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I – INTERMEDIATE 
1) WELCOME TO DUBLIN!
Have you ever been to Ireland? If not, book your holiday now! People say that Ireland, once visited, is never forgotten. People in Ireland are famous for their good humour. Visit this beautiful country and see for yourself.
Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland, is only 44 square miles in area but it is rich in culture and is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Ireland. Dublin is named after the River Liffey (dubh linn in Irish).
By international standards, Dublin City is small and compact and most of the tourist attractions can be visited on walking tours. The city's most important buildings are situated near the river. South of the river is Dublin Castle and near the castle are Christ Church and St. Patrick's, Dublin's two most famous cathedrals.
The best time to visit Dublin is probably the summer. However, whatever time of year you decide to go, be prepared for rain because Ireland is wet. But if it rains you can always go to one of the comfortable Irish pubs. As people say there: "It doesn't rain in the pub!"
2) 
	 THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WEDDING SUPERSTITIONS
Are you getting married soon? Are you married and wish you weren´t? 
If you answered yes to either of these questions, you'll have to read Man and Wife Magazine´s Guide to Wedding Superstitions! See what things to avoid on your Wedding Day or what you did wrong and why your marriage just isn't working!
Things brides really must avoid on their Wedding Day
(if you do any of these, your marriage will never work)
1. Don't wear a black, grey, pink, green or red wedding dress (only white or cream is considered lucky).
2. Don't marry on a Saturday! (Wednesday is the luckiest day of all.)
3. Don't get married to a man or woman who has a surname starting with the same letter (eg. Smith and Saunders) even if your man looks like Mel Gibson. This can only bring bad luck.
4. Don't make your own wedding dress - this can be cheaper but also very unlucky!
5. Don't put red and white flowers in the church (they bring unhappiness).
Things brides should do on their Wedding Day
1. Wear a veil. If you get married without a veil, envious people will destroy your marriage.
2. Have a look in a mirror just before you leave for the church. This will help you have a happy marriage.
3. Get married in January, April or September - these are the luckiest months for weddings. March and May are the worst months for getting married.
	
3) Car Maintenance Tips
One secret to keeping your car in tip-top condition is to make sure the engine is full of clean oil. If the red light is flashing on the dashboard, you may have already done serious (expensive!) damage to your car.
So, why not check your oil every time you buy petrol?
· First, park the car somewhere flat, switch off the engine and open up the bonnet.
· Then, looking at the engine, locate the metal ring (on the end of the metal stick) - this is the dipstick (check your owner's manual if in doubt).
· Pull the dipstick out of the engine and wipe the straight end with a rag. Next, re-insert the dipstick.
· After a few seconds, remove the dipstick and look at the straight end to see the oil mark. The diagram above shows the end of a typical dipstick.
· If there is no mark, you'll need to put at least 1 litre of oil in the engine. Ideally the mark should be on the full line.
· Before you continue, have a close look at the oil on the dipstick. If it looks grainy, or contains small pieces of dirt, it's time for a complete oil change.
· To add oil, make sure the engine is off. Remove the oil cap from the top of the engine (again, check your owner's manual if necessary), and pour in the oil.
· Finally, replace the cap, run the engine for about a minute and check the oil again.
4) Famous Scots
Scotland - Land of Whisky, Bagpipes, Loch Ness and....er.. Creativity.
If someone asked you who invented the TV, you'd probably reply that they were Japanese or perhaps American. Well, the fact is that the TV was invented by John Logie Baird, who was, would you believe it, a Scot!
When most people think of Scotland, they think of beautiful mountains, of whisky, of bagpipes or of the film Braveheart with Mel Gibson. What they don't know is that Scots were responsible for some of the most famous inventions of the century.
Can you imagine cars without tyres? Well that's what people had until 1888 when the first car tyre was developed by John Boyd Dunlop. 
Sherlock Holmes was written by an Englishman, right? Wrong. The most famous of detectives was created by the Scot, Arthur Conan Doyle.
Where would we be without the telephone? You could say that the Internet and mobile phones owe their existence to one man, Alexander Graham Bell. The first working telephone was invented by this Scot in 1876.
And last but not least (for we could go on and on) where would Man be without penicillin? That's right, penicillin was discovered by another Scot Alexander Fleming.
So next time you think of Scotland, don't just think of whisky and bagpipes, remember that this land and its people have contributed greatly to Man's development in the last 150 years. 
