Read and translate the text.

Scientists close to influenza vaccine

Scientists in the USA say they are getting closer to developing a vaccine that will provide lifelong protection against any type of influenza. This could be welcome news for millions of people
around the world who go to the doctor every year to get a flu jab. Two different research teams
have been testing new drugs on animals and both have had promising results. Trials will soon
begin on humans to determine if the test vaccine has similar successes. Flu expert professor John
Oxford told the BBC that: "This is a leap forward compared to anything done recently. They
have good animal data, not just in mice but in ferrets and monkeys too." He added that: "It's a
very good stepping stone."
The flu virus kills up to half a million people every year. The problem with finding a vaccine is
the ever-changing nature of the flu virus. It is in a constant state of mutation. Doctors have to
predict which strains of the virus are likely to cause the most infections and then create an
updated version of the vaccine accordingly. For this reason, the success rate of most flu vaccines
is very low because much of the process involves a lot of guesswork. Scientists say that vaccines
in the U.S. reduced the risk of catching flu by just 23 per cent last year. The website Inverse.com
said the research could, "point to how we can go about making vaccines for other viruses that
mutate rapidly, like HIV or the common cold".
SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.
1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

scientists
life-long
jab
determine
data
every year
nature
mutation
risk
rapidly

Answer the questions:

How worried are you about viruses?
What do you do to keep healthy?
Do you think viruses will fall or rise in number in the future?

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

character
information
decide
quickly
researchers
alteration
chance
lasting
annually
injection

Read and translate the text

Social problems, also called social issues, affect every society, great and small. Even in
relatively isolated, sparsely populated areas, a group will encounter social problems. Part of this
is due to the fact that any members of a society living close enough together will have conflicts.
Its virtually impossible to avoid them, and even people who live together in the same house
dont always get along seamlessly. On the whole though, when social problems are mentioned
they tend to refer to the problems that affect people living together in a society.
The list of social problems is huge and not identical from area to area. In the US, some
predominant social issues include the growing divide between rich and poor, domestic violence,
unemployment, pollution, urban decay, racism and sexism, and many others. Sometimes social
issues arise when people hold very different opinions about how to handle certain situations like
unplanned pregnancy. While some people might view abortion as the solution to this problem,
other members of the society remain strongly opposed to its use. In itself, strong disagreements
on how to solve problems create divides in social groups.
Other issues that may be considered social problems aren't that common in the US and other
industrialized countries, but they are huge problems in developing ones. The issues of massive
poverty, food shortages, lack of basic hygiene, spread of incurable diseases, ethnic cleansing, and
lack of education inhibits the development of society. Moreover, these problems are related to
each other and it can seem hard to address one without addressing all of them.
It would be easy to assume that a social problem only affects the people whom it directly
touches, but this is not the case. Easy spread of disease for instance may tamper with the society
at large, and its easy to see how this has operated in certain areas of Africa. The spread of AIDs
for instance has created more social problems because it is costly, it is a danger to all members of
society, and it leaves many children without parents. HIV/AIDs isnt a single problem but a
complex cause of numerous ones. Similarly, unemployment in America doesnt just affect those
unemployed but affects the whole economy.
Its also important to understand that social problems within a society affect its interaction with
other societies, which may lead to global problems or issues. How another nation deals with the
problems of a developing nation may affect its relationship with that nation and the rest of the
world for years to come. Though the United States was a strong supporter of the need to develop
a Jewish State in Israel, its support has come at a cost of its relationship with many Arabic
nations.
Additionally, countries that allow multiple political parties and free expression of speech have
yet another issue when it comes to tackling some of the problems that plague its society. This is
diversity of solutions, which may mean that the country cannot commit to a single way to solve
an issue, because there are too many ideas operating on how to solve it. Any proposed solution to
something that affects society is likely to make some people unhappy, and this discontent can
promote discord. On the other hand, in countries where the government operates independently
of the people and where free speech or exchange of ideas is discouraged, there may not be
enough ideas to solve issues, and governments may persist in trying to solve them in
wrongheaded or ineffective ways.
The very nature of social problems suggests that society itself is a problem. No country has
perfected a society where all are happy and where no problems exist. Perhaps the individual
nature of humans prevents this, and as many people state, perfection many not be an achievable
goal.

Read the text. Translate it.

WORD GUIDE
rural: in the country - area : zone - countryside: the country, rural land - traffic jam:when
traffic moves very slowly, or has to stop - travel: go, voyage - worse: more serious (comparative
form of bad) - rise: go up, increase More and more people want to live the rural life... but...
City life is cool; but is country life cooler? Apparently yes.
More and more people in Britain want to live in the country, and this is causing more and
more problems in some ruralareas.
The population of British cities has been falling for years. Cities like Liverpool and Glasgow
have lost about 30% of their population in 30 years. But Britain's population is still growing.
Where are the people going? Answer: to the country.
The English countryside has a classic image. People imagine that life in the country is slow
and calm; that there are no traffic jams, no pollution, and no crime. In some places, this is true;
but in others it is not.
Small towns and villages are becoming more and more popular; people have more space and
most houses have gardens. But problems are growing. Lots of people want to live in the country
and work in the city; so more and more people travel long distances each day, to go to work. Of
course they don't use buses (they are too slow) or trains (they don't stop in the country); they use
cars. And although they live in the country, they want to use supermarkets and good fast roads....
but they do not want to see them or hear them. Besides, lots of young people say that life in the
country is boring: there is not enough to do, there are not enough activities and excitements.
Little villages now have traffic problems in the morning, just like big cities! And they are
getting worse.
The problems are very complicated! If everyone moves into the country, large parts of the
countryside will disappear! People leave cities and big towns, to escape from urban problems;
but more and more, they are bringing their problems with them.
On warm summer days, and cold winter days, air pollution can be a big problem in large parts
of the south of England, not just in London. Traffic jams are now often part of life, even in the
country; crime has become a serious problem in rural areas.
Perhaps there is hope for the future. Soon Britain's population will stop rising. From about the
year 2020, it will perhaps start to fall. In 100 year's time, there will be less people in Britain than
today - perhaps two million less. No doubt there will be less pollution too; oil and petrol will
probably be rare by then.
Student worksheet
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE COUNTRY?
Read the article, then decide whether these statements are right or wrong.
1. There were more people in Britain in 1966 than today. R/W
2. There are good fast bus services in rural parts of England. R/W
3. Air pollution and traffic are problems in parts of the country. R/W
4. Young people particularly like living in the country. R/W
5. There is very little crime in rural areas of England. R/W
6. The British population will start to get smaller before the year 2030. R/W

Personal Pronouns

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

subject form object form possessive adjective possessive pronoun

I

me

my

mine

myself

you

you

your

yours

yourself

he

him

his

his

himself

she

her

her

hers

herself

it

it

its

its

itself

we

us

our

ours

ourselves

you

you

your

yours

yourselves

they

them

their

theirs

themselves