Author Archive: admin
Standford University offers program for older professionals
Pre-reading questions: What would you like to be in the future? At what age do people retire in your country? HP Inc.’s 62-year-old Senior Vice President for laser-jet business unit, Pradeep Jotwani, was ready to end his 28-year career but he’s not ready to retire just yet. Later on, he heard about Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute which is designed for retiring professionals and executives. He enrolled in the program, hoping to explore more in life. Jotwani studied renewable energy, climate change, social venture management, and art history. He may have taught entrepreneurs in India, Myanmar, and Tanzania but he still likes being back in school as a…
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Standford University offers program for older professionals
Pre-reading questions: Do you like going to school? Which do you think is better, going to school or working? Please give some explanation. Stanford University started offering courses for people aged 50 to 60 years old. Most of the students are employees or professionals who already ended their careers. These retirees want to go back to studying because they don’t want to stay at home. They think staying at home is boring. 50 to 60 year old students say that going back to university and learning new things is fun. Vocabulary: university – [noun] a school for higher learning course – [noun] an order of lectures about a subject career…
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Drug use in sports becoming a crisis
According to the poll conducted by BBC, a wide range of substances – both legal and illegal – are taken by amateur sports men and women to support their performance. They also found that 49% thought performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) were easily available among people who play sports regularly. More than 50 types of anabolic steroids are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), the independent body responsible for the list of substances prohibited in sport. The possession of steroids, which are class C drugs, is not illegal under UK law as long as they are only for personal use. Performance-enhancing substances can also include recreational drugs and prescribed medications…
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Drug use in sports becoming a crisis
Pre-reading questions: If you’re an athlete, how far would you go in order to win a competition? Please explain your answer. If you’re in a competition, would you rather lose and learn or cheat and win? Please explain your answer. According to UK Anti-Doping (Ukad), the national body responsible for protecting clean sport, there are currently 52 athletes and coaches serving bans. 12% are professional sports men or women; 62% are amateurs, 21% are semi-professional, and 5% are coaches. Out of 186 sanctions handed out across 22 separate sports by Ukad since it formed in 2009, 46% have been rugby union or league players – mainly at amateur…
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Drug use in sports becoming a crisis
Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the common problem of athletes? Please explain your answer. What can you say to those average-skilled athletes who worked really hard to be successful? Please explain your answer. With the latest BBC survey on amateur doping acts in sports. They found out that 35% personally know someone who has doped while 8% said they had taken steroids. The national group responsible for protecting clean sport is the UK Anti-Doping or Ukad. They think that number of amateurs who use performance enhancing substance in competition is alarming. Thus, Ukad chief Nicole Sapstead, encourage everyone to acknowledge the problem. Vocabulary: amateur – [noun] athletes who…
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Foreign interns face tough road in Japan
Foreign interns in Japan hailing from neighboring countries find it exacting to adapt and keep their lifestyle. Most of them leave their home countries in hopes of living a better life abroad. Vietnam, one of the countries that contributes to Japan’s labor shortage, offers training about the country’s culture and language to their citizens who will be deployed as technical interns. Despite the project’s success, some trainees disappear in a sudden upon deployment. Problems with pay and inferior working conditions are deemed to be the cause of these disappearances. Some trainees start believing that their dream of living a better life is impossible due to the high cost of…
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Foreign interns face tough road in Japan
Pre-reading questions: Would you be interested in working abroad? Please explain your answer. What are the challenges of working away from your family/home country? Around 600 young Vietnamese students are studying Japanese language and culture to brace themselves as technical interns in Japan. Most of the students hail from rural areas of Vietnam. The majority of foreign workers in Japan are Vietnamese since Vietnam promotes export of labor to provide employment to its citizens. Workers also learn Japanese language and customs from government-approved organizations. Despite the multiple benefits of this project, many foreign interns suddenly disappear upon dispatch. Some companies committed labor violations such as non-payment of wages…
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