______________ latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be ______________ and the lights have to be off.

Teddy bear

Teddy bears are very important. They _______________ in our society. The _______________, they have been with us for less than a hundred years. Of course, when we think about teddy bears, we think about children. I think it’s impossible for a child to _______________ a teddy bear. Unfortunately, today, teddy bears have a lot _______________. There are lots of stuffed animals to choose from in toy stores. I would _______________ a traditional teddy than a Mickey Mouse or a soft toy cat. Teddy bears are _______________ children. Adults have them too. Boyfriends and girlfriends buy them for each _______________. I’m 49 and I have a teddy bear of my favourite soccer club, but we’ll _______________.

Eating popcorn makes ads less effective (17th October, 2013)

BEFORE READING 

MOVIES: Rank these!!  Put the best things about cinemas at the top.

• popcorn   • the seats   • the foyer   • the big screen

• the dark   • being in an audience   • the sound   • the trailers

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	effective	a.	restricted
2	conclusion	b.	evaluate
3.	interrupted	c.	resistant
4.	interferes with	d.	opinion
5.	awareness	e.	predicament
6.	rate	f.	disrupts
7.	mundane	g.	useful
8.	immune	h.	hike
9.	dilemma	i.	realisation
10.	mark-up	j.	boring

The advertising people see while at the movies is less effective when audiences eat popcorn. This is the conclusion of a newly-published study from Germany's Cologne University. According to researchers, people remember the names of new brands or products by silently pronouncing them in their brains. However, with a mouth full of popcorn, this process is interrupted. The report is titled "Popcorn in the Cinema: Oral Interference Sabotages Advertising Effects". It describes how the chewing action interferes with the brain's "inner speech" that operates whenever we come across a new name. Researchers say: "This happens covertly, that is, without our awareness."

Researcher Sascha Topolinski invited 96 people to watch a movie. Half of the group was given popcorn, while the rest received a small sugar cube. A week later, the participants were asked to rate a series of products, including some of those they had seen adverts for during the movie. The sugar cube group remembered a lot more of the product names than those who ate popcorn. Mr Topolinski said: "The mundane activity of eating popcorn made participants immune to the pervasive effects of advertising." He added: "This finding suggests that selling candy in cinemas actually undermines advertising." This presents cinema owners with a dilemma. There is usually a 900% mark-up on popcorn sold in movie theatres.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A study is about ads before movies on TV while people eat popcorn.	T / F
b.	A report says we remember names by pronouncing them in our brain.	T / F
c.	The report said only popcorn stops us remembering names.	T / F
d.	Chewing may stop us remembering new names.	T / F
e.	96 people ate popcorn and did a memory recall test for brand names.	T / F
f.	The report said eating sugar cubes helps us remember names.	T / F
g.	Researchers said eating popcorn makes us immune to advertising.	T / F
h.	Popcorn costing the cinema $1 can be sold to moviegoers for $9.	T / F

More people think online dating is OK - 23rd October, 2013

BEFORE READING 

FIRST DATE:  Put the best places for a first date you like most and so on...

• Italian restaurant   • Movie theatre   • Disneyland   • A museum

• The beach   • Hiking   • A coffee shop   • City sightseeing

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	way	a.	cautioned
2	wrong	b.	weird
3.	figure	c.	cautious
4.	started	d.	reply
5.	options	e.	method
6.	careful	f.	choices
7.	creepy	g.	number
8.	respond	h.	description
9.	warned	i.	bad
10.	profile	j.	began

A new report says most Americans think online dating is a good way to meet people. Almost 60 per cent of Internet users said there is nothing wrong with trying to find a partner on the Internet. This has changed from ten years ago when the figure was 44 per cent. The report is from the Pew Research Center. It says around one in ten Americans has used online dating services. It also said 11 per cent of people who started a long-term relationship in the past decade met their partner online. However, some people think the Internet does not help with marriage. Around 32 per cent of people agreed that "online dating keeps people from settling down because they always have options for people to date".


Sociologist Dr Kevin Lewis of the University of California told the USA Today newspaper that women must be careful with online dates. He said: "For women, there are lots of guys who are just creepy or unattractive or undesirable." He also said men can have problems finding a date: "They can't get a woman to respond because [women get] so many messages." Dr Lewis also said that 38 per cent of online daters have read an online profile of someone they knew. The Pew Report warned people to be careful about those who tell lies about themselves online. About 54 per cent of online daters said they had a date with someone who was a lot different from their profile.

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Most Americans think online dating isn't a good way to meet people.	T / F
b.	Up to 60% of Internet users said it was OK to find a partner online.	T / F
c.	Around 10% of Americans have tried Internet dating services.	T / F
d.	About a third of Americans think online dating helps marriages.	T / F
e.	A sociologist advised women to be careful of creepy guys.	T / F
f.	Men find it difficult to find a date because women get many messages.	T / F
g.	Very few people read profiles and know the person behind the profile.	T / F
h.	Less than half of people said their date didn't match his/her profile.	T / F

DANGER

Danger is everywhere. It’s ______________________ . That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger ______________________ and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is ______________________ . There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers ______________________ good for us. The electric wiring could ______________________ and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs ______________________ the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling ______________________ , people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects ______________________ … all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news ______________________ local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll ______________________ today.

