Israeli Troops Kill Aid Activists (1st June, 2010) Israel is facing a storm of international criticism following its killing of aid volunteers in international waters on May 31st. Israeli commandoes boarded a Turkish ship in the Mediterranean that was filled with aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The troops slid down ropes from helicopters and the fighting that followed led to at least 10 fatalities. The ship was carrying 600 activists from all over the world. Those on board say the activists were largely unarmed civilians. They included Northern Ireland’s Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize, and politicians from many countries. The ship was part of a flotilla trying to break an Israeli blockade to give Gazans food and aid supplies. The confrontation took place 80 miles off the Gaza coast. Israel’s military was quick to defend its actions. A spokesperson said: “The demonstrators on board attacked the naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. Additionally, one of the weapons used was grabbed from an IDF soldier. The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose.” Israel’s trade and industry minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer expressed his regret: "The images are certainly not pleasant. I can only voice regret at all the fatalities," he said. Israeli journalist Amos Harel from the Haaretz newspaper went further. He wrote of the seriousness of Israel’s actions, saying: “The damage that Israel has caused itself internationally can hardly be exaggerated.” 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. Lots of people around the world are angry with Israel. T / F b. Israeli soldiers boarded the aid ship from their warships. T / F c. There was a Nobel Peace Prize winner among those injured. T / F d. The incident took place 80 miles inside Israel’s waters. T / F e. Israel’s military hasn’t yet commented on its operation. T / F f. Israel said many of the demonstrators already had guns and rifles. T / F g. An Israeli politician expressed his regret for what happened. T / F h. An Israeli journalist believes Israel has caused considerable damage. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. facing a. campaigners 2 boarded b. staff 3. fatalities c. overstated 4. activists d. protect 5. confrontation e. deaths 6. defend f. be sorry for 7. personnel g. confronting 8. specific h. encounter 9. regret i. got on 10. exaggerated j. precise 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) 1. facing a storm of a. in advance 2 in international b. an Israeli blockade 3. troops slid down c. of Israel’s actions 4. the activists were d. ropes from helicopters 5. a flotilla trying to break e. waters 6. Israel’s military was quick f. caused itself 7. prepared their weapons g. at all the fatalities 8. I can only voice regret h. international criticism 9. He wrote of the seriousness i. to defend its actions 10. The damage that Israel has j. unarmed civilians KEY TRUE / FALSE: a. T b. F c. F d. F e. F f. F g. T h. T SYNONYM MATCH: 1. facing a. confronting 2 boarded b. got on 3. fatalities c. deaths 4. activists d. campaigners 5. confrontation e. encounter 6. defend f. protect 7. personnel g. staff 8. specific h. precise 9. regret i. be sorry for 10. exaggerated j. overstated PHRASE MATCH: 1. facing a storm of a. international criticism 2 in international b. waters 3. troops slid down c. ropes from helicopters 4. the activists were d. unarmed civilians 5. a flotilla trying to break e. an Israeli blockade 6. Israel’s military was quick f. to defend its actions 7. prepared their weapons g. in advance 8. I can only voice regret h. at all the fatalities 9. He wrote of the seriousness i. of Israel’s actions 10. The damage that Israel has j. caused itself 40-A-Day Smoking Baby Shocks Indonesia (29th May, 2010) Images of a two-year-old toddler smoking cigarettes have shocked people in Indonesia. The little boy, Ardi Rizal from Sumatra, is addicted to nicotine and smokes 40 cigarettes a day. Videos of Ardi casually puffing away on a cigarette emerged this week on YouTube. The footage, now removed, shows him smoking like a true pro. His father, Mohammed Rizal, thinks there’s no problem with his son’s nasty habit. He told reporters that his child looked healthy and that was the only thing that was important. He went on to explain how Ardi took up smoking when he was 18 months old. That was when he gave his son his first cigarette. Now he’s totally hooked; he throws tantrums if his father does not let him smoke. Ardi’s story is part of a worrying trend in Indonesia. Government statistics reveal 25 per cent of Indonesian kids aged between 3 and 15 have smoked and that over 3 per cent are regular smokers. Indonesia is the world’s third largest smoking nation. Cigarettes are everywhere and smoking is still seen as a socially acceptable practice. Health Minister Endang Sedyaningsih said preventing youngsters from smoking would be very difficult because people believe smoking is a good thing. She said tobacco companies are well liked because they sponsor many things from education to sporting and public events. She added: “This is the challenge we face in protecting youth from the dangers of smoking.” 