1.       The warming of the Pacific Ocean has created weather patterns .that. strongly affect the world. When the water is warm, the .amount. of rainfall in Indonesia and the .surrounding. regions decreases. Australia could .even. experience a drought in many parts. On .the other. hand, Chile (which borders the Pacific Ocean) is preparing for .severe. rainstorms. In Pakistan and northwestern India, the weather pattern .makes. the rainy season weaker and makes the area much drier.

This happening is called El Nino and is used .by. weather forecasters to make long-range weather predictions. They also know that el Nino will .bring. unusually .heavy. rains to the southwestern part of the United States and makes the central part of the country drier at the same time.

.According. to research, weather forecaster .used to. know about the coming weather with certainty. Now everything has become completely different.

El Nino .itself. used to be .predictable.. It would occur every two or seven years. But now, this weather pattern is becoming more frequent. We cannot say when and .how. often tornadoes or cyclones occur. Scientists are unsure of the reason for this change on a global scale either.

2.       Keeping fit and healthy may seem difficult, but there are a few easy-to-follow .guides.. Firstly, a balanced diet is absolutely essential. This .means. selecting food that is .low. in salt and sugar. Experts recommend .reducing. the amount of fat in our diet, as too much can lead to heart problems. They also suggest increasing the .amount. of high fibers food we eat. This comes in the .form. of fresh fruit, vegestables, whole meal bread and pasta. As well as being packed .with. vitamins and minerals, they are delicious, too. Secondly, it’s important to fit exercise into your daily .routine.. This can be done by simply walking as much as .possible. and climbing the stairs instead of .taking. the lift. Exercise is neccesary .maintain. a healthy body, as well as increasing energy levels and .making. you feel generally fitter and happier. Finally, staying relaxed is important for good health. Too much stress can .lead. to a variety of illness, from headaches to high blood pressure. .Whenever. possible, do things you enjoy and treat yourself occasionally. So the message is .simple. –enjoy yourself but learn to respect your body, too. It’s all a question of .getting. the balance right.

Planet Earth

- The passage tell us that .life on Earth began relatively

- We are informed by the author that ape-like men appeared before the last Ice Age.

- The author is mainly interested in what has happened since the Industrial Revolution.

- It would appear that the main danger ahead is that man will destroy everything on Earth.

- The author’s general view of man seems to be that he has no right to be so destructive.

3.       What constitues a fair wage? The .amount. of money that people earn is .in reality. determined not by fainess but by market forces. This fact, however, should not .prevent. us from trying to devise a mechanism for deciding what is the right pay for the job.

A .starting. point for such an investigation would be to try to decide the ratio which ought to .exist. between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture .is made. more complicated by two factors. The first is the ‘social wage’, that is, the benefis- .such. as holiday, sick pay and maternity leave-which every citizen is .entitled. to

Secondly, the taxation system is often used as an .instrument. of social justice by taxing the rich at a very high .rate. indeed.

Allowing for these two things, most countries now .regard. as socially acceptable a ratio of 7:1 between the highest and the .lowest. paid.

If the ratio is narrower, the highly-qualified people who usually .carry. heavy responsibilities may become so dissatisfied that they .end up. emigrating (the so-called ‘brain drain’).

But, if it is wider, the .gap. between rich and poor will be so wide that it will .lead. to social tension and, in extreme cases, to violence and revolution.

4.       Water is one of our most precious resources; .put. it simply, without water there would be no life. Unfortunately many of us seem to have .forgotten. this fact, and as a result the world is .facing. the danger of running .out of. water. The actual problem has been .caused. by people’s misuse of our water supply. This not only .means. that we have polluted our rivers and seas, but also that we are wasting.. a great deal of this precious resource. Unfortunately the destruction of the rain forests has .made. this problem worse since much of the rain that falls is .lost. because it runs off into the sea. The population of the earth is increasingly daily, so it is vital that we .find. a solution to this problem before it is too late. The first step is to educate people, especially by reminding them of the .value. of water. For most of us it is available whenver we .require. it, whether to bathe in or to drink, so we seldom bother to think about it. People then need to be taught how to reuse bath or shower for .household. cleaning or popular. Whatever methods we decide to use, we must .comprehend. the worth of water and .how. we can conserve it.

- The science of future is likely to be biotechnology.

- Organic chemistry helps to produce materials that are not as good as natural materials.

- It may soon be possible to make useful substitutes for human hearts and eyes.

- In 1996, Arthur C. Clarke predicted new and better ways of heating and lighting homes, offices and factories.

- One of the worst problems caused by the use of coal, gas and oil – they are very bad for the world around us.

- Summary: we have good reasons for hoping that biotechnology will help us to solve some but not all our problems.

- Body Language

- An individual’ emotion

- Body language is universal

- Boredom = yawning

- display = show

- frankness = honesty and directness

- nervousness = worry

- posture = the way that you sit or stand.

5.       The sources of energy such as wind, steam, petrol in first paragraph to emphasize the usefulness and adaptability of electricity.