HEALTH

I never _______________________ about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I _______________________ exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very _______________________ ill. I have been lucky all my life – always _______________________ health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose _______________________ with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little _______________________. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the _______________________ about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now _______________________. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep _______________________. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night _______________________ best things you can do for your health.

Housework not good exercise, says study

BEFORE READING 

CHORES: Rank me!!  Put the things you hate most and like most....

• washing the dishes   • vacuuming   • ironing   • food shopping

• hanging out the washing   • cooking   • cleaning windows   • doing the dusting

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	suggests	a.	average
2	recommendations	b.	consumed
3.	acknowledges	c.	include
4.	moderate	d.	balance
5.	count	e.	advice
6.	participated	f.	linked
7.	burnt	g.	argues
8.	related	h.	done
9.	compensate for	i.	accepts
10.	undertaken	j.	took part

A new study suggests housework is not the quality form of exercise many people consider it to be. The report even went as far as saying that those who did the most housework were usually those most overweight. The study is called, "Does doing housework keep you healthy? The contribution of domestic physical activity to meeting current recommendations for health". It questions whether physical activities such as do-it-yourself, gardening and housework are such good exercise. It acknowledges that any activity is better than none, but says, "there is a danger that those undertaking domestic 'chores' may assume that this activity is moderate intensity" and wrongly count it as proper exercise.

A total of 4,563 adults participated in the survey, which was based on participants' weekly physical activity. The analysis from this research showed that people who included housework as part of their weekly exercise tended to be heavier. Research leader professor Marie Murphy said: "Housework is physical activity and any physical activity should theoretically increase the amount of calories [burnt]. But we found that housework was inversely related to leanness, which suggests that either people are overestimating the amount of moderate intensity physical activity they do through housework, or are eating too much to compensate for the amount of activity undertaken."

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	People who do the most housework tend to be more overweight.	T / F
b.	The study on housework is called "Increasing health with housework".	T / F
c.	The study said gardening is great exercise.	T / F
d.	People perhaps wrongly think that housework is healthier than it is.	T / F
e.	Over 45,000 people participated in a survey on their weekly activities.	T / F
f.	A professor said physical activity does not always burn calories.	T / F
g.	The study found that housework did not make people slimmer.	T / F
h.	The professor said people eat too much after doing housework.	T / F

Investement

I’m totally _______________________ money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I _______________________ interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything _______________________. I never know what _______________________. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t _______________________ the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine _______________________ up and up in price. You really can _______________________ of money. I think investing in property nowadays _______________________. I also know a lot of people who now _______________________ money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money _______________________.

Rubbish

Rubbish is ______________________. I’m fed up with it. Every time I walk down the street, I’m almost falling over it. I don’t know why people __________________ rubbish away properly. They __________________ no respect for others. They don’t seem to care about the __________________. It’s the same in every country. There’s ____________________, even though there are rubbish bins everywhere. Rivers are full of plastic bags and bottles. This makes a beautiful __________________. And the countryside is full of rubbish. People even throw their TVs and fridges into fields, or anywhere they think __________________ them. Where I live now, people throw rubbish in the street __________________. They think other people will pick it up.

Ocean

I really _________________ oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear _________________ rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. _________________ the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s _________________ them. They are responsible for weather patterns _________________ world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species _________________ dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, _________________. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I _________________ relaxed just looking at the ocean.

PARENTING

Being a parent is ______________________ we can have in our lives. It’s ______________________ it. You have to look after a tiny baby for years and years. It is ______________________ sure that little baby grows up into a wonderful, happy and responsible human being. Parenting means knowing ______________________. This is ______________________ parents. I didn’t have any parenting lessons. I suddenly had a baby to look after. But ______________________. In fact, parenting is life’s biggest joy. I can’t ______________________ wonderful it is to be a parent. My biggest worry is that society doesn’t focus on parenting. We really should have classes at school on being good parents. I’m sure we would ______________________ problems in society if we did this.

Let's talk 1

It really gets up my nose !!!
Teddy	It's been a pretty tight game so far, don't you think ?
Martin	Yes, neither side have looked like scoring a goal so far.
Teddy	Except that one time when our striker was almost through but was fouled by the fullback. The referee didn't see it.
Martin	Yes, it really gets up my nose when something like that happens.
Teddy	Well, let's hope that the ref will be looking right way if that fullback tries playing dirty again.
Martin	And then we'll get a penalty.

Explanation :

If you say that someone or something gets up your nose, you mean that they annoy you.

Example : He's just getting up my nose so much at the moment.