Adults and children are frequently confronted with statements about the alarming rate of loss of tropical rainforests. For example, one graphic illustration to which children might readily relate is the estimate that rainforests are being destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousand football fields every forty minutes - about the duration of a normal classroom period. In the face of the frequent and often vivid media coverage, it is likely that children will have formed ideas about rainforests - what and where they are important, what endangers them - independent of any formal tuition. It is also possible that some of these ideas will be mistaken.
Many studies have shown that children harbour misconceptions about 'pure', curiculum science. These misconceptions do not remain isolate but become incorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework, makeing it and the component ideas, some of which are erronous, more robust but also accessible to modification. These ideas may be developed by children absorbing ideas through the popular media. Sometimes this information may be erronous. It seems schools may not be providing an oppotunity for children to re-express their ideas and so have them tested and refined by teachers and their peers.
Despite the extensive coverage in the popular media of the destruction of rainforests, little formal information is availble about children's ideas in this area. The aim of the present study is to start to provide such information, to help teachers design their educational strategies to build upon correct ideas and to displace misconceptions and to plan programmes in environmental studies in their schools.
The study surveys children 's scientific knowledge and attitudes to rainforests. Secondary school children's scien
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
What is an ASBO
A subjective definition of anti-social behavior permit you to cast your net wide and include anything you find personally disagreeable; the legal definition is also widely inclusive. To quote (trích dẫn, nêu ra) the Crime and Disorder Act, it is behavior which 'causes or is likely to cause harassment (sự quấy rầy, quấy rối), alarm or distress (nỗi buồn, nỗi đau buồn) to one of more people who are not in the same household as the perpetrator (thủ phạm, kẻ gây ra)'. This includes among many other things, foul (hôi thối, bẩn thỉu) and abusive (lăng mạ, sỉ nhục) language, threatening behavior, shouting, disorderly conduct, vandalism (tính chất dã man, tính tàn bạo), intimidation (sự hăm dọa, sự đe dọa), behavior as the result of drug or alcohol misuse (lạm dụng), graffiti and noise which is excessive, particularly at night.
The idea is that ASBO are sanctions (luật pháp, sự thừa nhận) designed to deal with issues that affect everyone in the community and as such are civil (thuộc công dân) sanctions, not criminal ones, and need the cooperation of the community to be effective. For example, a private individual cannot apply for an ASBO; he or she must make a complaint to the police or local authority, who will then work together to gather more information and build up evidence. This involves (gồm, bao gồm, làm cho dính líu) getting witnesses (nhân chứng), among whom will no doubt be neighbours and acquaintances (sự hiểu biết, sự quen biết), to make statements to the authorities. When the authorities are satisfied that they have enough evidence. the local council (hội đồng) applies to the magistrates court (tòa án) to have an ASBO imposed (đánh thuế, bắt, chịu, gây ấn tượng mạnh)
We still haven't decided what constitutes anti-social behaviour. It does not have to be physical violence, of course, but is far easier to identify and deal with if it is. What about threatening behaviour? We are not talking here about direct threats such as: "if you come round here again, I will beat you up", but situations perceived as threatening. Let's say a pensioner or a person of timid (rụt rè, nhút nhát, sợ hãi) disposition is on their way home and they run into a group of young people who are shouting, swearing (chửi thề) and kicking a ball about and who happen to make a few unkind remarks as the person passes. Let's say the person is alarmed or feels threatened by the situation. Does it merit getting the ASBO process going.
The idea is that ASBO are sanctions (luật pháp, sự thừa nhận) designed to deal with issues that affect everyone in the community and as such are civil (thuộc công dân) sanctions, not criminal ones, and need the cooperation of the community to be effective. For example, a private individual cannot apply for an ASBO; he or she must make a complaint to the police or local authority, who will then work together to gather more information and build up evidence. This involves (gồm, bao gồm, làm cho dính líu) getting witnesses (nhân chứng), among whom will no doubt be neighbours and acquaintances (sự hiểu biết, sự quen biết), to make statements to the authorities. When the authorities are satisfied that they have enough evidence. the local council (hội đồng) applies to the magistrates court (tòa án) to have an ASBO imposed (đánh thuế, bắt, chịu, gây ấn tượng mạnh)
We still haven't decided what constitutes anti-social behaviour. It does not have to be physical violence, of course, but is far easier to identify and deal with if it is. What about threatening behaviour? We are not talking here about direct threats such as: "if you come round here again, I will beat you up", but situations perceived as threatening. Let's say a pensioner or a person of timid (rụt rè, nhút nhát, sợ hãi) disposition is on their way home and they run into a group of young people who are shouting, swearing (chửi thề) and kicking a ball about and who happen to make a few unkind remarks as the person passes. Let's say the person is alarmed or feels threatened by the situation. Does it merit getting the ASBO process going.
Các từ chỉ sự tăng và giảm trong IELTS task 1
Tăng và giảm
Dùng động từ:
1/ Tăng (increase): rise, augment, grow, go up (v), to be up
- tăng nhanh: soar (v), sky-rocket (v), shoot up (v)
- tăng chậm, nhích từng chút một: inch up (v)
- leo thang: escalate (v, escalation (n)), climb (v)
- lên tới đỉnh: to reach a peak, peak (v)
2/ Giảm (decrease): fall (v, n), drop (v, n), tumble (v), slump (v), decline (v), go down (v), to be down
- giảm nhanh: plunge (v), nose-dive (v), plummet
- Thu hẹp (e.g., thị phần): diminish, shrink, contract
- Chạm đáy: to reach/hit rock-bottom, a trough (điểm đáy)
Reduce khác với fall, hay drop ở chỗ to reduce là transitive verb (to reduce ST) trong khi fall và drop là intransitive verb. Vd: The company reduced their prices, but their prices fell.
