Hotpotatoes vocabulary corpus
[version 17 September 2002]
[available on the multimedia language center Maieuta and for copy and use on any PC homecomputer]
Advertising (1)
______________ are everywhere, from columns of small ______________ advertisements for houses,
jobs, cars etc. in newspapers to big ______________ on walls and enormous advertisements on
______________ by the side of the road. The job of the ______________ agencies is to
______________ the products and services of their clients, the ______________.. They design
eye-catching ______________ and make television or radio ______________ to persuade us to buy,
or ______________, them. The advertising media include broadcast media, such as TV and radio, and print
media, such as dailies and weeklies, but also cinema, hoardings, ______________ displays,
______________, mail ______________, telemarketing and many more. All these media may
______________ the advertising message and put it ______________ to the adequate ______________
audience.
across advertise advertisements Advertisements advertisers advertising carry classified
commercials hoardings point-of-sales posters purchase shots sponsorship target
Advertising (2)
Modern
advertisements contain hidden messages. ______________ in the advertisement showing
the pretty girl in the new car or the smiling children round the packet of washing ______________ is the
message that if we buy the product, we also ______________ success and happiness. It is a
______________ approach since it ______________ to exploit our secret dreams, and it is
______________ since advertising is ubiquitous. Giant street ______________ and catchy jingles on
television ______________ us from all sides. They ______________ us into believing that we can realise
our ambitions quickly and easily. On the other hand, ______________ of advertising say that it is
______________. Advertising is informative. ______________ tell us about useful new products. They
______________ our lives with colour and music. They increase ______________, stimulate industry and
so keep prices ______________. Whether for or against advertising, most people would agree that some
kind of ______________ , appointed by the government or by the ______________ industry itself, is
necessary to maintain ______________ of honesty and to discourage the more ______________ types
of ______________ advertisements.
achieve Advertisements advertising beneficial blatant bombard brainwash brighten defenders
demand down hoardings Implicit inescapable misleading powder seeks standards subtle
watchdog
Air Travel (1)
When travelling by air you have to get to the ___________________ early in order to
___________________ about an hour before your ___________________. If you have a lot of luggage,
you can put it on a ___________________ and push it to the check-in ___________________, where
someone will check your ticket and weigh your ___________________. If you have excess luggage, it can
be expensive. Your heavy luggage is put on a ___________________ and carried away. A light bag is
classed as ___________________ luggage and you can take it with you on to the plane. An
___________________. looks at your passport and a ___________________ checks your hand luggage
before you go into the ___________________ to wait till your flight is called. If you want to, you can buy
some cheap ___________________ goods here. Then you see on the ___________________ or you
hear an ___________________ that you must ___________________ your plane. You go through the
___________________, then there is sometimes a ___________________ before you actually enter the
plane. When all the ___________________ are ___________________, and when the captain and his
___________________ are ready in the cockpit, the plane begins to ___________________ to the end
of the ___________________. Finally, permission is received from the control tower and the plane moves
faster and faster in order to ___________________ .
airport announcement board check in conveyor belt crew departure gate departures board
departures lounge desk duty free flight hand immigration officer luggage on board
passengers runway security check security guard take off taxi trolley
Air travel (2)
Flying is fun. I like being in a big __________ with the __________, i.e. the stewards and stewardesses
looking after me. They walk up and down the __________ - bringing meals and drinks; and if the flight is
going through some __________, such as an __________, they warn everybody that it might be a bit
__________ and ask us to fasten our __________. On a long flight I like listening to music through the
__________ available to all passengers, and sometimes I have a sleep. I enjoy it all so much that I never
want the plane to __________.
air pocket airliner aisle bumpy crew headphones land seat belts turbulence
Activism
The British have long been ____________ about animal welfare and were among the first to
____________ for legislation on this matter. There are three main concepts reflecting different approaches
to the topic:
____________ may be defined as the protection of wildlife and endangered ____________.
Animal welfare refers to the ____________ of animals. ____________ call for the "best possible
conditions" for animals, free from cruelty or unnecessary bodily ____________.
Animal rights covers conservation and animal ____________ plus the more radical idea that animals should
not be held in captivity (on farms, in zoos or in circuses) or eaten. Animal rights ____________ are either
vegetarians or ____________ (i.e. they do not eat meat, fish, ____________, animal milk, cheese or eggs).
The move to protect animals has led to the creation of ____________ products, i.e. products which have
not been tested ____________ animals. In Britain, animal activists have successfully ____________ a
campaign for such cosmetics. This resulted in a ____________ passed in November 1998 which
____________ all cosmetics tested on animals in Britain, although it does not ____________ to imported
products. Anita Roddick owns The Body Shop, which manufactures ____________ and ____________,
and was a key figure in raising public ____________ about the issue. These products have become hugely
popular. The firm Beauty Without Cruelty bas ____________ a similar aim though with less commercial
success.
Another sensitive ____________ is the use of animals by the fur ____________. Anti-fur campaigns have
led to a sharp ____________ in fur sales and there is now a ____________ attached to wearing fur in
Britain. Parliament recently agreed to ____________ the remaining 13 ____________ farms by January
2002, offering them financial ____________.
activists apply awareness bans bill call compensation concerned Conservation cosmetics
cruelty-free decline harm issue mink on oulaw poultry pursued species stigma toiletries
trade vegans waged welfare Welfarists well-being
Art
One of the most creative things anyone can do is to make a work of art, whether it's a _____________
carving a sculpture or a painter painting _____________. _____________ artists do it for their own
satisfaction and pleasure, but _____________ artists have to make a _____________ from their art and
they are dependent on _____________ to sell their works in city _____________. I myself have a Picasso.
Of course, it's a _____________, not an _____________, as I can't _____________ that!
A lot of people buy a camera just to take holiday _____________. They have prints made and put them in
an _____________ or sometimes they prefer _____________, which they can show on the wall or
_____________ with a _____________. Other people are more serious. They develop and print their
_____________ themselves in their own _____________ at home. If they want big pictures they make
_____________.
afford album Amateur darkroom dealers enlargements films galleries living original
pictures professional projector reproductions screen sculptor slides snapshots
Banking
It's very simple to open a bank account in Britain. There are very few formalities. Just go to your local
_______________, fill in a few _______________, and that's it. You will probably only have to pay bank
_______________ if there is no money in your account or if you _______________ money from the bank,
in other words if you have an overdraft or want a _______________ or a _______________.
For regular everyday use most people prefer a _______________ account. This normally
_______________ no or little interest. A _______________ account earns some interest but it's not so
easy to _______________ your money. You sometimes have to give a week's _______________.
At regular intervals, perhaps weekly or monthly, you will receive a _______________ from the bank, giving
details of each _______________ (money you put in) and _______________ (money you take out). If
your're not sure how much money you have in your _______________, you can just go to your bank and
ask what your _______________ is. If you have to make a regular payment, like rent, you can ask the
bank to pay this amount for you automatically. This arrangement is called a _______________ order.
Today you no longer depend on bank opening hours to _______________ money, as you can witdraw
plastic money from _______________ (also called _______________) and can _______________
money through electronic banking.
Some people _______________ more money than they earn. In other words, their _______________
is greater than their income. If you take more money out of the bank than you have in your account, you are
_______________.
account balance borrow branch cash cash dispensers cash machines charges current
deposit deposit earns expenditure forms loan mortgage notice overdrawn spend standing
statement transfer withdraw withdrawal
Censorship
The amount of ____________ material we are exposed to in films nowadays is surely ____________.
Most people accept that scenes of sex and violence are sometimes necessary to tell a story, but all too often
these scenes are ____________; they are unnecessary and simply inserted in the film to ____________
to the ____________ human instincts. Censorship is necessary, especially to protect children
____________ the corrupting influence of such scenes, often ____________ as art, in our cinemas. There
should also be censorship of pornographic and paedophilic magazines produced by ____________ people
willing to ____________ for the ____________ tastes of a small minority. Such materials destroy the
innocence of the young and ____________ all who read it. On the other hand, there are those who say that
something which is ____________ becomes desirable, so censorship is counter-____________, and that
censorship ____________ our freedom of ____________. However freedom is not ____________
freedom to do what we want but freedom from ____________ to destroy society's moral ____________.
Censorship provides the ____________ by which society protects itself. Censorship provides the by which
society protects itself.
appeal attempts banned baser cater choice degrades excessive from gratuitous infringes
on masquerading merely offensive perverted productive safeguards standards unscrupulous
Cinema & films (1)
Marlon Brando is a ___________ actor and in 'On the Waterfront' he gave his finest ___________. It is
his best-known ___________. The ___________ also included Eva Marie Saint and Karl Malden and the
film's ___________, Elia Kazan, never made a better film. Parts of the film were ___________ in the
studios in Hollywood, but a lot was made ___________ in the streets of New York, which makes it at times
like a ___________. The ___________ loved the film but it was not only a critical success. It was a great
___________ success as well, and made an enormous ___________. The ___________ is about a young
man's ___________ to be a boxing champion.
attempt box-office cast critics director documentary on location performance plot profit
role shot superb
Cinema & films (2)
Fiona and I went to the cinema the other day to see 'Devil' ___________ UGC. The ___________ by the
"Libre Belgique" ___________ was good, and we decided to go to the 8 o'clock ___________. When I
arrived, Fiona was waiting for me in the ___________, looking at a ___________ for 'Devil' on the wall.
The ___________ took our tickets and ___________ us to our seats. I don't like to be too close to the
___________ and I usually sit in the back ___________ if possible, and I prefer a seat on the
___________ so I can ___________ my legs. Before the main film there was a Mickey Mouse
___________, then a ___________ for the following week's film. "Devil" was an ___________ film and
we enjoyed it tremendously.
aisle at cartoon critic foyer outstanding performance poster review row screen showed
stretch trailer usherette
City life
Most people in developed countries are city-__________, many drawn by the irresistible __________ of
the metropolis. The attractions of the city are many: the cosmopolitan __________, foreign restaurants,
different languages, international __________, the stimulation of cultural __________ or the simple hope
of finding work. All too many find, however, that the glamorous facade is __________. One can be very
alone in the city and the __________ which at first seems to give freedom and protection later leaves just
__________., experienced very painfully by the elderly.
There is a lot to do but everything is
__________. The cost of __________, food and accommodation, is high. There is pollution not only of the
physical but also of the moral environment and the various pressures of __________ life cause cities to
__________ crime and violence. Above all, perhaps, it is the daily stresses and __________ of the city
which make life there a __________ of survival rather than enjoyment. Many a __________ struggling to
work through the __________-hour congestion probably wonders 'Is it worth it?'
anonimity atmosphere breed commuter companies dwellers events expensive false living
loneliness lure matter rush strains urban
Computers
Just imagine what the world would be without computers.
A computer is an electronic machine that ___________________ calculations and
___________________ data automatically at high speeds. A computer cannot work without
___________________--i.e., a programme--which controls the different hardware
___________________ of the computer.
___________________ computers can be placed on top of a desk but are not very transportable, while
portable computers are light enough to be easily transported.
A personal computer typically has a ___________________ and a ___________________ as its input
unit, while output units are the ___________________, the ___________________, the
___________________.
There are many application programmess that individual users can conveniently ___________________.
___________________ is the creation of pages for publication using personal computers.
___________________ programs are the most popular programs for business calculations. They allow the
user to enter columns and rows of ___________________. ___________________ is the quick search
and ___________________ of needed information from a collection of ___________________ --i.e., a
database.
components data Database management Desktop Desktop publishing digits keyboard
loudspeakers mouse performs printer processes retrieval run screen software Spreadsheet
Crime
The good news is that crime has fallen markedly in recent years. Statistics may not reflect people's
experience or fear of crime but the ______________ speak for themselves: in America, crime
______________ have never been so low since the government started keeping ______________ 25
years ago.
