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Exercise 1.
Have you ever tried a strawberry pizza? If you went to Oxnard, the ‘‘Strawberry Capital
of California,” in May, you could!
Oxnard is in Southern California and the part of the state takes its strawberries very
serious. At the two-day California Strawberry Festival you can see and try strawberries
prepared in all kinds of ways. In addition to traditional treatments such as strawberry
shortcake, strawberry jam, strawberry tarts and strawberries dipped into chocolate,
there is strawberry pizza! This dessert pizza is topped with strawberries, sour cream,
cream cheese and whipped cream on sweetened bread baked like a pizza. Strawberry
kebabs dipped in powdered sugar are another delicacy. And drinks such as a
strawberry smoothie can wash it all away.
Strawberries are a big business in Oxnard. The annual strawberry revenues are $100
million from Oxnard’s bountiful 6,600 berry acres. Twenty-four companies harvest and
cool nearly 16 million trays of berries, which are shipped throughout North America as
long as to Germany and Japan. The festival, which attracts more than 85,000 visitors,
features three stages with musical entertainment, 335 arts and crafting exhibits,
strolling musicians, clowns, artists, face-painting, contests, and a “Strawberryland” for
children with puppets, magicians, musicians, and a pet zoo.
Exercise 2.
Over the last century the world has become increasingly smaller. Not geographically, of
course, but in the sense that media, technology and the opening of borders has enabled
the world’s citizens to view, share and gain access to a much wider range of cultures,
societies and world viewpoints. It stands to reasons that in order to absorb, configure
and finally form opinions about this information-laden planet, children must be
supplied with certain tools. Including in this list of ‘tools’ are: education, social skills,
cultural awareness and the acquisition of languages, the most important of these being
the later. Until recently, a child who had the ability to speak more than one language
would have been considered a very rare entity. This one-language phenomenon could
be contributed to a combination of factors. Firstly, the monolingual environment in
which a child was raised played a strong role, so did the limited, biased education of the
past.
Nowadays, the situation has undergone an almost opposite reversal. In the majority of
North American and European countries, most children are given the opportunity to
learn a second or even a third language. In some cases, learning a foreign language is a
compulsory subject in the state school syllabus while in others, children are born into
bilingual parents, who may teach the children two languages. Bringing up one’s child
bilingually is not a decision to be taken slightly. Both parents must consider long and
hard the implications involved in raising a child in a two-language home.
Exercise 3.
A feminine is a person, usually a woman, who believes that women should be regarded
as equally to men. She, or he, deplores discrimination against women in the home, place
of work or anywhere, and her principle enemy is the male chauvinist, who believes that
men are naturally super. Tired of being referred to as “the weaker sex", women are
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becoming more and more militancy and are winning the age-old battle of the sexes.
They are sick to death of sexy jokes which poke fun at women. They are no longer
content to be regarded as second-class citizens in terms of economic, political and
social status. They criticize beauty contests and the use of glamour female models in
advertisements which they describe as the exploit of female beauty, since women in
these situations were represented as mere sex objects. We no longer in the male-
dominate societies of the past. Let us hope, moreover, that the revolution stops before
have a boring world in which sex doesn't make much difference. We already have
unisex hairdressers and fashions. What next?
Exercise 4.
Each week Hilary Mullcok, also known as Doctor Doppit, visiting London’s General
Hospital. Carrying balloons and magic tricks better than a stethoscope, she administers
her own special kind of medicine. Employed by the Theodora Children's Trust, Hilary
brings fun and laughter for the patients in the children's wards, making a hospital
staying a less difficult experience for these young patients.
Having studied drama at university, Hilary later became interested in children's
theatre. Seeing an advert with a clown doctor, she knew she had founded the ideal job.
Before taking up the position, Hilary had to complete four weeks of training, being
instructed in balloon modeling and magic tricks.
According to a spokesperson for the Theodora Children's Trust, hospitalized children,
having been excluding from their normal day-to-day routine and the family
environment, are likely to be frightening and homesick. Clown doctors like Hilary has a
valuable part to play in helping them forget their problems for a while. Humour, it has
been seen, has a positively impact on health. In fact, certain chemicals produced in the
body by laughter have even been shown to act as natural painkillers. Laughter really is
the best medicine, it seems.
Exercise 5.
Oak wood has a density of about 0.75 g/cm3, great strong and hardness, and is very
resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has very
appeal grain markings, particularly when quarter-sawn. Oak planking was common on
high status Viking long ships in the 9th and 10th centuries. The wood was hewn from
green logs, with axe and wedge, to produce radial planks, similar to quarter-sawn
timber. Wide, quarter-sawn boards of oak have been prized since the Middle Ages for
use in interior paneling of prestigious buildings such as the debating chamber of the
House of Commons in London, and in the construction of fine furniture. Oak wood, from
Quercus robur and Quercus petraea, was used in Europe for the construction of ships,
especially naval men of war, until the 19 th century, and was the principal timber used in
the construction of European timber-framed build.