3/ Ổn định: level out (v)
Dùng thêm tính từ/trạng từ:
Chúng ta có thể dùng adj hay adverbs để bổ sung cho động từ.
+ Để chỉ cường độ:
Mạnh: dramatic (dramatically), sharp (sharply), huge (hugely), enormous (enormously), steep (steeply), tremendous (tremendously)
Nhiều, đáng kể: substantial (substantially), considerable (considerably), significant (significantly), marked (markedly)
Vừa phải: moderate (moderately)
Nhẹ: slight (slightly)
Ít: small, little
Tối thiểu: minimal (minimally)
+ Để chỉ tốc độ:
Nhanh, thình lình: rapid (rapidly), quick (quickly), swift (swiftly), sudden (suddenly)
Đều: steady (steadily), constant (constantly). Thường dùng kiểu như to remain unchanged/stable/steady, to stay constant
Dần dần: gradual (gradually)
Chậm: slow (slowly)
Trích blog: CAPTAIN BEAR (http://englishtime.us/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=5658)
Dùng động từ:
1/ Tăng (increase): rise, augment, grow, go up (v), to be up
- tăng nhanh: soar (v), sky-rocket (v), shoot up (v)
- tăng chậm, nhích từng chút một: inch up (v)
- leo thang: escalate (v, escalation (n)), climb (v)
- lên tới đỉnh: to reach a peak, peak (v)
2/ Giảm (decrease): fall (v, n), drop (v, n), tumble (v), slump (v), decline (v), go down (v), to be down
- giảm nhanh: plunge (v), nose-dive (v), plummet
- Thu hẹp (e.g., thị phần): diminish, shrink, contract
- Chạm đáy: to reach/hit rock-bottom, a trough (điểm đáy)
Reduce khác với fall, hay drop ở chỗ to reduce là transitive verb (to reduce ST) trong khi fall và drop là intransitive verb. Vd: The company reduced their prices, but their prices fell.
3/ Ổn định: level out (v)
Dùng thêm tính từ/trạng từ:
Chúng ta có thể dùng adj hay adverbs để bổ sung cho động từ.
+ Để chỉ cường độ:
Mạnh: dramatic (dramatically), sharp (sharply), huge (hugely), enormous (enormously), steep (steeply), tremendous (tremendously)
Nhiều, đáng kể: substantial (substantially), considerable (considerably), significant (significantly), marked (markedly)
Vừa phải: moderate (moderately)
Nhẹ: slight (slightly)
Ít: small, little
Tối thiểu: minimal (minimally)
+ Để chỉ tốc độ:
Nhanh, thình lình: rapid (rapidly), quick (quickly), swift (swiftly), sudden (suddenly)
Đều: steady (steadily), constant (constantly). Thường dùng kiểu như to remain unchanged/stable/steady, to stay constant
Dần dần: gradual (gradually)
Chậm: slow (slowly)
Trích blog: CAPTAIN BEAR (http://englishtime.us/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=5658)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Insomnia - The enemy of sleep
It is not unusual to have sleep troubles from time to time. But, if you feel you do not get enough sleep or satisfying sleep, you may have insomnia, a sleep disorder. People with insomnia have one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep, waking up too early in the morning and unrefreshing sleep. Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. The amount of sleep a person needs varies. While most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night some people do well with less, an some need more.
Insomnia occurs most frequently in people over age 60, in people with a history of depression, and in women, especially after menopause. Severe emotional trauma can also cause insomnia with divorced, widowed and separated people being the most likely to suffer from this sleep disorder. Stress, anxiety, illness and other sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome are the most common causes of insomnia. An irregular work schedule, jet lag or brain damage from a stroke or Alzeimer's disease can also cause insomnia as well as excessive use of alcohol or illicit drugs. It can also accompany a variety of mental illnesses.
The mechanism that induces sleeps is not know. When it becomes dark, the pineal gland in the brain secretes a hormone called melatonin, which is thought to induce sleep. Exactly why sleep is necessary for good health and efficient mental functioning is unknown. We do know that sleep consist of two very different states: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. In REM sleep, dreams occur, the eyes move under the closed lids and there is an increase in oxygen consumption. blood flow and neural activity. REM sleep occurs four or five times during a night. The periods of REM sleep alternate with longer periods of non-REM sleep, when body functions a sleeper. As the night goes on, the periods of non-REM sleep become progressively lighter. Sleep in stages 1 and 2 are felt to be restorative as during this time body repairs itself utilising a hormone called somatostatin. Lack of stage 4 sleep is believed to be importance in chronically painful conditions such as fibromyalgia.
Healthcare providers diagnose insomnia in several days. One way is to categorize insomnia by how often it occurs. Another way is to identify the insomnia by what is causing the sleep deprivation. The two main types of insomnia have been described as Primary Insomnia and Secondary Insomnia. Primary insomnia is a chronic condition with little apparent association with stress or medical problem. The most common form of primary insomnia is psychophysiological insomnia. Secondary Insomnia is caused by symptoms that accompany a medical condition such as anxiety, depression or pain.