Criminologists and politicians from all over the world have flocked to America to learn about
law-enforcement. If the media are to be believed, America's ______________ approach can be credited
for the sharp ______________ in crime rates. These did not start falling, it is frequently argued, until strict
______________ was introduced. Strict law ______________ and ______________ sentences did
much to deter potential criminals. And the drop in crime is steepest in the South, where laws are especially
strict: Texas has the highest ______________ rate in the US and a crime rate at a 20-year low. In 1997,
the murder rate was ______________ 10% on 1996. Another popular concept based on the "broken
windows" theory is zero ______________. Stop petty ______________, lock them away and they will
not graduate to more ______________ crime.
Still other tough techniques such as teen ______________ now being tested in Britain or France down well
with voters who like their politicians to sound and act tough on crime. Whether such measures really work
is more ______________. Experts say the crime rate in the US started going down before they became
effective. Civil ______________ activists claim they often result in racial bias if not outright
______________.
Interestingly, a more softly-softly approach seems to be working just as well, even if it does not make for
sensational newspaper ______________. ______________ policing based on community contacts has
done much to ______________ the streets of Washington or Boston, while the Maori-inspired concept of
restorative justice-bringing ______________ and their victims face to face-has greatly reduced the number
of juveniles brought to court for ______________.
What is certain is that the current drop in crime is ______________ to the end of the crack epidemic and
to demographics as well as to any of the ______________ mentioned above.
attributable criminals curfews debatable discrimination down drop enforcement figures
headlines incarceration mandatatory Neighbourhood offenders policies rates reclaim records
reoffending rights sentencing serious tolerance tough
Issues in education
It is interesting that in some countries which are socialist and therefore supposedly _____________ , the
educational system is based on _____________ , which means that children are educated according to their
ability, with the more _____________ children separated from the others. _____________ of this system
say that more intelligent children will be helped to _____________ their full potential in this way and that
these children will be _____________ if they have to share lessons with less clever pupils.
_____________ of this system, on the other hand, _____________ that it creates an educated elite, a
special class of _____________ people who are encouraged to think of _____________ as superior
_____________ the others. Similarly the others may, as a result of being _____________ second-rate,
develop some kind of inferiority. In a word, such a system is _____________, since it creates a division
between people. Another important _____________ in education is the amount of freedom and choice
children should be given at school. The _____________ view is that a conventional system of strict rules
is best.
However, _____________ of this attitude say it causes _____________, as in the army, and
_____________ children's natural imagination and creativity. We must ask _____________ what the
purpose of education is : to _____________ children's heads with facts or to encourage them to develop
their natural _____________ in their own way?
achieve classless conservative cram critics discourages divisive gifted held back issue
labelled maintain Opponents ourselves privileged regimentation skills streaming Supporters
themselves to
Education (2)
When children are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a ___________ school, where they learn
simple games and songs. Their first real school is called a ___________ school. In Britain children start this
school at the age of five. The ___________ year in Britain begins in September and is divided into three
___________. Schools ___________ for the summer holiday in July. ___________ education begins at
the age of about eleven. In Britain education is ___________ from five to 16 years of age, but many children
choose to ___________ at school for another two or three years after 16 to take higher exams. Most
children go to ___________ schools, which are ___________ by the government or local education
___________, but some children go to ___________ schools, which can be very expensive. University
courses normally last three years and then students ___________, which means they receive their
___________. At university, teaching is by ___________ (an individual lesson between a teacher and one
or two students), ___________ (a class of students discussing a subject with a teacher), ___________
(when a teacher gives a prepared talk to a number of students) and of course private study. Most people who
receive a university place are given a ___________ by the government to help pay their ___________ and
living ___________.
academic authorities break up compulsory degree expenses fees graduate grant lecture
maintained nursery primary private remain Secondary seminar state terms tutorial
Elections and government (1)
People sometimes try to _________________ the result of an election weeks before it takes place. Several
hundred people are asked which party they prefer, and their answers are used to guess the result of the
coming election. This is called an _________________. Meanwhile each party conducts its
_________________ with meetings, _________________, television _________________, and party
members going from door _________________ encouraging people to _________________ their party.
In Britain everyone over 18 is _________________ to vote. The place where people go to vote in an
election is called a _________________ and the day of the election is often known as
_________________. The voters put their votes, also called _________________, in a
_________________ and later they are counted. The _________________ with the most votes is then
declared the winner.
ballot box ballots candidate commercials election campaign eligible opinion poll polling day
polling station predict speeches support to door
Elections and government (2)
In most countries, except ______________ states, there are several different political parties. The one with
the majority of seats normally forms the ______________, and the parties which are against the government
are called the ______________. Sometimes no single party wins enough ______________, and several
parties must ______________ together in a coalition to form a government. The principal ministers in the
government form a group called the ______________. The leader of this group, and of the government, is
the ______________. Of course, there are many different kinds of parties and governments. A socialist or
communist party is often described as ______________. A ______________ party on the other
______________, is usually said to be right-wing. Political situations are always changing. Sometimes in a
party or between two parties there is a big ______________ or deep difference of opinion. This is called
a ______________. When, on the other hand, two parties work together, this is sometimes called an
______________.
alliance argument cabinet combine conservative government hand left-wing one-party
opposition prime minister seats split
Electrical appliances
When you buy a television, radio or cassette recorder make sure it has a long enough ________. ________
it in at the most convenient ________ in your room, and then ________ it on. You normally adjust the
volume by turning a ________, and there are other ________ as well. It is probably best to ________ the
appliance when it is not in use. If you have any trouble with it, ask an electrician to look at it or take it back
to the ________ you bought it from.
controls dealer knob lead Plug socket switch unplug
The environment
When industrialization began, little thought was given to its _____________ effects. Raw, untreated
_____________ was allowed to pollute our seas and rivers. Animals were killed for _____________ to
the point of _____________. The loss of trees through uncontrolled _____________ caused erosion and
unstable _____________. Acid rain was caused by the _____________ gases man sent into the
_____________. _____________ in pesticides killed animal life. Herbicides _____________ numerous
plants. The _____________ of nature got disturbed.
It is only now that we are _____________ up to the problem. More natural, _____________ farming is
_____________. Legislation controls the _____________ of waste products into our air and water.
Wildlife organizations are becoming more _____________ in their fight for animal rights. Replanting
_____________ in some parts of the world mean that our forests should in future be _____________.
We can only hope that growing public _____________ and enlightened legislation will produce a world
which is _____________ for us and will provide a good quality of life for future generations.
advocated atmosphere awareness balance Chemicals climate deforestation destroyed
disposal ecological extinction militant organic poisonous policies profit safe sewage
sustainable waking
Finance in the Third World
Calls for help reach the International ____________ Fund at each and every financial crisis. After the debt
____________ of Mexico in 1982, the IMF had hoped that no other country would ____________, though
less developed countries ____________ the world found that that they had to repay ____________ that
they thought would be rescheduled for ever.
In 1997, with the ____________ of the baht, in Thailand and the ____________ of the crisis throughout
the South East banking systems, the IMF and the World Bank thought it was time to ____________ ahead
with reforms that will ____________ the return of crises that put millions of people back into
____________ and ____________ the global economy. The crisis ____________ the economy of Brazil
and even affected Russia, which is suffering as well from ____________ difficulties.
At a meeting in April 1999, Finance ministers and central bank governors of 182 countries members of the
IMF, decided that ____________ were necessary.
One major ____________ to address is the sudden loss in ____________ of investors that flee from one
market to rush into another creating another ____________ crisis. Another issue is the ____________
of mafia money. It makes account ____________ more difficult, both in big banks and in big companies.
collapse confidence crisis currency default domestic issue jeopardized laundering loans
Monetary poverty prevent push reforms spreading threatened throughout transparency
Flats & houses
The first thing I had to do in London was find somewhere to live, if possible a small,
one-____________________ flat. I didn't want to ____________________ a kitchen or toilet; I wanted
to be independent in my own self-____________________ place. I decided I could pay a
____________________ of 150 euros a week. I couldn't find what I wanted in the newspaper
____________________ so I went to an ____________________. They offered me a nice place. It was
in a modern ____________________ on the third ____________________. I had to pay the agency a
____________________, and the ____________________ wanted a big ____________________ and
references from my ____________________ and bank manager.
accommodation agency bedroomed block classified ads contained deposit employer fee floor
landlord rent share
Flats & houses (2)
Tony and Sheila's first home was a _____________ house, one of a line of houses all connected. But
several years later when they had a small child, they found it rather _____________ for three people. They
wanted something more _____________ and so decided to move. They went to an _____________ and
looked at details of the houses he had to offer. They looked at a _____________ house (one of a pair
attached to each other), liked it, and asked a _____________ to inspect it for them. He said that it was in
good _____________, and they therefore decided to buy it. Soon a _____________ firm was taking all
their _____________ and other possessions to their new home. But already, after a couple of years, they
are hoping to _____________ again: they want to get an _____________ to design a modern,
_____________ house for them, and a _____________ to build it.
architect builder condition cramped detached estate agent furniture move removals
semi-detached spacious surveyor terraced
Industry
The health of a big, developed country's _________________ depends largely on its industry.
_________________ have to keep busy.
They must _________________ and sell their
_________________ in large quantities. _________________ must make and sell ships, car
_________________ must make and sell cars. A period of industrial success, when everything goes well
and large _________________ are made, is called a _________________. On the other
_________________ a period when there is not much industrial activity is called a _________________.
To _________________ a high level of production is not simple. For example Japan, a very successful
industrialized country, has very few _________________ such as oil or coal, and has to import those
_________________ from other countries in order to keep its industries going, and thus to
_________________ needs at home and also to export its goods to its _________________ markets.
boom economy Factories hand maintain natural resources overseas plants produce products
profits raw materials Shipyards slump supply
International relations
The American President and the Russian leader have announced their intention to ____________ a summit
____________ in Vienna next month. The two countries have already had preliminary ____________
and decided on an ____________ for the meeting. The main ____________ will be a discussion about the
fight against terrorism. At a news conference held in Washington yesterday a government ____________
told journalists that the unfortunate ____________ of last year's talks between the two countries had been
caused by disagreements over disarmament. He said the Vienna meeting would be a chance for the two
countries to to settle their ____________.
____________ countries A and B had always had very good, ____________ relations, but in 1994, owing
to a disagreement over the exact location of the ____________ between them, a ____________ began
to develop. Finally, in 1996, in ____________ at military activity by country B near the border, country A
announced its intention to break ____________ diplomatic relations with country B. Both countries
____________ their ambassadors and the embassies in the two countries were ____________. It is
hoped that a solution will be found and that it will be possible to ____________ normal trade, cultural and
diplomatic ____________ as soon as possible.
agenda border breakdown close closed down differences hold item links meeting
Neighbouring off protest resume split spokesman talks withdrew
The Internet
The Internet became increasingly accessible to the public with the ____________ of the personal computer,
and the development of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), which in 1992 led to the World Wide Web
(or Web). So, the Internet predates the Web by many years.
The Web is a collection of ____________ that take advantage of the graphic abilities of the new
____________. such as Netscape, Internet Explorer or Opera. A simple ____________ of the mouse on
a ____________ will take you to the linked page. To keep everyone working together in peace an informal
set of rules called Netiquette has evolved.
If you are looking for a specific topic, you can use a search ____________ such as Yahoo! or Excite. A
search engine will give you a list of all the web pages containing information about the subject that you are
____________. However, you should always check the information since anyone can create his/her own
site and write ____________ they want in it.
With IRC, or Internet Relay ____________, you can chat ____________ with other people who are on
the same channel. IRC is not very private. Anyone can join a chat and read what you are writing about.
ICQ, a more recent creation allows you to see if your friends are online or not.
Sooner or later, everyone knew that business would become interested in this marketing paradise. Individuals
and agencies started sending unsolicited mails-also called ____________ , especially through newsgroups.
