Money Makes You a Bad Person

A researcher has made a report that says having a lot of money makes you a bad person. Professor Paul Piff spent ten years looking at the personalities of rich people and found that their behavior was very different to the behavior of poor people. 

Dr Piff said rich people are more likely to break rules, not follow the law, and not care about other people. He also said wealthy people cheat more at games and are less likely to help other people. Professor Piff told the BBC that: "Wealth makes you more [worried about] your own interests, your own desires, your own welfare." He added that rich people think their own goals and needs are the most important thing in their life.

Professor Piff also found that poorer people are more generous than rich people. The poor give a higher percentage of their money to help others than the rich. He said poorer people give one-and-a-half times as much as richer people. He said: "The wealthier you are, the less generous you are. You give significantly smaller portions away to [other people]." 

However, he did say that rich people could change their behavior and become nicer and more generous. He said rich people can help others more if you tell them that giving and helping is a good thing. He said: "Reminding people of the benefits of cooperation, or the advantages of community, causes wealthier individuals to be just as [giving] as poor people."


 EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What is the job of the person who said rich people are "bad"?
2.	For how long did the man spend looking at rich people?
3.	What did a doctor say rich people are more likely to break?
4.	What did the man say were the most important things for rich people?
5.	What did the man say wealthy people cheat more at?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1.	What did you think when you read the headline?
2.	What springs to your mind when you hear the word 'money'?
3.	Is money the root of all evil?
4.	How does money change people?
5.	Do you think richer people are meaner?

Source:
Breaking News English

Girls and Women Worst Hit by Recession

It is hardly surprising news, but a new report shows that girls and women are those hit hardest by the global recession. The study is from the organizations Plan International, which is working to reduce child poverty, and the Overseas Development Institute - the UK's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. 

They state that: "The world is failing girls and women." The report's author Nigel Chapman said: "Girls are the largest marginalized group in the world." Mr Chapman added: "Much of the problem lies with 'entrenched gender inequality'." Chapman found that a worsening economy results in females of all ages having to work harder and suffering more domestic abuse.

Mr Chapman's report highlights a tragic increase in mortality rates for female infants. He told the BBC: "The proportion of baby girls who died when the economy shrank rose five times faster than the proportion of baby boys who died….Hence, a 1% fall in economic output increases infant mortality by 7.4 deaths per 1,000 girls against 1.5 for boys." 

He paints an equally bleak picture for girls not being able to complete their education. He reports that the global recession saw a fall in primary school completion for girls of 29% compared to 22% for boys. "Girls get sucked into domestic chores," he said. "Once they stop going to school it's very hard to get back into the rhythm of things."

EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What are the names of the organizations behind the report?
2. What kind of issues does the Overseas Development Institute deal with?
3. What do women suffer more because of a recession?
4. What kind of picture is painted by Nigel Chapman?
5. What is it hard for girls to do if they stop going to school?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS
1. What can you say about the article?
2. In what ways are women and girls hit by recession?
3. Do women have and get equal opportunities in your country?
4. Do you think women should be allowed to do anything a man does? 
5. How can we change the world to be better for women and girls?


Source:

Breaking News English

Internet safety lessons for 5-year-olds

A British organization has recommended that children as young as five should be given instruction on the dangers of the Internet. The U.K. Safer Internet Centre is co-funded by the European Commission and delivers a wide range of activities and initiatives to promote the safe and responsible use of technology. 

Britain's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) welcomed the advice and urged schools to provide appropriate guidance on Internet use. The NSPCC's Claire Lilley warned of the dangers youngsters faced by being online. She said: "We are facing an e-safety time bomb. Young people tell us they are experiencing all sorts of new forms of abuse on a scale never seen before."

The Safer Internet Centre published an online survey of children's reflections on the Internet on February 5th, to coincide with the UK's Safer Internet Day. The report summarizes the opinions of 24,000 schoolchildren. It found that 31% of seven to 11-year-olds said that gossip or mean comments online had stopped them from enjoying the Internet. 

