Presenter: Welcome to today's show.

We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our

………….. today. Anna is the creator and …………. of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we
should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in,
Anna.
Anna: Thanks for having me.
Presenter: So, tell us about your ……………... how does it work?
Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have …………… challenges when it comes to
homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much
……………… time to help their …………… with their homework. And even if they do have
time to help, they may not be able to offer support with the ………………... What I mean is,
they may not know, or at least remember, ……………… in any given subject to support.
Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might have
never studied …………………….. subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?
Anna: Exactly. So they might want to support their children with their homework, but have
…………………….. the time………………………… the knowledge to do so.
Presenter: I see. So the app helps solve this problem?
Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that ……………….. can be expensive, and there may
be long waiting lists for specialist………………… in the town or region you live in. Our
HomeworX app brings students and……………….. together online. Students can search a
…………..of pre-approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in
the same town or city.
Presenter: That sounds really great.
Anna: It is. And this approach also………………. us to offer the tutoring services at lower
prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's home.
And tutors who live in …………….. areas are happy to get access to more students, and be
able to work from home, even at lower …………..
Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you …………………. with the idea?
Anna: Well, as you might ………., I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really
wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was ……………. too busy with work or I
didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we live
in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either very expensive
or have long waiting ……………….
Presenter: Yes. I can understand your ………………….. Well, it sounds like a very useful
app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.
Anna: Thank you.
Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?
Anna: We've just …………………. some funding and hope to expand the range of services
we offer using the app.
Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna
Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is available
for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another business
…………………….. Have a great week, everyone.
 Reading
Laughter really is the best medicine, as doctors find it can be as healthy as physical
exercise. Scientists have claimed that it can do as much good for your body as a jog around
the park. Doctors describe “mirthful laughter” as the equivalent of “internal jogging” because
it can lower blood pressure, stress and boost the immune system much like moderate exercise.
That means that the “laughercise”, like exercise, could be a way to reduce heart disease and
diabetes. It is essential for the elderly who may find it hard to perform more physical
activities.
Dr Lee Berk, from Loma Linda University, California, who led the study, said that
emotions and behaviour had a physical impact on the body. He concluded “that the body’s
response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise”. “As a wisdom
states, it may indeed be true that laughter is a good medicine,” he said.
Dr. Berk, who has been studying the effects of laughter for more than two decades,
said that the high you get from a giggling fit was similar to the natural chemical substance –
endorphin, produced in the brain which makes people feel relaxed and energetic. He has
shown how it can reduce your risk of a heart attack and diabetes and generally regulate the
body's vital functions. It is also an important way to de-stress after a day's work, he believes.
In 1997, Dr. Berk performed experiments with diabetic heart patients. One group
watched a television comedy each day for one year, another did not. The difference in
outcomes was stunning. At the end of the year, the comedy-viewing group required less
blood-pressure medication. Eight percent of the comedy viewers had another heart attack,
compared with 42 percent of those who did not regularly view it.
An earlier study by Dr Berk also showed that the mere anticipation of a good laugh
can benefit health. For example, the expectation of watching a comedy video was enough to
raise levels of feel-good endorphins and boost amounts of a hormone that helps our immune
system fight infection.
A- Choose the best title for the passage:
1. Effects of humour in the past.
2. Positive effects of laughter.
3. Dr Berk’s reaction to laughter.
B- Answer these questions about the text:
1. What can "mirthful laughter" do to people? …………….…………………
2. Why is it especially good to the elderly? ………………..………………
3. What is Dr Berk’s conclusion about laughter? ……………………
C- Are these sentences true or false? JUSTIFY
1. Dr Berk has spent more than twenty years studying the effect of laghter. ……
2. The experiment with diabetic heart patients lasted for two decades. ….……
3. There were less heart attacks among comedy viewers according to Dr Berk’s
experiments.
D- Complete the following sentences :
1. Endorphin is ………………………
2. According to Dr Berk, the most important functions of the body are regulated by
E- What do the underlined words in the text refer to?
1. it : ………………………….. 2. he : ………
F- Find in the text words or expressions which mean the same as:
1. improve (parag.1) : …………. 2. influence (parag.2) : …………….
3. minimise (parag.3) : ………… 4. very surprising (parag.4) : ……………………….
G- Find in the text words or expressions which are opposite of:
1. decrease (p 1) : ……………………. 2. different from (p 2) : ………………………