These are groups of ____________ who exchange messages about their common interests.
As online commerce becomes more common people have begun to worry that it may not be safe to give
information about their credit card through the Internet. In response to this need, companies in partnerships
with banks have developed means of securely ____________ this information to make online
____________ safe.
advent anything browsers Chat click encrypting engine link online researching sites spam
surfers transactions
Law and order
A policeman was sent to ____________ the disappearance of some property from a hotel. When he
arrived, he found that the hotel staff had ____________ a boy in one of the rooms with a camera and some
cash. When the policeman tried to ____________ the boy, he became violent and the policeman had to
____________ him. At the police station the boy could not give a satisfactory explanation for his actions
and the police decided to ____________ him with the theft of the camera and cash. They took his
____________, locked him in a cell and ____________ him overnight. The next morning he appeared in
____________ before the magistrate. He took an ____________ and ____________ not guilty. Two
____________, the owner of the property and a member of the hotel staff, gave ____________. After both
sides of the case had been heard the boy was found ____________. He had to pay a ____________ of
250 euros and he was given a ____________ of three months in prison ____________ for two years.
arrest caught charge court detained evidence fine fingerprints guilty handcuff investigate
oath pleaded sentence suspended witnesses
Medical care
When I go to the doctor, I tell the secretary my name and take a seat in the ____________. My doctor is
very busy so I have to make an ____________ before I go to ____________ him. He asks me what's
____________ with me, I tell him the ____________ of my illness, for example high ____________,
difficulty in ____________, or pains, and then he will usually ____________ me. He'll listen to my heart
with his ____________, he'Il hold my ____________ to feel my pulse. The problem is usually something
simple and he might give me a ____________ for some medicine, which I take to the ____________. Of
course, if I needed more serious ____________ than just a ____________, I'd have to go to
____________. There I'd be put in a bed in a ____________ with other ____________. If there were
something seriously wrong with me, I might need an ____________.
appointment breathing chemist examine hospital medicine operation patients prescription
see stethoscope symptoms temperature treatment waiting room ward wrist wrong
Mobile phones
The telephone, whether _____________ or mobile, has become one of the most common household
_____________. Here in Belgium, GSMs made their entrance on the _____________ in 1994. GSM
stands for Global System for _____________ Communications. Their only _____________ was Proximus,
a Belgacom owned _____________, until _____________ Mobistar was _____________ an operations
licence by the Belgian government in 1995. Their network was _____________ in August 1996. Orange's
_____________ was launched in October 1998. Today GSMs come in a range of models, sizes,
_____________ and colours, all created to _____________ to the consumer at every level of the market,
who is looking for a _____________ appliance. The operators also offer a wide range of _____________
and pre-paid cards, possibly to confuse consumers in order to avoid an all-out battle and a lowering of their
_____________. They claim this is necessary to _____________ the customers' varied needs. In Britain,
_____________ of GSMs have admitted that their products can cause _____________ risks to users, so
called health _____________. The radiatioin _____________ they emit are weak, but can lead to loss of
concentration, and, in the _____________ cases, _____________ tumours. This is a real cause for
_____________, and doctors are warning users to limit the amount of _____________ time to 20 minutes
at most a day.
appeal appliances brain competitor concern designs fixed granted hazards health launched
manufacturers market meet Mobile network operator rates subscriptions subsidiary talking
user-friendly waves worst
Natural disasters
If a country has no rain for a long time, this dry period is called a __________. In countries dependent
__________ their agriculture, this can lead to a period of __________, when there is not enough food and
people actually __________ (die of __________). When it rains very heavily and the land is under water,
this is called a __________. In this situation people and animals can __________. Sometimes helicopters
have to drop food __________ to people in areas which are cut off.
In some parts of the world, the ground shakes from time to time. This is called an __________ and if it's
a bad one, the number of __________ (dead and __________ people) is sometimes large. Buildings often
__________ and __________ teams have to search for people who are __________ under the
__________. Sometimes water __________ are affected and there is an __________ of disease, called
an __________. Medical teams are sent by the government to help the sick. The death __________ can
reach hundreds or even thousands.
casualties collapse drought drown earthquake epidemic famine flood hunger injured on
outbreak rescue rubble starve supplies supplies toll trapped
A new generation of consumers
Among other things, the second half of the 20th century will go down in history as a period of ____________
consumption. And never before have science and new technologies ____________ such an influence on
our purchasing ____________. At the beginning of this new millennium, consumers are both
____________ and more fickle, trade wars are being ____________ on globalized markets and advertising
gurus rule the roost in distribution ____________.
The year 2000 marks the arrival of a new generation of ____________: these are involved in a relentless
pursuit of their material comfort. Markets offer them a wide ____________ of items in supermarket
____________ while new trends ____________ in the media push them to try new products and adopt
new attitudes.
Organic food, cellular phones, "smart cars," TV ____________, let alone Internet shopping, are just a few
but glaring ____________ of today's various consuming trends that will become ____________ in the near
future.
For instance, a recent ____________ in Britain showed 81% of those interviewed ____________
genefoods and wanted producers to spend more money on developing ____________ livestock. In spite
of recent campaigns denouncing the ____________ effects of cellular phones on the human
____________, the sales of mobile phones have been ____________ for a decade to reach unprecedented
____________ figures.
The countdown has also begun for the launch of "cyberhomes" ____________ with silicon microchips... In
future superstores, more electronic ____________ will save shoppers precious time by cutting down
waiting-lines at ____________. New shopping technology like "smart" ____________ will eventually be
as easy to operate as flicking a switch.
Shopping on the Net is also in a position to change the face of ____________. Besides, the growing
success of interactive retail methods also means that shopping may no longer involve a boring trip down to
your local ____________: cable-TV and computers enable us to ____________ through updated
catalogues, place ____________ by means of a mouse and get the goods ____________ to our homes
within a few hours, which will undoubtedly mark the start of a revolution in our shopping ____________..
High street shops are unlikely to resist this form of ____________.
aisles booming brain browse check outs competition condemned consumers delivered evil
examples exerted fought habits habits healthier mainstream mall networks orders packed
poll range retailing retailing sales set skyrocketing trolleys wary wizardry
The new poor
Poverty has no strict definition and is often divided into "absolute" or "relative" _____________. Absolute
poverty is when people cannot _____________ their basic needs: _____________, food and clothing.
Relative deprivation is linked to the notion of social _____________. Due to an inadequate income, poor
people live below the living _____________ of their society, without the things generally owned by others.
The poverty line is an _____________ of less than half the national _____________. In 1998, it affected
13.3% of the population in the U.S.A.
The concept of "new poverty' _____________ back to the 80s, when the _____________ crisis of the 70s
_____________ many people who had had a decent way of life up to then but were made
_____________, often because of _____________. The "new poor" were driven out of homes they could
no longer _____________ and forced to sell many of their _____________, including their cars, which
reduced their chances of getting another job.
In Europe, new poverty is often equated with long-term _____________. Likely victims are young people
and _____________ mothers who rely on _____________ to survive. In the U.S.A., the new poor are
often the working poor, those who work but _____________ such low wages that they cannot pay for food,
accommodation, health care, education for the children. Blacks and _____________ account for large
shares of America's poor.
Poverty has always existed because decision makers have never dared or wished to _____________ the
right solutions.New poverty generally means relative poverty thanks to the safety nets offered by state
assistance (benefits, _____________ money). In extreme situations though, especially when unemployment
is associated with a _____________ of the family unit (divorce, clash between parents and children) or
addiction, it may lead to absolute poverty and _____________.
accommodation afford average belongings benefits breakdown dates earn economic
exclusion Hispanics hit homelessness implement income meet poverty redundant single
standards streamlining unemployment welfare
Newspapers (1)
A newspaper ______________ its money from the price people pay for it (when they buy it from the
______________ or newsstand, or when they ______________ to it) and also from the advertising it
______________. A popular newspaper with a ______________ of over five million daily makes a lot
of money. Less serious newspapers are probably read just for ______________. They carry big
______________ above the news stories, funny ______________ to look at and sensational pictures of
violence. The ______________ columns are full of stories of the private lives of ______________ people.
No one takes the political ______________ of such papers very seriously. On the other hand, in a free
country where there is no ______________, serious newspapers are read principally for their news, sent
to them by their foreign ______________ round the world and by the big ______________. People also
read these newspapers for their ______________ of new books, films and plays written by some famous
______________, and for their ______________, which represent the ______________ of the
newspaper itself about the important ______________ and issues of the moment. The sports, travel,
financial and TV ______________ of our ______________ are also widely read.
carries cartoons censorship circulation correspondents critic dailies editorials entertainment
events famous gossip headlines makes news agencies newsagent opinion reviews sections
subscribe views
Public Relations
The primary goal of public relations is to ____________ a company's reputation and help ____________
public consent for its activities. Today's business environment has become so ____________ that public
consent can no longer be ____________; it must be ____________ continuously.
The term public relations is widely misunderstood and ____________. Part of the confusion is due to the
fact that PR covers a very broad ____________. Every ____________, organization, or government
____________ has relationships with groups of people who are ____________ by what it does or says.
They may be enployees, ____________, ____________holders, ____________, ____________,
legislators, or the community in which the organization resides. Marketing people refer to these as
____________ because they all have some vested ____________ in the company's activities. Each of
these groups is considered one of the organization's ____________, and the goal of PR is to develop and
maintain good-____________ with most, if not all of its publics. ____________ to do so may mean loss
of customers and ____________, time lost dealing with complaints or ____________, and loss of esteem
(which weakens the organization's brand ____________ as well as its ability to ____________ financing,
make sales, and expand.
affected area assumed body build company competitive competitors customers earned
equity Failure interest lawsuits manage misused publics revenues secure stakeholders
stock suppliers will
The press
The press usually refers just to newspapers, also called ____________, but the term can be extended to
include magazines, i.e. ____________ or monthlies. Newspapers are either tabloid, a format usually
associated in the English-speaking world with the ____________ press (such as the Sun), or
____________, associated with quality journalism (such as the Times). ____________ are sometimes
referred to as the gutter press by people who disapprove ____________ them.
Tabloids often have very large ____________ (numbers of copies sold) and even bigger ____________
(total number of people reading them). Papers such as these are often referred to as mass circulation papers.
The people in charge of newspaper content are ____________. The people who write for them are
____________. Someone who writes articles that appear regularly, usually in the same place in the paper,
and often with powerfully expressed opinions, is a ____________.
The British national press is referred to as ____________ Street, although no national paper is now produced
in this London street.
Newspapers ____________ or ____________ articles or stories. ____________ give the paper's opinion
about the news of the day. In a quality paper, the most important editorial is the leading article or
____________. These, and the other editorials, are written by leader writers.
Governments that limit press freedom are accused of ____________ the press. This may take the form a
____________ code of practice ____________ by a body referred to informally as a ____________.
If the watchdog is ineffective, it is described as toothless. If this is not enough for the government, it may
impose ____________ (legally enforceable) controls. The authorities are then described as ____________
down or ____________ down on the press. They may also be accused of press ____________ and of
limiting press ____________ or the freedom of the press.
broadsheet carry censorship circulations clamping columnist cracking dailies Editorials
editors Fleet freedom gagging journalists leader of overseen popular readerships run
statutory Tabloids voluntary watchdog weeklies
Public transport
A taxi, also called a _____________, is the most comfortable way to travel. You simply _____________
the taxi in the street or go to a taxi-_____________, where there are several taxis walting, for example at
a station. At the end of your _____________, you can see how much the _____________ is by looking
at the meter. You add a _____________ to this, and that's it. Very simple. But expensive! What about
taking a bus? If it has two _____________, it's called a double-decker and you can get a good view from
the _____________. Most buses have a two-person _____________: the _____________, who drives,
of course, and the _____________, who takes your money. Keep your ticket because an _____________
might want to check it. You catch a bus by waiting at a bus _____________, usually a bus
_____________. You can see where a bus is going because the _____________ is written on the
_____________. But try to avoid the _____________ hour. Quicker than the bus is the _____________
(called the tube in London, the subway in New York and the metro in Paris and many other cities). You buy
your ticket at the _____________ Go down to the _____________ on the _____________ or in the lift.