5) 
	 STRESS - the disease of the 20th century 
Stress causes, indirectly or directly, as many deaths as drink or cigarettes in the USA and Europe. And what causes most stress? Work. Modern life seems to demand that we work longer and longer hours in order to compete in the working world. And the price we pay is often high - our health! How stressed are you? Answer the 5 questions below and see how well you are coping with stress at work:
1. When you get up in the morning, what do you think of first?
A. My wife/husband.
B. Sometimes work, sometimes not.
C. The work I didn't get finished.
2. How long do you have for lunch each day?
A. One hour.
B. It depends on my schedule.
C. What lunch?? 
3. What do you do if you can't finish all the things you have to do at work?
A. Leave it for the next day.
B. Stay at work until late.
C. Take work home. 
4. How would you describe your health at the moment?
A. I feel great!
B. I suffer from headaches and insomnia.
C. I've been ill 3 times this year. 
5. Do you do any sports or exercise?
A. Yes, most days.
B. Only if I can find time.
C. Never, I have no time! 
If you answered mainly A's:
Congratulations! You seem to have stress under control. Don't let the situation change. 
If you answered a combination of A's, B's and C's:
You're allowing work to take control of your life! You may not be feeling particularly stressed now, but you are a serious candidate for health problems if you do not keep stress under control! 
If you answered mainly B's and C's:
You're probably suffering from stress! Remember, you may find another job but you will never get your health back again if you lose it. You should start to take exercise, don't drink lots of coffee and leave at least one hour every day to have lunch.
	
6) Bill Gates
What would you do if you were a billionaire? Let's have a look and find out about the lifestyle of the richest man in the world, Bill Gates. 
Who's Bill Gates? Bill Gates is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft. He is said to be the wealthiest private individual in the world with a net worth of over 50 billion dollars. Gates was born on October 28, 1955. He dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career in software and the rest as they say is history... 
Where does he live? He lives in a $97 million mansion on the shores of Lake Washington. The house is precision-built. After planting a huge oak tree on the site, the construction chief was instructed by Bill to move the tree 20 cm away from its original position. It took the workers two days to do this. 
How
does he get to work? Does Bill have a chauffeur? Does he drive a Porsche? Er...no, in fact he drives an old Chevrolet. Gates likes to drink milk while driving a car. He usually throws the empty cartons over his shoulder onto the back seat. Consequently his car is said to smell of sour milk. 
What does he do in his free time? Gates loves to spend his free time reading. He reads thousands of books, he eats books for breakfast. His interests range from biotechnology to medieval philosophy. And when he gets interested in something, he has to know everything there is to know about it. Gates likes Carry Grant films, music by Frank Sinatra and other stars from the 40s and 50s. He doesn't watch TV for fear of developing an unhealthy interest in banal shows. Gates also likes playing poker. When he was young, he was well known for his love of late-night poker sessions with friends at college. 
What does the richest man in the world think about being rich? Although he owns a huge amount of money, Gates has always maintained a modest lifestyle. When asked why he doesn't use limos and private jets, Gates replied "It sets a bad example. I think eventually you get used to those things - then you're just abnormal - I'm afraid I'd get used to it". 
7) Whitewater Rafting 
The Kawarau is New Zealand´s largest commercially rafted river . It´s famous worldwide and so a rafting experience on its white waters is an opportunity that you can't miss! The trips we offer are exciting, relaxing and most importantly, lots of fun. Moreover, you'll be amazed by the beauty of the region. Experienced guides take you through wild water and spectacular scenery. For those who like a challenge, you can go on our class 5 trip which takes you through impressive rapids and down a six metre waterfall. However, for those of you who are a little less daring, there's an alternative option that takes you through calmer waters. On this trip, you can also stop for a short break under the historic Kawarau Bungee Bridge in order to watch the bungee jumpers leap from the heights above. And there's more....We specialise in catering for the whole family and so we have different trips suitable for all ages from five-year-olds to grandparents. All trips include rafting gear and meals and range in price from NZ$75 - NZ$ 99 (discounts for students and children). If you are interested, give us a call on 334 78576.
8) DO YOU WANT A BREAK FROM THE BUSY CITY LIFE? 
Come and join us in the pretty town of Keswick. Situated in the famous Lake District of England, it's the perfect place to relax and enjoy the unpolluted air. It offers a wide range of attractions for visitors, from shops and restaurants to museums and art galleries. And there's more. A short drive or bus ride takes you to beautiful countryside where you can go on boat trips, swim in the lakes or go on picturesque walks in the hills. For accommodation, there are several comfortable hotels in the town, all conveniently located near shops, banks and the post office. The residents of Keswick are always happy to receive visitors. Come and see for yourself - we're waiting for you! 
RING US NOW ON: O17687 98378
9) Street Style 
	 (In Fashion Today Magazine)
	
When many people think of street fashion they think of New York, but in fact the modern capital of street fashion is London. On the streets of England's capital, some people look normal and others look, well, strange! This is what makes London so interesting! Fashion Today looks at some of the different types of people you can see in London. 