Improving one's sleep hygiene helps improve insomnia in all patients. Relaxing during the hour before you go to sleep and creating a comfortable environment suited for sleep can be helpful. Older people who wake up earlier than normal or have trouble falling asleep may need less sleep than they used to. Changing one's sleep pattern, either by going to bed later or waking up earlier can be effective in dealing with insomnia in older people. Therapy also depends on the cause and severity of the conditions last only a few days as a time. However, if insomnia interferes with insomnia is by attacking the underlying cause. For example, people who are depressed often have insomnia and looking at this problem may eliminate it.
Insomnia occurs most frequently in people over age 60, in people with a history of depression, and in women, especially after menopause. Severe emotional trauma can also cause insomnia with divorced, widowed and separated people being the most likely to suffer from this sleep disorder. Stress, anxiety, illness and other sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome are the most common causes of insomnia. An irregular work schedule, jet lag or brain damage from a stroke or Alzeimer's disease can also cause insomnia as well as excessive use of alcohol or illicit drugs. It can also accompany a variety of mental illnesses.
The mechanism that induces sleeps is not know. When it becomes dark, the pineal gland in the brain secretes a hormone called melatonin, which is thought to induce sleep. Exactly why sleep is necessary for good health and efficient mental functioning is unknown. We do know that sleep consist of two very different states: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. In REM sleep, dreams occur, the eyes move under the closed lids and there is an increase in oxygen consumption. blood flow and neural activity. REM sleep occurs four or five times during a night. The periods of REM sleep alternate with longer periods of non-REM sleep, when body functions a sleeper. As the night goes on, the periods of non-REM sleep become progressively lighter. Sleep in stages 1 and 2 are felt to be restorative as during this time body repairs itself utilising a hormone called somatostatin. Lack of stage 4 sleep is believed to be importance in chronically painful conditions such as fibromyalgia.
Healthcare providers diagnose insomnia in several days. One way is to categorize insomnia by how often it occurs. Another way is to identify the insomnia by what is causing the sleep deprivation. The two main types of insomnia have been described as Primary Insomnia and Secondary Insomnia. Primary insomnia is a chronic condition with little apparent association with stress or medical problem. The most common form of primary insomnia is psychophysiological insomnia. Secondary Insomnia is caused by symptoms that accompany a medical condition such as anxiety, depression or pain.
Improving one's sleep hygiene helps improve insomnia in all patients. Relaxing during the hour before you go to sleep and creating a comfortable environment suited for sleep can be helpful. Older people who wake up earlier than normal or have trouble falling asleep may need less sleep than they used to. Changing one's sleep pattern, either by going to bed later or waking up earlier can be effective in dealing with insomnia in older people. Therapy also depends on the cause and severity of the conditions last only a few days as a time. However, if insomnia interferes with insomnia is by attacking the underlying cause. For example, people who are depressed often have insomnia and looking at this problem may eliminate it.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Air Safety - Coming Down without a Bump
E. So in t1978 the ICAO chose the Microwave Landing System (MLS) to replace the ILS. The MLS also uses two radio signals from similarity sited transmitters to guide down aircraft, but there the similarity ends. The MLS uses narrow beams at a much higher frequency sweeping and forth across the path of incoming flights. A receiver on an aircraft registers when the beams pass and works out its angle to the runway from the timing of the signals. The new system is significantly less susceptible to interference than the ILS. And because its signals fan out wider, aircraft can make long curving approaches. This sometimes helps controllers manage traffic.
Monday, June 13, 2011
The death of wild salmon
The last few decades have seen an enormous increase in the number of salmon farms in countries bordering the north Atlantic. This proliferation is most marked in two countries famous for their salmon, Norway and Scotland. Salmon farming in Norway and Scotland has expanded to become a major industry and as the number of farmed salmon has exploded, the population of its wild relatives has crashed. The rivers of these countries that used to have such great summer runs of fish every season that they used to attract thousands of anglers from all over the word are now in perilous decline. Recently Truls Halstensen, a Norwegian fishing writer, wrote that his local river, the Driva, where he used to be able to catch five or more fish of over 20 pounds weight in a morning, is now almost totally fishless.
The link between the increase in farmed salmon and the decline in the wild population is hotly disputed. Environmentalist claim that the increase in farming has affected wild salmon and the sea environment in various ways. Firstly it is claimed that the mass escapes of farmed fish present a grave threat to the gene pool of wild salmon stocks. Escapees breed less successfully than wild salmon but the young of the escapees, known as parr, breed aggressively and can produce four times more successfully than their counterparts. The parr, bred by escapees also become sexually active far sooner than wild salmon stocks. Jeremy Read, director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust points out that "the major problem of interbreeding is that it reduces a population's fitness and ability to survive. Native salmon have evolved to meet the circumstances and habitat of sea and river life. Farm fish are under very different selection pressure in an artificial habitat. This could leave the world with a north Atlantic salmon which could not survive in its native conditions.". The huge increase in sea lice in coastal waters in another growing problem. Sea lice thrive in salmon farm conditions and their increase in numbers means that wild salmon and other fish entering waters where there are farms can fall prey to the lice.
Another difficulty and one of the most worry side effects of the salmon farm industry is that salmon farmers cannot function without vast quantities of tiny sea creatures to turn into food pellets to feed their stock. Lars Tennson of the Norwegian Norwegian Fishermen's association complains that "the huge quantities of small fish caught by industrial trawlers is helping to strip fishing grounds of the small fish and of other species, including wild salmon, that depend on the feed fish"
Fish farms are also being blamed for increasing levels of nitrogen in the ocean. Over the last 2 years there have been 26 effluent leaks involving nitrogen-rich fish droppings. Naturally occurring algae feed on this and grow into large toxic blooms that kill most other marine life. Even legal chemicals used in farms, such a those used to combat the sea lice, can unbalance micro-organism populations, affecting the other organism that feed on them. Kevin Dunnon, director of FEO Scotland, has warned that "using inappropriate chemicals and medicines has the potential to do real environmental damage... We will prosecute if we find enough evidence"
In spite of the evidence that farming is harming fish populations, fish farmers are adamant that they are not responsible. Nick Jury insists that "algal blooms and the decline in fish stocks have occurred naturally for decades because of wide range of unrelated and more complex factors." Jury feels that fish farms are being made a scapegoat for lack of government control of fishing.
