ĐỀ SỐ 3 - VŨ MAI PHƯƠNG

Psychologists tell us that humour and laughter are good for our social relationships. Having a good (27) _______ of humour is often regarded as being one of the most important characteristics that people look for in a friend. In classrooms, a humorous teacher can make learning far more enjoyable and improve a student's (28) _______ .
In one study, students on a psychology course are split into two different groups: one group was taught with a certain amount of humour, and (29) _______ group with no humour at all. Later, when researchers tested the students to see how much they had retained of what they had heard in the lectures, they found that those (30) _______ had attended lectures containing humour scored significantly higher than the other students. Humour and laughter make us feel happy, and our laughter makes others laugh as well, (31)_______ if we laugh a lot we may be helping to make other people feel happy.
(Adapted from Cambridge English First for Schools)

According to recent research, nearly three-quarters of workers spend 4 to 8 hours sitting during office hours. Worryingly, 73% have had health problems such as back, neck and shoulder pain, which may all be caused by long periods without moving.
Evie Scott experienced just that after she had changed job. 'I used to work in a department store, where I was on my feet talking to customers all day,' she says, 'but I needed a higher salary so I got an office job instead. Although the challenge of the new job was quite exciting and I quickly made friends there, for a while I wondered whether I'd made a big mistake.'
So Evie, who travels into town by rail every day, decided to do something about her fitness level. She explains: 'I didn't want to move house and it took far too long by bike, but what's really helped is getting off several stations before the city centre and then walking. I'm also thinking of going to the gym opposite work, and I might also take up squash after work, too.’
She's made some small changes at work, too. 'I avoid sitting still for too long, for instance by making phone calls standing up, walking over to colleagues' desks rather than emailing them and simply standing up every ten minutes. I've even moved things like my printer so that I have to get up to use it. Over a working day all this adds up to a fair amount of extra exercise, which I'm convinced helps me work more efficiently - and happily.'
(Adapted from Complete Preliminary)

The first day at school can be quite scary for any pupil but imagine being one among 50,000 or more! That is the total number of students at the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India. The school, better known as CMS, employs 4,500 staff including teachers, support staff, and others such as cleaners and gardeners. The school was set up by husband and wife team Dr Jagdish Gandhi and Bharti Gandhi in 1959. The first pupils were the children of family members - and there were only five of them. As time went by, more people started to hear about the school and they wanted their children to attend. Slowly, the numbers rose.
The school educates students between the ages of 3 and 17.They all wear a uniform and each class has about 45 pupils. But due to the size of the school, it is never possible for everyone to meet as there is no place that is big enough for everyone to fit in. One of the school's heads, Dr Gandhi's daughter Geeta Kingdon, said in an interview that, 'The whole of Lucknow would be jammed if we tried because one bus holds 50 children, so we'd need 1,000 buses to bring everyone together. The school doesn't receive any money from the government and the children's parents are only charged a small amount for their children to attend.
For each pupil, there is also one teacher responsible for his or her health and life outside the classroom. In this way, the staff believe that no one is forgotten. Besides the traditional subjects such as maths, English and geography, the students also learn about world peace. CMS is the only school in the world to be awarded a UNESCO Peace Prize for Education for its efforts in this field.
Today, the school is famous for its exam results and its international exchange programmes. The school has some well-respected past students, who have gone on to work in international organisations. However, within the school, and especially with everyone wearing the same uniform, it can be difficult to get noticed, so the students have to work especially hard. Dr Gandhi believes that the children receive not only an education, but also a love of the world.
(Adapted from Prepare)