1. The Clubber - This person goes out at night. During the day they usually sleep because they go dancing all night long. They like electronic music. They wear bright clothes, sunglasses (even when it's raining!) and sports clothes. Principal colours: any, but often black, blue and red. 
2. The Yuppie (a name for young business people) - You normally see them in Central London. These people wear expensive business suits and are always talking on their mobile phones. Principal colours: black and grey. 
3. The Sloane Ranger (a London name for rich young people) - these people like to wear old-fashioned clothes or look like farmers. Women usually wear pearl necklaces. Principal colours: brown and green. 
	
10) New York Nightlife Guide 
Theater
Hamlet - The Brooklyn Theatre
You can't miss Shakespeare's Hamlet by the Greenwich Village Theater Group. This excellent version stars James Bates as Hamlet and Anne Fairclough as Ophelia. Seats can be booked on 367-4421. Tickets start at $20 for adults and $10 for children. 
Restaurants
La Maison de Paris - 56th Street
A wonderful new French restaurant with chef Pierre Bourbon preparing some of the best French food you'll find outside Paris. Expensive but delicious! Try the Coq au Vin or the Steak Diane. Prices start at $40 per person. Reservations on: 345-0210. 
Movie Theater
Terror in Space - Cinemax 1 and 3 Brooklyn
Do you want to go out tonight? What about seeing this action-packed science-fiction movie from director Arthur Spielbett? Over 2 million people around the world have already seen the adventures of Ben Watt and Jennifer Love in this great movie. Showings at: 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00. 
Circus
The Moscow Circus - Central Park
Why don´t you have a day out with the kids? This is the last week for the Moscow Circus, an excellent show for all the family. Prices start at $15 for children and $25 for adults. Reservations on: 456-0998. 
II – ADVANCED
1) History of a Pop Group 
Jan-1994: Blatt and Lewis and Simone Rainford form 'All Saints 1975' (named after All Saints Road in their neighbourhood, Ladbroke Grove, London, and their year of birth).
Feb-1995: 'Silver Shadow', the trio's debut single is released, with Rainford on lead vocals.
Apr-1995: 'Let's Get Started' released. (Neither single is a hit.)
Oct-1995: Rainford departs (along with the '1975' name). It is said that Rainford and Blatt are no longer on speaking terms.
Jan-1996: Group, now including the Appleton sisters (Nicole and Blatt are old friends from theatre school), records a demo.
Nov-1996: Within days of hearing the demo, new manager John Benson secures the quartet a record contract.
Aug-1997: The group appears on BBC TV's National Lottery show. That week 'I Know Where It's At' is the second highest new entry on the UK singles chart.
Nov-1997: Follow-up single 'Never Ever' enters at #3 and, most unusually, reaches #1 after nine weeks. Debut album 'All Saints' enters at #11 and stays for 61 weeks (peaking at #2).
Feb-1998: They win Best Single and Best Video ('Never Ever') at the Brit Awards.
Apr-1998: Double A-sided single 'Under The Bridge'/'Lady Marmalade' charts at #1.
Aug-1998: 'Never Ever' peaks at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. 'Bootie Call' is released as a UK single, and debuts at #1.
Nov-1998: 'All Saints - The Remix Album' released, featuring mixes by Radio 1 and club DJ Pete Tong. 'War Of Nerves' is released as the final single from the debut album, reaching #7 in the charts.
Feb-2000: 'Pure Shores', from the soundtrack of the Leonardo DiCaprio movie 'The Beach' races to #1, before selling an estimated 1.5 million copies worldwide. They are reported to be completing the second album - due for a May release.
Oct-2000: New single 'Black Coffee' and second album 'Saints and Sinners' are released.
2) Writing Tips 
You must plan your work and stick to your plan!
Set aside 20 minutes every few days to practise reading, writing and, importantly, thinking! Put thoughts into words. Show your examiner that you can think!
Do extra research in your spare time!
Examiners look for evidence of this - and you don't have to do
that much extra work. If you come across a magazine article related to a topic you may be studying, discuss it with someone. 
Get a decent dictionary!
If you use a baby dictionary, then you'll learn a baby vocabulary. You need to get a half-decent dictionary of, say, 200,000 references. It will tell you much more than just basic meaning. Find out how to use one and use it a lot. 
Imagine your reader!
It really makes a difference if you imagine someone when you write. Exam questions often tell you who to write to, so imagine that person and write to them! 
Structure!
Your written work should have a clear beginning, middle and end. Always introduce what your piece is about and wrap it up at the finish. Why not try this old chestnut? Tell'em what you're gonna tell'em. - Tell'em. - Tell'em what you've just told'em. 
Paragraphs PLEEEEEEEEASE!
Why do you guys always write one-paragraph essays? It's horrible stuff to read. How about giving us a break for a change? (That's what paragraphs are for!) Change the paragraph when something changes in your writing (for example, a change of idea/tone/character etc). 
