Berufsreifeprüfung Englisch Oktober 06

1) Why Diet?
People diet for many reasons. Some teens have an unhealthy weight and need to pay closer
attention to their eating and exercise habits. Some teens play sports and want to be in top physical
condition. Other teens may feel they would look and feel better if they lost a few pounds.

Some teens may diet because they think they are supposed to look a certain way. Models and
actresses are thin, and most fashions are represented and shown off by very thin models. But the
model-thin style is based on an unrealistic look for most people. By around ages 12 or 13, most teen
girls go through body changes that are natural and necessary: their hips broaden, their breasts develop,
and suddenly the way they look may not match girls on TV or in magazine ads.

Can Diets Be Unhealthy?

Any diet on which you eat fewer calories than you need to get through the day without feeling like
you're going to keel over - like an 800-calorie-per-day diet, for instance - is dangerous. Diets that don't
allow any fat can also be bad for you. You should have a certain amount of fat in your diet, up to 30 of
your total calories. Although a low-fat diet may be OK, don't go completely fat-free.

2) Mobile phones safety fears

They're everywhere but nobody knows for sure if mobile phones are totally safe.

Why are we worrying about mobiles again?

The government has launched a 7.4 million pounds research programme into whether mobile phones
harm our health. The studies will look at whether mobile radiation, and radiation from aerials, can
cause brain cancer and leukaemia, and what effect the signals have on brain function.

Is this all?
No. A government report published in December 2000, by Sir William Stewart, found no evidence that
mobile phones were a health hazard or could cause brain and nervous systems. But he did find radiation
from handsets and masts could cause “subtle biological changes” the effects of which were not clear.
More study was needed, he concluded. Hence the £ 7.4m programme.

So then we'll know?

Not necessarily. The public is already being given mixed messages about how to use mobiles safely. A
report has by the Department of Trade and Industry in August 2001 suggested that hands-free kits
reduce the amount of radiation entering the brain from the phones. But the Consumer's Association said
an earlier study they carried out, using a different and better form of test, found the kits act like aerials
and actually increase the amount of radiation emitted.

So how safe are they?

Sir William's report quelled most fears but suggested youngsters should be discouraged from using
them regularly or for “non-essential” calls. He's chairing the new round of research, but sticking to his
advice, for now. “I said that I wasn't prepared to let my grandchildren use
mobile phones and I have not changed that attitude,” he said.
3) Smoking
If you smoke, having a fag can serve many purposes. If you're stressed, it relaxes you. If you're waiting
for the bus, it passes the time. After work, it draws a line under the day. It feels right to smoke with
your mates, or with a pint, after lunch or with a coffee, last thing at night, first thing in the morning.

But be honest - do you really like it?

Em, yes I do. It feels nice and I genuinely like the taste.

And you know all the risks?

Everyone knows the risks. You can't open a packet without reading the danger warnings all over it. It’s
in the news every week - another potential risk to your health, another reason to quit. The price of fags
goes up every year and along with the damage to your wallet, the cost to your skin and wellbeing also
increases. It’s enough to make you want a fag...

But are you really, really happy with being a smoker?

Do you smoke every cigarette because you genuinely want to smoke it, or is it because you've halfway
through a packet? And are you put off quitting because it’s easier to smoke than trying to stop?

Smoking Smoking causes Smokers die Smoking seriously

ageing of the skin younger harms you and others
kills around you

4) How alcohol affects us

After alcohol has been drunk, it passes through the stomach and small intestine and is absorbed into the
bloodstream. From there it travels to the rest of the body, including the brain. It is processed out of the
body by the liver. Alcohol is a “depressant”. This means it slows down the reactions in your brain. It
lowers some of your inhibitions, making you feel reckless. Alcohol affects your physical co-ordination,
reaction times and judgement. It takes the liver one hour to process one unit of alcohol. No matter how
fast we drink, the liver can only work at this pace.
The effects of alcohol can be felt between ten and 20 minutes after drinking, and sooner on an empty
stomach. The effects vary depending on:
 How much you drink and how quickly
 What you drink (fizzy drinks and stronger drinks such as spirits are absorbed more quickly)
 How used you are to drinking
 Your size and weight
 Your gender - women are more affected by alcohol than men as they tend to be smaller and
have more relative body fat and less water in their body. As a result the concentration of
alcohol is higher.

Children and young people will be more affected by alcohol than adults who are generally bigger and
have developed more tolerance to alcohol. The same amount of alcohol will make them feel more
drunk, and could cause damage, alcohol poisoning and coma much sooner than it would in adults
5) Poverty Introduction
Most of us live in comfort and security, but over one-fifth of the world's population lives in poverty.
Around the world poverty appears when people are not able to achieve the standard of living that is
usual for their society. Today, standards of living vary greatly among nations; however, the effects of
poverty remain constant: hunger, homelessness, lack of education, and resources to fulfil basic human
needs. Poverty is not only having no money. For those in developing countries it also is not having the
materials and resources to fulfil their basic needs. A person can be poor when they don't have access to
employment and basic healthcare, education and essentials like food, clothing and water.

Food Explanation - Food is a basic necessity. Those who are fortunate try to eat three square meals a
day; however, over 840 million people around the world go hungry every day. And more than half a
billion people are undernourished. They do not get enough vitamins and minerals from the food that
they eat to stay healthy. Hunger also kills. Every day 34,000 children under age five die from hunger
and related causes. Why are so many people going hungry?

One of the main causes of hunger is poverty. Most of the people who are hungry do not have enough
money to purchase the food they need. The poorest and most food-insecure people live in Africa, while
the largest number of continually undernourished people live in the Asia-Pacific region. However,
hunger remains especially severe in South Asia, where growing poverty, debt, economic decline, poor
terms of trade, fast population growth, unfavourable weather, war, and government collapse have all
contributed to the continent’s food problems.

