MAKING LONDON HEALTHIER

As the capital of the nation where the Industrial Revolution began, London has suffered badly from the effects of pollution. Recent efforts to make the city cleaner, however, are turning it into one of the world's least polluted major cities.

A. A RIVER FILLED WITH LIFE

For years, the River Thames was a health hazard because of pollution, and in 1957 it was declared biologically dead. Half a century later, the Thames has won international prizes for rivers that have been restored. There are now hundreds of different types of animal and bird feeding on its banks, over 125 different species of fish swimming beneath its surface, and even seals and dolphins have swum up the river from the coast to visit the centre of the city.

B. THE GREAT SMOG

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Londoners had become used to suffering from coughs and chest infections caused by smog, which is a combination of smoke and fog. However, when the smog of December 1952 caused four thousand deaths in one week, the government finally realised that something had to be done. A series of 'clean-air' laws were passed to avoid a repeat of the tragedy, and since then the quality of London's air has improved greatly, although there is still plenty of work to do.

C. PAYING TO DRIVE

At the beginning of the new millennium, because of the number of vehicles, traffic in London was moving at the same speed that it had moved at a hundred years before, when people travelled in horse-drawn carriages: just 16 km/h. To improve journey times and the quality of London's air, a daily charge of £5 was introduced in 2003 for all vehicles being driven in the city. Not only did the number of cars on the roads immediately drop by 15%, but also the number of people cycling increased by 49%, so people benefitted from cleaner air and more exercise. In the last decade, the number of vehicles in central London has fallen by a further 30% and plans to reduce the number of parking spaces for cars will probably cause it to drop again.

Tạm dịch

LÀM CHO LONDON KHỎE MẠNH HƠN

Là thủ đô của quốc gia nơi Cách mạng Công nghiệp bắt đầu, London đã phải chịu đựng nặng nề do ảnh hưởng của ô nhiễm. Tuy nhiên, những nỗ lực gần đây nhằm làm cho thành phố sạch hơn đang biến nó thành một trong những thành phố lớn ít ô nhiễm nhất thế giới.

A. MỘT CON SÔNG ĐẦY SỰ SỐNG

Trong nhiều năm, sông Thames là mối nguy hiểm cho sức khỏe vì ô nhiễm và vào năm 1957, nó được tuyên bố là đã chết về mặt sinh học. Nửa thế kỷ sau, sông Thames đã giành được giải thưởng quốc tế về những dòng sông được phục hồi. Hiện có hàng trăm loại động vật và chim khác nhau kiếm ăn trên bờ sông, hơn 125 loài cá khác nhau bơi dưới bề mặt của nó, thậm chí cả hải cẩu và cá heo đã bơi lên sông từ bờ biển để thăm trung tâm thành phố.

B. KHÓI TỐT

Kể từ khi bắt đầu Cách mạng Công nghiệp, người dân London đã quen với việc bị ho và nhiễm trùng ngực do khói bụi, là sự kết hợp giữa khói và sương mù. Tuy nhiên, khi trận sương mù tháng 12 năm 1952 khiến 4.000 người thiệt mạng trong một tuần, chính phủ cuối cùng nhận ra rằng cần phải làm gì đó. Một loạt luật 'không khí sạch' đã được thông qua để tránh thảm kịch lặp lại, và kể từ đó chất lượng không khí ở London đã được cải thiện đáng kể, mặc dù vẫn còn rất nhiều việc phải làm.

C. TRẢ TIỀN LÁI XE

Vào đầu thiên niên kỷ mới, do số lượng phương tiện giao thông tăng lên nên giao thông ở London di chuyển với tốc độ tương tự như tốc độ một trăm năm trước, khi người ta di chuyển bằng xe ngựa: chỉ 16 km/h. Để cải thiện thời gian hành trình và chất lượng không khí của London, mức phí hàng ngày £5 đã được đưa ra vào năm 2003 đối với tất cả các phương tiện di chuyển trong thành phố. Không chỉ số lượng ô tô trên đường ngay lập tức giảm 15% mà số người đi xe đạp cũng tăng 49%, nhờ đó mọi người được hưởng lợi từ không khí sạch hơn và tập thể dục nhiều hơn. Trong thập kỷ qua, số lượng phương tiện ở trung tâm London đã giảm thêm 30% và kế hoạch giảm số lượng chỗ đậu xe ô tô có thể sẽ khiến con số này giảm trở lại.