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. A 2-year-old in Indonesia smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day. T / F b. There is a video of the child smoking on YouTube. T / F c. The toddler’s father hates his son smoking. T / F d. The little boy gets really angry if he can’t have a cigarette. T / F e. A survey shows 3% of Indonesian 3-year-olds smoke regularly. T / F f. Indonesia is the world’s third largest consumer of cigarettes. T / F g. Smoking in Indonesia is largely seen as being anti-social behaviour. T / F h. Indonesians generally have a good impression of tobacco companies. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. toddler a. show 2 addicted to b. leisurely 3. casually c. back 4. habit d. disturbing 5. tantrums e. youngsters 6. worrying f. fits of temper 7. reveal g. infant 8. seen h. custom 9. sponsor i. viewed 10. youth j. hooked on 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) 1. Images of a two-year-old a. hooked 2 addicted b. largest smoking nation 3. casually puffing c. tantrums 4. Now he’s totally d. to nicotine 5. he throws e. 3 and 15 have smoked 6. part of a worrying f. in protecting youth 7. 25%of Indonesian kids aged between g. toddler smoking 8. the world’s third h. acceptable practice 9. smoking is still seen as a socially i. trend 10. the challenge we face j. away on a cigarette KEY TRUE / FALSE: a. T b. F c. F d. T e. F f. T g. F h. T SYNONYM MATCH: 1. toddler a. infant 2 addicted to b. hooked on 3. casually c. leisurely 4. habit d. custom 5. tantrums e. fits of temper 6. worrying f. disturbing 7. reveal g. show 8. seen h. viewed 9. sponsor i. back 10. youth j. youngsters PHRASE MATCH: 1. Images of a two-year-old a. toddler smoking 2 addicted b. to nicotine 3. casually puffing c. away on a cigarette 4. Now he’s totally d. hooked 5. he throws e. tantrums 6. part of a worrying f. trend 7. 25%of Indonesian kids aged between g. 3 and 15 have smoked 8. the world’s third h. largest smoking nation 9. smoking is still seen as a socially i. acceptable practice 10. the challenge we face j. in protecting youth Environmentalists Worry About Synthetic Life A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a spin. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific breakthrough last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and yeast. Dr Venter claims his new organism has DNA that has never existed on Earth before. The cells he made will pave the way for more complex ones. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the future. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to become the standard for making anything.” He believes it will provide amazing new cures for diseases and help in the fight against climate change. Environmentalists are up in arms over Venter’s work. They believe it is a major threat to our existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from getting into the wild. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his fears to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-risk, profit- driven field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life forms can escape and become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about what oil companies will do with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is handing this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to hasten the commercialisation of synthetic life-forms." 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. A scientist has made a new form of life that never stops spinning. T / F b. The scientist, Dr Venter, made the new life form in a laboratory. T / F c. The new life form was made using yeast. T / F d. Dr Venter believes synthetic life will help protect the environment. T / F e. Environmentalists want to keep synthetic life away from nature. T / F f. One campaigner said new biological weapons have been made. T / F g. The campaigners want oil companies to use Dr Venter’s work. T / F h. Oil companies will not profit from synthetic life. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. synthetic a. prepare 2 in a spin b. endangers 3. unveiled c. the natural world 4. pave the way d. confused 5. standard e. badly 6. up in arms f. norm 7. the wild g. manmade 8. poorly h. accelerate 9. threatens i. made public 10. hasten j. angry 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) 1. put the science world a. BP and Exxon 2 unveiled a major scientific b. in arms 3. pave the way c. diseases 4. the standard for d. getting into the wild 5. new cures for e. of synthetic life-forms 6. Environmentalists are up f. breakthrough 7. a major threat g. making anything 8. ban any form of synthetic life from h. in a spin 9. the likes of i. for more complex ones 10. the commercialisation j. to our existence KEY TRUE / FALSE: a. F b. T c. T d. T e. T f. F g. F h. F SYNONYM MATCH: 1. synthetic a. manmade 2 in a spin b. confused 3. unveiled c. made public 4. pave the way d. prepare 5. standard e. norm 6. up in arms f. angry 7. the wild g. the natural world 8. poorly h. badly 9. threatens i. endangers 10. hasten j. accelerate PHRASE MATCH: 1. put the science world a. in a spin 2 unveiled a major scientific b. breakthrough 3. pave the way c. for more complex ones 4. the standard for d. making anything 5. new cures for e. diseases 6. Environmentalists are up f. in arms 7. a major threat g. to our existence 8. ban any form of synthetic life from h. getting into the wild 9. the likes of i. BP and Exxon 10. the commercialisation j. of synthetic life-forms 13-Year-Old Climbs Everest A 13-year-old boy has become the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Jordan Romero broke the previous record set by Nepal’s 15-year-old Ming Kipa in 2003. Jordan has now climbed the highest peaks on six continents. His first record climb came when he scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania when he was just nine. He plans to climb the Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December. This will make him the youngest person to climb the tallest mountains on all seven continents. The first thing Jordan did on the summit of Everest was call his mother. "I'm calling from the top of the world," he told her. Jordan wrote about his climbing on his blog: "It's my dream…I know it's a big goal, and lucky for me my family is supporting me every step of the way." Jordan decided he wanted to climb the world’s tallest peaks when he was in fourth grade. He told his mother and father and they started a training programme for Jordan to achieve his dream. His mother, Leigh Anne Drake, recalled the first time they took Jordan on a serious hike. She said it was a six-mile trek near their home in Big Bear, California. Drake says her son moaned, complained and cried most of the way, but when he got home, he wanted to continue training. "I decided we were going to follow Jordan's lead," Leigh Anne said. "If he wants to try it, we're going to support it." Romero said he climbed Everest for a special reason. He wanted to inspire more young people to get outdoors and reduce obesity in America’s teenagers. 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. A 13-year-old becomes the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest. T / F b. The boy wants to climb the highest peaks on six continents. T / F c. He called his mother once he reached the top of Mt. Everest. T / F d. The boy’s family are backing their son to reach his goal. T / F e. The boy decided to climb the world’s highest peaks when he was four. T / F f. His first hike was a happy occasion full of laughter. T / F g. The boy wanted to give up climbing after going on a 6-mile hike. T / F h. The boy climbed Everest to encourage kids to lode weight. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. previous a. objective 2 scaled b. back 3. summit c. climbed 4. goal d. complained 5. lucky e. earlier 6. decided f. encourage 7. achieve g. chose 8. moaned h. fortunate 9. support i. top 10. inspire j. pull off 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) 1. Romero broke the a. dream 2 the highest peaks b. did on the summit 3. The first thing Jordan c. programme 4. I'm calling from the d. step of the way 5. supporting me every e. more young people 6. they started a training f. on six continents 7. achieve his g. obesity 8. her son moaned, h. previous record 9. He wanted to inspire i. top of the world 10. reduce j. complained and cried KEY TRUE / FALSE: a. T b. F c. T d. T e. F f. F g. F h. T SYNONYM MATCH: 1. previous a. earlier 2 scaled b. climbed 3. summit c. top 4. goal d. objective 5. lucky e. fortunate 6. decided f. chose 7. achieve g. pull off 8. moaned h. complained 9. support i. back 10. inspire