Curious reading

WHERE IS IRAQ?

Many young people living in the USA don’t know geography. Just a few of them know where Iraq is! Only 13 percent of young Americans can point Iraq on the map.

It is also funny to know that many Americans think that one billion people live in the USA. In fact the US population is about 281 million.

WAITER, THERE’S A LOCUST ON MY PLATE!

Locusts and other crop eating insects have always been a problem in Thailand. But these people have found a new way to deal with them. They eat them. The most popular method of preparation is to fry them until they crackle. Then they are sprayed with soy sauce and hot pepper. Yum-yum!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It isn’t just an old wives’ tale that says fish is good for brain and the more fish you eat the smarter you will be. “Brain foods”, according to scientists, also include:

• Egg, yolk;

• Rye, oats, barley and rice;

• Vegetables, especially greens and peppers;

• Oils (for example, olive oil).

But fish, especially salmon, herring and mackerel, is the brainiest of all!

HOW MANY BONES?

Believe it or not, but you are born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.

FOOD THAT DOES NOT SPOIL

Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archeologists and found edible!

POOR DEARS

Believe it or not, but the average man will spend 145 days of his life shaving and will have removed around 25 metres of beard from his face by the time he retires!

NO MORE DRINK-DRIVING

Two Brazilian students have come up with an invention that makes it impossible to drink and drive. Diego do Nascimento, 18, and Rodrigo Barbosa, 17, both from Rio de Janeiro, have created a breathalyser that is linked to a car engine. The car won’t start if the driver is drunk.

BOWWOW! (гав – гав)

Wow! Wonder what your dog is really thinking? Takara, a Japanese toymaker, has invented a gadget which translates dog barks into human words! Depending on how your dog barks and growls, this gadget – called the Bowlingual – “translates” them into phrases like “I can’t stand it”, “How boring”, and “I’m lonely. Play with me, please.”

THEME III. CULTURE

Unit 1. What Culture is.

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

1. meaning – значение, смысл

2. refer – ссылаться, относить

3. behavior - поведение

4. scientist - ученый

5. however - однако

6. full – полный, целый

7. range – ряд, линия

8. pattern – структура, образец, пример, шаблон, модель

9. publish – публиковать, издавать

10. knowledge – знание

11. belief – вера, убеждение

12. law – закон

13. morals – нравы, нравственность

14. custom – обычай, привычка

15. capabilities – возможности, способности

16. habits – привычки, обычаи

17. acquire – приобретать, достигать, овладевать

18. member of society – член общества

19. tool – инструмент, орудие, станок

20. survival - выживание

21. fragile – хрупкий, ломкий

22. constantly - постоянно

23. exist – существовать, жить

24. in our minds – в наших умах

25. language – язык

26. government – управление, правительство, правление

27. building – здание, постройка, строение

28. merely - просто

29. layer – слой, пласт

30. level – уровень, ступень

31. perception – восприятие, ощущение, осознание, понимание

32. body – остов, корпус, основная часть

33. distinguish – видеть различие, различать, распознавать

34. in most cases – во многих случаях

35. share – делить, распределять

36. raise – поднимать, воздвигать, ставить вопрос

37. complex – сложный, трудный, комплексный

38. diverse – иной, отличный, разнообразный, разный

39. retain – удерживать, сохранять, помнить, поддерживать

40. traits – характерная черта, особенность, штрих

41. common – общий, обыкновенный, простой, общепринятый

42. background – фон, задний план, истоки, происхождение

43. experience – опыт

44. universal – всеобщий, всемирный, универсальный

45. humanity – человечество, человеколюбие

46. set of sounds- набор звуков

47. kinship - родство