📚 The Economist - Jan 7th/13th, 2023
The Economist is a global weekly magazine written for those who share an uncommon interest in being well and broadly informed.
Each issue explores the close links between domestic and international issues, business, politics, finance, current affairs, science, technology and the arts. #economist
The Economist is a global weekly magazine written for those who share an uncommon interest in being well and broadly informed.
Each issue explores the close links between domestic and international issues, business, politics, finance, current affairs, science, technology and the arts. #economist
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Forwarded from 🟣🟢 English Trunk | Английский язык
Death by Comfort: How Modern Life is Killing Us and What We Can Do About it
Our genome has not changed in over 45,000 years, but the world has changed and there are multiple mismatches with modern life. Homo sapiens evolved because we hunted down prey with the tools we made, ate a range of natural foods from the environment and led lives necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies and brains.
Now,more than 50% of our diet is made up of ultra-processed foods that hijack our brains’ rewards systems while making us overweight and sick.We used to live in small tribal communities where everyone had a role and purpose. Now we are digitally connected and physically disconnected.Modern humans are the most overweight,depressed, medicated and addicted cohort of adults that has ever lived, yet life has never been so good!
Backed by powerful research, Death by Comfort explores exactly what’s wrong and what we need to do in order to survive and thrive in the modern world.
Our genome has not changed in over 45,000 years, but the world has changed and there are multiple mismatches with modern life. Homo sapiens evolved because we hunted down prey with the tools we made, ate a range of natural foods from the environment and led lives necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies and brains.
Now,more than 50% of our diet is made up of ultra-processed foods that hijack our brains’ rewards systems while making us overweight and sick.We used to live in small tribal communities where everyone had a role and purpose. Now we are digitally connected and physically disconnected.Modern humans are the most overweight,depressed, medicated and addicted cohort of adults that has ever lived, yet life has never been so good!
Backed by powerful research, Death by Comfort explores exactly what’s wrong and what we need to do in order to survive and thrive in the modern world.
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🌎 IELTS Writing Task 1: How much can you assume in map descriptions? 🌎
Today, we were discussing overviews for the IELTS 16 task about the Southwest Airport. One student wrote "The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will allow passengers to move through this area faster." Another student asked, "But isn't it an assumption that passengers will be able to move faster? Aren't we only supposed to describe what is in the task, without any assumptions?"
It's a very good question. And, generally, yes - you shouldn't really make assumptions about the data in the task. But! First, it's abundantly clear that taking a train is faster than walking, so this assumption is safe. Second, you need to think about why the thing in the map (the walkway in the airport in this case) was changed. Why would they need to replace the walkway? Because the airport will be bigger, so walking will be harder and longer.
OK, let's take the bare change without any assumptions: "The skytrain will replace the walkway." What are some assumptions that you should not include in your answer?
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will allow passengers to move through this area faster, so they won't miss their flight.
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will make it easier for passengers to transport their heavy luggage.
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will be a much more modern and technological means of transport.
These assumptions are also safe to some extent, but they are definitely a stretch - they are not related to the changes at all (the airport increasing in size and new facilities being added).
Assume safely.
Source: Ira Lutsenko
Today, we were discussing overviews for the IELTS 16 task about the Southwest Airport. One student wrote "The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will allow passengers to move through this area faster." Another student asked, "But isn't it an assumption that passengers will be able to move faster? Aren't we only supposed to describe what is in the task, without any assumptions?"
It's a very good question. And, generally, yes - you shouldn't really make assumptions about the data in the task. But! First, it's abundantly clear that taking a train is faster than walking, so this assumption is safe. Second, you need to think about why the thing in the map (the walkway in the airport in this case) was changed. Why would they need to replace the walkway? Because the airport will be bigger, so walking will be harder and longer.
OK, let's take the bare change without any assumptions: "The skytrain will replace the walkway." What are some assumptions that you should not include in your answer?
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will allow passengers to move through this area faster, so they won't miss their flight.
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will make it easier for passengers to transport their heavy luggage.
- The skytrain, which will replace the walkway, will be a much more modern and technological means of transport.
These assumptions are also safe to some extent, but they are definitely a stretch - they are not related to the changes at all (the airport increasing in size and new facilities being added).
