WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY, 14 June

World Blood Donor Day, is a day dedicated to "thanking and celebrating voluntary non-remunerated blood donors".  It occurs on June 14, the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the creator of the ABO blood group system, for which he won the Nobel Prize. The first day was held in 2005.

The theme of 2012 world blood donor day campaign, " very blood donor is a hero" focuses on the idea that evereyone of us can become a hero by giving blood.

One of the main goals of the World Blood Donor day is to ensure the availability of "safe blood" for transfusion.

Who can donate?

Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds (50k) and be at least 17 years old or 16 years old with written parental/guardian consent. During your donation appointment, you will complete a brief health questionaire to make sure blood donation is safe for you and the recipient of your blood.

What should you do before you donate?

Before donating, you should eat  a good meal and drink plenty of fluids.

What types of blood are there?

Our immune system does not damage cells in our bodies because it recognises that they are ours. If cells from someone else´s body are placed in our body, our immune system recognises that they are not ours, and destroys them. 

For most body cells there are lots of different markers (antigens) that tell our system that something does not belong in our body, but for red blood cells are only a few main antigens (A, B and Rh) on their surface.
There are only four main types of blood:
A (with antigen on the surface of the red blood cells, but not B)

B (with B antigen, but not A)
AB (with both A and B)
O (no A or B)

Some years ago, after studying Rhesus monkeys (whose blood is very similar to humans´), scientists discovered that some people had another antibody on their red blood cells while others did not. They called this the Rhesus factor, while others will be A Rh-, meaning they do not have the Rhesus factor. 

What are blood transfusions? 

Sometimes people need extra blood because they have lost more than the body can make in a short time or they are not making enough red blood cells (anaemia). In these cases, doctors can give blood from one person to another in what is called a transfusion.

This blood that somebody is given is "matched", so that it won´t be destroyed by their immune system.

Type A blood can go to anyone who has type A or AB.

Type B blood can go to anyone with B or AB.

AB blood can only go to a person with AB blood.

Type 0 blood can be given to anyone, so someone with that blood is called a "Universal donor"

But,

a person with type A can only take blood from someone with type A or 0.

Type B can only take blood from someone who is B or 0.

AB can receive blood from anyone. This is known as being a "universal receiver".

Type 0 can only receive blood from someone who is type 0.

Nowadays a lot of people give blood regularly to give to other people who need it because they have been injured, have an operation or are sick. Sometimes people who are going to have a big operation will have blood taken several weeks before the operation, so that they can get their own blood back if they need a transfusion. 

All blood donated is carefully examined to see that there are no diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV in it which could infect the person who will get.

Source: Children, Youth and Women´s health Service.

SAC South Australia

 

In a day like this, remember the importance of donating blood, we can help somebody who needs it, and one day we can need a donation too.

 

PAU 2012

Once again PAU English exam has finished for all of you and in a couple of days you´ll know the results of your hard work during  English lessons all through the year.

The topics, Domestic violence (Option A) and Passive Smoking (Option B).

I hope everybody will have done their best at English exam, no matter the option chosen, and I wish you all the success you deserve. Have a nice summer holiday!

Domestic violence- why men abuse women

Domestic violence is an under-reprted crime, so it is difficult for agencies to keep accurate statistics. The perpetrators of this crime are usually men and, although domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or their racial and cultural background, women who are young, have a disability, or who live in rural areas are at greater risk.

Men who abuse family members often think that a "real" man should be tough, powerful and the head of the household. They may believe that they should make most of the decisions, including about how money is spent. Some men who use violence come from lower socioeconomic groups and some have problems with alcohol. However, this is not the case for all men who use domestic violence. The perpetrator is sober in about half of domestic violence cases where the police are called.

While some men who are violent may think about getting help, the majority don´t. A man who thinks that he has the right to dominate family members may not believe that he needs help. He may blame the victim for "provoking" his behaviour. regular counselling with a trained counsellor can help men who use violence towards family members to understand and change their behaviour.

Practical strategies include learning that violence and abuse is not caused by anger, but the desire to hurt or dominate others. The aggressor must also learn how violent behaviour damages his relationship with his partner and children.

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)

a) One out of every five young women in the world suffers from domestic violence.

b) Alcohol abuse is nearly always at the root of domestic violence.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)

a) Who is more likely to suffer from domestic violence?

b) May the idea of what it means to be a man be a cause of violent behaviour?

3. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)

a) Hard, brutish.                   c) Not intoxicated by alcohol.

b) Exact, free from error.     d) An offender, a wrongdoer.

4. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)

a) The situation will go from bad to worse if he doesn´t undergo counselling for his violent behaviour.

