DECEMBER 2013
MAGA ZINE FOR S TUDENTS OF ENGLISH / LE VEL A 2– B1
pis Časo ušené dnod ve zje ličtině ang
THROUGH YOUR ENGLISH
PLASMA DONATION Saves lives
ECONOMY
Cost effectivness
CZECH VS ENGLISH CHRISTMAS
9 771805 898000
12
Cena 45 Kč / Předplatné od 25 Kč
PROSINCE/DECEMBER 2013
What is similar? What is different?
DOWNTON ABBEY More memorable moments to come Dárek pro naše čtenáře: Vánoční příběhy – poslechy a čtení na www.drive.gradus.cz
MAGA ZINE FOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH / LE VEL A2– B1
T H R O U G H
Y O U R
E N G L I S H
Vážený čtenáři, přinášíme Vám Drive, jediný lifestylový časopis v jednoduché, živé angličtině na našem trhu. Najdete v něm zajímavé, aktuální články, témata k diskuzi a krátké povídky. S naším unikátním časopisem si kupujete nejen moderní doplněk pro studium angličtiny a zábavné čtení, ale i možnost zlepšení a rozšíření svých znalostí pomocí mnoha cvičení na našich webových stránkách. Přejeme si, abyste při čtení časopisu Drive měli takovou radost jako my a celý náš tým, když jej tvoříme.
Mgr. Pavla Štanclová, ředitelka redakce (vlevo) Mgr. Gabriela Sýkorová, šéfredaktorka (vpravo)
Mgr. Pavla Štanclová ředitelka redakce
Mgr. Gabriela Sýkorová šéfredaktorka
Our motto for December:
“It‘s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa
DON ’ T MISS IN THIS ISSUE : N AT U R E
T R U E S TO RY
ECO N OM Y
6
8
14
Christmas Presents
The Mysterious Smell
Winter: Survive it or Enjoy it?
Choose cost effective Christmas presents.
Not all Christmases smell good!
Learn how to walk on ice.
Pro předplatitele v Česku cena od 25 Kč/ks, na Slovensku od € 1/ks.
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DIFFICULTY
OPINION POLL
Merry Christmas! Christmas is round the corner. What are our readers looking forward to? Tomas, 16
I love Christmas. I always look forward to the time when the whole family is together. And it's quite a big family. Everyone's happy, we eat good food, sing carols, exchange nice presents and watch great films. If it's snowing outside, everything is perfect.
Mariana, 15
I know it sounds weird2, but I hate the hectic time before Christ mas. Lights and decorations everywhere from November! It's really crazy. They say Christmas is a peaceful3 time, but I think people are stressed and tired. And presents? I don't want anything special, a CD or a T-shirt is fine. I prefer a noncommercial Christmas. Anyway, I already have my best present – my boyfriend.
Chris, 16
Johnny, 17
On 24 th Decem ber I never eat before dinner. I haven't seen a golden piglet* yet, but in the evening I can eat anything I wish without remor se1 . I also love baking Christ mas biscuits** with my mum and sister. That's what I love about Christmas!
Martin, 16
I'm looking forward to Christmas and all the presents I'm going to get. I was a good boy all year – I did everything my parents told me – so I hope I get something nice. My family likes to keep all the Christmas customs: we cut apples, sail walnut shells4 and pour hot lead5 into water. We also have a traditional Czech Christmas dinner, but without the carp. We just don't like it!
I'm looking for ward to watch ing fairy tales on TV, Christ mas biscuits and all the good food. I don't care about presents very much – I just enjoy the atmosphere. And I'm looking forward to the holidays this year – two weeks! Yippee!
Discuss
What are you looking forward to this Christmas?
LANGUAGE NOTE * piglet – a little pig ** biscuits (Br.E.) – cookies (Am.E.)
VOCABULARY
remorse [rɪˈmɔːs] – výčitky weird [wɪəd] – divný 3 peaceful [ˈpiːsfʊl] – pokojný 4 walnut shell [ˈwɔːlˌnʌt ʃel] – skořápka vlašského ořechu 5 lead [led] – olovo 1 2
drive / December 2013 | 3
H E A LTH
DIFFICULTY
Christmas:
A Time to Help Others PLASMA DONATION Christmas time is an opportunity to show love and friendship. It's also a time for gifts. And there are people who give something very special – their blood. / GEORGE RAYMOND (UK) People who give blood do something really amazing. One donation1 of blood can save up to three lives. There 4 | Health
are two types of blood donation: whole blood or blood components donation. The components are red cells2, plasma and blood platelets3, and the process of their separation from blood is called apheresis. These days plasma is very important because modern medicine can use it in many ways.
What is plasma used for?
Donation
Plasma is used to treat health problems like haemophilia and immune system deficiencies*. It's also found in pharmaceutical products that treat and prevent diseases4 like tetanus, measles5, and hepatitis B. In hospitals, other products using plasma help people with injuries6, burns7 and shock. Many people's lives are saved thanks to plasma products.
