VIP PLUS - ĐỀ SỐ 8

CYCLING IS GOOD NEWS – SO WHAT’S STOPPING US?
The government's recent campaign, providing encouragement to leave our cars at home and get on our bikes, has been successful to some (26) _______, with a slight increase in the numbers cycling to work. We all now know that cycling is beneficial - cyclists have (27) _______ health problems than non-cyclists, they have higher levels of fitness and they don't damage the environment.
(28) _______ we won't become a nation of cyclists until we overcome two major barriers. First, exhaust fumes in heavily congested streets can be as harmful to the lungs as cigarette smoke. So there must be a greater (29) _______ of cars and bikes in towns. Perhaps more importantly, town planners must ensure
(30) _______ destinations for daily needs, such as schools, work and shopping, are within convenient cycling distance from home.
(Adapted from Cambridge English Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced by Martin Hewings and Simon Haines)

Many people enjoy spending their holidays hiking or climbing in the mountains. Their reasons vary. Some like being outdoors because it is relaxing; others enjoy the positive effects of exercise and fresh air on their mental and physical well-being. Some people even choose the challenge of climbing a mountain summit for the feeling of achievement at the end. Whatever your motivation, it is important to plan and prepare carefully and spend some time before the trip doing physical training, particularly when you are planning to go on long hikes at high altitudes.
Mountain trips can bring health challenges such as altitude sickness. This can be mild, where you might simply develop a headache, but in some cases people need medical attention. It is also important to take into account sudden changes in weather conditions, which can be very unpredictable. If the temperature drops below 0°C, you will easily get frostbite. It is advisable to use cream on your hands and face before your trip, and make sure you wear warm gloves and socks.
Hikers and climbers may also feel unwell because of dehydration, so drinking plenty of water before and during your trip is one of the most important things to remember. Spending a day hiking or climbing may be more demanding on your body than you think. You ought to rest well after each trip to help your muscles recover for the following day.
(Adapted from Solutions 3rd Edition by Tim Falla and Paul A Davies)

Now I'm as environmentally concerned as the next man, probably more so, in fact, but a spate of new books urging us to ‘live better, greener lifestyles' and to 'live within nature's limits' leaves me rather cold. Evidently, it's easy. Buy products that don't exploit other humans, animals or the environment. Don't shop at the multinational supermarkets, support small shops which sell environmentally friendly products, buy local produce when you need to, and, while you're about it, just make your own bread, butter, cheese, jam, keep a milking cow, a few pigs, goats, chickens, beehives, gardens and orchards. Well, what are you waiting for?
The book A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherazade Goldsmith contains plenty of useful advice, and she comes across as modest, sincere and well informed. But of lobbying for political change, there is not a word. According to Goldsmith you can save the planet from your own kitchen - if you have endless time and plenty of land. When I was reading it on the train, another passenger asked me if he could take a look. He flicked through it for a moment, and then summed up the problem in seven words: “This is for people who don't work!”
The media's obsession with beauty, wealth and fame blights every issue it touches, but none more so than green issues. There is an inherent conflict between the aspirational lifestyle journalism that makes readers feel better about themselves and sells country-style kitchens to those who can afford them, and the central demand of environmentalism - that we should consume less. 'None of these changes represents a sacrifice, Goldsmith tells us. 'Being more conscientious isn't about giving up things.' But it is it, like her, you own more than one home when others have none. Uncomfortable as this is for both the media and its advertisers, giving things up is an essential component of going green. A section on ethical shopping in Goldsmith's book advises us to buy organic, buy seasonal, buy local, buy sustainable, buy recycled. But it says nothing about buying less. Green consumerism is becoming a pox on the planet. If it merely swapped the damaging goods we buy for less damaging ones, I would champion it. But two parallel markets are developing – one for unethical products and one for ethical products, and the expansion of the second does little to hinder the growth of the first.
But there is another danger with ethical shopping. I have met houseowners who have bought solar panels and wind turbines before they have done the simple thing and insulated their lofts, partly because they love gadgets but partly, I suspect, because everyone can then see how conscientious and how rich they are. We are often told that buying such products encourages us to think more widely about environmental challenges, but it is just as likely to be depoliticising. Green consumerism is a substitute for collective action. No political challenge can be met by shopping.
(Adapted from Cambridge English Objective Proficiency by Peter Sunderland and Eria Whettem)