The train comes. The _____________ doors open. You get on. Very simple. For longer distances take a
train or a long-distance bus, usually called a _____________, which is slower but cheaper. The train is very
fast. Put your _____________ on the _____________ and sit and wait till you arrive.
cab coach conductor crew destination driver escalator fare floors front hail inspector
journey luggage platform rack rank rush shelter sliding stop ticket-office tip top
underground
Reading
I love books. I love reading. I'm a real ____________, and I love to ____________ in bookshops, just
looking briefly at one book after another. I look at the illustrations, the photos or drawings and read the
____________ that explain these. If there are foreign or technical words in the book, I look at the
____________ at the back for their meanings (unless they're explained in ____________ at the bottom of
the pages) and I look at the ____________, also at the back, which is a list of other books on the same
subject. And I use the ____________ a lot. I ____________ two or three books a week, and I have to pay
a ____________ - if I return them late. Friends often ____________ books to me, and I also read book
____________ in the newspapers. I ____________ always agree with them, but anyway they let me
know what new books are being ____________.
bibliography bookworm borrow browse captions don't fine footnotes glossary library
published recommend reviews
Shopping
If you want to buy a __________ (or we sometimes say off-the-peg jacket), first find the jackets in the shop
and look at the __________ inside to see the __________, material and make. For the price, look at the
price __________. To see if it will __________ you, you can __________ the jacket in front of a mirror.
If necessary an __________ will help you. You pay the __________, who you will find at the
__________. He or she will take your money, put it in the __________ and give you your __________.
Make sure you also get a __________, which you should keep and bring back to the shop with the jacket
if something is wrong with it and you want to __________ it or ask for a __________ of your money. In
clothes shops you pay the fixed price, of course. You don't __________. Or you can wait until the
__________, when many goods are reduced in price. If you don't like shops, you can stay at home, look at
catalogues and newspaper advertisements and do your shopping by mail __________.
assistant bargain cash-desk cashier change exchange fit label order ready-made receipt
refund sales size tag till try on
Sponsorship
Commercial success depends very much on stars and big ____________ and the results are sometimes
uncertain. The World Cup is over but its marketing lessons are still being assimilated. The ____________
of commerce into the beautiful game was more evident than in any ____________ World Cup. Despite
unprecedented television ____________ and a growing appetite for football across gender and class divides,
commercial success on the back of the world's largest sporting event is very uncertain. In a ____________
in Germany by advertising agency BDDO, Eurocard/Mastercard, Philips, Gillette, JVC and Casio were
recognised as event ____________ by less than 1 % of those polled. Even Adidas chairman groused about
the commercial ____________ that diluted the ____________ of sponsors, such as Adidas, that had paid
top dollar. That's £20 million for a seat at the table and probably the same again in ____________ and
advertising around the event.
audiences clutter encroachment events impact previous promotion sponsors survey
Sports & money
Sport ___________ a huge part of our lives. Satellite and cable television have ___________ sports
___________, the BBC ___________ well over £100m on the subject. When Vic Wakeling, the
___________ of Sky Sports makes a decisions, it ___________ into the heart of political power. In 1996,
Michael Jordan brought home a grand total of $78.3m, not bad for playing some basketball, ___________
for a few hot dogs, and letting a few ___________ put his face by their product and associate it with their
___________. But although the public tend to ___________ on such players who ___________ the roost,
real power in sport is with the ___________ and ___________ who control them, their ___________,
appearance money and rights to many of their ___________ events. In that field nobody is more powerful
than American Mark McCormack, head of a sports management empire ___________ on the back of golf
and now ___________ to all sports. In horse racing Sheikh Mohammed has ___________ hundreds of
millions into the sport. He controls the ___________ of trainers, jockeys, agents and shippers. Bernie
Ecclestone ___________ every aspect of Formula One.
agents brand channels companies controls dedicated dominates extending focus founded
head incomes managers posing poured reaches rule spends sponsorship televised
Television
The _______________ is a phrase often used to describe ways of giving information and
_______________ to very large numbers of people. It includes newspapers, magazsines, radio and, of
course, television. In our countries people can _______________ to any of over thirty different TV
_______________ thanks to the cable or a _______________. Do television _______________
influence our minds? Do they indoctrinate us? _______________ the news completely objective, i.e.
neutral, or is it _______________, i.e. considered from one particular _______________ ? Don't the
_______________
for alcohol, food and other goods _______________ our minds? Even the
_______________ going on week after week telling the story of one family or group of people, or
_______________ - amusing drama series - sometimes make us want to copy the life style we see on the
_______________. Also _______________ - which give people big _______________ for answering
simple questions can make us greedy. Some programmes are _______________ by tens of millions of
_______________. This is how advertising _______________ on television are calculated: the bigger the
_______________, the more _______________ the commercial. This type of research is knows as
_______________.
angle audience audience rating biased channels commercials condition entertainment
expensive Is mass media prizes programmes quiz shows rates satellite dish screen sitcoms
soap operas switch viewers watched
Theatre
The person who directs the preparation of a play is the ____________. Sometimes the ____________, who
wrote the play, works with him. One of the first things to be done is to choose the ____________, i.e. the
actors and actresses. For this purpose, ____________ are held at which actors ____________ short
pieces and the most suitable are chosen for the ____________ in the play. Before the play is
____________ in front of an ____________ of hundreds of theatre-goers, of course there are a lot of
____________. At last, the ____________ ! When the ____________ goes down at the end, will there
be enthusiastic ____________ ... or silence? Will the newspaper ____________ be good or bad? What
will the ____________ think? Everyone hopes for a ____________ that will ____________ for months
or even years, but the play might be a ____________ and only last a few days. It's hard work in the theatre
for a theatre ____________. There are evening ____________ - six nights a week and afternoon shows,
called ____________, once or twice as well.
applause audience auditions cast company critics curtain director first night flop hit
matinées parts perform performances performed playwright rehearsals reviews run
Time expressions
(a) Her parties usually finish before midnight, but sometimes they go on ____________________.
(b) People who have ____________________ watches tend to say '7.50' rather than 'l 0 to 8'.
(c) The plane is due to reach Bangkok at 5.30 a.m. ____________________.
(d) If you cross Russia, you pass through eight différent ____________________.
(e) Novels don't always describe events in ____________________. It can be confusing.
(f) The First World War took place in the second ____________________ of the XXth
____________________. That was in the second ____________________!
(g) After leaving university he had a ____________________ of teaching and then went into industry.
(h) In British history the period 1837 to 1901 is known as the ____________________
(i) But that happened at ____________________ of the century, around 1900. ! It was over a hundred
years ago!
(j) I always get up at ____________________ to listen to the early birds singing in the trees.
(k) People born on a February 29th only get older every ____________________, don't they?
(l) Their food is adequate; it includes meat at least ____________________, vegetables and fruit every day.
(m) She's quite happy in Australia on the whole, but of course she misses her family
____________________.
(n) They're redecorating my digs, so for ____________________ I'm sleeping at a friend's.
(o) High Speed Trains are very punctual; they always leave ____________________.
(p) She set the alarm so she'd wake up ____________________ to give her son his medication.
(q) He was ____________________ of his time employing ex-convicts and handicapped.
(r) She ran for the staircase and down the steps, taking two ____________________.
(s) The situation is calm for the time ____________________.
(t) When you start your studies, it is hard to imagine what'll happen in ____________________.
(u) If we're out, we always make sure we are back home in ____________________ to watch the 10
o'clock news.
(v) She had ____________________ for me in the midst of her busy schedule.
(w) We were delayed last week, but are working hard to ____________________ lost time.
(x) Time ____________________ time television channels showed us pictures of the collapsing towers
(y) For some it was awful, while for others, especially the young, it was the time ____________________.
(z) Their new commercial will run four times this week at ____________________ time.
(1) Reading the newspaper every day is a time ____________________ pursuit.
(2) The time ____________________ within which all this occurred was between July and September last
year
(3) The time-____________________ between research and application may be very long.
(4) This proposal is a political ____________________ that could cost the government the next elections
(5) The likelihood is that these companies will start showing profit on a two-year ____________________.
(6) The firemen got the children out in the ____________________. Less than a minute later the building
collapsed. of the century, around 1900. ! It was over a hundred years ago!
after ahead at a time at times being century chronological order consuming dawn decade
digital every other day four years' time frame good time in time into the small hours lag leap
year local time made time make up for millennium nick of time of their lives on time peak
spell the time being the turn time bomb time scale time zones Victorian era
Travel (1)
People have more money and more ________________ nowadays and even young people can
________________ to go ________________.
Many ________________ offer cheap
________________ tickets for ________________ to all parts of the world with ________________
such as Virgin or Sobelair, so youngsters can avoid the ________________, well-known places and get to
less famous areas which are off ________________. Instead of using public transport and hotels, they can
travel by ________________ and stay at youth ________________. But most people prefer some kind
of ________________ holiday at a popular holiday ________________, which means that everything is
arranged for you by the ________________ and the price you pay includes transport, food and
________________. Try to avoid taking your holiday during the busy ________________ season. It's
more crowded and ________________. If possible, go in the quieter ________________ period.. Try
to avoid taking your holiday during the busy season. It's more crowded and . If possible, go in the quieter
period.
abroad accommodation afford airlines crowded cut-price expensive flights hitch-hiking
hostels leisure off-peak package peak resort the beaten track tour operator travel agents
Travel (2)
(a) For general advice about travel, go to a ____________.
(b) One day I would like to do the ____________ by train and ship across Russia to Japan.
(c) We're going on a ____________ of Europe, visiting 11 countries in five weeks.
(d) We went on a three-week ____________ round the Mediterranean. The ship ____________ at
Venice, Athens, Istanbul and Alexandria.
(e) He once went by ship to Australia. The ____________ took 3 1/2 weeks.
(f) l'm going on a business ____________ to Paris next weekend.
(g) Air France ____________ 507 from Paris to New York will be ____________ off in ten minutes.
(h) The ____________ from Heathrow Airport to the centre of London takes about 45 minutes
____________ underground.
(i) On our first day in New York we went on a three-hour ____________ of the city by bus, which showed
us the main ____________.
(j) During our stay in London we went on a day ____________ to Oxford, and another to Windsor.
by called cruise flight journey journey sights taking tour tour travel agent trip trip
voyage
Welfare
A country which helps its old, sick, ______________ and unemployed is called a ______________ state.
______________ people receive a state pension when they ______________ at the age of 60 or 65.
People with low ______________ who cannot ______________ to buy or rent decent ______________
are given houses or flats with ______________ rents, which means that the government or local
______________ supports the rent to keep it low. Sick people get free medical ______________ from
their doctor or at the hospital. Mothers of small children get special state financial ______________, and
of course older children receive free ______________ and may be entitled to a ______________, or
______________, to study in higher education. Physically ______________ people, who cannot move
normally, and mentally handicapped people, whose minds are not fully developed, also receive special
assistance and, if necessary, special ______________ to help them live normal lives. People who are
______________ are normally ______________ to receive unemployment ______________, which is
paid by the state. The social services (government departments responsible for. people's ______________)
will help people who, financially, physically or psychologically, have difficulty in ______________ with life
and ______________ will visit such people in their homes. and may be entitled to a , or , to study in higher
education. Physically people, who cannot move normally, and mentally handicapped people, whose minds
are not fully developed, also receive special assistance and, if necessary, special to help them live normal
lives. People who are are normally to receive unemployment , which is paid by the state. The social
services (government departments responsible for. people's ) will help people who, financially, physically or
psychologically, have difficulty in with life and will visit such people in their homes.
accommodation afford benefit benefits coping council disabled disabled Elderly eligible
equipment grant incomes out of work retire scholarship schooling social workers subsidized
treatment welfare well-being
Attitudes to work & leisure
Most adults ______________ to more ______________ but, in fact, not many people have the necessary
initiative to use the free time they already have very ______________. The sad fact is that we need work
because it ______________ on us the discipline we need. Without it, life may seem ______________
and we secretly look ______________ to our work again. We dream about personal ______________
but probably find it more in our work than in our leisure time. This depends ______________ age. The
______________ are free from work and ______________, and freedom comes naturally to them.
However, after they begin jobs they become ______________ by work. They find they need it, however
much they ______________ about its routine and regimentation. Obviously this again depends on the kind
of work. Those with ______________ jobs, or jobs which require creativity, receive ______________
satisfaction from their work, but most of us are in conventional ______________ jobs which offer little
______________ for imagination. Some leave their work only to face leisure that they find difficult to
______________ with. Our mistake is in ______________ leisure as a chance to do nothing, whereas
in fact it should be looked on as a ______________.