- Before electricity, steam

- Electricity is flexible -> it can be adapted to various uses.

- Machines that make electricity : generators or turbines.

- they = the tides

- electric magnets = lift heavy weights up to ten tons.

- do not pollute the environment

- “Why Electricity is so Remarkable”

6.       Most of ghost stories are .set. in mysteirous, old houses or castles. The ghosts themselves whose .spirits. wander the earth at night, are usually the victims of some horrible crimes. This is not always the case as the following story .shows. When my friend, Paul, was a schoolboy, he often .used. to chat to Mr. Scott, an elderly gentlemen living on his .own. Mr. Scott was a keen gardener. He would always be looking after his lawn or his flowers and Paul was .in. the habit of saying a few words to him over the fence. One summer’s evening, as Paul was .on. his way home from school, he saw, as .usual. Mr. Scott in his garden. The oldman was busily weeding his flowerbeds. When he saw Paul, he invited him into the garden with a .wave. of his hand. Slowly, they strolled all around, .admiring. the various flowers. Then, to Paul’s surprise, Mr. Scott bent down and picked a .bunch. of his finest dahlias. ‘Here boy,’ he said ‘Give these to your mother.’ No sooner he had arrived home than he .presented. the flowers to his mother. He then told her that they were with Mr. Scott ‘s compliments. His mother’s face went .red. with anger .’You wicked boy!’ she shouted. ‘How .dare. you say such a thing! I .bumped. into his daughter in the supermarket this morning. She told me that the poor old chap had passed away in his sleep last Friday.

7.       What do you know about the .history. of your family? Tracing your ancestors can be a very interesting .hobby. But, if you don’t go .about. it in methodical .way., it can also become very frustrating. If you want to .naje. progress with your ‘family tree’ without tearing your hair out in frustration, there are some simple rules which you should .follow.

First of all, note the name of your .recent. family and draw a rough family tree, starting with yourself at the bottom. Don’t worry if you can only go back as .far. as your grandparents.

You will have made a good star, especially if you can fill .in. most of the dates relating births, marriages and deaths (BM&D for .short.)

Next, write down the names of all older .relatives. who are still alive: grandfather, grandmother, great-aunts and great-uncles can be a mine of information.

You often find that they have originals of BM&D certificates, in which .case., ask nicely for copies because this will .save. you time and money. Bibles .containing. information going back many years, or photo .albums. and other documents that will help you in your search.

Thirdly, look up telephone directories for other possible family contacts. This is particularly valuable if you have a really .unusual. surname. Of course, if your name is a common one such as Smith or Brown, this is less .likely. to worthwhile, .unless. you know that yours is a local family, or one which has stayed in the same business for .several. generations.

After that, you will be ready to visit places that keep official .records.: libraries, registry offices and so on.

Desperately = urgently

8.       The first planeload of medicines donated by UK drug companies has .landed. in Haiti, with .emergency. kits to treat as many as 20,00 people. UK drung companies have pledged 5,6m .in donations., with more flights planned carrying antibiotics, pian killers and anti-fungals among other supplies. These have been specifically requested by Haitian authorities, organizers say. The aid arrived as the Disasters Emergency Committee said its Haiti appeal had now raised 38m in the UK. The flight .took off. from Newquay in Cornwall, on Wednesday and landed in haiti on Thursday afternoon. Anthony Dunnett is president of International Health Parters – the organisation that co-ordinates offers of medical aid to disaster zones and works closely with local and international aid bodies. He said ‘We have to ensure that the medicines we send to Haiti are exactly what are needeed by doctors .on the spot. so that patients gain maximum benefit. ‘Arrangements are inplace to ensure that these supplies reach patients with the .minimum. of delay once the aircraft has landed ‘Other supplies being flown in from the Uk include toilet and water treatment kits sent form the RC base at W, SG, on Wed. A RC spokesman said it was also including advice leaflets on how to minimize risks while cooking and other basic hygiene measures. Diggers are also being sent to construc latrines. Seven hundreds ShelterBoxes are .on their way. from the UK to Port-au-Prince. These supplies include 40 tons of aid, with enough shelter for 7,000 people. Authorities in Haiti have announced plans to house 400,00 earthquake survivors in tented villages outside the capital. An .estimated. 1.5 million people were left .homeless. by the 7.0 magnitude quake, which killed .as many as. 200,000. At least 75,000 bodies have so far been buried in mass graves, the government has said. Many more .remain. uncollected in the streets.

- To make a afire in times just befor the advent of matches, it was essential to have access to flint, iron and dry tinder.

- The first fire used by people was probably obtained from heat or fire caused by nature.

- Torches for lighting were made from tree branches dipped in melted resins.

- Before electric lamp was invented candles and then oil lamps were used.

- splendors: the beautiful and impressive features of a place.

- NOT TRUE: we know exactly when and how people first used fire.

- gloomy = badly lit in a way that makes one feel sad

- No lighting at all

- “Fire: Discovery and Uses”