Unless (...)

b) He went on acting violently although he knew his behaviour was damaging his family life.

Despite (...)

c) The counselling programme George has taken is aimed at examining men´s beliefs about violence and self-control.

George has taken (...)

d) Counsellors teach men practical strategies, including self-talk and time out.

Men (...)

5. Write a composition with the following title (80-120 words): (3 points)

Is domestic violence on the increase? What social factors are involved?

Passive smoking

Pssive smoking means breathing in other people´s tobacco smoke. A smoker´s exhaled smoke is called exhaled mainstream smoke. The smoke drifting from their lit cigarette is called sidestream smoke. The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke is called secondhand smoke (SHS).

More of the smoke that hangs in a room is sidestream smoke, which contains higher levels of cancer-causing compounds than mainstream smoke. Tobacco smoke inside a room tends to hang in mid-air rather than disperse. Hot smoke rises, but tobacco smoke cools rapidly, which stops its upward climb. A heavy smoker who smokes indoors causes a permanent low-lying smoke cloud that other householders have no choice but to breathe.

Secondhand smoke has been confirmed as a cause of lung cancer in humans. Its compounds irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. A nonsmoking pregnant woman is more likely to give birth to a baby with a slightly lower birth weight if she is exposed to secondhand smoke. A child exposed to secondhand smoke in the home is more likely to develop asthma symptoms and have more asthma attacks. Nonsmokers who suffer long-term exposure to this smoke have a 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of developing lung cancer.

There are various ways to help protect the health of a smoker´s partner and children. Suggestions include making your home and car smoke-free as well as making sure that smokers who visit the house smoke their cigarettes outdoors, no matter what the weather.

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)

a) Pregnant women who do not smoke need not worry about their foetus´s health.

b) If you really care about your family´s health, not allowing people to smoke at home is not enough.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)

a) Why is smoking indoors especially harmful?

b) Is there a connection between respiratory illnesses and passive smoking?

3. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)

a) In the open air, outside.

b) Moving along in a current of air or water.

c) Persons who occupy a house.

d) Breathed out, expelled.

4. Complete the following sentences. the meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)

a) The compounds in SHS irritate a passive smoker´s eyes.

A passive (...)

b) Some smokers think that limiting their smoking to one room is an effective measure, but tobacco smoke easily drifts through the rest of the house.

Although (...)

c) The smoke in the room is heavier than the air. The smoke starts to descend.

Since (...)

d) "Please don´t smoke!, I begged the taxi driver.

I (...)

5. Write a composition with the following title (80-120 words):

(3 points)

Try to convince a heavy smoker to quit smoking, giving him/her some advice on what to do and how to do it.

VENUS TRANSIT, 5-6 June 2012

Venus transit happens twice a century. Venus will appear as a small dark dot crossing sun´s face for last time in this century today. It won´t happen again until December 2117.

When viewing the transit of Venus, you must follow some advice:

Tasks:

Read and listen to the text about the Transit of Venus in New Zealand, paying attention to the vocabulary used, and then answer the questions.

Transit of Venus

Tomorrow the planet Venus crosses in front of the sun. This is called a transit and it occurs in pairs, eight years apart, about every 120 years. The last time this happened was in 2004 but that was at night time in New Zealand. On June 6th this year, the transit begins before 10.30 a.m. and finishes after 4.30 p.m. depending on whether you live in the north or the south of the country.

We have had warnings about not looking at the sun directly, or through sunglasses or a telescope or binoculars. You could damage your eyes or even become blind. However, the weather forecast for the whole country tomorrow is not good. It´s possible we will not see the sun at all. This will be a big disappointment because the next transit of Venus will not be until 2117.

The transit of Venus is historically important to New Zealand because that was the reason Captain Cook first came to the Pacific area. When he left Britain, he went first to Tahiti to see the transit of Venus in 1769 and then he went looking for the new land in the south.  That was New Zealand.

Astronomers were very interested in the transit of Venus because they hoped that timing the transit in many places in the world, would tell them the distance of the Earth from the sun. Then they could work out the size of the solar system. In fact, it was too hard to see exactly when the transit started and ended. Astronomers had to wait for this information until the late 19th century when they could use cameras.

Source: ESL News New Zealand.

Vocabulary

Prefixes

- trans- across, through e.g. Trans Tasman flights are fro New Zealand to Australia.

transit - go across.

- tele- far (telescope)

- bi- two (binoculars)

- fore- go before (forecast)

- sol- sun (solar)

- astro- star (astronomer, astronaut)

Other vocabuary

- occurs - happens

- disappointment - an unhaappy feeling when something good doesn´t happen.