Overfishing is a major problem that affects salmon stocks and not just salmon. A combination of high trawler catches, net fishing at estuaries, sport fishing and poaching have all led to stocks of wild salmon diminishing. The UK government likes to thing that this problem has been recognized and that the roots of the problems have been attacked by laws passed by them. Fishermen, at sea and in estuaries, have been set quotas and many salmon rivers have been closed to fisherman. Poachers are more difficult to control but their effect is not as marked as that of the fishermen. Angus Kilrie of the NASF feels that the efforts have been wasted: "Legislation has merely scratched the surface", Not enough money has been forthcoming to compensate fishermen and the allowances have been set to high
The fate of the wild Atlantic salmon is anybody's guess. Farmers and governments seem unworried, environmentalist fear the worst. Wild Scottish salmon stocks this year have actually gone up this year which is heralded by the UK's fisheries department as a result of their policies. Paul Knight, Director of the Salmon and Trout fishing association has stated that he is "delighted with the upturn in numbers this year." He adds the warning warning though that "there are still significant threats to salmon stocks and that it is important not to take our eye off the ball". Statistics though can always be interpreted in different ways. All issues concerning the health of the wild north Atlantic salmon need to continue to be addressed in order to protect the viability of future runs
Vocabulary
- proliferate (v): sinh sôi, nảy nở, phát triển
- proliferation (n): sự sinh sôi, sự tăng nhanh chóng về số lượng
- explode: (v) làm nổ, làm đập tan, làm tiêu tán
- angler: (n) người câu cá, người đánh bắt cá
- perilous: (adj) nguy hiểm, hiểm nghèo, hiểm họa
- perilously (adv)
- perilousness (n)
- hotly: (adv): sự sôi động, kịch liệt
- dispute (n) cuộc bàn cãi sự tranh cãi
- dispute (v): tranh cãi bàn cãi
dispute with (against) somebody: tranh luận với ai
dispute on (about) a subject: tranh luận về chủ đề gì
- grave (n): mồ mả, sự chôn vùi, sự chết, thế giới bên kia
- threat (n): sự đe dọa, lời đe dọa, sự hăm dọa
- threaten (v): đe dọa
- aggressive (adj): hay gây hấn, hung hãn, xông xáo
- aggressively (adv): xông xáo, tháo vát
- evolve (v) mở ra, suy luận ra
- involve: (v) gồm, bao gồm, liên quan đến, dính líu tới
- circumstances: hoàn cảnh, tình huống, trường hợp
- habitat (n): môi trường sống, nơi sống của cây cối động vật
- habitant: người ở, người cư trú
- thrive: (v) thịnh vượng, phát đạt
- prey (n): con mồi, a bird of prey - chim săn mồi
- be/fall prey to sth: làm mồi cho cái gì
- prey on/upon somebody's mind: dày vò ai
- trawler: tàu đánh cá bằng lưới
- feed: sự ăn, sự cho ăn
- marine: t
- blame (man): sự khiển trách, lời trách móc
The link between the increase in farmed salmon and the decline in the wild population is hotly disputed. Environmentalist claim that the increase in farming has affected wild salmon and the sea environment in various ways. Firstly it is claimed that the mass escapes of farmed fish present a grave threat to the gene pool of wild salmon stocks. Escapees breed less successfully than wild salmon but the young of the escapees, known as parr, breed aggressively and can produce four times more successfully than their counterparts. The parr, bred by escapees also become sexually active far sooner than wild salmon stocks. Jeremy Read, director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust points out that "the major problem of interbreeding is that it reduces a population's fitness and ability to survive. Native salmon have evolved to meet the circumstances and habitat of sea and river life. Farm fish are under very different selection pressure in an artificial habitat. This could leave the world with a north Atlantic salmon which could not survive in its native conditions.". The huge increase in sea lice in coastal waters in another growing problem. Sea lice thrive in salmon farm conditions and their increase in numbers means that wild salmon and other fish entering waters where there are farms can fall prey to the lice.
Another difficulty and one of the most worry side effects of the salmon farm industry is that salmon farmers cannot function without vast quantities of tiny sea creatures to turn into food pellets to feed their stock. Lars Tennson of the Norwegian Norwegian Fishermen's association complains that "the huge quantities of small fish caught by industrial trawlers is helping to strip fishing grounds of the small fish and of other species, including wild salmon, that depend on the feed fish"
Fish farms are also being blamed for increasing levels of nitrogen in the ocean. Over the last 2 years there have been 26 effluent leaks involving nitrogen-rich fish droppings. Naturally occurring algae feed on this and grow into large toxic blooms that kill most other marine life. Even legal chemicals used in farms, such a those used to combat the sea lice, can unbalance micro-organism populations, affecting the other organism that feed on them. Kevin Dunnon, director of FEO Scotland, has warned that "using inappropriate chemicals and medicines has the potential to do real environmental damage... We will prosecute if we find enough evidence"
In spite of the evidence that farming is harming fish populations, fish farmers are adamant that they are not responsible. Nick Jury insists that "algal blooms and the decline in fish stocks have occurred naturally for decades because of wide range of unrelated and more complex factors." Jury feels that fish farms are being made a scapegoat for lack of government control of fishing.