Whack it down quick!
Ideas may come at any time, then go just as quick! Whenever you have a good idea, whack it down quick! (Write it down quickly, somewhere safe.) Then you can use it straight away or save it for later! 
Don't waste time.
Don't sit around dreading all the work you've got to do. Just gather together the things you need, sit at a table somewhere quiet - no delaying, no whinging or dreading - just start. 
And finally… you have to answer the question!
You'd be amazed at how many students give irrelevant answers. Read the question carefully. Follow the instructions. You needn't make it more difficult for yourself! 
3) Fresher's Week.
Students arriving at university for the first time are sometimes in for a bit of a shock.
Many challenges lie ahead of you on your long journey through your first week at university. So, for the moment forget about your degree in biology or psychology or law (or whatever it is you are going to study) and just have a good time.
Freshers' Week will be the most fun and the most expensive week of your university life. You will meet countless new people (many of whom you will never see again after the first two weeks) and drink countless pints of beer (many of which you will see again - the next morning!).
The official purpose of Freshers' Week is to get all the new students registered on their courses, sort out accommodation and timetables, meet lecturers and tutors; and listen to an (extremely boring) introductory talk from the Chancellor of the university.
Unfortunately, you have to go through with all the boring stuff; otherwise you won't get a timetable or a union card (essential to student life). It's painless really. You must find out where and when to register. The time you register will depend on your faculty or department, and the initial letter of your surname. If your surname starts with A-H, they'll probably make you register hideously early - not a good cure for a hangover.
After registering, you are finally presented with the fruits of your labour / your passport to student life - the student union card. This card will get you discounts at quite a few shops, night clubs and fast food chains, but more importantly, your SU card will allow you to enter the Students' Union.
The Students' Union is where you'll probably spend most of your evenings during Freshers' Week. The facilities usually include bars, places for eating, sports facilities, shops and services. The union officials, led by an elected president, are there to provide student information (including counselling), organise entertainment, and manage the union facilities. 
ENJOY YOURSELF! True, you will have to get down to work when lectures and tutorials start, but not during Freshers' Week. 
4) Neighbor’s Revenge
Had enough of the neighbour's pet llama? Fed up with clearing away cigarette ends thrown from the balcony above? Annoyed about the fact that the flat upstairs seems to turn into a nightclub every Saturday night? You are not alone. In fact, local councils receive more complaints about noisy neighbours than any other single subject. 
Some people do not stop at simply making a complaint though. Irritation caused by constant noise can produce a number of different responses, ranging from amusingly clever to violent and disastrous. 
Dogs are a major source of neighbour trouble. Popular with those who suffer from barking dogs is the Super Barker Breaker, a machine which produces a high-pitched noise, confusing the offending canines into silence. 
Loudspeaker wars appear to be a common way of settling musical differences. Continuous Chinese folk music played against the neighbour's wall was enough to win one such war. A more inventive tactic came from the electrical genius who managed to run an extension of his upstairs neighbour's doorbell into his own flat. Every time the thumping dance beat became too much to bear, the party host above received a blast on the doorbell. The guilty neighbour soon realised that if he played quieter music, he didn't have to open his door (to nobody) quite so often. 
Some, however, go a little too far in the quest for revenge. Throwing ropes around a satellite dish to stop its owner from watching TV so loud, deliberately scratching a car or supergluing a lock to stop someone getting into their own house might seem extreme measures, but surely the prize goes to the man who firebombed his neighbours' reggae party. One guest was so shocked that he fell off the eighteenth floor balcony to his death. 
5) How we get our news
So how do you keep up-to-date with the latest news? 
Fifty years ago, to catch up on what was going on in the world you would almost certainly have tuned in to a national radio station or browsed through a newspaper on your way to work. These days, though, those of us who have the opportunity are much more likely to surf the web or keep half an eye on a round-the-clock cable TV news channel to keep in touch with world events. 
It's becoming increasingly rare for us to hear about world events (or even local ones, for that matter) by word of mouth, as we might have done in the past. These days, when our friends or colleagues ask "Have you heard...?", the answer is likely to be "Yes, actually, I saw the headlines on my laptop." We no longer have to wait for the latest editions of our favourite newspapers to appear on the streets - there is an up-to-the-minute online version readily available. It's actually quite difficult for us to stay out of touch for too long. And after all, who needs friends or even a computer to fill us in on the news when our mobile phone company decides to page us with regular updates on the performance of our Olympic team. Yes, this actually happened during the Sydney Games! 