- astronomers - scientists who study the time.

- timing - to measure the time.

- work out - calculate, do the mathematics.

Listen to Venus transit:
http://eslnews.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/120605.mp3

Questions:

Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text.

1. What´s the time difference between the Venus transit in 2004 and the one in June 2012?

2. Why is it necessary to protect yourself when viewing the transit?

3. What´s the importance of the Venus transit in the discovery of New Zealand?
4. When and how could the transit duration be known?

Queen Elisabeth´s Diamond Jubilee

First of all, what´s a Jubilee? How many kinds of Jubilees are there?

There are four Jubilees: 

Silver Jubilee, a celebration of a 25 aniversary (especially the  reign of a Monarch)

Golden Jubilee, a celebration of a 50th aniversary.
Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of a 60th aniversary.
Platinum Jubilee, a celebration of a 70th or 75th aniversary.

This year to mark 60 years of the Queen´s reign the Diamond Jubilee takes place. The celebration will centre around an extended weekend, from Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June 2012.

60 Years of the Queen´s reign

The Queen came to the trone on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002.

We can remember something about her life:

Today,  Monday 4 June 2012   there will be a star-studded concert, set against the spectacular backdrop of Buckingham Palace, as part of  her Majesty´s 60 year reign´s celebration.

If you want to know the artists invited to the concert, link to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nh923/artists


Many British people are in favour of the Jubilee, however, others are not in a party mood. They think Kings and Queens are history. And they don´t want their taxes to go to a rich family who set a bad example to everyone with all their scandals. 

Tasks:
1. What do you know about the Queen Elisabeth II ? Test yourself:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/crossword/120601_crossword_queen.shtml

2. Read some newspapers headlines and opinions about the Jubilee and then write a composition showing your point of view about the issue.

_ "Is this a way for British to forget about austerity"?
Source: policymic.com
_ Queen´s Diamond Jubilee: cost of the celebrations. The total cost of the Queen´s Diamond celebrations is estimated to come more than £1.3bn, the majority of this being knock-on economic effects on an extra day´s holiday during time of financial uncertainty.
Source: The Telegraph

SPORT

SPORTS IN BRITAIN

Sport plays and important part in the life in Britain and it´s  an important leisure activity.

Many of the world´s most famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby.

EXTREME SPORTS

Summer´s just around the corner, encouraging some to dust off the tennis racket or rummage round the cupboard for the cricket bat. But for some in Britain traditional outdoor pursuits are just not enough. So how do extreme sports devotees get their kicks?

Extreme sports are about exhilaration, skill and danger. They do not normally involve teams and there  are very few rules. People who take part use their skills and experience to control the risks. That control is what makes them sports and not just dangerous behaviour.

Here are just some of the extreme sports which are popular in Britain:

Kitesurfing: a growing band of enthusiasts have been discovering the thrilling combination of kite, board and waves.These kites can be up to 17 metres long. Catch a gust and you´re motoring-up, down and across the surf. British ladies kitesurfing champion Jo Wilson says "It´s always an adrenalin  rush. It´s unpredictable. You could jump 5ft or 35ft. You never know if you´re going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom all the time".

Coasteering: this is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky cliff cove blocking your route. You climb, dive, swim and clamber from A to B. There are about 15 operators in the UK offering coasteering.

Sky diving: traditional parachuting just doesn´t sound risky enough, does it? So now skydiving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart pounding as you hurtle towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment. Once you´ve got a few jumps under your parachute you can throw in some extra risks, for example try a "hook turn". Dean Dunbar is a participant of extrenedreams. com and this first sky dive was in 1998. Since then he´s been hooked on the buzz of the extreme, saying: "Every so often I have to go out and do something scary".

Mountain biking: it´s been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Nowadays thrill seeking mountain bikers want a big slope to go down very, very fast. "It´s pure mad, sownhill, " according to Dean Dunbar. "People go to old ski resorts, take the chair lift to the top then bomb down- amazingly not killing themselves."

Source: BBC

Vocabulary

get their kicks: get a strong feeling of excitement or pleasure.
exhilaration: extreme excitement.
kite:a paper, or cloth-covered frame flown in the air at the end of a long string using the power of the wind.
motoring: moving.
surf: the foam formed by waves on the sea when they comein towards a shore.
an adrenalin rush: a strong feeling of excitement mixed with fear.
coastline: the shape of the land on the edge of the sea.
cove: a small sheltered opening in the coastline, a bay.
clamber: climb with difficulty, using both the feet and hands.
pounding: beating heavily.
hurtle: move very fast.
throw in: add
"hook turn": a fast turn close to the ground used to land at high speed.

Extreme sport

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