 

2 Match questions (1-6) with paragraphs (A-C). You can match each paragraph with more than one question.

Which paragraph talks about...

(Nối các câu hỏi (1-6) với các đoạn văn (A-C). Bạn có thể nối mỗi đoạn văn với nhiều câu hỏi.

Đoạn văn nào nói về...)

1 future plans?

2 something coming back to life?

3 people dying?

4 an attempt to stop something from happening again?

5 charging people so that everyone's lives would be improved?

6 something that has received awards?

2 Read the text. Does it mention your ideas from exercise 1?

(Đọc văn bản. Nó có đề cập đến ý tưởng của bạn từ bài tập 1 không?)

A history of hygiene

Ancient ideas of hygiene

The ancient Greeks and Egyptians enjoyed relatively high standards of personal hygiene - they had been taught about the importance of cleanliness by their religious leaders. But it was the Romans who developed the first public toilets and enormous public baths.

19th century developments

Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister's revolutionary ideas about using sterile instruments in clean hospitals were adopted in the 19th century. Before then, up to half of Lister's patients who had survived surgery were being killed by infections spread by germs. Infection and disease haven't been eliminated entirely in our hospitals yet, but they have been significantly reduced.

Today and tomorrow

Although hygiene in developing countries is being improved all the time, 36% of the world's population is still affected by poor hygiene. Furthermore, medical organisations will be challenged in the future by new infections and diseases; the world's population is so closely connected that potentially catastrophic epidemics will be transmitted around the globe in days.

2 Read the text and check your answers to exercise 1.

(Đọc văn bản và kiểm tra câu trả lời của bạn cho bài tập 1.)

MYTH BUSTING

Never wake a sleepwalker

Waking a sleepwalker was once widely believed to be dangerous because it was thought something terrible would happen to them. While nobody likes being woken up, the worst thing they will experience is confusion because they are not in bed!

Drink eight glasses of water a day

This myth is thought to have been started by the bottled water industry. In fact, some of us need as little as a litre of liquid a day, which doesn't have to be consumed as water. Food, soft drinks, milk, tea and coffee all count.

Being a bit overweight is unhealthy

It is often reported that serious health problems can be caused by obesity. However, people carrying an extra couple of kilos in weight might actually live longer.

You can catch up on lost sleep

During the week, your sleep might be disturbed by late-night study, noisy neighbours, or a night out. But forget about sleeping longer at the weekend-staying in bed too long is thought to make you feel more tired!

2 Read the text. How could 'lucid dreaming' help students?

(Đọc văn bản. 'Giấc mơ sáng suốt' có thể giúp học sinh như thế nào?)

The idea that we can control our dreams through a technique called 'lucid dreaming' is usually the stuff of sci-fi films. During lucid dreaming, the sleeper knows they are dreaming and can control what happens - even deciding to have breathtaking experiences like flying. Now, thought-provoking research has received broad-based support from some highly respected scientists, who think it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

Lucid dreaming isn't just about mind-blowing experiences. It can be used to improve a variety of skills, from playing the piano to public speaking. It's been shown that people who dream about practising things, like playing the piano, do them better in 'real life' the next day. Well-known athletes also use lucid dreaming to help them deliver record-breaking performances.

You don't need to be highly trained to have lucid dreams, but half-hearted efforts won't work, so try the following steps regularly:

1 Do difficult tasks during the day, such as studying a foreign language; it makes lucid dreaming more likely.

2 Decide what you want to dream about before you sleep.

3 As soon as you wake up and are still bleary-eyed, make notes about dreams while they are fresh in your memory.

2 Read the three texts about food addiction. What were the consequences of the three people's addictions?

(Đọc ba văn bản về chứng nghiện thực phẩm. Hậu quả của việc nghiện của ba người là gì?)

FOOD ADDICTION

A

Few people would disagree that one of the world's most popular dishes is pizza. Twenty-two-year-old Zack certainly wouldn't. He would eat a variety of pizza-based items, including homemade pizza, precooked microwave pizza, and even pizza leftovers from the night before. He was consuming 800kg of pizza a year. As a child, Zack had eaten a wide variety of food. But he became addicted to pizza when he started secondary school. American school meals have often been criticised for the large amount of fast food present on the menu, and pizza is the star dish. Zack even spent all his pocket money on  slices of pizza.