Assume safely.
Source: Ira Lutsenko
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How many words could you catch? 😂😂😂
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In such circumstances, it would not be at all surprising to learn that Germany has an awful record on road safety, except that it doesn't. Indeed, Germany's road safety record is comparable, and in some cases superior, to that of all other industrialised European countries. So is this just luck rewarding recklessness? Well, first of all, it's important to concede that speed limits do apply at junctions and other danger spots, such as sections under repair, and that there are even weather-related speed limits on some stretches of the autobahn (lower speed limits are used in cases of wet lanes). To fail to point this out would be to paint a picture, rather unfairly, of speed-hungry officials putting the travelling public in jeopardy on roads in order to gratify their own thrill-lust. Of course, this is not the case. Indeed, safety considerations aside, the Germans have even imposed speed limits for other purposes, such as to reduce pollution and noise on some stretches of the autobahn, so there is no crazy speed-fuelled agenda here. 'Mad' you may say, but the Germans actually seem to think this is safe.
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Choose the correct heading for the paragraph above from the list of headings (i-viii) below.
Anonymous Quiz
7%
i The Fascination Explained
5%
ii Speedsters Thwarted by Manufacturers (in) A Policy Well Conceived
9%
iii A Policy Well Conceived
23%
iv Speed Limits That Are Not Speed Limits
9%
v Recklessness Rewarded
18%
vi Safety Compromised
27%
vii Safety Not Only Factor Driving Speed Regulators
2%
viii The Longest Motorways Examined
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❄️ Writing with New Scientist: "thing" ❄️
"Thing" is a beautiful, all-encompassing shell noun - you can use it to speak about anything. "People spend too time on social media. This is a bad thing." Or, "Prolonged exposure to noise leads to such negative things as anxiety and insomnia."
Unfortunately, this word is completely non-academic or even anti-academic. In academic writing, we need more precise shell nouns, like: measure, trend, initiative, factor, development, consequence etc.
🗒 Here is a piece from the student's paragraph:
"Minor failures may result in frustration, disappointment and anger. These, in turn, would contribute to things like anxiety and depression."
Instead of "things," we could say, "issues" or even "mental health issues."
🗒 Here is another paragraph written by a student. This time, we see two examples of "things." How would you rephrase each one?
"Believing their potential is limitless is likely to reduce people's fear of failure, thus making them more daring and less inhibited. This, in turn, could lead them to muster the courage to attempt [1] things they have always wanted but never dared to try, such as starting their own business or learning a foreign language. Apart from enabling individuals to embark on new endeavors, the belief could also be a help along the way, as it will motivate them to persevere and try harder, regardless of any obstacles and setbacks. This amount of effort can't fail to bring at least some positive results. Even if they don't achieve everything they set out to accomplish, people will still hone their skills, increase their expertise and develop themselves, which can only be a good [2] thing."
Don't limit yourself to shell nouns. Be creative. And make other necessary changes. 📝
"Thing" is a beautiful, all-encompassing shell noun - you can use it to speak about anything. "People spend too time on social media. This is a bad thing." Or, "Prolonged exposure to noise leads to such negative things as anxiety and insomnia."
Unfortunately, this word is completely non-academic or even anti-academic. In academic writing, we need more precise shell nouns, like: measure, trend, initiative, factor, development, consequence etc.
🗒 Here is a piece from the student's paragraph:
"Minor failures may result in frustration, disappointment and anger. These, in turn, would contribute to things like anxiety and depression."
Instead of "things," we could say, "issues" or even "mental health issues."
🗒 Here is another paragraph written by a student. This time, we see two examples of "things." How would you rephrase each one?
"Believing their potential is limitless is likely to reduce people's fear of failure, thus making them more daring and less inhibited. This, in turn, could lead them to muster the courage to attempt [1] things they have always wanted but never dared to try, such as starting their own business or learning a foreign language. Apart from enabling individuals to embark on new endeavors, the belief could also be a help along the way, as it will motivate them to persevere and try harder, regardless of any obstacles and setbacks. This amount of effort can't fail to bring at least some positive results. Even if they don't achieve everything they set out to accomplish, people will still hone their skills, increase their expertise and develop themselves, which can only be a good [2] thing."
