US Library of Congress Plans to Save Historic Sound Recordings

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. scheme [skeem] (n.) – a project or a plan with a specific purpose

Example: The government’s new scheme will protect the museum.

2. significant [sig-NIF-i-kuhnt] (adj.) – important or valuable

Example: Bert values the pictures of his life’s most significant moments.

3. preserve [pri-ZURV] (v.) – to keep in good condition

Example: The museum will preserve the old photos before the pictures fade completely.

4. legalize [LEE-guh-lahyz] (v.) – to make something acceptable according to law

Example: The government did not legalize free download of copyrighted materials on the Internet.

5. catastrophe [kuh-TAS-truh-fee] (n.) – a very big and unexpected disaster

Example: Floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are examples of natural catastrophes.

Article
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The U.S. Library of Congress will be preserving historical recordings to prevent old audio clips from being lost forever. This plan will involve providing public access to recordings, developing a secured and lasting storage scheme, and listing of sound collections in a directory. The Library of Congress will also apply for a copyright law that will legalize online streaming of recordings as long as the purpose is academic. According to the library, historic audios—such as music, speeches and interviews—have been destroyed or damaged by time. In addition, over 50% of the cylinder records were already gone, including records from the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the missing significant recordings was the audio clip of Enola Gay crew members as they dropped an atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan during the World War II. Also, the composition recordings of American musician George Gershwin were also lost, along with clips of actors and singers such as Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, said that people nowadays focus more on making and using recordings than preserving old ones for future use. Lack of storage facilities and different copyright laws are some of the reasons for the loss, said the Library of Congress. In addition, catastrophes like the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and the 2012 Superstorm Sandy also destroyed some significant recordings. The Library of Congress does not know yet how much will be spent on the project, probably between $1 million and $1.5 million yearly.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

         In your opinion, how can preserving old sound recordings save our history?

         Do you think a country should allot a budget to preserve historical audio clips? Why or why not?

Discussion B

         Why is it important to study history?

         How do you think your country tries to preserve its history?

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Name Searches on Google May Show Racism

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. biased [BAHY-uhst] (adj.) – favoring one person or group over other group

Example: The website seemed racially biased toward Asians and seemed to be against Americans.

2. display [dih-SPLEY] (v.) – to place something where it can be seen by others

Example: They displayed advertisements at the top of their webpage.

3. conclusion [kuhn-KLOO-zhuhn] (n.) – a final statement after important information has been said or studied

Example: The conclusion to the crime’s mystery is not yet known because of missing evidence.

4. algorithm [AL-guh-rith-uhm] (n.) – a set of mathematical steps done by computer programs to get a result

Example: The website uses an algorithm to count the number of visitors on the website.

5. keyword [KEE-wurd] (n.) – an important word to use when searching  information

Example: He used the keywords “fix my computer” to find information on how he can repair his broken laptop.

Article
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A recent study showed that name searches on Google seem to be racially biased, as revealed by advertisements displayed during Google searches. Latanya Sweeney, a professor from Harvard University, observed name searches in Google and found that results for names that are more common among black people produce advertisements related to criminal activity. Sweeney searched names such as “Leroy,” “Kareem” and “Keisha,” and search results showed advertisements that lead to websites where people can check criminal records. According to Sweeney, there is a 25% chance that names related to black people will lead to advertisements about crime. On the other hand, names such as Brad, Luke and Katie, shows advertisements that provide general contact details. Sweeney still does not have conclusions on the reason for the results, since more information about Google AdSense is needed. But Sweeney thinks the results are due to Google’s algorithms, which adapt to the habits of users. This means that advertisement links that are clicked more often during a search are also likely to be displayed more frequently. Meanwhile, Google said that it is not biased against any race. The company said it lets advertisers choose keywords that would make their advertisements appear.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A

         Should Google do something about the issue? Why or why not?

         Do you think the person who did the study is reacting too much? What makes you say so?

Discussion B

         Why do some people still think negatively about those from another culture or country?

         What do you think people can do to prevent racism?

