azdict

I come from a family of five people: my parents, my two younger brothers and I. My mother works as a nurse in a big hospital. She has to work long hours and once a week she has to work on a night shift. My father is a biologist. He works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a lab, but sometimes when there is a project, he doesn’t come home until very late at night. Although my parents are very busy at work, they try to spend as much time with their children as possible. It is generally believed that “men build the house and women make it home”, but in my family, both parents join hands to give us a nice house and a happy home.  My mother is a very caring woman. She takes the responsibility for running the household. She is always the first one to get up in the morning to make sure that we leave home for school having eaten breakfast and dressed in suitable clothes. In the afternoon, after hospital, she rushes to the market, then hurries home so that dinner is ready on the table by the time ...

Traditionally, Americans and Asians have very different ideas about love and marriage. Americans believe in “romantic” marriage – a boy and a girl are attracted to each other, fall in love, and decide to marry each other. Asians, on the other hand, believe in “contractual” marriage – the parents of the bride and the groom decide on the marriage; and love – if it ever develops – is supposed to follow marriage, not precede it.  To show the differences, a survey was conducted among American, Chinese and Indian students to determine their attitudes toward love and marriage. Below is a summary of each group’s responses to the four key values. Physical attractiveness : The Americans are much more concerned than the Indians and the Chinese with physical attractiveness when choosing a wife or a husband. They also agree that a wife should maintain her beauty and appearance after marriage.  Confiding : Few Asian students agree with the American students’ view that wives and husba...

To attract someone’s attention so that we might speak to that person, we can use either verbal or non-verbal forms of communication. Let us look at non-verbal communication in English. Probably the most common way of attracting someone’s attention is by waving. For example, if we are at a noisy party and see a friend come in the door about 20 metres away, we might raise our hand and wave to her as a signal that we see her.  But how hard can we wave in a situation like this? Suppose you are at the airport, and you see your brother get off the plane and begin walking toward you. If you are excited, you might jump up and down and wave as hard as you can to attract his attention. This is the instance where big, obvious non-verbal signals are appropriate. There are, however, some social situations where smaller non-verbal signals are more appropriate. In a restaurant, for example, if we want to attract the attention of our waiter, we have several choices. We can wait until he passe...

Schooling is compulsory for all English children from the age of 5 to 16. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into 3 terms. Autumn Term is from the beginning of September to mid-December. Spring Term is from the beginning of January to mid-March and Summer Term from early April to mid-July. Each term is separated by a one-week break called half term, usually at the end of October, mid-February and the end of May.  There are two parallel school systems in England. The first is the state school system, which is free for all students and paid for by the state. The second category is the ‘independent’ or ‘public’ school system, which is fee-paying. The state school system, which educates 93% of the pupils in England, can be divided into two levels of education: primary education and secondary education. See the Table below for more information about the school education system in England.  The National Curriculum is set by the government ...

Three students talk about their first impressions of university life. Read the passages, and then do the tasks that follow.   Sarah   On the first weekend I went out with my new friends, walking around campus. It was exciting, thinking how I was at college, meeting people who could become good friends of mine. The most exciting thing was that I didn't have to explain to my parents where I was going, who with, or what time I'd be home!  On Saturday night, I followed my roommate to a party. The people at the party were busy playing some game, and no one seemed to notice my existence. I suddenly felt so lonely. Fighting back tears, I ran back to my room, thinking I would never feel at home at college.  Ellen   My roommate left the window open all the time, even when it was 10 degrees Celsius out, and went to bed at 10 every night. When she got sick after midterms, she blamed my typing and having a light on while she was trying to sleep.  At first,...

Preparing for a job interview can be stressful, particularly when you are called for the first interview. Below are some pieces of advice that can help you reduce the feeling of pressure and create a good impression on your interviewer.  Before the interview  You should find out as much as possible about the job and the vacancy. Before the interview, you have to send a letter of application and your résumés to the company to express your interest in the job and to show that you might be the most suitable candidate for the position. When you come to the interview, remember to bring with you your school certificates and letters of recommendation from your teachers or your previous employers. In addition, you may jot down your qualifications and experience that can relate to the job and prepare for the questions that are often asked during the interview. Make sure you know where the interview is and how to get there. Be on time or a few minutes early. Don’t forget to dress n...

One of the most important measures to be taken to promote the development of a country is to constantly carry out economic reforms. Being aware of this, in December 1986, at its Sixth National Congress, the Vietnamese Communist Party initiated an overall economic reform, commonly known as “Doi Moi” (Renovation). The aim of Doi Moi was to restructure the economy of Vietnam and to raise the living standards of the people.  Before Doi Moi our country experienced a lot of difficulties: the economy was under-developed and was dominated by traditional agriculture; the country was poor, the people led a poor life, production was stagnant; there was a shortage of schools and hospitals, and inflation could be seen in every sector of the economy. To solve these problems, our Government introduced a number of renovation measures: they eliminated government subsidies; they shifted economic priority from heavy industry to three major economic programmes, namely, production of food, productio...

What will life be like in the future? Different people have different answers to this question; some are pessimistic while others optimistic.  Things will be much worse than they are nowadays, pessimists say. The whole world will experience a period of economic depression. Many large corporations will be wiped out and millions of jobs will be lost. The security of the earth will be threatened by terrorism as terrorist groups will become more powerful and more dangerous. On the contrary, optimists believe that life will be far better than it is today. We will be living in a much cleaner environment, breathing fresher air and eating healthier foods. We will also be better looked after by a more modern medical system. Domestic chores will no longer be a burden thanks to the inventions of labour-saving devices. For better or worse, it is certain that in the future some things will be very different. Developments in micro technology − computers and telecommunication are bound to ha...