Don't limit yourself to shell nouns. Be creative. And make other necessary changes. 📝
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New Scientist - January 14, 2023
New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world.
Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.
New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world.
Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.
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☃️ IELTS Writing Task 2: a paragraph makeover ☃️
🗒 Topic: "Some people think that the best way to learn about business is to study a course at college or university. Others believe that there are other better ways to learn about business. Discuss both views and give your opinion."
🗒 Here is a student's paragraph about the first point of view:
"On the one hand, doing a course on business at an educational institution is the best choice. By doing so, a candidate is likely to gain profound knowledge of the mechanics of business models. This foundation can give the understanding of basic economic principles, how markets are affected by world events, and how to assess a firms' financial health. Thus, such academic background serves as a building block for flexibility - a valued asset of a contemporary entrepreneur. It arms them with skills required to work equally effectively for businesses of all sizes - from multinational companies to start-ups, as well as in a number of contexts - from finance and Human Resources to personal brands."
This paragraph has some good ideas, but is a bit chaotic. More importantly, it doesn't explain why doing a course at university is the best choice. It simply explains what happens at a university course. For example, "gain profound knowledge" or "understanding of basic economic principles" or "arms them with skills" - these things simply happen at university. They don't necessarily mean a university course is the best.
So how do we argue that a university course is the best choice? How do we underscore the "the best" part?
🗒 My rewrite:
"On the one hand, doing a course on business at a university is the best choice. First, a candidate is likely to gain more profound knowledge of the mechanics of business and economic principles than they might through experience or consuming content online. This is because university courses are based on solid scientific research and are taught by professors with advanced academic degrees. Second, courses offered by higher education institutions are better designed in that they are more comprehensive and include a wide range of subjects. They can thus enable the graduates to work in a wide range of business contexts, from multinational companies to start-ups. When people learn from experience, on the other hand, they only learn one specific area of business they are engaged in. A university course is therefore a much more fundamental approach than any other."
What did I do? I explained why a university course is more profound and contrasted a wide range of contexts with just one area.
Many IELTS topics have the word "the best." Make sure it's clear not only how something works, but also in what ways it's better than other ways.
🗒 Topic: "Some people think that the best way to learn about business is to study a course at college or university. Others believe that there are other better ways to learn about business. Discuss both views and give your opinion."
🗒 Here is a student's paragraph about the first point of view:
"On the one hand, doing a course on business at an educational institution is the best choice. By doing so, a candidate is likely to gain profound knowledge of the mechanics of business models. This foundation can give the understanding of basic economic principles, how markets are affected by world events, and how to assess a firms' financial health. Thus, such academic background serves as a building block for flexibility - a valued asset of a contemporary entrepreneur. It arms them with skills required to work equally effectively for businesses of all sizes - from multinational companies to start-ups, as well as in a number of contexts - from finance and Human Resources to personal brands."
This paragraph has some good ideas, but is a bit chaotic. More importantly, it doesn't explain why doing a course at university is the best choice. It simply explains what happens at a university course. For example, "gain profound knowledge" or "understanding of basic economic principles" or "arms them with skills" - these things simply happen at university. They don't necessarily mean a university course is the best.
So how do we argue that a university course is the best choice? How do we underscore the "the best" part?
🗒 My rewrite:
"On the one hand, doing a course on business at a university is the best choice. First, a candidate is likely to gain more profound knowledge of the mechanics of business and economic principles than they might through experience or consuming content online. This is because university courses are based on solid scientific research and are taught by professors with advanced academic degrees. Second, courses offered by higher education institutions are better designed in that they are more comprehensive and include a wide range of subjects. They can thus enable the graduates to work in a wide range of business contexts, from multinational companies to start-ups. When people learn from experience, on the other hand, they only learn one specific area of business they are engaged in. A university course is therefore a much more fundamental approach than any other."
What did I do? I explained why a university course is more profound and contrasted a wide range of contexts with just one area.
Many IELTS topics have the word "the best." Make sure it's clear not only how something works, but also in what ways it's better than other ways.
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#vocabularytime
♦PRODIGY [ˈprɑː.də.dʒi] — someone with a very great ability that usually shows itself when that person is a young child:
e.g.
