Different from or to?

Some good advice

Wrapped Up

Wrapped around the finger

1. A term used when a girl has a guy under their command. 
2. Means the guy will pretty much follow their girl's every wish and do whatever she wants.

"So, how's Chris?" 
"I have him wrapped around the finger."

From: Urban Dictionary

What is measles?

Measles can be a very serious disease - and children who have not been vaccinated are at risk.

What is measles?

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease characterised by a high fever, a rash and generally feeling unwell.

The first symptoms include runny nose, sore eyes, a cough and fever.

Around the fourth day of the illness, a rash - flat red or brown blotches - may appear, usually starting on the forehead and spreading downwards.

There may also be diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

While this may be the full extent of the illness in many, resolving itself within two weeks of the first symptoms, other complications may arise in about one in 15 cases.

These include a severe cough and breathing difficulties, ear infections, pneumonia and eye infections.

In a very small number of cases, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) may follow. This is extremely dangerous, as 25% of those affected are left with brain damage.

From: BBC Health News

Read more here

Criticism of Meningitis vaccine delay

21 March 2015 Last updated at 08:58 GMT

The charity, Meningitis Now, say it's "deeply concerned" about a delay in introducing a vaccine for meningitis B.

A year ago, government advisers called for it to be made available on the NHS for babies across the UK - but price negotiations with the manufacturer, GSK, are continuing.

Adam Brimelow reports.

From: BBC News Health

Read more: here

JAB: British informal A hypodermic injection, especially a vaccination:
an anti-tetanus jab

English is.......!!!!

How to talk about health problems

Have a look at some vocabulary and exercises by clicking on the image.

Not Making Your Bed May Be Healthier

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Scientists in England believe that not tidying your bed after you wake up may be healthier for you. Their research suggests that the dust mites that live in our mattresses do not like messy and unmade beds. This could be good news for people with asthma. The research team, from Kingston University, said the tiny bugs could only survive in sheets and mattresses that were slightly damp – they live off the moisture and sweat from our bodies. If a bed is unmade, air circulates between the sheets and dries them out. Dry sheets means the creatures will die from dehydration – a lack of water. The researchers said that the average bed contained around 1.5 million mites. They are less than a millimetre long and they feed on the flakes of skin that fall from your body.

Lead researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove said his research could cut amount of money spent on treating illnesses that are caused by mites. We breathe in the waste produced by bed bugs or get bitten by them. These can lead to asthma and other health problems. The British health service currently spends over $1 billion a year treating illnesses caused by mites. Dr Pretlove believes his research could change the way our houses are designed. “Our findings could help building designers create healthy homes and healthcare workers point out environments most at risk from mites, he said. Allergy expert Professor Andrew Wardlaw agreed, saying: “It would be good if ways were found to modify the home so that mite [numbers] were reduced.

1.	suggests	a.	insects
2	messy	b.	cause
3.	bugs	c.	moves around
4.	slightly	d.	indicates
5.	circulates	e.	change
6.	cut	f.	presently
7.	lead to	g.	a little bit
8.	currently	h.	conclusions
9.	findings	i.	untidy
10.	modify	j.	reduce From: Breakingnewsenglish.com

Health Quiz

Try this quiz to revise vocabulary on health.

Click on the image for a crossword.

Red Meat Increases Risk of Cancer

Click on the image to listen.

Health authorities in Britain have advised against eating too much red meat. The British government has issued a set of red meat guidelines which caution against eating more than 500 grams a week, or 70 grams a day. This is the equivalent of two beef burgers. Scientists say that eating more than this increases the risk of getting colon and bowel cancer. The new limits are down on the 90 grams a day recommended in 1998. Researchers think people who eat a lot of meat like lamb, beef, ham and bacon have a higher risk of cancer. A 2005 European study found people who ate about 160 grams of red meat a day increased their bowel cancer risk by one third compared to people who ate little meat. People have around a one in 19 chance of developing bowel cancer in their lifetime.

Experts told people the new guidelines did not mean people had to abandon red meat. The head of health information at Cancer Research U.K. said: "This doesn't mean people have to become vegetarian, but if you're having a steak every day, that's probably not helping.” Scientists are unsure as to why red meat increases the risk of colon cancer. They suspect that haem, the pigment that gives meat its colour, damages the cells in the digestive system and the lining of the colon. A World Cancer Research Fund official said: "Following simple diet and lifestyle advice can help protect against cancer. Red meat can be part of a healthy balanced diet. It is a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals…But people who eat a lot of red and processed meat should consider cutting down.”

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	issued	a.	chance
2	guidelines	b.	think about
3.	caution	c.	uncertain
4.	risk	d.	rules
5.	chance	e.	gave
6.	experts	f.	give up
7.	abandon	g.	likelihood
8.	unsure	h.	wall
9.	lining	i.	specialists
10.	consider	j.	warn

Job & Work

Click on the image to try a simple quiz !