Overfishing is a major problem that affects salmon stocks and not just salmon. A combination of high trawler catches, net fishing at estuaries, sport fishing and poaching have all led to stocks of wild salmon diminishing. The UK government likes to thing that this problem has been recognized and that the roots of the problems have been attacked by laws passed by them. Fishermen, at sea and in estuaries, have been set quotas and many salmon rivers have been closed to fisherman. Poachers are more difficult to control but their effect is not as marked as that of the fishermen. Angus Kilrie of the NASF feels that the efforts have been wasted: "Legislation has merely scratched the surface", Not enough money has been forthcoming to compensate fishermen and the allowances have been set to high
The fate of the wild Atlantic salmon is anybody's guess. Farmers and governments seem unworried, environmentalist fear the worst. Wild Scottish salmon stocks this year have actually gone up this year which is heralded by the UK's fisheries department as a result of their policies. Paul Knight, Director of the Salmon and Trout fishing association has stated that he is "delighted with the upturn in numbers this year." He adds the warning warning though that "there are still significant threats to salmon stocks and that it is important not to take our eye off the ball". Statistics though can always be interpreted in different ways. All issues concerning the health of the wild north Atlantic salmon need to continue to be addressed in order to protect the viability of future runs
Vocabulary
- proliferate (v): sinh sôi, nảy nở, phát triển
- proliferation (n): sự sinh sôi, sự tăng nhanh chóng về số lượng
- explode: (v) làm nổ, làm đập tan, làm tiêu tán
- angler: (n) người câu cá, người đánh bắt cá
- perilous: (adj) nguy hiểm, hiểm nghèo, hiểm họa
- perilously (adv)
- perilousness (n)
- hotly: (adv): sự sôi động, kịch liệt
- dispute (n) cuộc bàn cãi sự tranh cãi
- dispute (v): tranh cãi bàn cãi
dispute with (against) somebody: tranh luận với ai
dispute on (about) a subject: tranh luận về chủ đề gì
- grave (n): mồ mả, sự chôn vùi, sự chết, thế giới bên kia
- threat (n): sự đe dọa, lời đe dọa, sự hăm dọa
- threaten (v): đe dọa
- aggressive (adj): hay gây hấn, hung hãn, xông xáo
- aggressively (adv): xông xáo, tháo vát
- evolve (v) mở ra, suy luận ra
- involve: (v) gồm, bao gồm, liên quan đến, dính líu tới
- circumstances: hoàn cảnh, tình huống, trường hợp
- habitat (n): môi trường sống, nơi sống của cây cối động vật
- habitant: người ở, người cư trú
- thrive: (v) thịnh vượng, phát đạt
- prey (n): con mồi, a bird of prey - chim săn mồi
- be/fall prey to sth: làm mồi cho cái gì
- prey on/upon somebody's mind: dày vò ai
- trawler: tàu đánh cá bằng lưới
- feed: sự ăn, sự cho ăn
- marine: t
- blame (man): sự khiển trách, lời trách móc
Thursday, June 2, 2011
IELTS Exam Rules
IELTS Exam includes 4 sections
(1) Listening
- 40 questions
- Time: 30 minute for listening to the recording and choosing the best answer of each question
10 minute extend for transferring answers to answer sheet
(2) Reading
- 40 questions
- Time: 60 minutes in all
20 minutes for each passage
No extra time --> write the answers directly to the answer sheet
(3) Writing: 2 task
- Task 1: 20 minutes: you have to write at least 150 words
- Task 2: 40 minutes: you have to write at least 250 words
(4) Speaking: 3 parts
Time: 15 minutes totally
- Part 1: Introduce by your self (4 to 5 minutes)
- Part 2: Topic talking: you have 1 minute for preparing (4 to 5 minutes)
- Part 3: Question and Answer (4 to 5 minutes)
(1) Listening
- 40 questions
- Time: 30 minute for listening to the recording and choosing the best answer of each question
10 minute extend for transferring answers to answer sheet
(2) Reading
- 40 questions
- Time: 60 minutes in all
20 minutes for each passage
No extra time --> write the answers directly to the answer sheet
(3) Writing: 2 task
- Task 1: 20 minutes: you have to write at least 150 words
- Task 2: 40 minutes: you have to write at least 250 words
(4) Speaking: 3 parts
Time: 15 minutes totally
- Part 1: Introduce by your self (4 to 5 minutes)
- Part 2: Topic talking: you have 1 minute for preparing (4 to 5 minutes)
- Part 3: Question and Answer (4 to 5 minutes)
Billingualism in Children
Paragraph A
One misguided legacy of over a hundred years of writing on bilingualism is that children's intelligence will suffer if they are bilingual. Some of the earliest research into bilingualism examined wether bilingual children were ahead or behind monolingual children in IQ tests. From the 1920s throught to the 1960s, the tendency was to find monolingual children ahead of bilinguals on IQ tests. The conclusion was that bilingual children mentally confused. Having two languages in the brain, it was said, disrupted effective thinking. It was argued that having one well-developed language was superior to having two half-developed languages.