With all this high-tech at our fingertips, you might think that regional radio, major network TV news bulletins, daily tabloids and quality broadsheets would be a thing of the past; that listeners and viewers would be turning off and that readerships would be in decline. For some of us, though, the reassuring sound of a local voice on our favourite station, the authoritative tones of a respected newsreader, juicy gossip pages read over somebody's shoulder on the bus, or lazy Sunday mornings spent in bed with our favourite columnists are very difficult pleasures to give up. 
6)
 Here comes another disaster (movie)
Natural disasters appear to come in cycles. Ocean currents follow behaviour patterns over seasons, producing tropical storms and hurricanes. Changing rainfall patterns lead certain parts of the world to expect floods or droughts. Earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic
eruptions all have periods of activity which are measurable, not in seasons or years, but in centuries or even millennia. The problem is that, despite the use of extremely sophisticated equipment for monitoring and prediction, each new disaster still seems to take us by surprise.
However, the unpredictability problem disappears when it comes to Hollywood disaster movies. Rather like waiting for a bus when you are in a hurry, as soon as one disaster movie comes along you can be sure there will be two or three more following closely behind. Early efforts at disaster movies concentrated more explicitly on the Hand of God, and featured disasters of Biblical proportions. The 1970s gave us towering infernos and earthquake devastation. And the last decade has seen a tidal wave of new disasters hitting the screen.
We have had lava flows (Volcano, Dante's Peak), troublesome breezes (Twister), problems with rocks in outer space (Deep Impact, Armageddon) and, neatly coinciding with record rainfall in many parts of the world, a lot of water to deal with (The Flood, Hard Rain, Perfect Storm). But, do not worry - the end of the current disaster cycle is in sight - or at least the Hollywood disaster cycle. 
7) The Lost City of Mato Grosso
In 1925, at around the time the world was in awe at Howard Carter's discoveries of the Egyptian mummies, another intrepid English explorer, Colonel P. H. Fawcett, set out for Brazil. Following a manuscript he read in Rio de Janeiro's National Library, Fawcett's goal was to rediscover a lost city in the high plains of Mato Grosso described so breathtakingly by a Portuguese explorer from Minas Gerais 170 years earlier. 
In 1753, after a ten-year treasure hunt for the mines of Moribeca, the Mineiro and his party of Portuguese, Indians and slaves discovered the city by accident after following a deer through a gap in a steep rock face. What they saw in the distance was quite unbelievable: a sight that appeared to be a huge abandoned city in the middle of nowhere. Through enormous black stone arches, they found a wide street full of two-storey houses, a vast square with a huge statue of a man, and what could have been a palace with elaborate wall carvings and another statue in perfect condition. Finally, beyond the square the men learned how the city had been destroyed - there were great piles of fallen rock and wide gaps in the Earth, all the signs of a huge earthquake. 
The explorers returned in two groups - one was never seen again; the other, after finding evidence of the mines they had gone so far to see, failed to convince the authorities with their story. And what of Colonel Fawcett? He, too, never returned, and to this day the lost city of Mato Grosso remains one of the world's great mysteries. 
8) English around the world
X-burger, shopping, marketing, download, mouse - all these are English words that have become part of everyday vocabulary for Brazilians. You can probably think of many other words too. This tendency to use English words isn't only typical of Brazil - in many other countries English words are creeping into the local language.
We, in the English-speaking world, might be forgiven for thinking that there is no stopping our native tongue from crossing all frontiers. All countries of course hold on to their own cultures, but surely American films, music and computer technology are having an irreversible effect on the language people speak. 
Well, not so, at least if the Polish Language Police have their way. Poland may be one of the world's fastest-growing markets for English language learning, but that hasn't stopped the passing of new laws that have been introduced to protect the Polish language. Words such as supermarket, plaza, music club, sex shop and other examples of 'Polglish' are now banned unless translations are given alongside. Radio stations must also play at least one-third of Polish music. And offending businesses and broadcasters will face heavy fines. 
The anti-Polglish law appears to have support (over 80% of the population is in favour), even if the business community is not so sure. English terms are widely used in many areas of marketing, law and computing (e-mail, not list elektronczny, for example), and so translation will be a very time-consuming business. Supporters, however, say that at last people will be able to understand what is going on in their own country after the post-Communist invasion from the West over the last decade. 
"You know, originally they wanted to punish people for not speaking in Polish in private conversations", says a Polish official responsible for introducing the law. "We debated questions such as whether Tommy Hilfiger should become Tomek Hilfiger and Johnnie Walker whisky should be renamed Jasio Wedrowniczek (Wandering Johnny). We decided in the end not to be so radical." 
9) 
	 Home Video Shows 
How would you react if you saw an old lady slip over on a banana skin in the street in front of you? What about a small child falling from a swing in the playground? The most public-spirited of us would undoubtedly run over and offer assistance. The rest of us would probably feel a little uncomfortable and hope to see someone else helping out. But how many of us would laugh out aloud and laugh as if it was the funniest thing we had seen in our lives? 