j. encourage PHRASE MATCH: 1. Romero broke the a. previous record 2 the highest peaks b. on six continents 3. The first thing Jordan c. did on the summit 4. I'm calling from the d. top of the world 5. supporting me every e. step of the way 6. they started a training f. programme 7. achieve his g. dream 8. her son moaned, h. complained and cried 9. He wanted to inspire i. more young people 10. reduce j. obesity Dads Get Post-Natal Depression Too A new study has found that 10 per cent of fathers suffer serious depression after the birth of their children. Lead researcher Dr James F. Paulson, assistant professor of paediatrics at America’s Eastern Virginia Medical School, said of post-natal depression: "It's viewed as a disorder of motherhood. It's not viewed by health professionals and the public as a problem in fathers." His team analyzed the findings of 43 different studies into new dads becoming depressed. These involved data from over 28,000 fathers from Australia, China, Great Britain and the USA. Dr Paulson found that American men were the most likely to experience depression. Over 14 per cent of U.S. dads got the post-baby blues compared with an international average of 8.2 per cent. Dr Paulson said the results were interesting and that his statistics represent “a significant public health concern and something we need to pay more attention to.” He points to a number of reasons for post-natal depression in men. A big factor is depression in the mother. Up to a quarter of mothers experience some form of depression following childbirth. Another big reason is the pressure brought to a marriage after starting a family and how the mother and father help each other. Other reasons include a lack of sleep, financial stress and having a sick baby. Dr Paulson’s advice for new parents is: "Depression affects both parents and both parents should be on the lookout for it… Depression in one partner has a cascading effect throughout the entire family unit.” 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. Half of all new fathers experience some form of depression. T / F b. Health workers view post-natal depression as a women’s disorder. T / F c. A researcher looked at data from more than 28,000 fathers. T / F d. American fathers experienced less depression than the world average. T / F e. The lead researcher said his results show a major public health worry. T / F f. A depressed mother has minimal effect on the father’s state of mind. T / F g. Around a quarter of mothers get depressed after childbirth. T / F h. The researcher said a depressed father will make the baby depressed. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. study a. information 2 lead b. as much as 3. viewed c. probable 4. data d. top 5. likely e. worry 6. significant f. report 7. concern g. absence 8. up to h. whole 9. lack i. seen as 10. entire j. huge 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) 1. 10 per cent of fathers suffer a. experience depression 2 viewed as a disorder b. of sleep 3. the findings of 43 c. public health concern 4. men were the most likely to d. more attention 5. an international average of e. of motherhood 6. his statistics represent a significant f. family unit 7. we need to pay g. serious depression 8. He points to a h. different studies 9. a lack i. number of reasons 10. the entire j. 8.2 per cent KEY TRUE / FALSE: a. F b. T c. T d. F e. T f. F g. T h. F SYNONYM MATCH: 1. study a. report 2 lead b. top 3. viewed c. seen as 4. data d. information 5. likely e. probable 6. significant f. huge 7. concern g. worry 8. up to h. as much as 9. lack i. absence 10. entire j. whole PHRASE MATCH: 1. 10 per cent of fathers suffer a. serious depression 2 viewed as a disorder b. of motherhood 3. the findings of 43 c. different studies 4. men were the most likely to d. experience depression 5. an international average of e. 8.2 per cent 6. his statistics represent a significant f. public health concern 7. we need to pay g. more attention 8. He points to a h. number of reasons 9. a lack i. of sleep 10. the entire j. family unit . the mother. Up to a quarter of mothers experience some form of depression following childbirth. Another big reason is the pressure brought to a marriage after starting a family and how the mother. Dr James F. Paulson, assistant professor of paediatrics at America’s Eastern Virginia Medical School, said of post-natal depression: "It's viewed as a disorder of motherhood. It's. Paulson said the results were interesting and that his statistics represent “a significant public health concern and something we need to pay more attention to.” He points to a number of reasons