Naturally, Zack's family worried about his high-calorie, low-vitamin diet. So did Zack. In an attempt to break his addiction, Zack agreed to appear on a TV programme called Freaky Eaters. ¹ ____ It wasn't easy. He had to eat a fish dish, while his brother sat in front of him enjoying... a pizza! However, Zack met the challenge and has never eaten pizza again.

B

Seventeen-year-old Stacy Irvine's friends visit her and discover that she has been rewarded thousands of free toys from fast food restaurants as a regular customer. Stacy's mother often gave her two-year-old girl a portion of fried chicken in a McDonald's restaurant. Since then, Stacy has refused to eat anything else except for pieces of fried chicken, and as a result, her diet has created serious health. She has been warned that if she doesn't change her diet, she will die. Stacy once collapsed due to lack of vitamins and nutrients and needed to be hospitalised. ² ____ She insisted that Stacy adopt a healthier lifestyle. However, worryingly, Stacy's mother said that while Stacy was beginning to understand the seriousness of her situation, she couldn't eat anything else but chicken nuggets.

C

Twenty-year-old Hanna Little was keen on chips. The only thing that Hanna consumed for fifteen years was one plate of chips after another. ³ ____ And it did because not only did Hanna develop health problems, but she also had to leave her job after collapsing at work. At five, Hanna became addicted to chips and refused to eat fruits and vegetables despite her mother's efforts. Hanna says that she was terrified of tasting the flavour of different types of food and she would feel anxious just at the idea of doing it. ⁴ ____ Furthermore, Hanna was soon seen as 'odd' by her friends' parents.

It wasn't until the age of sixteen that Hanna realised she had Selective Eating Disorder (SED). Despite this new knowledge, no solution was found. It wasn't until she lost her job before she started eating normally. Hanna sought therapy from psychologist Felix Economakis, who used hypnosis, a treatment that none of the doctors that she had seen before had mentioned, to get her to eat fruit after one one-hour session, and since then she has been willing to eat anything.... including chips!

Reading Strategy

When you do a gapped sentence task, look for clues before and after each gap. For example, if a sentence starts with And or Furthermore, it probably introduces additional information.

Other words can be used for contrast (But, However) and consequences or conclusions (So, Therefore).

Tạm dịch

Chiến lược đọc

Khi bạn làm một câu có chỗ trống, hãy tìm manh mối trước và sau mỗi chỗ trống. Ví dụ: nếu một câu bắt đầu bằng Và hoặc Hơn nữa, nó có thể giới thiệu thông tin bổ sung.

Những từ khác có thể được sử dụng để chỉ sự tương phản (Nhưng, Tuy nhiên) và hậu quả hoặc kết luận (Vì vậy, Do đó).

3 Read the Reading Strategy. Match the sentences (A-E) with the gaps (1-4). There is one extra sentence.

(Đọc Chiến lược đọc. Nối các câu (A-E) với chỗ trống (1-4). Có một câu bị thừa.)

A Not surprisingly, a diet that contained few nutrients and an excess of fat and carbohydrates could only have negative consequences.

B Its aim was to encourage food addicts to beat their addictions with the help of a psychologist and nutritionist.

C One of the first steps was to get rid of her collection of free gifts.

D Parties, picnics and barbecues with friends and family used to be a nightmare.

E The doctor who treated her said she had never seen such an extreme case of food addiction.

4 Are the sentences true or false? Write T or F. Correct the false sentences.

(Nhưng câu sau đúng hay sai? Viết T hoặc F. Sửa các câu sai.)

1 Zack ate well until he was a teenager.

2 Zack ate his last pizza on Freaky Eaters.

3 Stacy became addicted after a member of her family introduced her to a certain type of food.

4 Stacy has recovered from her health problems.

5 Hanna's condition affected her work and social life.

6 Hanna was cured by an unusual treatment.

10 Read the task below. Make notes on each section.

(Đọc nhiệm vụ dưới đây. Ghi chú vào từng phần.)

While on holiday in the UK, you go and see the doctor because you have had an accident. Have a conversation with him / her and discuss the following points:

• The injury

• How you did it

• Treatment

• A follow-up visit

(Khi đang đi nghỉ ở Anh, bạn đến gặp bác sĩ vì bạn bị tai nạn. Hãy trò chuyện với anh ấy/cô ấy và thảo luận về các điểm sau:

• Vết thương

• Bạn làm nó như thế nào

• Cách chữa trị

• Lần thăm khám tiếp theo)

2 Read the task below. Identify the elements that need to be included in the article. How many paragraphs do you think it should have?