However, capture this event on a video camera and send it in to one of television's countless home video shows and you'll have the whole world laughing at these unfortunate individuals. 
The home video show is one of TV's most popular comedy formats. It is cheap and simple to produce. All you need is some badly shot video footage of slapstick domestic accidents, a second-rate TV presenter with a ridiculous laugh to introduce the clips and explain why they are funny and a studio audience who will laugh at anything when told to. 
Television is no stranger to controversy and this is particularly true when it comes to comedy. Like the Candid Camera practical joke based programmes before them, the home video shows raise serious questions about just how funny it is to laugh at other's misfortunes. It's a thin line between laughing with someone and laughing at them. 
	
10) Buzz Words
I need help. I need a dictionary of modern life. I no longer understand half of what I hear on the television or read in the newspaper. I'm lost in a swirling mist of words that sound as if I should understand them but if I'm completely honest - I don't. The doctor diagnosed me as suffering from an information overload and although I think I understood what he meant I don't really agree. The information itself is not the problem - it is the language with which this information is transmitted that I'm having problems with.
I think I've found a term to describe what I'm talking about - the buzz word. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a buzz word is a new word which has been invented to describe some modern fashion or trend. It is a word which itself is fashionable and that anyone who is anyone will slip into conversation regularly. I'm sure you know the kind of words I mean, ozone layer, greenhouse effect, fibre optics, modem etc etc. Buzz word is, in fact, itself a buzz word.
I have identified four major partners in crime responsible for this excess of new vocabulary. The ringleader is of course the media without which these words would have no voice. The media is the laboratory in which journalists work night and day concocting this new language. The media is also the distribution network with easy channels through which to spread these words. The media owns our TV networks, our newspapers, our radio stations - there's no escape.
Other guilty partners include big business, politics and the Internet - all of them weekly supplying new examples of words
and phrases designed to confuse the average man on the street and make him feel like some kind of Neanderthal unfrozen in the 21st century.
I think confusion may be the key to understanding why this phenomenon has arisen. I think these words are nothing but a smokescreen to keep us citizens from understanding that people involved in these professions actually have nothing to do but sit around and dream up words to describe simple concepts in such a way as to make them sound grand and complicated - "That politician must be doing his job. Listen to the big words he is using." "What an important businessman. Just listen to his extended vocabulary."
Perhaps it's time for a linguistic revolution, time to reclaim our language as we know and love it. I say the fight starts here! 
11) Pressures of Modern Life
	Imagine you are the chief executive of one of America's leading soft drink manufacturing empires. Your salary is reported to be $2 million a year. You drive a top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz. You have several homes dotted around the poshest addresses in the USA. It has taken you 22 years to reach the top and you are still only 43. Imagine having all this and then suddenly deciding to hand in your notice. What may sound like an act of madness to the majority of us was a decision of pure sanity for one of America's most powerful female executives, Brenda Barnes. Her resignation as chief executive of Pepsi-Cola's North American operation has shocked her colleagues and stunned the business world in general. 
The reason behind this dramatic departure is that Brenda was growing tired of the rat race and wanted to spend more time with her three children, aged ten, eight and seven, in their family home in the countryside of Connecticut. She explained that by trying to balance a highly successful career with the role of a caring mother, she felt she had been burning the candle at both ends for too long. With the demands of her position Brenda was always on the go and never seemed to have a minute for herself or her family. The final crunch was when one of her sons said he didn't mind his mother working so much, as long as she would be home for all their birthdays. It was a promise she knew she could never make. 
Brenda will also welcome the chance of living in the countryside and will not miss the hustle and bustle of New York. Having lived life in the fast lane for so long, the gentle pace of country living will be a relaxing change and allow her to devote all her time to her children. She has no plans to start work again in the near future despite a number of lucrative offers from interested multinationals. 
Her resignation will once again raise questions over how successful high-fliers can manage to bring up a family while carrying out the demands of their high profile positions. "This is not just a problem for women" explains Dave Gorring, a leading business consultant, "but very much a concern for both sexes. The current business world leaves very little time for today's executive to spend with their family. It is a choice that no-one should have to make and it is a matter that most definitely needs looking into for the future." 
	
12)
 British Universities
Up until the age of 16 British school children study a wide range of educational subjects. Many leave school at this age but those intending to go on to university will have to stay on to take some exams, which are called 'A' levels. Compared to many other countries, specialisation in specific subjects starts quite early in the UK and students usually choose only three of these exams related to the subject they hope to read at University. 
Before you sit these exams you apply to several universities who will offer you a place based on the results they expect you to achieve. If you get the grades they require then you are in. The majority of students go straight from school to university though it is becoming more and more popular to take a year out, a year in which to travel the world or gain some work experience.