Children also said they had been exposed to online pornography, experienced cyber-bullying and had been forced into sending indecent images of themselves to others. The report said: "Promoting a safer and better Internet for children…involves promoting their online rights - to be safe online, to report concerns and to manage their privacy."

EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Where does the U.K. Safer Internet Centre get some of its money from?
2. What did Claire Lilley say about we face?
3. How many kids participated in the survey?
4. What two things stopped kids from enjoying the Internet?
5. What have kids been forced into sending to other people?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. How was your very first experience of the Internet?
2. What are the good things about the Internet?
3. Have you had any bad experiences on the Internet?
4. From what age should children be allowed on the Internet?
5. What punishment should someone get for abusing kids online?


Artile Resource:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1302/130207-safer_internet_day.html

U.S. Allows Women to Fight in Wars

The U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has announced one of the biggest reforms of the American military in decades. He has lifted the ban on women fighting on the front line in future wars. The new ruling reinforces the fact that women have been putting their lives at risk for many years. 

Mr Panetta told reporters: "Female service members have faced the reality of combat, proving their willingness to fight and, yes, to die to defend their fellow Americans." Panetta said many very able women soldiers have been prevented from doing a job they love because of their gender. He said: "We owe it to them to allow them to pursue every avenue of military service for which they are fully prepared and qualified."

The Defense Secretary announced there was an important proviso to his new ruling – that women must be able to meet the military's standards, including physical ones. Army Sergeant Jeremy Grayson agreed, saying: "Women would have to be able to do the physical stuff that men do. 

They have to be able to pull their own weight." Another Army spokesman, Anthony Lemaitre, warned the public to be prepared to handle seeing women troops come home in body bags or with lost limbs. He said: "It's harder to see a mother or a daughter dead." There could now be up to 237,000 positions available for women that are currently off limits to them. The Army says the ruling will benefit the military in many ways.

EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What is Leon Panetta's job?
2. What are women prepared to die for?
3. What did a soldier say female soldiers would have to pull?
4. What must the U.S. public be prepared for?
5. In how many ways did the Army say the ruling could benefit the Army?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'war'?
2. Do you think all countries will allow their women to fight one day?
3. Would you fight to defend your country?
4. What do you think of soldiers who are ready to die to protect their fellow citizens?
5. How would people's view of war change if they saw many women in body bags?


Artile Resource:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21172033

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/troops-accept-new-women-in-combat-policy-say-women-should-meet-same-standard-as-men/2013/01/24/e12f4cb8-6663-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_story.html

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1301/130126-women_in_combat.html

Boeing Dreamliners Grounded Worldwide

Boeing's state-of-the-art Dreamliner passenger jet has been grounded in Japan, India, Chile and the USA amid safety concerns. The airliner has been hit with a spate of technical malfunctions in the past month. These range from cracked windshields, brake and electrical problems, and fuel spills. 

A battery fault found on Wednesday on one of Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) planes forced the flight to make an emergency landing. A Japanese transport official described the incident as "highly serious," which means there could have been an accident. Japanese authorities have suspended all Dreamliner flights until further notice. Japan's airlines have 24 of the 50 Dreamliners Boeing has sold to date.

The Dreamliner is expected to revolutionize the aviation industry. Its lightweight design, fuel efficiency and advanced safety features mean airlines have been queuing up to buy it. Boeing says it is investigating the issues but expressed confidence in the aircraft's safety. 

A company official has put the difficulties down to "teething problems" associated with a brand new airplane. The airline's CEO, Jim McNerney, said: "We will be taking every necessary step in the coming days to assure our customers and the travelling public of the 787's safety and to return the airplanes to service." He added: "Boeing deeply regrets…the inconvenience to [our customers] and their passengers."

 EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. In how many countries has the Dreamliner been grounded?