9 to 5 aimless aspire challenge complain conditioned constructively cope forward fulfilment
genuine imposes leisure on regarding responsibility rewarding scope young
Work (1)
In times of high unemployment there are usually very many ______________ when a vacancy is
______________.
Sometimes large numbers of people ______________ in and send off
______________ forms for a single job. It is not unusual, in fact, for hundreds of people to
______________ to a firm for one post, sending in their application letter and CV, or ______________.
This number is reduced to a ______________ of perhaps six or eight, from whom a final choice is
______________ when they all ______________ an interview. Very possibly the people interviewing will
be interested in the ______________ the candidates gained at school or university and what
______________ they have gathered in ______________ jobs. They will probably ask for written
______________ by the candidates' teachers and ______________ employers, called ______________.
advertised applicants applications apply attend experience fill former made previous
qualifications referees references résumé short-list
Work (2)
Job _______________ is important but I have a wife and baby so I have to think about money too. If a job
interests me, I need to know what _______________ it offers and also whether there are regular annual
increases, called _______________. I want to know if I will receive a pension when I _______________
at the age of 60 or 65. If the job is selling a product, ask if I'll receive a percentage of the value of what I
sell, called _______________. It is also important to know if there are extra advantages, like free meals or
transport, or the free use of a _______________ car. These are called _______________ or
_______________. Are the future _______________ good? For example, is there a good chance of
_______________ to a better job, with more money and _______________? Is the job near my home?
If it isn't, l'Il have to _______________ every day and this can be expensive. I am very keen to be
successful. I don't want to stay _______________ the same job all my life.
commission commute company fringe benefits in increments perks promotion prospects
responsibility retire salary satisfaction
World population
The UN considers October 12th, 1999 the day on which there were 6 ___________ people in the world, 247
babies being born every minute. The earth ___________ 80 million more people each year, most of them
living in the south. The developing world ___________ for over 95% of population growth. Even if these
___________ look impressive, the so dreaded population bomb is most unlikely to explode.
Optimistic ___________ are based on positive and negative factors: the positive ones are the drop in the
birth ___________ and in the population growth rate, partly due to better use of contraceptives in
___________ countries. Since 1969, developing countries have seen ___________ fall from six children
per woman to three. By 2025, the US ___________ Bureau estimates that the fertility rate of the less
developed countries will have ___________ to 2.4, which is very close to 2.1, considered to be the
___________ level.
The negative factors are the devastating effects of ___________ in Africa, where life ___________ has
plummeted in the worst-hit countries. The main feature of this demographic ___________ is an ageing of
the population. It is estimated that ___________ the year 2050, 95% of the rise in the number of the
___________ will have taken place in developing countries, which should be a ___________ on the
development of the countries concerned. ___________ will also be a headache for western countries, which
will have to ___________ about public ___________ and health ___________.
Demographic ___________ go together with questions of economic growth, wealth and its distribution.
Industrialized countries, that is 20% of the world's population, hold 80% of the world's ___________.
Because the ___________ of global growth have not been evenly distributed, it has become urgent to help
___________ the economic growth of the countries left behind.
accounts Ageing AIDS benefits billion boost brake by care Census counts developing
elderly expectancy fallen fertility figures forecasts issues pensions rate replacement
slowdown wealth worry
Advertising (1)
Advertisements are everywhere, from columns of small classified advertisements for houses, jobs, cars etc.
in newspapers to big posters on walls and enormous advertisements on hoardings by the side of the road. The
job of the advertising agencies is to advertise the products and services of their clients, the advertisers..
They design eye-catching advertisements and make television or radio commercials to persuade us to buy,
or purchase, them. The advertising media include broadcast media, such as TV and radio, and print media,
such as dailies and weeklies, but also cinema, hoardings, point-of-sales displays, sponsorship, mail shots,
telemarketing and many more. All these media may carry the advertising message and put it across to the
adequate target audience.
Advertising (2)
Modern advertisements contain hidden messages. Implicit in the advertisement showingthe pretty girl in
the new car or the smiling children round the packet of washing powder is the message that if we buy the
product, we also achieve success and happiness. It is a subtle approach since it seeks to exploit our secret
dreams, and it is inescapable since advertising is ubiquitous. Giant street hoardings and catchy jingles on
television bombard us from all sides. They brainwash us into believing that we can realise our ambitions
quickly and easily. On the other hand, defenders of advertising say that it is beneficial. Advertising is
informative. Advertisements tell us about useful new products. They brighten our lives with colour and music.
They increase demand, stimulate industry and so keep prices down. Whether for or against advertising, most
people would agree that some kind of watchdog , appointed by the government or by the advertising industry
itself, is necessary to maintain standards of honesty and to discourage the more blatant types of misleading
advertisements,
Air Travel (1)
When travelling by air you have to get to the airport early in order to check in about an hour before your flight.
If you have a lot of luggage, you can put it on a trolley and push it to the check-in desk, where someone will
check your ticket and weigh your luggage. If you have excess luggage, it can be expensive. Your heavy
luggage is put on a conveyor belt and carried away. A light bag is classed as hand luggage and you can take
it with you on to the plane. An immigration officer. looks at your passport and a security guard checks your
hand luggage before you go into the departures lounge to wait till your flight is called. If you want to, you can
buy some cheap duty free goods here. Then you see on the departures board or you hear an announcement
that you must board your plane. You go through the departure gate, then there is sometimes a security check
before you actually enter the plane. When all the passengers are on board, and when the captain and his crew
are ready in the cockpit, the plane begins to taxi to the end of the runway. Finally, permission is received from
the control tower and the plane moves faster and faster in order to take off .
Air travel (2)
Flying is fun. I like being in a big airliner with the crew, i.e. the stewards and stewardesses looking after me.
They walk up and down the aisle - bringing meals and drinks; and if the flight is going through some
turbulence, such as an air pocket, they warn everybody that it might be a bit bumpy and ask us to fasten our
seat belts. On a long flight I like listening to music through the headphones available to all passengers, and
sometimes I have a sleep. I enjoy it all so much that I never want the plane to land.
Activism
The British have long been concerned about animal welfare and were among the first to call for legislation
on this matter. There are three main concepts reflecting different approaches to the topic:
Conservation may be defined as the protection of wildlife and endangered species.
Animal welfare refers to the well-being of animals. Welfarists call for the "best possible conditions" for
animals, free from cruelty or unnecessary bodily harm.
Animal rights covers conservation and animal welfare plus the more radical idea that animals should not be
held in captivity (on farms, in zoos or in circuses) or eaten. Animal rights activists are either vegetarians or
vegans (i.e. they do not eat meat, fish, poultry, animal milk, cheese or eggs).
The move to protect animals has led to the creation of cruelty-free products, i.e. products which have not
been tested on animals. In Britain, animal activists have successfully waged a campaign for such cosmetics.
This resulted in a bill passed in November 1998 which bans all cosmetics tested on animals in Britain, although
it does not apply to imported products. Anita Roddick owns The Body Shop, which manufactures cosmetics
and toiletries, and was a key figure in raising public awareness about the issue. These products have become
hugely popular. The firm Beauty Without Cruelty bas pursued a similar aim though with less commercial
success.
Another sensitive issue is the use of animals by the fur trade. Anti-fur campaigns have led to a sharp decline
in fur sales and there is now a stigma attached to wearing fur in Britain. Parliament recently agreed to oulaw
the remaining 13 mink farms by January 2002, offering them financial compensation.
Art
One of the most creative things anyone can do is to make a work of art, whether it's a sculptor carving a
sculpture or a painter painting pictures. Amateur artists do it for their own satisfaction and pleasure, but
professional artists have to make a living from their art and they are dependent on dealers to sell their works
in city galleries. I myself have a Picasso. Of course, it's a reproductions, not an original, as I can't afford that!
A lot of people buy a camera just to take holiday snapshots. They have prints made and put them in an album
or sometimes they prefer slides, which they can show on the wall or screen with a projector. Other people
are more serious. They develop and print their films themselves in their own darkroom at home. If they
want big pictures they make enlargements.
Banking
It's very simple to open a bank account in Britain. There are very few formalities. Just go to your local
branch, fill in a few forms, and that's it. You will probably only have to pay bank charges if there is no money
in your account or if you borrow money from the bank, in other words if you have an overdraft or want a loan
or a mortgage.
For regular everyday use most people prefer a current account. This normally earns no or little interest. A
deposit account earns some interest but it's not so easy to withdraw your money. You sometimes have to give
a week's notice.
At regular intervals, perhaps monthly, you will receive a statement from the bank, giving details of each
deposit (money you put in) and withdrawal (money you take out). If your're not sure how much money you
have in your account, you can just go to your bank and ask what your balance is. If you have to make a
regular payment, like rent, you can ask the bank to pay this amount for you automatically. This arrangement
is called a standing order.
Today you no longer depend on bank opening hours to cash money, as you can witdraw plastic money from
cash machines (also called cash dispensers) and can transfer money through electronic banking.
Some people spend more money than they earn. In other words, their expenditure is greater than their
income. If you take more money out of the bank than you have in your account, you are overdrawn.
Censorship
The amount of offensive material we are exposed to in films nowadays is surely excessive. Most people
accept that scenes of sex and violence are sometimes necessary to tell a story, but all too often these scenes
are gratuitous; they are unnecessary and simply inserted in the film to appeal to the baser human instincts.
Censorship is necessary, especially to protect children from the corrupting influence of such scenes, often
masquerading as art, in our cinemas. There should also be censorship of pornographic and paedophilic
magazines produced by unscrupulous people willing to cater for the perverted tastes of a small minority.
Such materials destroy the innocence of the young and degrades all who read it. On the other hand, there
are those who say that something which is banned becomes desirable, so censorship is counter-productive,
and that censorship infringes on our freedom of choice. However freedom is not merely freedom to do what
we want but freedom from attempts to destroy society's moral standards. Censorship provides the safeguards
by which society protects itself. Censorship provides the by which society protects itself.
Cinema & films (1)
Marlon Brando is a superb actor and in 'On the Waterfront' he gave his finest performance. It is his
best-known role. The cast also included Eva Marie Saint and Karl Malden and the film's director, Elia Kazan,
never made a better film. Parts of the film were shot in the studios in Hollywood, but a lot was made on
location in the streets of New York, which makes it at times like a documentary. The critics loved the film
but it was not only a critical success. It was a great box-office success as well, and made an enormous
profit. The plot is about a young man's attempt to be a boxing champion.
Cinema & films (2)
Fiona and I went to the cinema the other day to see 'Devil' at UGC. The review by the "Libre Belgique" critic
was good, and we decided to go to the 8 o'clock performance. When I arrived, Fiona was waiting for me in
the foyer, looking at a poster for 'Devil' on the wall. The usherette took our tickets and showed us to our
seats. I don't like to be too close to the screen and I usually sit in the back row if possible, and I prefer a seat
on the aisle so I can stretch my legs. Before the main film there was a Mickey Mouse cartoon, then a trailer
for the following week's film. "Devil" was an outstanding film and we enjoyed it tremendously.