Paragraph B
The idea that bilinguals may have a lower IQ still exist among many people, particularly monolinguals. However, we now know that this early research was misconceived and incorrect. First, such research often give bilinguals an IQ test in ther weaker language - usually English. Had bilinguals been tested in Welsh or Spanish or Hebrew, a different result may have been found. The testing of bilinguals was thus unfair. Second, like was not compared with like. Bilinguals tended to come from, for example, impoverished New York or rural Welsh backgrounds. The monolinguals tended to come from more middle class, urban families. Working class bilinguals were often compared with middle class monolinguals. So the result were more likely to be due to social class differences than language differences. The comparison of monolinguals and bilinguals was unfair.
Paragraph C
The most recent research from Canada, United States and Wales suggest that bilinguals are, at least, equal to monolinguals on IQ tests. When bilinguals have two well-developed languages (in the research literature called balanced bilinguals), bilinguals tend to show a slight superiority in IQ tests compared with monolinguals. This is the received psychological wisdom of the moment and is good news for raising bilingual children. Take, for example, a child who can operate in either language in the curriculum in the school. That child is likely to be ahead on IQ tests compared with similar (same gender, social class and age) monolinguals. Far from making people mentally confused, bilingualism is now associated with a mild degree of intellectual superiority.
Paragraph D
One note of caution needs to be sounded. IQ tests probably do not measure intelligence. IQ tests measure a small sample of the broadest concept of intelligence. IQ tests are simply paper and pencil tests where only 'right and wrong' answers are allowed. Is all intelligence summed up in such right and wrong, pencil and paper tests? Isn't there a wider variety of intelligences that are important in everyday functioning and everyday life?
Paragraph E
Many questions need answering. Do we only define an intelligent person as somebody who obtains a high score on an IQ test? Are the only intelligent people those who belong to high IQ organisations such as MENSA? Is there social intelligence, musical intelligence, military intelligence, marketing intelligence, motoring intelligence, political intelligence? Are all, or indeed any, of these forms of intelligence measured by a simple pencil and paper IQ test which demands a single, acceptable, correct solution to each question? Defining what constitutes intelligent behaviour require a personal value judgement as to what type of behaviour, and what kind of person is of move worth.
One misguided legacy of over a hundred years of writing on bilingualism is that children's intelligence will suffer if they are bilingual. Some of the earliest research into bilingualism examined wether bilingual children were ahead or behind monolingual children in IQ tests. From the 1920s throught to the 1960s, the tendency was to find monolingual children ahead of bilinguals on IQ tests. The conclusion was that bilingual children mentally confused. Having two languages in the brain, it was said, disrupted effective thinking. It was argued that having one well-developed language was superior to having two half-developed languages.
Paragraph B
The idea that bilinguals may have a lower IQ still exist among many people, particularly monolinguals. However, we now know that this early research was misconceived and incorrect. First, such research often give bilinguals an IQ test in ther weaker language - usually English. Had bilinguals been tested in Welsh or Spanish or Hebrew, a different result may have been found. The testing of bilinguals was thus unfair. Second, like was not compared with like. Bilinguals tended to come from, for example, impoverished New York or rural Welsh backgrounds. The monolinguals tended to come from more middle class, urban families. Working class bilinguals were often compared with middle class monolinguals. So the result were more likely to be due to social class differences than language differences. The comparison of monolinguals and bilinguals was unfair.
Paragraph C
The most recent research from Canada, United States and Wales suggest that bilinguals are, at least, equal to monolinguals on IQ tests. When bilinguals have two well-developed languages (in the research literature called balanced bilinguals), bilinguals tend to show a slight superiority in IQ tests compared with monolinguals. This is the received psychological wisdom of the moment and is good news for raising bilingual children. Take, for example, a child who can operate in either language in the curriculum in the school. That child is likely to be ahead on IQ tests compared with similar (same gender, social class and age) monolinguals. Far from making people mentally confused, bilingualism is now associated with a mild degree of intellectual superiority.
Paragraph D
One note of caution needs to be sounded. IQ tests probably do not measure intelligence. IQ tests measure a small sample of the broadest concept of intelligence. IQ tests are simply paper and pencil tests where only 'right and wrong' answers are allowed. Is all intelligence summed up in such right and wrong, pencil and paper tests? Isn't there a wider variety of intelligences that are important in everyday functioning and everyday life?
Paragraph E
Many questions need answering. Do we only define an intelligent person as somebody who obtains a high score on an IQ test? Are the only intelligent people those who belong to high IQ organisations such as MENSA? Is there social intelligence, musical intelligence, military intelligence, marketing intelligence, motoring intelligence, political intelligence? Are all, or indeed any, of these forms of intelligence measured by a simple pencil and paper IQ test which demands a single, acceptable, correct solution to each question? Defining what constitutes intelligent behaviour require a personal value judgement as to what type of behaviour, and what kind of person is of move worth.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Deer Farming in Australia
Paragraph A
Deer are not indigenous to Australia. They were introduced into the country during the nineteenth century under the acclimatization programs governing the introduction of exotic species of animals and birds into Australia. Six species of deer were released at various locations. The animals dispersed and established wild populations at various locations across Australia, mostly depending upon their points of release into the wild. These animals formed the basis for the deer industry in Australia today
Commercial deer farming in Australia commenced in Vitoria in 1971 with the authorized capture of rusa deer from Royal National Park. Until 1985, only four species of deer, two from temperate climates (red, fallow) and two tropical species (rusa, chital) were confined for commercial farming. Late in 1985, pressure from industry to increase heard numbers saw the development of import protocols. This resulted in the introduction of large numbers of red deer hybrids from New Zealand and North American elk directly from Canada. The national farmed deer herd is now distributed throughout all states although most are in New South Wales and Vitoria
Paragraph B
The number of animals processed annually has continued to increase despite the downward trend in venison prices since 1997. Of concern is the apparent increase in the number of female animals processed and the number of whole herds committed for processing with more than 40,000 animals processed in 1998/99 and 60,000 in 1999/2000, there is justified concern that future years may see a dramatic drop in production. At least 85% of all venison produced is exported in an unprocessed state to Asia.