People can also donate eggs or sperm. In the Czech Republic egg and sperm donation is still anonymous. In the UK a child “produced” by a donor can find out who their biological parents are at the age of 18.
Plasma donation Donating plasma helps more people than you might think. Plasma is the yellow liquid8 in blood. An average adult has about five litres of blood, three litres of which is plasma. It cannot be produced artificially and it's very important in modern medicine.
Which blood group are you? The ABO system classifies blood into four types: A, B, AB & O [əʊ]. These four types were classified by Czech doctor Jan Janský in 1907. Each type can be either Rh positive (Rh+) or Rh negative (Rh-).
The process of plasma donation During plasma donation, blood is collected from your arm and channelled to an automatic machine. The machine separates the plasma from the blood and collects it into a container. Then the remaining9 blood components are returned safely into the body. The process takes about sixty minutes and about 850ml of plasma is taken. Donors** can give plasma every two weeks.
Blood in numbers Blood is about 45% cells and 55% plasma. Plasma is 90% water and 10% is a mix of: protein molecules, immunoglobulines, hormones, vitamins, cholesterol, etc. A red blood cell lives for about 120 days in the body.
Health risks Plasma donation is generally a safe process. However, there are some risks. One of them is dehydration, so it's good to drink a lot of water, milk or juice in the twenty-four hour period before and after donation. Plasma contains protein, hormones and minerals, which the body needs. Donors should consume a lot of protein-rich food after donation. A nice steak and a glass of mineral water will probably help!
Who can become a donor? People who are in good health, between the ages of 18 and 65 and who weigh more than 110 pounds*** can become donors. They have to give blood samples. Laboratory tests then show if the donor is really healthy, something which is important for both the donor and the recipient10.
Earning money Many donors give their plasma free, others can ask to be paid. A lot of students earn extra pocket money donating plasma. They can make up to USD 20 per donation in America, or CZK 400 in the Czech Republic. But donating plasma is most importantly a gift to save lives.
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LANGUAGE NOTE * deficiency – problem ** donor – person who gives something *** 1 pound – 0.45kg
VOCABULARY
donation [dəʊˈneɪʃən] – dárcovství cell [sel] – buňka 3 platelet [ˈpleɪtlɪt] – krevní destička 4 disease [dɪˈziːz] – nemoc 5 measles [ˈmiːzəlz] – spalničky 6 injury [ˈɪndʒərɪ] – zranění 7 burn [bɜːn] – popálenina 8 liquid [ˈlɪkwɪd] – tekutina 9 remaining [rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ] – zbývající 10 recipient [rɪˈsɪpɪənt] – příjemce 1 2
drive / December 2013 | 5
ECONOMY
DIFFICULTY
Christmas Presents CHOOSE COST EFFECTIVE1 PRESENTS With Christmas round the corner, people are starting to spend money on Christmas presents. But how can we spend our money sensibly2? ALASTAIR S. EDWARDS (UK) We don't want to spend too much money, but neither do we want to give naff3 presents. Unfortunately, “the more expensive, the better”*, is not always true. So we should choose cost effective presents, which means we should compare quality with cost.
Buying things When you buy something, first think what it will be used for and which qualities are the most important. Ask what you get for your money. Don't worry too much about brand4 names. If you know the brand name, it's probably because the company has spent a lot of money on advertising5. And who pays for this? The consumer6 – you. It's better to ask your friends, perhaps have a look at consumer blogs on the Internet and see what other people think about what you want to buy.
Buying services7 Nowadays, people often buy unusual presents such as fun activities or lessons: flying in a helicopter, wellness, and courses in cookery, drawing, or foreign languages. But how do I choose a cost effective language course? Richard Hunter, director of the Swallow School of English, Liberec, says: “Ask how many lessons you get for the money you pay, the length of the lessons and how many people there are in a class.” And how do I choose the right course? “Think about the type of course you want. Do you want to speak and understand when you are in other countries, or do you need to pass an exam? Also, ask for a free lesson. Then you can see if you like the lessons. The more you learn, the more cost effective the course is.” ** Whatever Christmas presents you decide to buy, don't forget about cost effectiveness!
LANGUAGE NOTE * The more expensive, the better. – Čím dražší, tím lepší. ** The more you learn, the more effective the course is. – Čím víc se naučíte, tím je kurz efektivnější.
Win one of three packs of phrasecards produced by the Swallow School of English. How many cards are there in one pack? a) 52 b) 50 c) 48 Send your answer, your full name and address to competition.drive@gradus.cz by December 16th, 2013. The winner will be announced on our Facebook page.
6 | Economy
VOCABULARY
cost effective [kɒst ɪˈfektɪv] – dobrý poměr kvality a ceny sensibly [ˈsensɪblɪ] – rozumně 3 naff (slang) [næf] – ubohý, nekvalitní 4 brand [brænd] – značka, firma 5 advertising [ˈædvəˌtaɪzɪŋ] – reklama, inzerce 6 consumer [kənˈsjuːmə] – spotřebitel 7 service [ˈsɜːvɪs] – služba 1 2
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