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Europol Reveals Hundreds of Soccer Matches Worldwide Are Fixed

Unlocking Word Meanings 
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. rigged (adj.) – having a result that is already planned or fixed ahead of time

Example: They discovered that the match was rigged before winners were announced.

2. suspicious (adj.) – questionable or showing something that seems wrong

Example: The officials watched the video of the game to check for suspicious activity from the players.

3. bribe (v.) – to give someone money so that he or she would decide to do something

Example: Some criminals bribed the player to lose the soccer game.

4. bet (n.) – an agreement between two or more people to give money to the person who correctly guesses the result of a future event

Example:  The two soccer fans made a bet on which team would win the championship.

5. underworld (n.) – the criminal part of society

Example: Activities in the underworld are difficult to track especially if some police are helping the criminals.

Article 
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Europol, the European Union’s collective police force, has discovered around 680 rigged soccer matches across the world. These suspicious games include matches in the Champions League and qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championship. In 2011, Europol started the investigation on suspicious games. Since then, the police force has found many cases of match-fixing, in which a game’s result is already decided before a match. Europol head Rob Wainwright said criminals are making money from rigged matches.  The criminals spent two million euros ($2.7 million) bribing players and officials to win or lose a game. The criminals also earned around eight million euros ($10.9 million) through game bets. Wainwright added that a criminal network in Singapore spent 100,000 euros ($136,500) in match-fixing. Since 2008, 425 officials, players and criminals from more than 15 nations have been part of soccer’s illegal activity. The Europol identified the possible match-fixing leaders as Asians, Russians and Europeans. However, Europol did not drop names to avoid causing problems to the investigations. Wainwright said they finally have enough evidence of rigged soccer matches organized by crime groups. However, Europol is having a hard time shutting down underworld operations because they are happening globally. The agency will send the investigation results to UEFA, the organization that monitors and organizes soccer games in Europe. In 2009, UEFA banned a Bosnian referee from the World Cup after helping fix a game between Liechtenstein and Finland. The organization also removed a player involved in a rigged match between Malta and Norway in 2012.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A 

         What punishment should sports organizers give to people who fix matches? Please explain your answer.

         How might fans feel if they knew that the games they watched were rigged?

Discussion B

         Why is honesty important in sports?

         How can we encourage people not to do something dishonest?

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Air Pollution Causes Low Birth Weight among Babies

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. multinational (adj.) – consisting of many countries or people from different countries

Example: Our company worked with WHO and other international groups to develop a multinational health awareness campaign.

2. correlation (n.) – a direct or indirect relationship between two or more things

Example: Population and pollution rate has a positive correlation.

3. inhale (v.) – to breathe in

Example: The pregnant woman had allergies after inhaling some molds.

4. particle (n.) – a very tiny part

Example: Particles are so small that the human eye cannot see them.

5. concentration (n.) – the strength in the amount of solute (anything mixed with a liquid) in a mixture or solution

Example: My mother adds water to juice concentrations to lessen the sweetness.

Article
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A recent study on pollution reveals that pregnant mothers who are constantly exposed to air pollution from vehicles and factories may give birth to babies with low birth weight. A multinational group of scientists conducted the study by examining three million births starting from mid-1990s. The data were from 14 locations in nine Asian, Australian and North and South American countries. This study is the largest research done on the correlation of infant health and pollution. The survey showed that women who inhaled a lot of polluted air have a high risk of giving birth to babies weighing only 2,500 grams. Low birth weight is known to cause learning difficulties and health problems among the babies. Tracey Woodruff, one of the researchers said that tiny dust particles in the air might affect one’s health depending on the particle’s concentration and size. Woodruff added that even very little dust particles could already increase the possibility of having low birth babies by three percent. Air pollution causes low birth weight probably because pollution affects the mother’s health, allowing pollutants to enter the baby’s system and harm its health. To address air pollution problems, Clean Air laws in America limit the dust particles’ size to less than 2.5 micrometers and the concentration to less than 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Europe requires no more than 25 micrograms. On the contrary, China has about 700 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

         How else can air pollution affect pregnant women?

         In your opinion, what other things are bad for the health of pregnant women and infants? Please explain briefly.

Discussion B

         How can we reduce air pollution?