City life
Most people in developed countries are city-dwellers,, many drawn by the irresistible lure of the metropolis.
The attractions of the city are many: the cosmopolitan atmosphere, foreign restaurants, different languages,
international companies, the stimulation of cultural events or the simple hope of finding work. All too many
find, however, that the glamorous facade is false. One can be very alone in the city and the anonimity which
at first seems to give freedom and protection later leaves just loneliness., experienced very painfully by the
elderly.
There is a lot to do but everything is expensive. The cost of living, food and accommodation,
is high. There is pollution not only of the physical but also of the moral environment and the various pressures
of urban life cause cities to breed crime and violence. Above all, perhaps, it is the daily stresses and strains
of the city which make life there a matter of survival rather than enjoyment. Many a commuter struggling to
work through the rush-hour congestion probably wonders 'Is it worth it?'
Computers
Just imagine what the world would be without computers.
A computer is an electronic machine that performs calculations and processes data automatically at high
speeds. A computer cannot work without software--i.e., a programme--which controls the different
hardware components of the computer.
Desktop computers can be placed on top of a desk but are not very transportable, while portable computers
are light enough to be easily transported.
A personal computer typically has a keyboard and a mouse as its input unit, while output units are the screen,
the printer, the loudspeakers.
There are many application programmess that individual users can conveniently run. Desktop publishing is
the creation of pages for publication using personal computers. Spreadsheet programs are the most popular
programs for business calculations. They allow the user to enter columns and rows of digits. Database
management is the quick search and retrieval of needed information from a collection of data --i.e., a
database
Crime
The good news is that crime has fallen markedly in recent years. Statistics may not reflect people's
experience or fear of crime but the figures speak for themselves: in America, crime rates have never been
so low since the government started keeping records 25 years ago.
Criminologists and politicians from all over the world have flocked to America to learn about
law-enforcement. If the media are to be believed, America's tough approach can be credited for the sharp
drop in crime rates. These did not start falling, it is frequently argued, until strict sentencing was introduced.
Strict law enforcement and mandatatory sentences did much to deter potential criminals. And the drop in
crime is steepest in the South, where laws are especially strict: Texas has the highest incarceration rate in
the US and a crime rate at a 20-year low. In 1997, the murder rate was down 10% on 1996. Another
popular concept based on the "broken windows" theory is zero tolerance. Stop petty offenders, lock them
away and they will not graduate to more serious crime.
Still other tough techniques such as teen curfews now being tested in Britain or France down well with voters
who like their politicians to sound and act tough on crime. Whether such measures really work is more
debatable. Experts say the crime rate in the US started going down before they became effective. Civil
rights activists claim they often result in racial bias if not outright discrimination.
Interestingly, a more softly-softly approach seems to be working just as well, even if it does not make for
sensational newspaper headlines. Neighbourhood policing based on community contacts has done much to
reclaim the streets of Washington or Boston, while the Maori-inspired concept of restorative justice-bringing
criminals and their victims face to face-has greatly reduced the number of juveniles brought to court for
reoffending.
What is certain is that the current drop in crime is attributable to the end of the crack epidemic and to
demographics as well as to any of the policies mentioned above.
Issues in education
It is interesting that in some countries which are socialist and therefore supposedly classless , the educational
system is based on streaming , which means that children are educated according to their ability, with the
more gifted children separated from the others. Supporters of this system say that more intelligent children
will be helped to achieve their full potential in this way and that these children will be held back if they have
to share lessons with less clever pupils.
Opponents of this system, on the other hand, maintain that it creates an educated elite, a special class of
privileged people who are encouraged to think of themselves as superior to the others. Similarly the others
may, as a result of being labelled second-rate, develop some kind of inferiority. In a word, such a system is
divisive, since it creates a division between people. Another important issue in education is the amount of
freedom and choice children should be given at school. The conservative view is that a conventional system
of strict rules is best.
However, critics of this attitude say it causes regimentation, as in the army, and discourages children's natural
imagination and creativity. We must ask ourselves what the purpose of education is : to cram children's heads
with facts or to encourage them to develop their natural skills in their own way?
Education (2)
When children are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a nursery school, where they learn simple
games and songs. Their first real school is called a primary school. In Britain children start this school at the
age of five. The academic year in Britain begins in September and is divided into three terms. Schools break
up for the summer holiday in July. Secondary education begins at the age of about eleven. In Britain
education is compulsory from five to 16 years of age, but many children choose to remain at school for
another two or three years after 16 to take higher exams. Most children go to state schools, which are
maintained by the government or local education authorities, but some children go to private schools, which
can be very expensive. University courses normally last three years and then students graduate, which means
they receive their degree. At university, teaching is by tutorial (an individual lesson between a teacher and
one or two students), seminar (a class of students discussing a subject with a teacher), lecture (when a
teacher gives a prepared talk to a number of students) and of course private study. Most people who receive
a university place are given a grant by the government to help pay their fees and living expenses.
Elections and government (1)
People sometimes try to predict the result of an election weeks before it takes place. Several hundred people
are asked which party they prefer, and their answers are used to guess the result of the coming election. This
is called an opinion poll. Meanwhile each party conducts its election campaign with meetings, speeches,
television commercials, and party members going from door to door encouraging people to support their party.
In Britain everyone over 18 is eligible to vote. The place where people go to vote in an election is called a
polling station and the day of the election is often known as polling day. The voters put their votes, also called
ballots, in a ballot box and later they are counted. The candidate with the most votes is then declared the
winner.
Elections and government (2)
In most countries, except one-party states, there are several different political parties. The one with the
majority of seats normally forms the government, and the parties which are against the government are called
the opposition. Sometimes no single party wins enough seats, and several parties must combine together in
a coalition to form a government. The principal ministers in the government form a group called the cabinet.
The leader of this group, and of the government, is the prime minister. Of course, there are many different
kinds of parties and governments. A socialist or communist party is often described as left-wing. A
conservative party on the other hand, is usually said to be right-wing. Political situations are always changing.
Sometimes in a party or between two parties there is a big argument or deep difference of opinion. This is
called a split. When, on the other hand, two parties work together, this is sometimes called an alliance.
Electrical appliances
When you buy a television, radio or cassette recorder make sure it has a long enough lead. Plug it in at the
most convenient socket in your room, and then switch it on. You normally adjust the volume by turning a
knob, and there are other controls as well. It is probably best to unplug the appliance when it is not in use.
If you have any trouble with it, ask an electrician to look at it or take it back to the dealer you bought it from.
The environment
When industrialization began, little thought was given to its ecological effects. Raw, untreated sewage was
allowed to pollute our seas and rivers. Animals were killed for profit to the point of extinction. The loss of
trees through uncontrolled deforestation caused erosion and unstable climate. Acid rain was caused by the
poisonous gases man sent into the atmosphere. Chemicals in pesticides killed animal life. Herbicides
destroyed numerous plants. The balance of nature got disturbed.
It is only now that we are waking up to the problem. More natural, organic farming is advocated. Legislation
controls the disposal of waste products into our air and water. Wildlife organizations are becoming more
militant in their fight for animal rights. Replanting policies in some parts of the world mean that our forests
should in future be sustainable.
We can only hope that growing public awareness and enlightened legislation will produce a world which is
safe for us and will provide a good quality of life for future generations.
Finance in the Third World
Calls for help reach the International Monetary Fund at each and every financial crisis. After the debt crisis
of Mexico in 1982, the IMF had hoped that no other country would default, though less developed countries
throughout the world found that that they had to repay loans that they thought would be rescheduled for ever.
In 1997, with the collapse of the baht, in Thailand and the spreading of the crisis throughout the South East
banking systems, the IMF and the World Bank thought it was time to push ahead with reforms that will
prevent the return of crises that put millions of people back into poverty and threatened the global economy.
The crisis jeopardized the economy of Brazil and even affected Russia, which is suffering as well from
domestic difficulties.
At a meeting in April 1999, Finance ministers and central bank governors of 182 countries members of the
IMF, decided that reforms were necessary.
One major issue to address is the sudden loss in confidence of investors that flee from one market to rush into
another creating another currency crisis. Another issue is the laundering of mafia money. It makes account
transparency more difficult, both in big banks and in big companies.
Flats & houses
The first thing I had to do in London was find somewhere to live, if possible a small, one-bedroomed flat. I
didn't want to share a kitchen or toilet; I wanted to be independent in my own self-contained place. I decided
I could pay a rent of 150 euros a week. I couldn't find what I wanted in the newspaper classified ads so I
went to an accommodation agency. They offered me a nice place. It was in a modern block on the third floor.
I had to pay the agency a fee, and the landlord wanted a big deposit and references from my employer and
bank manager.
Flats & houses (2)
Tony and Sheila's first home was a terraced house, one of a line of houses all connected. But several years
later when they had a small child, they found it rather cramped for three people. They wanted something
more spacious and so decided to move. They went to an estate agent and looked at details of the houses he
had to offer. They looked at a semi-detached house (one of a pair attached to each other), liked it, and asked
a surveyor to inspect it for them. He said that it was in good condition, and they therefore decided to buy it.
Soon a removals firm was taking all their furniture and other possessions to their new home. But already,
after a couple of years, they are hoping to move again: they want to get an architect to design a modern,
detached house for them, and a builder to build it.
Mobile phones
The telephone, whether fixed or mobile, has become one of the most common household appliances. Here
in Belgium, GSMs made their entrance on the market in 1994. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile
Communications. Their only operator was Proximus, a Belgacom owned subsidiaty, until competitor Mobistar
was granted an operations licence by the Belgian government in 1995. Their network was launched in August
1996. Orange's network was launched in October 1998. Today GSMs come in a range of models, sizes,
designs and colours, all created to appeal to the consumer at every level of the market, who is looking for a
user-friendly appliance. The operators also offer a wide range of subscriptions and pre-paid cards, possibly
to confuse consumers in order to avoid an all-out battle and a lowering of their rates. They claim this is
necessary to meet the customers' varied needs. In Britain, manufacturers of GSMs have admitted that their
products can cause health risks to users, so called health hazards. The radiatioin waves they emit are weak,
but can lead to loss of concentration, and, in the worst cases, brain tumours. This is a real cause for concern,
and doctors are warning users to limit the amount of talking time to 20 minutes at most a day.
Industry
The health of a big, developed country's economy depends largely on its industry. Factories have to keep
busy. They must produce and sell their products in large quantities. Shipyards must make and sell ships, car
plants must make and sell cars. A period of industrial success, when everything goes well and large profits
are made, is called a boom. On the other hand a period when there is not much industrial activity is called a
slump. To maintain a high level of production is not simple. For example Japan, a very successful
industrialized country, has very few natural resources such as oil or coal, and has to import those raw
materials from other countries in order to keep its industries going, and thus to supply needs at home and also
to export its goods to its overseas markets.
International relations
The American President and the Russian leader have announced their intention to hold a summit meeting
in Vienna next month. The two countries have already had preliminary talks and decided on an agenda for
the meeting. The main item will be a discussion about the fight against terrorism. At a news conference held
in Washington yesterday a government spokesman told journalists that the unfortunate breakdown of last
year's talks between the two countries had been caused by disagreements over disarmament. He said the
Vienna meeting would be a chance for the two countries to to settle their differences.
Neighbouring countries A and B had always had very good, close relations, but in 1994, owing to a
disagreement over the exact location of the border between them, a split began to develop. Finally, in 1996,
in protest at military activity by country B near the border, country A announced its intention to break off
diplomatic relations with country B. Both countries withdrew their ambassadors and the embassies in the
two countries were closed down. It is hoped that a solution will be found and that it will be possible to resume
normal trade, cultural and diplomatic links as soon as possible.