Scheme to promote Australian deer products continue to have positive effect on sales that in turn have a positive effect on prices paid to growers. The industry appears to be showing limited signs that it is emerging from a state of depression cause both internal and external factors that include: (i) the Asian currency downturn; (ii) the industry is lack of of competitive advantage in influential markets (particularly in respect to New Zealand competition) , and: (iii) within industry processing and marketing competition for limited product volumes of venison
Paragraph C
From the formation of the Australian Deer Breeders Federation in 1979, the industry representative body has evolved through the Deer Farmers Federation of Australia to the Deer Industry Association of Australia Ltd (DIAA), which was registered in 1995. The industry has established two product development and marketing companies, the Australian Deer Horn and Co-Products Pty Ltd (ADH) and the Deer Industry projects and Development Pty Ltd, which trades as the Deer Industry Company (DIC). ADH collects and markets Australian deer horn and co-products on behalf of Australian deer farmers. It promotes the harvest of velvet antler according to the strict quality assurance program promoted by the industry. The company also plans and co-ordinates regular velvet accreditation courses for Australian deer framers.
Pargraph D
Estimates suggest that until the early 1990s the rate of the annual increase in the number of farmed deer was up to 25%, but after 1993 this rate of increase fell to probably less than 10%. The main reasons for the decline in the deer herd growth rate at such a critical time for market were: (i) severe drought condition up to 1998 affecting eastern Australia during 1993-96 and (ii) the consequent slaughter of large numbers of breeding females, at very low prices. These factors combined to decrease confidence within the industry. Lack of confidence saw a drop in new investment within the industry and a lack of willingness of established farmers to expand their herds. With the development of strong overseas markets for venison and velvet and the prospect of better seasons ahead in 1996, the trends described were herd was seen to impose undesirable restraints on the rate at which herd numbers could be expanded to meet the demands for products.
Supply difficulties were exacerbated when the supply of products, particularly venison, was maintained by the slaughter of young breeding females. The net result depletion of the industry's female breeding herds
Paragraph E
Industry programs are funded by statutory levies on sales of animals for venison, velvet antler sales and the sale of live animals into export markets. The industry has a 1996-2000 five year plan including animal nutrition, pasture quality, carcass quality, antler harvesting promotional materiel and technical bulletins. All projects have generated a significant volume of information, which compliments similar work undertaken in New Zealand and other deer farming countries.
Major projects funded by levy funds include the Venison Market Project from 1992 to 1996. This initiative resulted in a dramatic increase in international demand for Australian venison and an increase in the domestic consumption of venison. In an effort to maintain existing venison markets in the short term and to increase them in the long term, in 1997 the industry's top priority became the increase in size and production capacity of the national herd.
Vocabulary
- deer : con hươu
- disperse: giải tán, phân tán, xua tan
- disperse: giải tán, phân tán, xua tan
- indigenous: = native: bản xứ, bản địa
- acclimatization:sự thích nghi khí hậu
- exotic: kỳ lạ, cực đẹp, ở nước ngoài đưa vào
- species: loài, giống
- commenced: sự khởi đầu, bắt đầu
- confined: xác nhận cho, giam hãm, giam cầm
- apparent: easy to see (rõ ràng, dễ nhận biết)
- emerging: đang phát triển, mới nổi (emerging countries: các nước phát triển)
- emerge: nổi lên, hiện lên, lòi ra
- depression: sự thụt, lõm, giảm
- annual: hàng năm (thường niên)
- slaughter: = skill (giết mổ, giết thịt)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Australia linguistic's History
Aboriginal Australian was multilingual in the sense that more than two hundred languages were spoken in specific territorial areas which together comprised the whole country. Because mobility was restricted, one language group had knowledge of its own language together with some knowledge of the languages spoken in the territories immediately adjacent to their own
Người thổ dân Australia sử dụng rất nhiều ngôn ngữ, cụ thể có đến hơn 200 ngôn ngữ được sử dụng trong các vùng lãnh thổ trên toàn quốc. Vì sự di chuyển giới hạn, mỗi nhóm ngôn ngữ có cơ sở riêng của nó và của các nhóm ngôn ngữ lân cận.
However, from the beginning of European settlement in 1788, English was given predominance by the settlers. By 1983, about 83 percent of the Australian population spoke English as a mother tongue. Less than one percent did not use English at all. The preeminence of the English language reflects the fact that European settlement of this continent has been chiefly by English - speaking people, despite prior Portuguese and Dutch coastal exploration
Tuy nhiên, bắt đầu từ sự thiết lập của châu âu năm 1788, tiếng Anh được sử dụng chủ yếu bởi những kẻ thực dân. Năm 1983, có khoảng 83% dân số Australia nói tiếng Anh như tiếng mẹ đẻ. Chỉ hơn 1% hoàn toàn không nói tiếng Anh. Sự nồi trội của tiếng Anh phản ánh một thực tế rằng sự thiết lập của Châu âu trên đại lục này đứng đầu là những người nói tiếng Anh, mặc dù tiếng Bồ đào nha, tiếng Hà lan đã được khai phá từ trước
The first white settlers, convicts and soldiers and, later, free settlers, came almost exclusively from the British Isles. Some of these settlers spoke the standard form of English whilst others spoke a wide variety of the non-standard form of English that flourished in various areas of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. In addition many the Celtic languages including Gaelic, Irish and Welsh. However, speaker of languages other than English did not arrive in the Australia colonies in significant numbers until the goldrushes of the 1850s, which attracted people from all over the world, including substantial numbers from China.
