TEXT 01

FLATS/ROOMS OFFERED

RENT FREE ROOM modern comfortable flat, furnished, near London, share kitchen, bathroom, TV, near tube, bus, shops, offered by bachelor musician to quiet, friendly, non-smoking girl. STUDENTS preferred, references essential, exchange housekeeping. $35 per month plus deposit. Tel. 732-4367 after 6 p.m.

TEXT 02

THE BEST WAY TO BOOST SELF-ESTEEM

           Working hard to accomplish great things is a healthy way to pump your ego? Not necessarily, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. In their survey of 642 college freshmen, those who measured their self-worth against objective standards, such as getting good grades, were actually more stressed - and received no higher marks - than those who based how they felt themselves on their relationships with others.

           That's not to say that you shouldn't work hard; just don't make it all about you. "Instead of focusing on whether you're succeeding, ask yourself, 'What am I contributing to society? How will people benefit from what I'm doing?" suggests lead researcher Jennifer Crocker, Ph.D. "This takes the pressure off you and guarantees that your work will always feel meaningful."

TEXT 03

CHILDREN WORKING IN THE TOBACCO FIELDS OF THE UNITED STATES

  

If you thought that the problems of child labor were limited to third world countries, think again. According to a report from Human Rights Watch, a good number of children who work in the tobacco fields of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina often report nausea, dizziness and headaches (symptoms synonymous with nicotine poisoning).

U.S. laws clearly prohibits the sale of tobacco products to children. However, it does not prevent them from working on farms where they are exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco at a very early stage. In addition, leading cigarette manufacturers in the U.S. source their tobacco from these farms. So, the next time you pick up that cigarette know that you may be poisoning hundreds of children who work on farms and are exposed to nicotine and pesticides daily.

 Children working in these conditions often develop cancer, and have issues with learning and cognitive abilities once they grow up.

Fonte: http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/14/us-child-workers-danger-tobacco-farms

TEXT 04

THE BOY WHO CAN "SEE" WITH SOUND

Ben Underwoodtaught is blind, both of his eyes were removed (cancer) when he was 3. Yet, he plays basketball, rides on a bicycle, and lives a quite normal life. He taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world. With no guide-dogs, he doesn't even need hands: he uses sound. Ben makes a short click sound that bounces back from objects. Amazingly, his ears pick up the ecos to let him know where the objects are. He's the only person in the world who sees using nothing but eco location, like a sonar or a dolphin.

Fonte: http://www.oddee.com/item_91848.aspx

 TEXT 05

I, Too

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

TEXT 06

          In today’s world, many people are kicking themselves because they didn’t pay attention during their English classes at school. If only someone had told them they would need to speak good English in the future, they wouldn’t have to spend so much time, money and effort studying it after work. If you don’t want to find yourself in a similar position, think about this, it is quite probable that in 10 or 20 years’ time, you will have to state not only your language skills, but also your cultural intelligence quota or “CQ” on your CV. In a globalized future, cultural intelligence will be a key requirement.

 TEXT 07

PRESERVING SOUNDS

Every day we spend time taking pictures, making sure our visual memories are preserved, but what about the sounds we hear?

One of the world’s largest collections of audio recordings is that of the British Library’s Sound Archive. It features 3.5 million recordings. The archive is stored at the British Library’s building at St. Pancras, on London Euston Road. Members of the public who go there can listen to the recordings for free. The archive is also available online for British universities, while parts of it can be accessed by the general public at http://sounds.bl.uk.

TEXT 08

THE RV LIFESTYLE IN AMERICA ON THE ROAD AGAIN

On average Americans move to a new home 11.7 times in a lifetime. Today, living on the move on a permanent or semi-permanent basis is a choice for a special subculture of Americans. They live in recreational vehicles, or “RVs.” An RV can be a motorhome, or a travel-trailer pulled by a truck or car.

Many people use them for vacations, but approximately 250,000 people are RV full-timers and have no other home. If they move north in summer and south in winter, they are also called “snowbirds,” a name for a person who changes place of residence with the season.

People live full-time in RVs for different reasons. Buying one, especially if used, can be much cheaper than buying a house, as there are no property taxes. Cell phones, Wireless LAN and other types of technology make it easier to live and work in an RV. Traveling salespeople live in them. Others use them to follow seasonal jobs. Some people live in them for health reasons: they move to avoid seasonal allergies or illnesses that come with cold weather.

TEXT 09

TEXT 10

Stress and Gender at Work

               

If you are ambitious, a dedicated worker, and capable, you may need to battle stress more strenuously than do men with similar goals and talents.

                That’s the warning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where a study of high achievers revealed that tension tends to raise women’s blood pressure more than it does in men’s. The finding means you need to guard against the risks of stress and heart disease – by increasing exercise, modifying diet, and importantly, taking time out for yourself.

(Cosmopolitan, September, 1995)