The Internet
The Internet became increasingly accessible to the public with the advent of the personal computer, and the
development of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), which in 1992 led to the World Wide Web (or Web).
So, the Internet predates the Web by many years.
The Web is a collection of sites that take advantage of the graphic abilities of the new browsers. such as
Netscape, Internet Explorer or Opera. A simple click of the mouse on a link will take you to the linked page.
To keep everyone working together in peace an informal set of rules called Netiquette has evolved.
If you are looking for a specific topic, you can use a search engine such as Yahoo! or Excite. A search
engine will give you a list of all the web pages containing information about the subject that you are
researching. However, you should always check the information since anyone can create his/her own site
and write anything they want in it.
With IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, you can chat online with other people who are on the same channel. IRC
is not very private. Anyone can join a chat and read what you are writing about. ICQ, a more recent
creation allows you to see if your friends are online or not.
Sooner or later, everyone knew that business would become interested in this marketing paradise. Individuals
and agencies started sending unsolicited mails-also called spam , especially through newsgroups. These are
groups of surfers who exchange messages about their common interests.
As online commerce becomes more common people have begun to worry that it may not be safe to give
information about their credit card through the Internet. In response to this need, companies in partnerships
with banks have developed means of securely encrypting this information to make online transactions safe.
Law and order
A policeman was sent to investigate the disappearance of some property from a hotel. When he arrived, he
found that the hotel staff had caught a boy in one of the rooms with a camera and some cash. When the
policeman tried to arrest the boy, he became violent and the policeman had to handcuff him. At the police
station the boy could not give a satisfactory explanation for his actions and the police decided to charge him
with the theft of the camera and cash. They took his fingerprints, locked him in a cell and detained him
overnight. The next morning he appeared in court before the magistrate. He took an oath and pleaded not
guilty. Two witnesses, the owner of the property and a member of the hotel staff, gave evidence. After both
sides of the case had been heard the boy was found guilty. He had to pay a fine of 250 euros and he was
given a sentence of three months in prison suspended for two years.
Medical care
When I go to the doctor, I tell the secretary my name and take a seat in the waiting room. My doctor is very
busy so I have to make an appointment before I go to see him. He asks me what's wrong with me, I tell him
the symptoms of my illness, for example high temperature, difficulty in breathing, or pains, and then he will
usually examine me. He'll listen to my heart with his stethoscope, he'Il hold my wrist to feel my pulse. The
problem is usually something simple and he might give me a prescription for some medicine, which I take to
the chemist. Of course, if I needed more serious treatment than just a medicine, I'd have to go to hospital.
There I'd be put in a bed in a ward with other patients. If there were something seriously wrong with me,
I might need an operation.
Natural disasters
If a country has no rain for a long time, this dry period is called a drought. In countries dependent on their
agriculture, this can lead to a period of famine, when there is not enough food and people actually starve (die
of hunger). When it rains very heavily and the land is under water, this is called a flood. In this situation
people and animals can drown. Sometimes helicopters have to drop food supplies to people in areas which
are cut off.
In some parts of the world, the ground shakes from time to time. This is called an earthquake and if it's a bad
one, the number of casualties (dead and injured people) is sometimes large. Buildings often collapse and
rescue teams have to search for people who are trapped under the rubble. Sometimes water supplies are
affected and there is an outbreak of disease, called an epidemic. Medical teams are sent by the government
to help the sick. The death toll can reach hundreds or even thousands.
A new generation of consumers
Among other things, the second half of the 20th century will go down in history as a period of booming
consumption. And never before have science and new technologies exerted such an influence on our
purchasing habits. At the beginning of this new millennium, consumers are both wary and more fickle, trade
wars are being fought on globalized markets and advertising gurus rule the roost in distribution networks.
The year 2000 marks the arrival of a new generation of consumers: these are involved in a relentless pursuit
of their material comfort. Markets offer them a wide range of items in supermarket aisles while new trends
set in the media push them to try new products and adopt new attitudes.
Organic food, cellular phones, "smart cars," TV retailing, let alone Internet shopping, are just a few but glaring
examples of today's various consuming trends that will become mainstream in the near future.
For instance, a recent poll in Britain showed 81% of those interviewed condemned genefoods and wanted
producers to spend more money on developing healthier livestock. In spite of recent campaigns denouncing
the evil effects of cellular phones on the human brain, the sales of mobile phones have been skyrocketing for
a decade to reach unprecedented sales figures.
The countdown has also begun for the launch of "cyberhomes" packed with silicon microchips... In future
superstores, more electronic wizardry will save shoppers precious time by cutting down waiting-lines at check
outs. New shopping technology like "smart" trolleys will eventually be as easy to operate as flicking a switch.
Shopping on the Net is also in a position to change the face of retailing. Besides, the growing success of
interactive retail methods also means that shopping may no longer involve a boring trip down to your local
mall: cable-TV and computers enable us to browse through updated catalogues, place orders by means of a
mouse and get the goods delivered to our homes within a few hours, which will undoubtedly mark the start
of a revolution in our shopping habits.. High street shops are unlikely to resist this form of competition.
The new poor
Poverty has no strict definition and is often divided into "absolute" or "relative" poverty. Absolute poverty is
when people cannot meet their basic needs: accommodation, food and clothing. Relative deprivation is linked
to the notion of social exclusion. Due to an inadequate income, poor people live below the living standards
of their society, without the things generally owned by others. The poverty line is an income of less than half
the national average. In 1998, it affected 13.3% of the population in the U.S.A.
The concept of "new poverty' dates back to the 80s, when the economic crisis of the 70s hit many people who
had had a decent way of life up to then but were made redundant, often because of streamlining. The "new
poor" were driven out of homes they could no longer afford and forced to sell many of their belongings,
including their cars, which reduced their chances of getting another job.
In Europe, new poverty is often equated with long-term unemployment. Likely victims are young people and
single mothers who rely on benefits to survive. In the U.S.A., the new poor are often the working poor, those
who work but earn such low wages that they cannot pay for food, accommodation, health care, education for
the children. Blacks and Hispanics account for large shares of America's poor.
Poverty has always existed because decision makers have never dared or wished to implement the right
solutions.New poverty generally means relative poverty thanks to the safety nets offered by state assistance
(benefits, welfare money). In extreme situations though, especially when unemployment is associated with
a breakdown of the family unit (divorce, clash between parents and children) or addiction, it may lead to
absolute poverty and homelessness.
Newspapers (1)
A newspaper makes its money from the price people pay for it (when they buy it from the newsagent or
newsstand, or when they subscribe to it) and also from the advertising it carries. A popular newspaper with
a circulation of over five million daily makes a lot of money. Less serious newspapers are probably read just
for entertainment. They carry big headlines above the news stories, funny cartoons to look at and sensational
pictures of violence. The gossip columns are full of stories of the private lives of famous people. No one
takes the political views of such papers very seriously. On the other hand, in a free country where there is
no censorship, serious newspapers are read principally for their news, sent to them by their foreign
correspondents round the world and by the big news agencies. People also read these newspapers for their
reviews of new books, films and plays written by some famous critic, and for their editorials, which represent
the opinion of the newspaper itself about the important events and issues of the moment. The sports, travel,
financial and TV sections of our dailies are also widely read.
Public Relations
The primary goal of public relations is to manage a company's reputation and help build public consent for its
activities. Today's business environment has become so competitive that public consent can no longer be
assumed; it must be earned continuously.
The term public relations is widely misunderstood and misused. Part of the confusion is due to the fact that
PR covers a very broad area. Every company, organization, or government body has relationships with groups
of people who are affected by what it does or says. They may be enployees, customers, stockholders,
competitors, suppliers, legislators, or the community in which the organization resides. Marketing people refer
to these as stakeholders because they all have some vested interest in the company's activities. Each of these
groups is considered one of the organization's publics, and the goal of PR is to develop and maintain good-will
with most, if not all of its publics. Failure to do so may mean loss of customers and revenues, time lost dealing
with complaints or lawsuits, and loss of esteem (which weakens the organization's brand equity as well as its
ability to secure financing, make sales, and expand.
The press
The press usually refers just to newspapers, also called dailies, but the term can be extended to include
magazines, i.e. weeklies or monthlies. Newspapers are either tabloid, a format usually associated in the
English-speaking world with the popular press (such as the Sun), or broadsheet, associated with quality
journalism (such as the Times). Tabloids are sometimes referred to as the gutter press by people who
disapprove of them.
Tabloids often have very large circulations (numbers of copies sold) and even bigger readerships (total
number of people reading them). Papers such as these are often referred to as mass circulation papers.
The people in charge of newspaper content are editors. The people who write for them are journalists.
Someone who writes articles that appear regularly, usually in the same place in the paper, and often with
powerfully expressed opinions, is a columnist.
The British national press is referred to as Fleet Street, although no national paper is now produced in this
London street.
Newspapers run or carry articles or stories. Editorials give the paper's opinion about the news of the day.
In a quality paper, the most important editorial is the leading article or leader. These, and the other editorials,
are written by leader writers.
Governments that limit press freedom are accused of gagging the press. This may take the form a voluntary
code of practice overseen by a body referred to informally as a watchdog. If the watchdog is ineffective,
it is described as toothless. If this is not enough for the government, it may impose statutory (legally
enforceable) controls. The authorities are then described as cracking down or clamping down on the press.
They may also be accused of press censorship and of limiting press freedom or the freedom of the press.
Public transport
A taxi, also called a cab, is the most comfortable way to travel. You simply hail the taxi in the street or go
to a taxi-rank, where there are several taxis walting, for example at a station. At the end of your journey, you
can see how much the fare is by looking at the meter. You add a tip to this, and that's it. Very simple. But
expensive! What about taking a bus? If it has two floors, it's called a double-decker and you can get a good
view from the top. Most buses have a two-person crew: the driver, who drives, of course, and the conductor,
who takes your money. Keep your ticket because an inspector might want to check it. You catch a bus by
waiting at a bus stop, usually a bus shelter. You can see where a bus is going because the destination is
written on the front. But try to avoid the rush hour. Quicker than the bus is the underground (called the tube
in London, the subway in New York and the metro in Paris and many other cities). You buy your ticket at
the ticket-office Go down to the platform on the escalator or in the lift. The train comes. The sliding doors
open. You get on. Very simple. For longer distances take a train or a long-distance bus, usually called a
coach, which is slower but cheaper. The train is very fast. Put your luggage on the rack and sit and wait till
you arrive.
Books & reading
I love books. I love reading. I'm a real bookworm, and I love to browse in bookshops, just looking briefly at
one book after another. I look at the illustrations, the photos or drawings and read the captions that explain
these. If there are foreign or technical words in the book, I look at the glossary at the back for their meanings
(unless they're explained in footnotes at the bottom of the pages) and I look at the bibliography, also at the
back, which is a list of other books on the same subject. And I use the library a lot. I borrow two or three
books a week, and I have to pay a fine - if I return them late. Friends often recommend books to me, and I
also read book reviews in the newspapers. I don't always agree with them, but anyway they let me know
what new books are being published.
Shopping
If you want to buy a ready-made (or we sometimes say off-the-peg jacket), first find the jackets in the shop
and look at the label inside to see the size, material and make. For the price, look at the price tag. To see if
it will fit you, you can try on the jacket in front of a mirror. If necessary an assistant will help you. You pay
the cashier, who you will find at the cash-desk. He or she will take your money, put it in the till and give you
your change. Make sure you also get a receipt, which you should keep and bring back to the shop with the
jacket if something is wrong with it and you want to exchange it or ask for a refund of your money. In clothes
shops you pay the fixed price, of course. You don't bargain. Or you can wait until the sales, when many
goods are reduced in price. If you don't like shops, you can stay at home, look at catalogues and newspaper
advertisements and do your shopping by mail order.