Những người đến định cư đầu tiên, những người lính và sau đó là những người định cư tự do hầu hết đến từ quần đảo Anh. Một bộ phận những người định cư này nói thứ tiếng Anh chuẩn, số còn lại nói rất nhiều loại tiếng Anh khác nhau đến từ nhiều nơi: Anh quốc, Scotland, Ai-len và xứ Wales. Thêm vào đó có cả các nhóm người nói tiếng Celtic bao gồm Gaelic, Irish and Welsh. Tuy nhiên số lượng những người không nói tiếng Anh đến Australia là không đáng kể cho đến khi hiện tượng đổ xô đi tìm vàng xuất hiện những năm 1850s, điều này thu hút mọi người trên toàn thế giới đổ xô đến Australia bao gồm số lượng lớn từ Trung quốc
The reaction of the Europeans to the Chinese led to restriction on Chinese and other non-European immigration this Act hindered the spread of non-European languages in Australian colonies. In 1891, about four percent of the total population was of German origin.
Sự phản ứng của Châu âu đối với Trung quốc đã hạn chế số lượng người Trung quốc và những người không thuộc châu âu nhập cư, và ngăn cản sự mở rộng của những ngôn ngữ phi châu âu ở lãnh thổ Australia. Năm 1891 có khoảng 4% tổng dân số có gốc Đức ở Australia
Despite increased immigration from southern Europe, Germany, and Est-ern Europe during 1920s and 1930s, the period from 1900 to 1946 saw the consolidation of the English language in Australia. This process was accelerated by the xenophobia engendered by the two world wars which resulted in a decline in German in particular and of all non-English in general. As the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affaires noted, the result was that 'at the end of World War II, Australia was at its most monolingual ever 90 percent of the population tracing its ancestry to Britain.
Mặc dầu sự nhập khẩu vào Úc gia tăng từ phía đông châu âu, Đức và phía tây châu âu những năm 1920 và 1930s. Giai đoạn từ năm 1900 đến 1946 chứng kiến sự vững chắc của tiếng Anh ở Australia.
The post-war migration program reversed the process of increasing English monolingual-ism. The post-war period also witnessed a reversal of a trend of diminishing numbers of Australians of Aboriginal and Asian descent. Dr C. Price, a demographer at the Australian National University, has estimated that in 1947 only 59000 Aborigines remained from a population of 110,000 in 1891 by 1981 their numbers had increased to 160. Between 1947 and 1971, nearly three million people came to settle in Australia. About 60 percent came from non-English speaking countries, notably, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands. Since 1973, Australian immigration policies have not discriminated against people on the grounds of race, and more Asian settlers have arrived, especially from South East Asia generally and, more recently, from East Timor and Vietnam in particular. Between 1971 and 1981the Asian population of Australia more than doubled to 8.5 percent of the total overseas-born population. Traditional migration from Europe, although remaining substantial. declined in relative importance during this decade. The numbers of new settlers from Lebanon and New Zealand also more than doubled during this period and there was much greater migration from Latin America, Africa and Oceania
Vocabulary:
- aboriginal: thổ dân
- territorial: lãnh thổ
- comprise = include, consist, contain
- settle: = setting up, establish
- predominance: vượt trội, nổi trội
- preeminence: nở rộ
- goldrushes: hiện tượng đổ xô đi tìm vàng
- goldrusher: những người đổ xô đi tìm vàng
- consolidation: vững chắc, làm cho vững chắc, thống nhất...
- xenophobia: sự bài ngoại (không thích dùng đồ ngoại)
- engender: sinh ra, gây ra, đem lại
IELTS Reading Comprehension strategy
With normal question (choose the best answer in 4 answers)
(1) Read the title first to know what it is
(2) Read the question one by one
(3) Try to understand question (get the main meaning): Find out the keyword or clue
(4) Do scheme/ scan the text (read quickly)
(5) Looking for the similar/opposite word to the keyword/clue
(6) Stop to see if it is the answer / or expand reading to surrounding
With question finding the title of each paragraph
(1) Read the title/heading first to know what the passage talk about
(2) Spend 2 minutes to scan all passage: focus on Abbreviation, number, figure...
(3) Read paragraph one by one
- To find out the title (topic) of the paragraph: read only the first and the second sentence of each paragraph try to understand as detail as possible. Scan quickly the others (the rest of paragraph)
- In some situations, you should read the last sentence of the paragraph to imply the topic
(1) Read the title first to know what it is
(2) Read the question one by one
(3) Try to understand question (get the main meaning): Find out the keyword or clue
(4) Do scheme/ scan the text (read quickly)
(5) Looking for the similar/opposite word to the keyword/clue
(6) Stop to see if it is the answer / or expand reading to surrounding
With question finding the title of each paragraph
(1) Read the title/heading first to know what the passage talk about
(2) Spend 2 minutes to scan all passage: focus on Abbreviation, number, figure...
(3) Read paragraph one by one
- To find out the title (topic) of the paragraph: read only the first and the second sentence of each paragraph try to understand as detail as possible. Scan quickly the others (the rest of paragraph)
- In some situations, you should read the last sentence of the paragraph to imply the topic
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)