Funding your years through university is an area which has controversially changed over the past decade. All universities charge fees and of course you will need food and lodging for the 3 or 4 years you are there. The British government used to help out financially with grants. The size of the grant depended on the income of your parents so children from less wealthy families would receive greater help. University grants no longer exist. Instead you may take a low interest loan from the bank but this is money that must be paid back when you start work. You may be lucky and find a firm to provide you with sponsorship and most universities offer scholarships to exceptional students. 
Most students study in a city away from where their parents live. It is their first taste of independence and for the first year they might live on the campus in student accommodation. For the subsequent years they often find a student house in the city to share with friends.
The actual academic side of things consists of attending lectures and seminars and writing essays and dissertations. Of course, each year ends with exams and in the last year you sit your finals. Depending on whether you pass or fail these you will graduate, receive your degree and the letters BA (if you studied arts) or B.Sc. (if you took sciences) to place proudly after your name. With your graduation behind you, you can now face the real world and start paying off that loan. 
13) Shopping on the Internet
	Last week I went on my first Internet 'shopping spree'. My husband had recently spent a fortune on a state-of-the-art computer which he told me he needed for work. As far as I could see, work seemed to involve playing violent games for hours on end. When I confronted him with this he started advertising a million reasons why I should begin taking an interest in our new toy. I think he was feeling guilty. Of all the functions he described Internet shopping was infinitely more interesting than the rest. Imagine, any product you might need delivered within three days to your home. Furthermore, prices are guaranteed to be just as low as in any shop. No crowds to contend with, no waiting in queues at the checkout, no heavy shopping bags to carry home. The more I thought about it, the better it seemed.
At the time I was computer illiterate. I hadn't got a clue. I'd never used one. Now I had a reason I set about learning the basics. It was much easier than I'd ever imagined and within a day I was an expert at clicking and opening and saving and searching and quite ready for my shopping adventure.
From the minute I started, things didn't seem quite right. Firstly, I was shopping in my dressing gown with my hair in curlers. I would never be seen dead in a normal shop like that. I was already missing the occasion of getting dressed up for a real shopping trip. Every time I entered a virtual store there was no one there to wish me good morning and ask me if I needed any help, there were just thousands of forms to fill in with every aspect of my personal life you could imagine. I could see the products, although this usually involved waiting for ten minutes while an indistinct photo tried to open itself, but I couldn't touch anything, I couldn't try anything on. I missed not having a shopping friend with me, someone to gossip with and tell me whether the blue dress suited me more than the red one. I missed stopping for a cup of coffee in a restaurant while I got my energy back.
Moreover, the technology wasn't nearly as efficient as it should have been. Pages wouldn't open and on more than one occasion the connection failed at the most inconvenient of times meaning I had to log on and do everything again. 
After three hours I gave up. I hadn't bought a thing. I had a quick shower and phoned a friend.
We arranged to meet half an hour later in the mall.
	
15) The State of Modern Sport
	Sport was originally something a person did as a hobby, just as one might do the gardening or go bird watching in their free time. Now it is a job, a career, a life. Sport has become the pursuit of excellence; we strive to be better, stronger and faster than those before us. Fame and sport are inseparable. Athletes achieve hero-like status and earn money beyond most of our dreams. Sport has also become big business, multi-billion dollar multinationals sell us replica kits of our favourite teams and mega-media companies broadcast 24-hour coverage directly into our homes.
In a world where winning is all, has sport come out the loser? We take a look at three traditional sports and see how the modern philosophy has changed them.
Football: Football was called the beautiful game for one reason - its simplicity - the team which scores most goals, wins. While the game played on the pitch has quite successfully managed to adhere to its founding principles, the organisers behind the scenes have come up with leagues and cup competitions with regulations you need a PhD in Maths to understand. And of course, more games mean more money; football is now served to us 52 weeks of the year. Such is the strain on the players that the average playing career is over before it's begun. Corruption is constantly rearing its ugly head and it's becoming more and more difficult to decide if we really are watching live sport or indeed some kind of elaborate pantomime directed by a referee.
Motor racing: When was the last time one driver regularly overtook another? In the past, we watched man against man now all we have is machine against machine. Seldom does a new driver come along for the public to proclaim the arrival of something special. Formula 1 has become the domain of the science geeks with very little room for any human interest. The faster cars get, the less fun it is for the spectator. Of course, all this high-tech machinery needs money, which is where sponsorship comes in. We no longer find ourselves rooting for a team, but rather wondering which cigarette company will win.
Tennis: A game that has given us so many great personalities in the past seems devoid of any interesting characters in the modern era. So ludicrous has the prize money become that parents with an eye on their retirement funds drag their children onto the court before they can barely walk. This means we are presented with walking tennis machines and very little else. It's nothing but grunting and groaning and perfectly executed shots. No one even bothers to argue with the umpire anymore. 