Housekeeper

                                              Click on the image to listen and here to read the script.

 Margaret tells us what it's like to be a housekeeper and look after a family and their guests. She explains what made her stop working as a 'professional' and become a 'Mrs Mop.' 

As you listen, try to answer these questions: 

1: What did Margaret do before she became a housekeeper? 
2: Why did she decide to change her job? 
3: Why was she once embarrassed when people asked her what she did? 



Vocabulary from the programme 

a housekeeper 
someone who looks after a house, makes sure it's clean and the people in it have what they need 

the most enjoyable aspect 
the thing you like the most 

it gives me a buzz 
it makes me feel good or excited 

to be made redundant 
to lose your job because you aren't needed any more 

to give it a go 
to try it 

your soocial status 
your social position e.g. whether others see you as important or educated 

to give it a go 
to try it 

to be insecure 
to feel unsure about yourself and lack confidence 

Job hunter puts CV on billboard

Click on the image to listen.

 A French man who was unemployed tried a new way to get a job. He put his CV (résumé) on a giant billboard. The billboard was next to a very busy road. It was four metres long and three metres high. There was a photo of the man wearing a Santa Claus hat. There was a message on the billboard that said: "Trilingual operations manager seeks position in hotels, restaurants, tourism and leisure." About 70,000 people a day could see the CV from their car. Jobseeker Laurent Le Bret, 41, said: "All I want for Christmas is a job." His idea worked. A holiday resort contacted and interviewed him. He started his new position as an operations manager ten days after he put his résumé on the billboard.

Mr Le Bret had help from the owner of the billboard. He was going to pay to put his CV on the billboard. However, the advertising company decided to give him the space for free. Mr Le Bret saved 2,000 euros (about $2,700) because he did not have to pay. The advertising company is called Pisoni Publicité. The company's CEO spoke to the France 24 news agency. He said: "We thought it was an interesting idea. When people come up with ideas like this we are always keen to see what we can do. We're very happy to prove that what we do works, and that Mr Le Bret is back at work." Many people contacted Mr Le Bret after he got his job. They want to try the same thing. There are 3.3 million unemployed people in France.

SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	unemployed	a.	support
2	CV	b.	job
3.	seeks	c.	show
4.	worked	d.	résumé
5.	position	e.	firm
6.	help	f.	attempt
7.	company	g.	jobless
8.	idea	h.	was successful
9.	prove	i.	concept
10.	try	j.	looks for

50 candidates for ‘best job in the world’

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The world will soon know who will get the “best job in the world”. The position is for a caretaker to live on and look after a tropical island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Duties include relaxing on the island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef, and writing a blog to promote the area. Other responsibilities are to feed the fish, clean the pool and collect the mail. The job website, islandreefjob.com, tells applicants: “There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry. You won’t need to feed them all.” The successful applicant will get a salary of nearly US$100,000 for the six months. Officials from Queensland’s tourism department announced on Tuesday that they were now looking at 50 candidates. Unsurprisingly, over 35,000 people applied for the job.

The next stage in the selection process is to get the list of candidates down to 11. The tourism board will select ten people. Visitors to the website will choose an eleventh person. The public can look at the video applications of all 50 hopeful caretakers. The eleven lucky finalists will then fly to Hamilton Island for a formal interview. The winner will be announced on May 6, and the job starts on July 1. The current shortlist of 50 includes people from 22 countries. They include dancers, chefs, scientists and students and they all want a slice of paradise. Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said there was much discussion to narrow down the list to 50. He told reporters, “it boiled down to…the motivation and professionalism of the applicants and their 'fit' with the job and Tourism Queensland”.

 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	position	a.	post
2	look after	b.	reduce
3.	promote	c.	job
4.	mail	d.	choose
5.	applied	e.	publicize
6.	process	f.	match
7.	select	g.	care for
8.	current	h.	method
9.	narrow down	i.	went for
10.	fit	j.	present

Countable - Uncountable

Cambridge First-The Speaking Test Updated for 2015

Save tropical rainforests!

Click here to try a vocabulary exercise.

Verbs Often Confused QUIZ

                                                 Click on the image to try this quiz.

Global warming

What is Global Warming?

Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This is a type of greenhouse effect.

The earth’s atmosphere is all around us.
It is the air that we breathe.

Sunlight enters the Earth’s atmosphere,
passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases.

As it reaches the earth’s surface, the land
and water absorbs the sunlight’s energy.

Once absorbed, the energy is sent back into the
atmosphere in the form of infra-red rays.

Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our globe (earth) to warm up.

This warming is what we call Global Warming, and it is caused by the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming of the earth may cause problems for humans, plants and animals.