(Đọc nhiệm vụ dưới đây. Xác định các yếu tố cần đưa vào bài viết. Bạn nghĩ nó nên có bao nhiêu đoạn?)

You've read an article about the dangers of eating too much sugar. Write an article for your school website about the risks associated with a high sugar diet and propose ways of persuading young people to eat less of it.

(Bạn đã đọc một bài viết về sự nguy hiểm của việc ăn quá nhiều đường. Viết một bài báo cho trang web của trường bạn về những rủi ro liên quan đến chế độ ăn nhiều đường và đề xuất cách thuyết phục giới trẻ ăn ít đường hơn.)

3 Read the article and compare it to your ideas in exercise 2. Are there any differences?

(Đọc bài viết và so sánh với ý tưởng của bạn ở bài tập 2. Có sự khác biệt nào không?)

7 Read the task below. Make notes on your opinions.

(Đọc nhiệm vụ dưới đây. Ghi lại ý kiến của bạn.)

You've read an article about teenagers and fast food. Write an article for your school website about the dangers of teenagers eating too much fast food, and how students can be persuaded to eat less of it.

(Bạn vừa đọc một bài viết về thanh thiếu niên và thức ăn nhanh. Viết một bài báo cho trang web của trường về sự nguy hiểm của việc thanh thiếu niên ăn quá nhiều đồ ăn nhanh và cách thuyết phục học sinh ăn ít đồ ăn nhanh hơn.)

The fitness trends

A

Reformer Pilates is a much more intense form of Pilates. It involves doing the same sort of pushing and stretching exercises, but on equipment resembling a rowing machine. It isn't the kind of thing you'd have at home, so you have to go to a special Pilates centre to try it. If you do, bear in mind that you won't be able to walk up or down stairs for a few days afterwards. At first, it looks quite easy, but towards the end of the session, your thighs will be crying out for mercy.

B

Jumping up and down on a trampoline is a lot of fun, but it can make a great workout too. You'd be surprised by how exhausted you are after only a few minutes bouncing. Not only is it better for the heart than running, but it also increases co-ordination and helps reduce stress levels. Trampolining is taking off in a big way, and some new centres have as many as 150 trampolines. You can either have a go at 'freejumping' - without an instructor or pay someone to teach you how to do it properly.

C

If you're usually quite active, but you're feeling down in the dumps, then you might like to try Dynamic Running Therapy - going out for a run with a therapist. The sessions are quite pricey as the therapists are professionals and they charge a bit more than the going rate. It's easier to do both activities when you're running and talking at the same time: you run further because you don't notice your sore feet, and you talk more freely than you would in the therapist's office.

Tạm dịch

Xu hướng tập thể dục

A

Pilates cải cách là một hình thức Pilates cường độ cao hơn nhiều. Nó bao gồm việc thực hiện các bài tập đẩy và giãn cơ tương tự nhưng trên thiết bị giống như máy chèo thuyền. Đó không phải là thứ bạn có ở nhà, vì vậy bạn phải đến một trung tâm Pilates đặc biệt để thử. Nếu vậy, hãy nhớ rằng bạn sẽ không thể đi lên hoặc xuống cầu thang trong vài ngày sau đó. Lúc đầu, nó có vẻ khá dễ dàng, nhưng càng về cuối buổi tập, bắp đùi của bạn sẽ kêu gào thảm thiết.

B

Nhảy lên nhảy xuống trên tấm bạt lò xo rất thú vị nhưng nó cũng có thể là một bài tập luyện tuyệt vời. Bạn sẽ ngạc nhiên vì mình kiệt sức chỉ sau vài phút nảy. Nó không chỉ tốt cho tim hơn so với chạy bộ mà còn làm tăng khả năng phối hợp và giúp giảm mức độ căng thẳng. Trò chơi bạt lò xo đang phát triển một cách rầm rộ và một số trung tâm mới có tới 150 tấm bạt lò xo. Bạn có thể thử 'nhảy tự do' - mà không cần người hướng dẫn hoặc trả tiền cho ai đó để dạy bạn cách thực hiện đúng cách.

C

Nếu bạn thường khá năng động nhưng lại cảm thấy chán nản, thì bạn có thể muốn thử Liệu pháp chạy năng động - ra ngoài chạy bộ với bác sĩ trị liệu. Các buổi trị liệu khá tốn kém vì các nhà trị liệu là những người chuyên nghiệp và họ tính phí cao hơn một chút so với mức giá thông thường. Sẽ dễ dàng hơn để thực hiện cả hai hoạt động khi bạn vừa chạy vừa nói chuyện: bạn chạy xa hơn vì không nhận thấy bàn chân đang đau và bạn nói chuyện thoải mái hơn so với khi ở văn phòng bác sĩ trị liệu.