	
	
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16) Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering is never far from the newspaper headlines, whether it be cloning animals or altering human DNA to eradicate inherent diseases.
Bessie, a regular American cow, gave birth to a guar or Indian Bison, scientists at Advanced Cell Technology in the United States announced yesterday. This scientific breakthrough is giving new hope to the future. Endangered species can now be generated in the wombs of common animals, and perhaps even one day extinct creatures such as the mammoth could once again walk the earth.
The guar calf has been named Noah and scientists are now imagining the 'ark' of the future that will house huge banks of frozen animal tissue. Animals will disembark via cloning; bears will give birth to pandas, tigers to lions and, further in the future, elephants will be giving birth to mammoths. "The technology is no longer science fiction," said Robert Lanza of ACT, "It's very real."
However, the announcement has met with disapproval from other scientists who feel that we should be looking for other, more immediate, solutions to protecting the world's threatened species. Bill Holt of the Zoological Society in London said, "Unless there is a really special reason - and there may be in a small number of cases - we should be going for much simpler methods of conservation."
The experiment has also drawn criticism from religious leaders who condemned it as being unnatural and expressed concern over the implications it could have for genetic engineering with human embryos.
ATC are unsurprised by the worry that some people are expressing, but stress that their immediate concern is to concentrate on saving species threatened by extinction. "The world is changing," said a spokesman for the company, "and some people will always be wary of such developments, but this is a very real chance to help conserve some of the natural world that we have been gradually destroying."
However, the technique might be applied, ATC has crossed a new line in cloning. "Most scientists thought this was impossible." Said Robert Lanza, "For the first time, a species has been conceived using the eggs and surrogate mother of an entirely different species. Up till now there have only been a few reports of embryo formation in petri dishes. We have taken it out of the lab and into the barnyard." 
17) The Power of Advertising
Advertisers use a number of different techniques to sell us their products. Wherever you look, there it is - ADVERTISING! It's on the billboards we see as we walk down the street, between the breaks in our favourite programmes on TV and between every song on the radio. It's on every page of our daily newspaper and in every movie we see at the cinema. But it's not just in these obvious places - it's in the name splashed all over the front of our T-shirts and along the sides of our trainers. It's on our pencil cases, school bags, lunch boxes - in a word, it's everywhere. However hard you try, you cannot escape.
Advertising is so popular, because it works. Why else would the world's manufacturers spend billions each year on an industry which offers nothing else but ideas? Because advertisers and their carefully weighed words know how to tease and tantalise us. They prey on our hopes and our fears. They show us what might be and what could have been. They leave us little option but to buy. Below are some of the popular techniques advertising agencies use to leave us at their mercy.
Repetition:
The idea's not difficult - a catchy jingle and a catchy slogan repeated ad nauseam. The message enters our minds subliminally, so whenever we enter a shop we can think of nothing else. Brainwashing at its most simple and most effective.
Fear:
The idea's quite sinister - show what might happen if we don't have the product. The advertisers can read us like a book. They play upon our deepest fears; what could happen to our families, how our futures could fall apart. Particularly favoured by the insurance business.
Association of ideas:
The idea's quite ludicrous, show us the product juxtapositioned with beautiful people and exotic locations and suggest that all this could be ours, whoever we are. As if by smoking cigarettes or drinking beer we would be hang-gliding with super-models within days.
Snob value:
The idea's quite mercenary, nothing but the best will do, no matter how much it costs. In fact, the more expensive the better. A certain European beer is quite proud of its slogan, 'Reassuringly expensive!'
Personal endorsement:
The idea's quite famous, if it's good enough for Ronaldo then it's good enough for us. We don't bother to question whether the product's really any good or not - we read what we want into it.
Scientific evidence:
The idea's quite scientific, put an actor in a white coat and get him to explain how the product works - a favourite of washing powder companies. 
18)
 Survival
How much do you know about how to survive. Supposing your plane has crashed in the Sahara desert, would you know what to do? 
You and your co-pilot survived the crash with only a few bruises but you did not manage to notify anyone of your position before the plane went down. The radio is now broken. It's 9am and the temperature is expected to reach over 48° C. You are pretty sure that the nearest settlement is 100 miles north. 
Your plane is about to explode. You have just enough time to save three items from it. Which three of the following items listed below would you rescue?
5 litres of water
1 bottle of whisky
a book about edible animals of the desert
a small mirror
a small hand gun
a compass
a torch
a penknife
a map of the area
a parachute
Check on the next page the order of usefulness and survival value of each item. It is quite literally a matter of life and death. You need 18 points to survive! 
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