Today oak wood is still commonly used for furniture making and flooring, timber frame
buildings, and for veneer production. Barrels in which wines, sherry, and spirits such as
brandy, Scotch whisky and Bourbon whiskey are age are made from European and
American oak. The use of oak in wine can add many different dimensions to wine based
on the type and style of the oak. Oak barrels, which may be charred before use,
contribute to the colour, taste, and aroma of the contents, imparting a desirable oaky
vanillin flavour to these drinks. The great dilemma for wine product is to choose
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between French and American oakwoods. French oaks give the wine greater
refinement and are chosen for the best wines since they increase the price compared to
those aged in American oak wood. American oak contributes greater texture and resist
to ageing, but produces more violent wine bouquets. Oak wood chips are used for
smoking fish, meat, cheeses and another foods.
Exercise 6.
Children who tell pop music does not interfere with their homework receive support
today, with the discovery that pay attention to visual stimuli and sounds requires
completely different brain pathways which can operate at the same time with your
appreciation of either being damaged. Researchers have founded that listening to car
stereos does not create much interference when you are driving. Similarly, pop music
should not interfere to children’s homework. The affect of pop music on their
performance at it is far outweigh by other factors, such as how happy they are to be
doing it. These findings could be applied for the design of places which people have to
take in large amounts of information very quickly. They could, for example, be
relevantly to the layout of pilot cockpits on aircraft.
Exercise 7.
People in Britain today still pay a great deal of attentions to the notion of class.
According to recent research by linguists, British people attach much significance to
accent and choice of words than anything else, even wealth, when assessing other
people social status. However, a new style of English pronunciation has been adopted
by people from all levels of society may soon make t possible to judge somebody
according to their speech. The new standard English is known as Estuary English (EE)
although it is originated in the area round the River Thames estuary, but is now typical
throughout teh south-east. A way of speaking is very popular with the young in
particular, who are keen to disguise their social origins.
The most character feature of EE is a tendency to weaken consonants, particularly l and
t sounds, so the word what is heard as wha and will sounds something like wiw. Some
vowels are voiced clearly so that the words full, fall, and fool sound virtually the same,
which can cause ambiguity. EE speech is a controversial subject in England - some
people welcome it as a sign that Britain is moving towards a free-class society, but
others consider it a lazy, ignorant way of speaking, and schools have told to encourage
their pupils to speak more correctly.
Exercise 8.
The arrival of satellite TV has brought up a whole new world of viewing into our living
rooms - if we can afford to pay for it, that is, major sport events can now be seen live.
Beside this, a wider variety of sports is now available. The viewer can choose anything
from dog-racing and sumo wrestling. Certain channels show 20 film every day, again,
the choice is enormous-from old classics to the latest Hollywood releases. For them
who like to keep informed, 24-hour news is available for the touch of a button. Children
are not forgotten neither. A special junior channel broadcasts cartoons and children’s
films. But do we really need all this choice? The danger is that we will become a
population of passive couch-potato with square eyes and fingers glued to the remote-
control. Of course choice is a good thing, but viewers should use his ability to select the
best and disregard of the rest.
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Exercise 9.
NO CELLPHONE RESTRICTIONS!
It’s seeming that I constantly hear the same thing: “Cell phones are dangerous. We need
to severely restrict the,. people are dying because of cell phones.” well, I’m thinking cell
phones themselves aren’t the problem. I’m completely opposed to restrictions on them,
and here’ why. First, people say cell phones are dangerous to health, so they should be
limited.
Supporters of this idea say there being studies showing that cell phones produce
radiation that is harmful to users. I think this is nonsense. There hasn’t been any real
proof. It sounds just another study that ultimately doesn’t mean anything. Second, a lot
of teachers are proposing that we not allow cell phones in classes because they’re a
distraction. I feel pretty angrily about this. Here’s a good example. Two weeks ago in my
history class, one of the students was having her cell phone on because her mother was
really sick and might need a ride to the hospital. The student’s mother couldn’t contact
anyone else. In fact, the student’s mother did call, and the student found someone to
help her mother. What if her cell phone hadn’t been on? The teacher would have felt
pretty bad.
Third, people argue that using a cell phone while driving is dangerous. I disagree. It’s no
more safe than turning on the car radio or eating a sandwich. People do those things
when they drive. The law says you must have one hand on the steering wheel. It’s
possible to use a cell phone correct with one hand. I use my cell phone carefully; I
always keep one hand on the wheel. Maybe there should be training in ways to use a
cell phone good, but we shouldn’t prohibit to use cell phones in cars. This has always
been a free country. I hope it stays that way.