Three great stretches of sandy desert almost circle the centre of Australia. To the north of Nullabor Plain stretches the Great Victoria Desert. In the west, the Gibbon, Great Sandy, and Tanami Deserts comprise an enormous sandy area. North of Lake Eyre lies the Simpson Desert, the last part of Australia to be explored.  The Simpson Desert lies between Lake Eyre in the south, the Macdonnel Ranges in the north, the Mulligan and the Diamantina Rivers in the east, and the Macumba and Finke Rivers in the west. The first European entered the Simpson Desert in 1845. But the desert remained a mystery until Madigan made an aerial survey in 1929. He named the desert after Simpson, President of the South Australian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australia. In 1936, Colson and an Australian Aborigine took camels across the desert. They travelled along the border of South Australia and the Northern Territory. Three years later Madigan led a scientific expedition across the sa...

Endangered species are plant and animal species which are in danger of extinction. Over 8,300 plant species and 7,200 animal species around the globe are threatened with extinction, and many thousands more become extinct each year before biologists can identify them.  The primary causes of species extinction are habitat destruction, commercial exploitation and pollution. The drainage of wetlands, cutting of forests, urbanization and road and dam construction have destroyed or seriously damaged natural habitats. Since the 1600s, worldwide commercial exploitation of animals for food and other products has seriously reduced the number of rare species. Toxic chemicals in the air and land, contaminated water and increased water temperatures have also driven many species to the verge of extinction.  Plant and animal extinction leads to a loss of biodiversity. Maintaining biodiversity is important for us in many ways. For example, humans depend on species diversity to have food,...

On the subject of reading, Francis Bacon, who lived at about the same time as Shakespeare, wrote these words, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” This good advice shows how it is possible to read different types of books in different ways. For example, you might pick up a travel book and read a few pages before going to sleep. It is enough to dip into it and read bits here and there. In a word, this is “tasting”.  Some stories are for “swallowing”. Imagine that you have found a good story, and, what is even more important, the time to enjoy it. You might be on holiday, or on a long train journey. If it is a good book, you might say, “It’s so good I can’t put it down.” But not all stories belong to this class. Reviewers sometimes describe books as “hard-to-putdown”, or “hard-to-pick-up-again”. Other books are for reading slowly and carefully. If it is a book on a subject that you are interested in, you will want to “che...

Water polo is played in a pool 1.8 metres deep, 30 metres long and 20 metres wide, with a goal 3 metres high and at least 0.9 metre above the water. The goal is marked by vertical posts, a crossbar and a net.  There are seven players per team, six swimmers and a goalie. The home team wears white caps, the visiting team blue ones and the goalies wear red caps with the number 1 in white.  Like football, the game begins with the ball in the centre of the pool and both teams sprint for it from their own goal lines. The ball can be advanced by passing with one hand or swimming with the head above the water and the ball between the arms so it rides on the wave created by the swimmer’s head. No player except the goalie can hold the ball with both hands. Defensive players are not allowed to interfere with the opponent’s movements unless the player is holding the ball. Major fouls are penalized by one minute in the penalty box and a player is ejected after committing five person...

The 22nd Southeast Asian Games were held in Vietnam from the 5th to 13th December, 2003. Although it was the first time Vietnam hosted such a big sports event, the Games were a great success. The Games really became a festival that impressed sports enthusiasts with its spirit: solidarity, co-operation for peace and development.  Athletes from 11 participating countries competed in 32 sports, and 444 gold medals were won. Some teams such as table tennis, badminton, karatedo, volleyball, basketball and wrestling were composed of top competitors in the region. Many Games records were close to international levels. Vietnam won 158 gold medals to finish at the top of the Southeast Asian Games medal standings. Thailand was ranked second with 90 golds, and Indonesia was third with only 55 golds. Singapore and Vietnam were the two nations which had participants who were presented with the Most Outstanding Athlete titles in the Swimming and Shooting events. The Vietnamese Women's Footbal...

The Red Cross is an international humanitarian agency. In times of war, it is dedicated to reducing the sufferings of wounded soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war. In time of peace, it gives medical aid and other help to victims of major disasters such as floods, earthquakes, epidemics, and famines.  The initiative for founding the Red Cross came from a Swiss man called Jean Henri Dunant. Appalled by the almost complete lack of care for wounded soldiers, he appealed to the leaders of nations to found societies devoted to the aid of the wounded in wartime.  A conference was held in Geneva in 1864, and official delegates of 12 nations signed the first Geneva Convention, laying down rules for the treatment and protection of the wounded and the disaster-stricken. It was also at this meeting that the famous symbol of the organization, the white flag bearing a red cross, was adopted.  It was Henry Davison, president of the American Red Cross War Committee, who propo...

Throughout much of the history of human civilization, deep-seated cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives. These people considered women to be better suited for childbearing and homemaking rather than for involvement in the public life of business or politics. Widespread doubt about women’s intellectual ability led most societies to deny education, employment and many legal and political rights to women. It was men who controlled most positions of employment and power in society.  The struggle for women’s rights − the rights that establish the same social, economic, and political status for women as for men − began in the 18th century during a period known as the Age of Enlightenment. During this period, political philosophers in Europe began to argue that all individuals, male or female, were born with natural rights that made them free and equal. These pioneer thinkers advocated tha...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was founded on 8th August, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand by the five original member countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei joined ASEAN in 1984. Vietnam became its seventh member in 1995. Laos and Myanmar were admitted to this association in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999. The main goals of the Association are to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development; and to promote peace and stability through respect for justice, and the rule of law, in the relationship between countries in the region.  ASEAN has a population of 575.5 million, accounting for about 8.7% of the world’s population. Its total area is 4,464,322 square kilometres. It is a region of diverse cultures, and people in some countries such as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore speak English besides their own languages. According to the statistics recorded in 2007, ASEAN had a combined ...