Read the text and questions (1-6) below. Match the correct question with each part of the text (A-C). You can match each part with more than one question.

(Đọc đoạn văn và câu hỏi (1-6) bên dưới. Nối câu hỏi đúng với mỗi phần của văn bản (A-C). Bạn có thể ghép mỗi phần với nhiều câu hỏi.)

In which paragraph does the author mention an activity which...

(Trong đoạn văn nào tác giả đề cập đến một hoạt động...)

1 has become extremely popular recently?

2 requires you to do two things at once?

3 has made an existing form of exercise more extreme?

4 gives the wrong impression to the observer?

5 tires you out after a very short time?

6 can be particularly painful?

35. Which of the following CANNOT be inferred from the passage?

A. Carbon emissions will be lower if we choose to eat local food.

B. A lot of water is used for raising animals.

C. Methane emitted from cows and sheep is the main cause of global warming.

D. Eating less red meat can be good for your health.

2 Read the text and answer the questions.

(Đọc đoạn văn và trả lời các câu hỏi.)

1 What reasons are used to support an insect-based diet?

2 How are supporters of insects as food trying to persuade Americans to eat them?

THE INSECTS ARE COMING!

With an abundance of cheap food and a weakness for junk food, the dietary habits of many Americans (and people in other Western countries) have led to an obesity epidemic. As a result, a growing number of food experts are saying it's time to replace traditional dishes with more nutritious and also more economical and ecological dishes: dishes that contain insects.

If you put a plate of bugs (as insects are often called in the USA) in front of an American, they, like most Westerners, would probably refuse to eat them.

Insects are seen as pests that destroy food crops rather than delicacies to be eaten. ¹ _____ The challenge for the promoters of insect-based meals is to make Americans see them in the same way.

During the 20th century, if you had visited a research department at an American food and agricultural university, you would have heard about how they were trying to reduce insect numbers due to the negative impact they have on crops and seeds. ² _____ Furthermore, insect fairs such as the BugFest at the North Carolina Museum or The Great Insect Fair at Penn State University explain that grasshoppers, moths and their cousins are an excellent source of nutrients like protein, minerals and vitamins. The fairs also offer the more adventurous visitors 'bug banquets', which serve mouth-watering insect dishes.

Apart from the scientific community, a growing number of market stalls and restaurants are providing insect meals too. ³ _____ What is more, fans of insect-based cooking like Daniella Martin are spreading the word that bugs are good for you. Martin's blog Girl Meets Bug, her internet cooking videos and her newspaper columns are all contributing to changing Americans' perceptions of insects. ⁴ _____ While entomophagists (people who eat insects) agree they face an uphill struggle, with 70 million obese citizens and millions more who want to be environmentally friendly, it seems that this could be the right time for insects to invade America's kitchens.

Reading Strategy

When you do a gapped sentence task, look for clues before and after each gap. For example, if a sentence starts with And or Furthermore, it probably introduces additional information.

Other words can be used for

• contrast: But, However

• consequences or conclusions: So, Therefore

(Chiến lược đọc

Khi bạn làm một câu có chỗ trống, hãy tìm manh mối trước và sau mỗi chỗ trống. Ví dụ: nếu một câu bắt đầu bằng Và hoặc Hơn nữa, nó có thể giới thiệu thông tin bổ sung.

Những từ khác có thể được dùng để

• tương phản: Nhưng, Tuy nhiên

• hậu quả hoặc kết luận: Vì vậy, Do đó)

3 Read the Reading Strategy. Then read the text again. Match sentences (A-E) with gaps (1-4). There is one extra sentence.

(Đọc Chiến lược đọc. Sau đó đọc lại văn bản. Nối câu (A-E) với khoảng trống (1-4). Có một câu bị thừa.)

A Today, 50% of the same universities promote insects as food.

B The popularity of Mexican food in the USA is also helping, as companies such as Don Bugito offer traditional Mexican insect dishes.

C Moreover, the amount of land needed to produce enough insects to feed the whole country is much smaller than the land needed to produce meat.

D But will it be enough?

E However, in parts of Asia, Africa and Central America, where there are plenty of big, juicy insects all year round, they are considered a delicious staple.