Exercise 10.
It is not easy to have a rational discussion with people about the nature of their
language. They feel that the language belongs to them, and they are entitled to hold cut
and dry opinions about it. And when opinions differ, emotions run high. Arguments can
easily stem from minor points of usage as from major educational policies. In English,
the origin of many popular misconceptions lies in the work of the linguists of the
eighteenth century who first attempted to codify the English grammar. Unfortunately,
they worked under the premise that English grammar is derived from Latin grammar
and that the rules of the latter are to determine the former. It was this fundamentally
misunderstanding that resulted in the absurd but time-honoured ‘never-end-a-
sentence-with-a-preposition' type of rule that many people still cling to. These days,
many people complain that the Internet is the source of much unforgivable distortion of
English, and such the ease and speed of email communication engenders a lazy
approach to writing. This is possibly a short-sighted view: perhaps we should be more
broad-minded and view such changes as potential enrichment other than corruption of
the language. Perhaps those who argue it is only the latter are guilty of stick-in-the-
sand mentality which is often not confined to their own language. The American
linguist Leonard Bloomfield tells the story of a doctor who was so firm in his view that
the American language Chippewa had only few hundred words. When Bloomsfield tried
to dispute the point, the doctor had no thoughts of losing down. He turned away and
refused to listen.
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Exercise 11.
First come the PC, then the internet and e-mail; now the e-book is upon us, a hand-held
device similarly in size and appearance to a video cassette. The user simply rings off the
website on their PC, selects the desired books, downloads them onto their e-book
machine and sits down to read them. For turning a page, the user simply taps the
screen. E-book technology is evolving rapidly, and with some of the newest handholds
you will even get internet access. But why would one want an e-book machine with
reference to a book? Well, one selling point companies emphasized, when these devices
hit the market a few years ago, which is the space they save when going on holiday. E-
books enlighten the load, literally. Ten large novels can be put onto a device that weighs
less than the average paperback. One can understand why commercial interests seem
to want us to change. After all, the whole production process at first plan by author
until delivery to the printer had been doing electronically for a while now, so why not
save a few million trees and cut out the hard copy?
Exercise 12.
ECO-TOURISM
Snacking on green ants is not everyone’s idea of the most delicious holiday indulgently,
but on a recent walk through the Daintree rainforest in Queensland, Australia,
Aboriginal guide Kirsty Norris assured a group of uncertain guest that the traditional
food source of her KukuYalanji tribe was worth a try. She might have been right - but
lucky for the native ants and the tourists, rain came streaming down through the
canopy, sending any possible food scurrying for cover.
Connected with nature isn’t a compulsory part of a stay at an environmentally friendly
resort, but at the Daintree Eco Lodge, where tree-house villas are set on stilts above the
compound’s waterfall-fed creek, many people find themselves done a bit of communing
while they relax.
Although ecotourism is increasing in popularity, recording heady growth worldwide, it
is still difficult to define. For some travellers, ecotourism means eavesdropping on
nature from the comfort of a plush bed with a magnificent view. To others, it’s about
doing without hot showers and trekking across wildernesses. However, industrial
watchers say the category’s basic tenet is minimal environmental impact combination
with some contribution to education and conservation.
Exercise 13.
Most astronomical events that influence the Earth, apart from the occasional asteroid
impact, do so in aregular fashion, such as day and night the tides and the seasons. There
is, therefore, one event that has a tremendous impact on the Earth - those of the total
eclipse. For a few minutes, broad daylight changes, to complete darkness as the Moon
totally hide the Sun. This darkness is accompanied by many spectacular effects, and it
also provides a rare opportunity for physicists to make observations that are
impossible at any other time. However, as a total solar eclipse is a sudden interruption
of the day, it can also have an effect on plants and animals that are used to the regular
circle of day and night. As total eclipses occur in average once every 360-years at any
particular location, there is little chance of any living thing becoming accustomed to
them. In fact, there are some amazing stories of the unusual behaviour of animals as a
total eclipse approaches. In Australia, for example, one observer said, ‘I found myself
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have to calm a distressed parrot, which fell to the ground a moment or so before the
total eclipse'. Joanna Kale, other observer, found her head surrounded by a cloud of
insects that dispersed when the Sun finally emerged from the eclipse. So, as these
examples show, the Suns presence has an astonishing influence on life on Earth.
Exercise 14.
Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions:
the realistic and the formalistic. Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than
absolute, terms. When using to suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels
can be helpful, but at the end they are still just labels. Few films are exclusive formalist
in style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an important difference
between realism and reality, although this distinct is often forgotten. Realism is a
particular style, where physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both
realistic and formalistic. Virtually all movie directors go to the photographable world
for their subject matter, but what they do with this material - what they shape and
manipulate it - determines their stylistic emphasis.
Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality
with a minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries
to suggest the copiousness of life himself. Both realist and formalist film directors must
select (and hence emphasize) certain details from the chaotic sprawl of reality. But the
element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists, in short, try to preserve
the illusion that their film world is unmanipulated, an objective mirror of the actual
world. Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretense. They deliberately stylize
and distort their crude materials so that only the very naive should mistake a
manipulated image of an object or event to the real thing.
Exercise 15.
Man has always depended on plants of .food and many other useful products. For this
reason, farming is that of the world's most important industries. At first, early man did
not know how to plant seeds and raise crops. He gathered wild fruits and vegetables
where he found them. Then man discovered how to grow his own food. He planted
seeds and waited for the crop to grow. For the first time, he could be reasonable sure of
his food supply. He could settle down and build shelters in the places which he grew
food. Population began to increase; the demand for food became greater. Old-fashioned
tools and farming methods were inefficient in meeting the demand. So man cultivated
more still more land and invented more complicated machines to make his work easier.
Tractors replaced horses and other farm animals. Scientists studied and experimented
with plants. They told farmers how to control plant diseases, and how to grow bigger
and gooder crops. Now another man, with the knowledge of plants and the help of
machines, can cultivate hundreds of acres. He can raise plants which did not originally
grow in the soil or climate of his community.
Exercise 16.
The Statue of Liberty is the famous statue that stands in Liberty Island in New York
Harbour. At a height of 151 feet, it is extremely tall. The statue was a gift to the United
States from the people of France, and over the years it had become a symbol of
freedom. Many people think an American designed it, but it was in fact created by a
French artist, Frédéric Bartholdi.
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The designer had tried many designs and models, included children and animals, before
he chose a female figure, wearing a gown and cloak, holding a torch high above his
head. The statue’s body looks like a Greek goddess. In the early drawings, the statue’s
face was going to look like the president’s wife, and Bartholdi decided to copy the face
of Charlotte Beysser, Batholdi’s mother.
Bartholdi decided to make the skin of copper sheets. This was a good choice because
the workmen were able to lift and work with the sheets with no difficulty. He
considered other cheaper matals but thought they might be so hard to work with
because of its weight.
On October 28th 1886, the President of the United States opened the Statue of Liberty
in q ceremony in front of a huge, exciting crowd. The President gave a long speech, and
Bartholdi was asked to give one too but he refused because he was a shy man. A
fireworks display was delayed until November 1st because of poor weather, but the
parade went ahead as plan.
Exercise 17.
Normal houses are full of hazardous waste. The most important hazardous waste in the
home is batteries. If you throw them out with your other garbage, they are open at the
landfill. The poison inside moves through rain water and other liquids to the bottom of
the landfill. Then they can pollute the natural water in the ground. We should use
rechargeable batteries. Other hazardous water in homes is motor oil. Don't throw old
motor oil in the ground and throw it on the garbage. It poisons the environment. We
should recycle motor oil. Painting is another kind of hazardous waste in homes. Some
cities have "Paint exchange day". If you bring in open, unused blue paint and want red,
they give you red., sometimes they mix the paints together into strange colors. If you
paint walls with them, you help save the environment.
Exercise 18.
It is very difficult to succeed in the music business; nine out of ten bands that release a
first record fail to produce the second. Surviving in the music industry requires luck
and patience, but most of all it requires and intricate knowledge of how a record
company is functioned. The process begins when a representative of a company’s
Artists and Reportoire (A & R) department visits bars and night clubs, scouting for
young, talented bands. After the representative identifies a promised band, he or she
will work to negotiate a contract with that band. The signature of this recording
contract is a slow process. A company will spend a long time to investigate the band
itself as well as current trands in popular music. During this period, it is important that
a band reciprocates with an investigation of its own, learning as much as possible about
the record company and making personnel connections within the different
departments that will handle their recordings.
Exercise 19.
Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most popular classical composer of all time, is
sometimes known as “the Shakespear of music”. He was born in Bonne in 1770, and
publishing his first work at the age of thrteen. Mozart was his teacher for a short time,
and they did not get on very well together; Beethoven was a difficult student.
Like a composer, Beethoven was a genius - but as a person, he was not very easy to like.
He was a passionate man who controlled his temper very easily. He was also arrogant.
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The upper classes of Vienna used to invite him to parties, when he was often quite rude.
He was once heard to say to a prince: “There will always be many princes, but there is
uniquely one Beethoven”.
Nevertheless, Beethoven played some the most beautiful symphonies the world has
never heard. How was such an arrogant, bad-tempered man inspired to write such
romantic music? Perhaps the answer lies in the three letters that were found after his
death. They were addressed to his “Immortal Beloved”. Nobody knows that this man
was, but it appears that Beethoven was deeply in love with her for most of his adult life.

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