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

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a larg...

Speaker 1.What’s the disadvantage he mentions?

Speaker 2. What are the disadvantages he mentions?

Speaker 3. What is , in his opinion, the main advantage? What two disadvantages does he mention?

Speaker 4.What’s the huge advantage cities have compared to rural areas?

Speaker 5.  What’s , according to this speaker, the main advantage?

Not Making Your Bed May Be Healthier

Click on the image to listen.

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

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

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’

Click on the image to listen.

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

How I learned Arabic

Click on the image to try aq listening exercise.

Natural disasters

                                                           Click on the image to listen.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

Numbers practice

Try this easy listening exercise.

The Environment

listen to ‘Pause For Thought with Mary Sargeant’ on audioBoom

Listen - Pause for Thought with Mary Sargeant - The Environment What issues does Mary mention? What solutions does she offer? Fill in the gaps. Use - aware bans communities disaster drastic ensure extinct flooding issue lifestyles measuring plentiful recycle species swamped A burning issue today centres around the environment and climate change. We have been made (1)___________ over the last few years of how our weather has changed and the (2)___________ it can bring to so many (3)___________ among us. We can all recall the (4)___________ of small villages, fields (5)___________ by water and animals left stranded. On the wider scene we have been made aware of the way which some (6)___________ on our planet, such as polar bears are in danger of becoming (7)___________ in the future unless we can change our (8)___________. We are asked to (9)___________ as much as we can. This can sometimes be difficult, particularly for an elderly person but it has become a necessary part of our daily life to think - can I recycle this item or not? It's also good to know, I think, that we in Devon are taking this (10)___________ seriously. I doubt if many people after then end of World War 2 gave a thought as to how they used water thinking that it was always there and (11)___________, particularly living in our part of the world. How things have changed with hosepipe (12)___________, no car washing, showering instead of bathing or just (13)___________ the water in our baths. Many of us will not be alive to see more (14)___________ changes, but our grandchildren will, and maybe we need to ask what can I do to (15)___________ that they enjoy what I have enjoyed in my life. It's up to us all.

Then and now

Click on the image to listen.

root vegetables
the large part of particular plants that are used for vegetables, for example carrots, swede or beetroot

in season 
(here)the period of the year when something is easily available, for example strawberry season

adventurous 
(here)willing to try new experiences

Script

ChristineI grew up in a small town in the northeast of England. It was by the coast, next to the sea. And now I live in London, which is a much, much bigger place compared to where I grew up.

When I was a child, I used to walk everywhere. The town was so small that you could walk from one side to the other and you never really needed a car. Now I live in London, places are so far apart that you always need to be using a bus or the Underground - Tube - or trains to get around when you’re going to work or to see friends.

When I was younger, mealtimes used to be quite predictable. And we’d eat similar foods every day, consisting of meat, potatoes, root vegetables, whatever was in season at the time. We never used to have very varied meals, whereas now my diet’s changed a lot. I don’t eat meat anymore. And I have a diet that’s all about vegetables and fruit. And I’m more adventurous in what I eat now than what I did when I was a child.

From: BBC Learning English

Education

Click on the image to listen.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

Finland has world's best education system

                                                          Click on the image to listen

A new report into world education shows Finland has the best system. The global study is called "The Learning Curve" and is from the British magazine "The Economist". It aims to help governments provide a better education to students. The 52-page report looked at the education system in 50 countries. Researchers analysed millions of statistics on exam grades, literacy rates, attendance, and university graduation rates. Asia did well in the report, with South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore finishing second, third, fourth and fifth. The United States came 17th in the study, while Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia filled the bottom three positions in the top 50.

The Learning Curve reported on five things that education leaders should remember. The first is that spending lots of money on schools and teachers does not always mean students will learn. Second is that "good teachers are essential to high-quality education". The report said teachers should be "treated as the valuable professionals they are, not as technicians in a huge, educational machine". Numbers three and four are that a country's culture must have a strong focus on the importance of education, and parents have a key part to play. Finally, countries need to "educate for the future, not just the present." The report said: "Many of today’s job titles…simply did not exist 20 years ago."

Sources: timeshighereducation.co.uk / thelearningcurve.pearson.com
From: Breakingnewsenglish.com

SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	report	a.	reading/writing
2	system	b.	necessary
3.	provide	c.	method
4.	analysed	d.	important
5.	literacy	e.	examined
6.	essential	f.	study
7.	valuable	g.	giant
8.	huge	h.	give
9.	key	i.	names
10.	titles	j.	precious

A wedding

Bride: the woman getting married

groom: the man getting married

bridesmaids: the women who stand with the bride (close friends and family)

best man: the groom’s best friend

Russian cat 'saves' baby abandoned in stairwell

                                                  Easy listening exercise ! Click on the image !

VIEWPOINTS 2 Audio material

Here you can find listening exercises from your course book.

Rob and Jenny meet Buying a coffee

Old macdonald's farm story