         Aside from pollution, what other environmental problems should people address? Why do you think so?

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North Korea Conducts Its Latest Nuclear Test

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. wipe out (v. phrase) – to remove or destroy completely

Example: Nuclear bombs can wipe out large cities in an instant.

2. threat (n.) – something that has the power to cause damage or to hurt people

Example:  The president does not want any threat of war from another country.

3. retaliate (v.) – to  get revenge or to do an action equal to an action that has been done

Example: The country said it will retaliate if other nations try to attack it.  

4. foreign aid (n. phrase) – the act of giving resources (such as food, medicine, technology, etc.) of one country to another country that needs the resources

Example:  The charity group provides foreign aid to poor villages in Africa.

5. with no strings attached (idiom) –   without expecting benefit in return for a good action

Example: The company provided help to the victims of the typhoon with no strings attached.

Article
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North Korea announced that its recent underground nuclear test was a success.  Reports said the country used a nuclear bomb that is smaller, lighter and more powerful than bombs tested in 2006 and 2009. The recent test showed that the country is close to creating a bomb that can wipe out other countries. Additionally, North Korea was able to launch a satellite and rocket into space last December. Other countries are now worried about North Korea combining space and nuclear technologies. Andrei Lankov, a North Korea analyst, said North Korea’s next step may be to create a missile that would reach space, fall back to Earth and hit a target city. While possible, the plan would be very expensive and would require more testing for North Korea. Lankov said that North Korea is advancing in nuclear technology much faster than what people had thought, although it would take many years before North Korea can be a threat to the US. Lankov added that he does not think North Korea would make the first attack. The country would retaliate only if it felt threatened by others. The biggest worry, however, is that the US may not have enough power to stop North Korea from doing anything it wants in the future.  North Korea can also use the threat of nuclear weapons to make countries provide North Korea with foreign aid with no strings attached. Lankov said North Korean leaders will probably not give up improving the country’s nuclear technology, even though the whole world has been against it.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

         Do you think your country should also be worried about North Korea’s nuclear tests? Why do you think so?

         Is it important for a country to have high-tech weapons? Why or why not?

Discussion B

         What do you think happens to a country that avoids communicating with other countries?

         What are some ways to improve the relations between countries?

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Young Men in the UK are Pessimistic about Their Future

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. pessimistic (adj.) – having negative thoughts about something; having a belief that an event will turn bad

Example: Marcus felt really pessimistic about his future, thinking that he may not get his dream job.

2. skilled (adj.) – with the ability to do a specific task

Example: Companies nowadays look for skilled workers who require less training.

3. discontent (adj.) – unhappy or not satisfied

Example: Young people become discontent when they do not know what to do in their life.

4. barrier (n.) – anything that holds a person back from his or her goals

Example: His financial problem is a barrier that keeps him from finishing his studies.

5. job seeker (n.) – a person who looks for a possible job

Example: Most job seekers today submit their application online.

Article
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A study in the UK revealed that young men who are not very poor but not rich enough to go to university have become pessimistic about their future. The information came from a youth survey by the O2 telecommunications company. The study involved 1,500 young people who are 16 to 24 years old and who belong to families of skilled and semi-skilled workers. According to the study’s results, 60% of the young men who answered the survey believed that they would never have their own homes. About 25% of the young men believed they would never have a satisfying career while more than 30% felt discontent when thinking about the future. Compared to poorer young men, men from between the poor and lower middle classes were surprisingly more pessimistic. Professor Tony Chapman, who analyzed the survey, said these young men have dreams, but they tend not to even try achieving their goals because they think there are too many barriers. Young men lacking the needed qualities might also have more difficulties in finding a job, especially since they would compete with a high number of job seekers who attended university. Fewer job opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workers could also add up to the young men’s job seeking difficulties. Despite the negative views, the study showed that most of the young men still believe they could gain more money than their parents. Most of those who remain hopeful see new job opportunities in technology especially the Internet.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

         Why do you think some people can become pessimistic even though they are not poor?

         How can we encourage young people to think positively about their future?

Discussion B

         Why should people avoid thinking negatively about the future?

         How do you encourage yourself to achieve your goals?

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