★ The 16-year-old tennis prodigy is the youngest player ever to reach the Olympic finals.
★ He read in the paper about a mathematical prodigy who was attending university at the age of twelve.
♦ BOUNCE BACK — to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness, or unhappiness:
e.g.
★ Stock prices bounced back after a steep plunge earlier this week.
★ Children often seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than adults do.
♦PRODIGY [ˈprɑː.də.dʒi] — someone with a very great ability that usually shows itself when that person is a young child:
e.g.
★ The 16-year-old tennis prodigy is the youngest player ever to reach the Olympic finals.
★ He read in the paper about a mathematical prodigy who was attending university at the age of twelve.
♦ BOUNCE BACK — to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness, or unhappiness:
e.g.
★ Stock prices bounced back after a steep plunge earlier this week.
★ Children often seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than adults do.
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🎉 Янги гурухларга қабул бошланди
'BEGINNER' гурухига таклиф қилиб қоламиз.
— Дарс вақти - 17:00 (Сешанба/Пайшанба/Шанба)
✨ Teacher: Алишер Якубжанов
✅ IELTS: 8.0
✅ 7 йиллик тажриба
✅ Синалган у́қитиш системаси
✅ British Council IELTS Teacher Training Certificate
🤩Авзалликлари:
— 2 соат дарс (минимум)
— хафтада 3 марта
— academic support (қу́шимча шугулланиш учун 2 та ёрдамчи у́китувчи)
— нарх (400,000 сўм)
❗️Шошилинг жойлар чекланган.
📱@ray_administration
☎️ 994782500
📍Манзилимиз: Чилонзор-Ц, Чу́пон Ота ку́часи, 6-Б уй
Ориентир: Ⓜ️ Мирзо Улуґбек метроси
Telegram | Instagram | Alisher Yakubjanov
'BEGINNER' гурухига таклиф қилиб қоламиз.
— Дарс вақти - 17:00 (Сешанба/Пайшанба/Шанба)
✨ Teacher: Алишер Якубжанов
✅ IELTS: 8.0
✅ 7 йиллик тажриба
✅ Синалган у́қитиш системаси
✅ British Council IELTS Teacher Training Certificate
🤩Авзалликлари:
— 2 соат дарс (минимум)
— хафтада 3 марта
— academic support (қу́шимча шугулланиш учун 2 та ёрдамчи у́китувчи)
— нарх (400,000 сўм)
❗️Шошилинг жойлар чекланган.
📱@ray_administration
☎️ 994782500
📍Манзилимиз: Чилонзор-Ц, Чу́пон Ота ку́часи, 6-Б уй
Ориентир: Ⓜ️ Мирзо Улуґбек метроси
Telegram | Instagram | Alisher Yakubjanov
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New Scientist US - January 28/03 February, 2023
New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world.
Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.
New Scientist covers the latest developments in science and technology that will impact your world.
Our editorial team provide cutting-edge news, award-winning features and reports, written in concise and clear language that puts discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life today and in the future.
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🔥Bugun va Payshanba kunlari RAY ENGLISH LEARNING CENTER da shu hafta ochiladigan guruhga qóshiling
✅ Agar siz Ingliz tilini tez va samarali o'rganishni istasangiz lekin bizning guruhga ro'yhatdan o'tishga ulgurmagan bo'lsangiz, sizga ajoyib yangilik:
🔥BEPUL OCHIQ DARS
⏰ 31-yanvar 17:00
⏰ 02-fevral 17:00
📍Mirzo Ulug'bek Metro
⭕️ Joylar soni chegaralangan! Ro’yxatdan o’tish uchun👇
📞 994782500
📱 @ray_administration
✅ Agar siz Ingliz tilini tez va samarali o'rganishni istasangiz lekin bizning guruhga ro'yhatdan o'tishga ulgurmagan bo'lsangiz, sizga ajoyib yangilik:
🔥BEPUL OCHIQ DARS
⏰ 31-yanvar 17:00
⏰ 02-fevral 17:00
📍Mirzo Ulug'bek Metro
⭕️ Joylar soni chegaralangan! Ro’yxatdan o’tish uchun👇
📞 994782500
📱 @ray_administration
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