6) So is global warming behind the last couple of years' floods and storms?
It is too early to say. We have not had the current extremes long enough to know whether they are a
statistical blip or long-term trend.
The weather has not been right for a long time. Has that anything to do with it?
The weather has indeed been increasingly unusual in recent years. The winter of 1999 was
exceptionally warm and April 2000 the wettest since 1766, when records began. Again, the Met Office
says this does not mean that global warming is here. But it is the kind of thing we could expect if it
was.
What else could we attribute to global warming?
Europe's winter is 11 days shorter than it was 35 years ago and the Arctic ice cover is shrinking by an
area the size of the Netherlands each year. Europe's biggest glacier, the Breidamerkurjoll in Iceland, is
expected to slide into the Atlantic within five years.
But is this all down to the greenhouse effect?
The Earth's climate is not constant. Around 10,000 years ago, much of northern Europe was in the grip
of the ice age. Since then there have been several mini-ice ages when the ice temporarily pushed south
and then receded. However, the recent rapid temperature change (one estimate says the Arctic has
warmed by 6C in the last 30 years) suggests something unnatural is going on.
What is being done to stop it?
The only way to control it will be for industrialised countries to cut the rate at which they are burning
fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas and their derivatives such as petrol - and for developing countries not
to dramatically boost their output of pollutants.

Global warming will affect the entire world, but the blame lies mostly with the west: the United States
produces 23% of the world's greenhouse gases; Britain manages 3% - the same as the whole of
Africa.
7) Childhood Obesity around the world will almost double by 2010 according to new data. The
report by International Association for the Study of Obesity also says things will only get worse if
people don't change the way they live and eat.

The obesity epidemic is spreading much faster than previous data suggested. New figures published in
the International Journal of Paediatric Obesity show that in the European Union by the end of the
decade thirty eight per cent of children will be overweight while in North and South America the
number will be almost fifty per cent.

This trend will be seen in other regions too - the Middle East, across Asia and the Pacific. Many
developing countries are now struggling to fight a double burden of disease - those that still haven't
overcome malnutrition may also have to treat people for illnesses caused by them being overweight.

Heart disease, diabetes as well as liver disorders and high cholesterol are just some of the problems that
are becoming more common and without significant changes in lifestyle and diet the authors of the
report say the situation will only get worse.

8) Regular exercise
There's no getting away from the fact that taking regular exercise is the way to stay healthy.
It reduces your risk of getting ill, can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight and
does loads for your energy and confidence. Plus it can be a great laugh, especially if you're with your
mates. If you're not doing any, now's the time to get started.

 Experts recommend that you get off your backside five days a week for 30 minutes. If you
haven't exercised for a while then start off gently and build up. Don't feel you have to do
something extreme – it’s better to do something than nothing at all.
 Make sure you're wearing the right trainers. They should fit comfortably, support your arch
and ankles and suit the sport you'll be doing. A good sports shop will be able to advise you.
 Always warm up before you work out - it heats up your muscles and prepares your heart,
lungs and mind for what’s about to happen, which means you stand less chance of injuries.
 Once you've warmed up, stretch your muscles out. This increases your flexibility and gives
you a wider range of movement. It also feels great.
 A good cool down after exercise is as essential as a warm up: sudden stopping can lead to
aches and strains. Start with large movements and ease down gradually.

9) Protecting our delicate environment seems to be on the agenda of politicians, government

leaders, and citizens in many parts of the world to show support for mother nature. The concept of
green consumerism has gained momentum more and more over the last decade, and the public feels
moved to pitch in and help. However, three essential keys needed to power this movement include a
more informed public, the development of improved technology, and a greater demand for recycled
materials.

Let’s use paper as an example. The first step is to raise public awareness about the recycling process, to
explain the kinds of materials that can be recycled, and provide ways on how to properly dispose of
them. Local governments should educate the public on how to properly sort reusable materials from
those, like waxed paper, carbon paper, plastic laminated material such as fast food wrappers, that can't
be recycled very easily. Then, a system of collecting these sorted materials needs to be established. The
Public interest might be there, but soon may wane if there isn't a system where they can take these
materials to be recycled. Sometimes we become complacent when it comes to recycling, but when you
speak in terms of actually facts and figures that everyone can understand, people become more
cognizant of the problem. I remember reading one time that the energy saved from one recycled can
provide enough power to operate a television for three hours. Give the public information they can
grasp, and then you will increase your chances of gaining followers.

10) The roots of poverty

After 40 years of study, the causes of poverty are still being debated. Liberals say the problem is an
economic system that is tilted to the rich. Conservatives blame a culture of poverty that keeps families
poor for generations. Both factors are probably responsible. Poverty is a tangle of financial and
personal pain that often goes beyond a lack of resources and training.

The main economic problem is not unemployment but low wages. The current federal minimum wage
set by Congress is $5.15 an hour. That means a person working a 40-hour week makes $10.712 per
year before taxes. The minimum wage has not been raised in almost a decade, and most people's wages
have not kept pace with the cost of living.

Since 2001, the United States has lost 2.7 million manufacturing jobs. Those have been replaced with
jobs in service industries, such as restaurants, which pay less and usually carry no health benefits. The
government provides Medicaid, which gives poor children health insurance but covers few poor adults.
Many people with low-wage jobs cannot cover even the basic expenses of living.

“Americans tend to think of poor people as being responsible for their own economic woes,” says
sociologist Andrew Cherlin of Johns Hopkins University. "But the Katrina disaster was a case where
the poor were clearly not at fault. It was a reminder that we have a moral obligation to provide every
American with a decent life."

11) 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:

Coasteering: this is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky
cliffy 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
extremedreams.com and his 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."