Sponsorship
Commercial success depends very much on stars and big events and the results are sometimes uncertain. The
World Cup is over but its marketing lessons are still being assimilated. The encroachment of commerce into
the beautiful game was more evident than in any previous World Cup. Despite unprecedented television
audiences and a growing appetite for football across gender and class divides, commercial success on the
back of the world's largest sporting event is very uncertain. In a survey in Germany by advertising agency
BDDO, Eurocard/Mastercard, Philips, Gillette, JVC and Casio were recognised as event sponsors by less
than 1 % of those polled. Even Adidas chairman groused about the commercial clutter that diluted the impact
of sponsors, such as Adidas, that had paid top dollar. That's £20 million for a seat at the table and probably
the same again in promotion and advertising around the event.
Sports & money
Sport dominates a huge part of our lives. Satellite and cable television have dedicated sports channels, the
BBC spends well over £100m on the subject. When Vic Wakeling, the head of Sky Sports makes a decisions,
it reaches into the heart of political power. In 1996, Michael Jordan brought home a grand total of $78.3m,
not bad for playing some basketball, posing for a few hot dogs, and letting a few companies put his face by
their product and associate it with their brand. But although the public tend to focus on such players who rule
the roost, real power in sport is with the agents and managers who control them, their sponsorship,
appearance money and rights to many of their televised events. In that field nobody is more powerful than
American Mark McCormack, head of a sports management empire founded on the back of golf and now
extending to all sports. In horse racing Sheikh Mohammed has poured hundreds of millions into the sport. He
controls the incomes of trainers, jockeys, agents and shippers. Bernie Ecclestone controls every aspect of
Formula One.
Television
The mass media is a phrase often used to describe ways of giving information and entertainment to very large
numbers of people. It includes newspapers, magazsines, radio and, of course, television. In our countries
people can switch to any of over thirty different TV channels thanks to the cable or a satellite dish. Do
television programmes influence our minds? Do they indoctrinate us? Is the news completely objective, i.e.
neutral, or is it biased, i.e. considered from one particular angle ? Don't the commercialsfor alcohol, food
and other goods condition our minds? Even the soap operas going on week after week telling the story of one
family or group of people, or sitcoms - amusing drama series - sometimes make us want to copy the life style
we see on the screen. Also quiz shows - which give people big prizes for answering simple questions can
make us greedy. Some programmes are watched by tens of millions of viewers. This is how advertising rates
on television are calculated: the bigger the audience, the more expensive the commercial. This type of
research is knows as audience rating.
Theatre
The person who directs the preparation of a play is the director. Sometimes the playwright, who wrote the
play, works with him. One of the first things to be done is to choose the cast, i.e. the actors and actresses.
For this purpose, auditions are held at which actors perform short pieces and the most suitable are chosen for
the parts in the play. Before the play is performed in front of an audience of hundreds of theatre-goers, of
course there are a lot of rehearsals. At last, the first night ! When the curtain goes down at the end, will there
be enthusiastic applause ... or silence? Will the newspaper reviews be good or bad? What will the critics
think? Everyone hopes for a hit that will run for months or even years, but the play might be a flop and only
last a few days. It's hard work in the theatre for a theatre company. There are evening performances - six
nights a week and afternoon shows, called matinées, once or twice as well.
Time expressions
(a) Her parties usually finish before midnight, but sometimes they go on into the small hours.<br />(b) People
who have digital watches tend to say '7.50' rather than 'l 0 to 8'.<br />(c) The plane is due to reach Bangkok
at 5.30 a.m. local time.<br />(d) If you cross Russia, you pass through eight différent time zones.<br />(e)
Novels don't always describe events in chronological order. It can be confusing.<br />(f) The First World
War took place in the second decade of the XXth century. That was in the second millennium!<br />(g)
After leaving university he had a spell of teaching and then went into industry.<br />(h) In British history the
period 1837 to 1901 is known as the Victorian era.<br />(i) But that happened at the turn of the century,
around 1900. ! It was over a hundred years ago!<br />(j) I always get up at dawn to listen to the early birds
singing in the trees.<br />(k) People born on a February 29th only get older every leap year, don't they?<br
/>(l) Their food is adequate; it includes meat at least every other day, vegetables and fruit every day.<br
/>(m) She's quite happy in Australia on the whole, but of course she misses her family at times.<br />(n)
They're redecorating my digs, so for the time being I'm sleeping at a friend's.<br />(o) High Speed Trains are
very punctual; they always leave on time.<br />(p) She set the alarm so she'd wake up in time to give her son
his medication.<br />(q) He was ahead of his time employing ex-convicts and handicapped.<br />(r) She ran
for the staircase and down the steps, taking two at a time.<br />(s) The situation is calm for the time
being.<br />(t) When you start your studies, it is hard to imagine what'll happen in four years' time.<br />(u)
If we're out, we always make sure we are back home in good time to watch the 10 o'clock news.<br />(v)
She had made time for me in the midst of her busy schedule.<br />(w) We were delayed last week, but are
working hard to make up for lost time.<br />(x) Time after time television channels showed us pictures of the
collapsing towers.<br />(y) For some it was awful, while for others, especially the young, it was the time of
their lives.<br />(z) Their new commercial will run four times this week at peak time.<br />(1) Reading the
newspaper every day is a time consuming pursuit.<br />(2) The time frame within which all this occurred was
between July and September last year.<br />(3) The time-lag between research and application may be very
long.<br />(4) This proposal is a political time bomb that could cost the government the next elections.<br
/>(5) The likelihood is that these companies will start showing profit on a two-year time scale.<br />(6) The
firemen got the children out in the nick of time. Less than a minute later the building collapsed. of the century,
around 1900. ! It was over a hundred years ago!<br />
Travel (1)
People have more money and more leisure nowadays and even young people can afford to go abroad. Many
travel agents offer cheap cut-price tickets for flights to all parts of the world with airlines such as Virgin or
Sobelair, so youngsters can avoid the crowded, well-known places and get to less famous areas which are
off the beaten track. Instead of using public transport and hotels, they can travel by hitch-hiking and stay at
youth hostels. But most people prefer some kind of package holiday at a popular holiday resort, which means
that everything is arranged for you by the tour operator and the price you pay includes transport, food and
accommodation. Try to avoid taking your holiday during the busy peak season. It's more crowded and
expensive. If possible, go in the quieter off-peak period.. Try to avoid taking your holiday during the busy
season. It's more crowded and . If possible, go in the quieter period.
Travel (2)
(a) For general advice about travel, go to a travel agent.
(b) One day I would like to do the journey by train and ship across Russia to Japan.
(c) We're going on a tour of Europe, visiting 11 countries in five weeks.
(d) We went on a three-week cruise round the Mediterranean. The ship called at Venice, Athens, Istanbul
and Alexandria.
(e) He once went by ship to Australia. The voyage took 3 1/2 weeks.
(f) l'm going on a business trip to Paris next weekend.
(g) Air France flight 507 from Paris to New York will be taking off in ten minutes.
(h) The journey from Heathrow Airport to the centre of London takes about 45 minutes by underground.
(i) On our first day in New York we went on a three-hour tour of the city by bus, which showed us the main
sights.
(j) During our stay in London we went on a day trip to Oxford, and another to Windsor.
Welfare
A country which helps its old, sick, disabled and unemployed is called a welfare state. Elderly people receive
a state pension when they retire at the age of 60 or 65. People with low incomes who cannot afford to buy
or rent decent accommodation are given houses or flats with subsidized rents, which means that the
government or local council supports the rent to keep it low. Sick people get free medical treatment from
their doctor or at the hospital. Mothers of small children get special state financial benefits, and of course
older children receive free schooling and may be entitled to a grant, or scholarship, to study in higher
education. Physically disabled people, who cannot move normally, and mentally handicapped people, whose
minds are not fully developed, also receive special assistance and, if necessary, special equipment to help
them live normal lives. People who are out of work are normally eligible to receive unemployment benefit,
which is paid by the state. The social services (government departments responsible for. people's well-being)
will help people who, financially, physically or psychologically, have difficulty in coping with life and social
workers will visit such people in their homes. and may be entitled to a , or , to study in higher education.
Physically people, who cannot move normally, and mentally handicapped people, whose minds are not fully
developed, also receive special assistance and, if necessary, special to help them live normal lives. People
who are are normally to receive unemployment , which is paid by the state. The social services
(government departments responsible for. people's ) will help people who, financially, physically or
psychologically, have difficulty in with life and will visit such people in their homes.
Attitudes to work & leisure
Most adults aspire to more leisure but, in fact, not many people have the necessary initiative to use the free
time they already have very constructively. The sad fact is that we need work because it imposes on us the
discipline we need. Without it, life may seem aimless and we secretly look forward to our work again. We
dream about personal fulfilment but probably find it more in our work than in our leisure time. This depends
on age. The young are free from work and responsibility, and freedom comes naturally to them. However,
after they begin jobs they become conditioned by work. They find they need it, however much they complain
about its routine and regimentation. Obviously this again depends on the kind of work. Those with rewarding
jobs, or jobs which require creativity, receive genuine satisfaction from their work, but most of us are in
conventional 9 to 5 jobs which offer little scope for imagination. Some leave their work only to face leisure
that they find difficult to cope with. Our mistake is in regarding leisure as a chance to do nothing, whereas
in fact it should be looked on as a challenge.
Work (1)
In times of high unemployment there are usually very many applicants when a vacancy is advertised.
Sometimes large numbers of people fill in and send off applications forms for a single job. It is not unusual,
in fact, for hundreds of people to apply to a firm for one post, sending in their application letter and CV, or
résumé. This number is reduced to a short-list of perhaps six or eight, from whom a final choice is made
when they all attend an interview. Very possibly the people interviewing will be interested in the qualifications
the candidates gained at school or university and what experience they have gathered in previous jobs. They
will probably ask for written references by the candidates' teachers and former employers, called referees.
Work (2)
Job satisfaction is important but I have a wife and baby so I have to think about money too. If a job interests
me, I need to know what salary it offers and also whether there are regular annual increases, called
increments. I want to know if I will receive a pension when I retire at the age of 60 or 65. If the job is
selling a product, ask if I'll receive a percentage of the value of what I sell, called commission. It is also
important to know if there are extra advantages, like free meals or transport, or the free use of a company
car. These are called perks or fringe benefits. Are the future prospects good? For example, is there a good
chance of promotion to a better job, with more money and responsibility? Is the job near my home? If it isn't,
l'Il have to commute every day and this can be expensive. I am very keen to be successful. I don't want to
stay in the same job all my life.
World population
The UN considers October 12th, 1999 the day on which there were 6 billion people in the world, 247 babies
being born every minute. The earth counts 80 million more people each year, most of them living in the south.
The developing world accounts for over 95% of population growth. Even if these figures look impressive,
the so dreaded population bomb is most unlikely to explode.
Optimistic forecasts are based on positive and negative factors: the positive ones are the drop in the birth rate
and in the population growth rate, partly due to better use of contraceptives in developing countries. Since
1969, developing countries have seen fertility fall from six children per woman to three. By 2025, the US
Census Bureau estimates that the fertility rate of the less developed countries will have fallen to 2.4, which
is very close to 2.1, considered to be the replacement level.
The negative factors are the devastating effects of AIDS in Africa, where life expectancy has plummeted
in the worst-hit countries. The main feature of this demographic slowdown is an ageing of the population. It
is estimated that by the year 2050, 95% of the rise in the number of the elderly will have taken place in
developing countries, which should be a brake on the development of the countries concerned. Ageing will
also be a headache for western countries, which will have to worry about public pensions and health care.
Demographic issues go together with questions of economic growth, wealth and its distribution. Industrialized
countries, that is 20% of the world's population, hold 80% of the world's wealth.
Because the benefits of global growth have not been evenly distributed, it has become urgent to help boost
the economic growth of the countries left behind.