Unit 5 Fit Researchers Say Jogging Alone is Unhealthy

A new report suggests that jogging could be bad for your health, especially if you do it alone. A team of researchers from Harvard University has said that going for a run on your own is not as healthy as people believe. Their research showed that jogging as part of a group is healthier. The experiments they did on rats showed that running alone raises stress levels and slows down brain cell growth. Professor Elizabeth Gould, the research leader, said: “These results suggest that, [with no] social interaction, a normally [positive] experience can [have a negative] influence on the brain.”

The researchers monitored two groups of rats on exercise wheels. One group exercised alone, the other group were part of a rodent jogging team. After two weeks, the scientists did tests to measure the new brain cell growth in all of the rats. The results showed that the team joggers had double the amount of new brain cells as the solo runners. Professor Gould concluded that: “In a group setting, running stimulates [brain cell growth]. However, when running…in social isolation, these positive effects [decrease].” Human joggers should remember that running is healthier than the rat race.

Unit 6 Jobs

50 Candidates for ‘Best Job in the World’

The world will soon know who will get the “best job in the world”. The position is for a caretaker to live on and look after a tropical island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Duties include relaxing on the island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef, and writing a blog to promote the area. Other responsibilities are to feed the fish, clean the pool and collect the mail. The job website, islandreefjob.com, tells applicants: “There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry. You won’t need to feed them all.” The successful applicant will get a salary of nearly US$100,000 for the six months. Officials from Queensland’s tourism department announced on Tuesday that they were now looking at 50 candidates. Unsurprisingly, over 35,000 people applied for the job.

The next stage in the selection process is to get the list of candidates down to 11. The tourism board will select ten people. Visitors to the website will choose an eleventh person. The public can look at the video applications of all 50 hopeful caretakers. The eleven lucky finalists will then fly to Hamilton Island for a formal interview. The winner will be announced on May 6, and the job starts on July 1. The current shortlist of 50 includes people from 22 countries. They include dancers, chefs, scientists and students and they all want a slice of paradise. Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said there was much discussion to narrow down the list to 50. He told reporters, “it boiled down to…the motivation and professionalism of the applicants and their 'fit' with the job and Tourism Queensland”.

Unit 7 Eco un - We can Control Global Warming

A United Nations committee on climate change has said we can control global warming. The panel, made up of representatives from over 120 countries, believes we can limit the harm greenhouse gases do to the atmosphere. Its report concluded the picture of Armageddon painted by many scientists will not happen if we use technology and have the right strategies to protect the ozone layer. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the panel, told reporters in Bangkok that the study was a “remarkable step forward”. The panel indicated that we can keep our Earth safe by changing the way we use energy around the world. Most important is to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles and household goods. For this to happen, individuals need to change their lifestyles and spending patterns.

Report co-author Pete Smith said: “We can go a long way to addressing this problem at relatively low costs with a range of options.” He calculated that it would cost less than three percent of world economic output by 2030. He added: “We've got a big problem on our hands [but] this report provides governments with a way out." The “big problem” is the damage rising temperatures are doing to the Earth. Increased floods, droughts, rising sea levels, more violent and destructive storms and extinctions of species are just a few things threatening the life of our planet. The report stressed the urgent need for introducing a wide variety of clean technologies. Harlan Watson, head of the U.S. team, warned: “If we continue to do what we are doing, then we are in deep trouble.”