1.

Indian girls change their names

Almost 300 hundred Indian girls who were called Nakusa, which means ‘Unwanted’ in
Hindi, have changed their names at a special ceremony in the central Indian district of
Satara.

The aim of this event is to fight the gender inequality that exists across the country,
where parents often show preferential treatment to their sons over their daughters.

Government officials became concerned after this year's census illuminated the
recurring problem, In the Maharashtra state, where the naming ceremony took place,
there are just 833 girls for every 1,000 boys – down from 913 about 10 years ago.

Such ratios are the result of abortions of female fetuses or neglect of young girls, which
leads to a higher death rate. Hospitals are now banned from revealing the gender of an
unborn fetus.

Some believe that the Indian preference for boys comes from the high cost of marrying
girls off because families have to enter expensive dowry agreements. Other traditions,
such as boys lighting their parents’ funeral pyres, also play a part.

Question:

What do we learn about this article?

a) First names are important in India

b) Indian parents prefer boys to girls
c) A girl’s education is cheaper in India
d) Changing names is a tradition in India

2. The Dreamliner

Boeing's Dreamliner has finally taken off on its maiden commercial voyage, three years
later than planned because of a string of setbacks.

Wednesday's flight with All Nippon Airlines (ANA) carries passengers from Tokyo to
Hong Kong, with normal services due to start in November.

Because of the materials used in construction, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20%
more fuel efficient than similarly sized models flying today, which is a key factor for
airlines coping with the high price of jet fuel, their biggest single cost.

Japan, a market in which Boeing dominates rival Airbus, is a major market for the
Dreamliner.
ANA will take delivery of dozens more of the aircraft in the coming years, but the long
delay has hurt its business, last week China Eastern Airlines cancelled orders for 24
Dreamliners.

Question :

What´s so special about this new aircraft?

a) It carries more passengers

b) it is a cheaper plane to fly
c) they can be built in 3 years
d) it can fly with cheaper fuel

3. Vaccines for teenagers

A US government medical committee has recommended the human papilloma virus

vaccine for boys, to tackle the spread of the sexually-transmitted virus.

While the vaccine has been available to boys before, the vote means that injections are
now likely to be covered under medical insurance.

Officials said a lower than expected rate of vaccination in girls encouraged them to
reconsider the policy. In boys, the vaccine protects against cancers associated with the
virus and genital warts, but would also potentially reduce the spread of the virus from
males to females.

The low rate of vaccination in girls has been attributed to confusion by parents that
think vaccination is only appropriate when their daughter becomes sexually active. The
vaccine works best if the shots are given before having sex

According to the CDC, an estimated 50% to 80% of men and women are infected with
HPV at some point in their lifetime, although most never develop symptoms.

Question:

Which statement is true according to the article?

a) This vaccine was only available to girls in the past

b) It´s works better if vaccinated after having sex
c) The vaccine also protects against cancer
d) Parents aren’t confused about the vaccine
4. Short-sight and playing outdoor

The time children spend outdoors could be linked to a reduced risk of being short-
sighted, research suggests.

An analysis of eight previous studies by University of Cambridge researchers found that

for each additional hour spent outside per week, the risk of myopia reduced by 2%.

Exposure to natural light and time spent looking at distant objects could be key factors,
they said.

Dr Justin Sherwin and his research team concluded that short-sighted children spent on
average 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or
were long-sighted.

They expected to find that children who spent more time outdoors also spent less time
doing activities like reading, studying or playing computer games, but no such link was
found in two of the eight studies which looked at this relationship.

Question:

What is this study trying to prove?

a) Children who stay at home are more likely to develop myopia

b) Children who play outdoors spend more time looking at objects
c) This study proves that children who read more develop myopia
d) Natural light exposure can’t affect children´s normal vision

5. Making decisions

Three men doing time in Israeli prisons recently appeared before a parole board
consisting of a judge, a criminologist and a social worker. The three prisoners had
completed at least two thirds of their sentences, but the parole board granted freedom to
only one of them. Guess which one:

Case 1 (heard at 8:50 a.m.): An Arab Israeli serving a 30-month sentence for fraud.
Case 2 (heard at 3:10 p.m.): A Jewish Israeli serving a 16-month sentence for assault.
Case 3 (heard at 4:25 p.m.): An Arab Israeli serving a 30-month sentence for fraud.

The odds favored the prisoner who appeared at 8:50 a.m. — and he did in fact receive
parole. But even though the other Arab Israeli prisoner was serving the same sentence
for the same crime — fraud — the odds were against him when he appeared (on a
different day) at 4:25 in the afternoon. He was denied parole, as was the Jewish Israeli
prisoner at 3:10 p.m, whose sentence was shorter than that of the man who was
released. They were just asking for parole at the wrong time of day.

Question:
What can be inferred from this?
a) The judge´s decision was influenced by religion.
b) The judge´s decision was influenced by timing.
c) The judge´s decision was based on their crimes.
d) The judge´s decision was influenced by their sentences.

6. Cells that contribute to aging

Researchers have opened up a new approach to combating the effects of aging with the
discovery of a special category of cells, known as “senescent cells”; these cells stop
dividing and accumulate naturally with age. Cleansing the body of the cells, could put
off many of the diseases of aging.

The findings raise the prospect that any therapy that rids the body of senescent cells
would protect it from the ravages of aging. But many more tests will be needed before
scientists know if drugs can be developed to help people live longer.

In a delicate feat of genetic engineering, a research team has generated a strain of mouse
in which all the senescent cells can be purged by giving the mice a drug that forces the
cells to self-destruct. Rid of the senescent cells, the mice’s tissues showed a major
improvement in the usual burden of age-related disorders like cataracts, the wasting
away of muscle tissue, and the loss of fat layers in the skin that usually thin out with
age and cause wrinkling in people.

Question:
What was discovered in this research?

a) Senescent cells make diseases develop faster

b) Senescent cells cleansing improves the quality of life
c) Senescent cells make wrinkles appear earlier
d) Senescent cells contribute to the accumulation of fat

7. Magic mushrooms

According to new research by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore,

magic mushrooms can have long-lasting positive effects on people's well-being. After
their use of the drug, volunteers reported positive effects such as an increased sense of
inner peace and increased ability to empathize with others.

It has been known for quite some time that the active constituent of magic mushrooms,
psilocybin, can induce profound experiences. However, when the 'trip' becomes too
strong, the experience often includes strong negative emotions such as anxiety and
despair. The researchers, led by professor of behavioural biology Roland Griffiths,
defined an optimal dose, inducing influential and mystical experiences without any
negative side-effects.

Fourteen months after the experiment, 94% of the test subjects said the experiment was
one of the top five most meaningful experiences of their lives; 39% said it was the
single most meaningful experience. Reported positive effects included an increased
understanding of themselves and others, and increased patience in their lives. Not only
the participants themselves reported positive effects: also friends, family and colleagues
of those who received the drug reported that they made a more calm and happy
impression on them.

Question:
What do we learn about this research?
a) The right dose of psilocybin improves mental health
b) Magic mushrooms´ effect is long lasting and harmful
c) An optimal dose of psilocybin might still have side effects
d) Most people regret taking part in this experiment

ANSWERS

1. B
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. A