2. What piece of faulty equipment was found on Wednesday?

3. How many Dreamliners are operated by Japanese airlines?

4. What did a Boeing official say was responsible for the issues?

5. Who is Jim McNerney?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1.What do you know about the Boeing Dreamliner?

2. What should Boeing do for the affected airlines? 

3. Do you worry about airline safety?

4. Why do you think the airplane is having so many problems?

5. What do you like and hate about flying?

Useful links/Article Sources: 

Article Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9807593/Europe-Japan-and-India-ground-Dreamliner-indefinitely.html

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21054089

Google Boss Tells North Korea to Use Internet

The chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, has asked North Korea to open up its Internet to join the rest of the world. North Korea is one of the most closed and secretive countries in the world. Only a few of its citizens have Internet access, but that is strictly controlled by the government. Almost no one can access the World Wide Web. 

Mr Schmidt said it was very important for the country to end its isolation so North Koreans can become richer. He said: "As the world is becoming increasingly connected, their decision to be [almost totally] isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth, and so forth….It will make it hard for them to catch up economically."

The U.S. government was not happy about Mr Schmidt's trip. Officials criticized it and said it was "unhelpful". The White House is doing its best to get the North Koreans to end its nuclear weapons program. One expert believes Mr Schmidt's visit gave North Korea the feeling it was an important world country. 

Greg Scarlatoiu of the Washington-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea told the Voice Of America website: "Visits from senior officials and extraordinarily successful entrepreneurs are going to help to raise the profile of the North Korea regime. Probably, from the North Korean viewpoint, they may think this is also an opportunity to make some money for the regime."

EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.What is Eric Schmidt's job?
2. How many people in North Korea can access the Internet?
3. What word did America's government use to describe Schmidt's visit?
4. What extraordinarily successful people are mentioned in the text?
5. What might N. Korea's leaders have the chance to make?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. What do you think about Google?
2. What do you know about North Korea?
3. Do you think Internet access is a human right?
4. What do you like most and least about the Internet?
5. What would you do without the Internet?


Useful links/Article Sources:
Breaking News English
Google Urges North Korea to Open Internet Access
Google’s Eric Schmidt calls on North Korea to end Internet ban during visit with Richardson

Toyota Shows Video of Driverless Car

Toyota has released a video of its new driverless car. The real car will be on show at an electronics show in Las Vegas, USA. The car is full of special "intelligent" safety features to make sure it does not crash. It uses radars and video cameras to understand where other cars are. It can also "see" people and slow down to avoid hitting them. 

The car can also communicate with other cars that have the same technology. A Toyota spokesperson said: "We're looking at a car that would eliminate crashes. Zero-collisions is our ultimate aim." He added that the car should be used with a driver, but that it can also drive itself. This would be useful if the driver wants to use his or her laptop, or falls asleep.

Toyota is not the first car maker to showcase self-driving cars. In May 2012, the Swedish company Volvo tested a self-drive convoy of cars on a Spanish highway. The search engine Google has also invested a lot of money in the technology for these cars. The German auto manufacturers Audi and Mercedes are also developing similar cars. 

The chairman of the Ford Motor Company, Bill Ford Jr., said these cars will reduce traffic jams in the future. He said the cars will receive information from computers that monitor traffic and then the cars will take a different route around any gridlock. Toyota's video says: "Lexus advanced active safety research vehicle is leading the industry into a new automated era."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Where will Toyota show its driverless car?
2. What do the intelligent safety features stop the car from doing?
3. What is Toyota's aim for the number of car crashes?
4. What could the driver do instead of driving the driverless car?
5. What will the cars get from computers that monitor traffic?

EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. What do you think of the idea of driverless cars?
2. Do you like driving? What is the best and worst thing about driving?
3. Would you buy a self-driving car or a normal car?
4. What's the best way to reduce traffic and accidents?
5. What new technology would you like to see in cars of the future?



Article Source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1301/130108-driverless_car.html