5. The 1990s were a period of
rapid
change/growth.
6. We want to demonstrate our
commitment to human rights.
7. Many of the children are
undernourished and suffering from
serious diseases.
8. Poor thing! You look absolutely
dreadful!
9. Better
deny at once than promise
long.
10. He felt some
concern for her
safety.
11. Lack of knowledge is darker
than night.
AUDIO SCRIPT 9
Speaker 1
Newspaper articles today are
shorter but headlines are longer.
Most people don’t have enough
time to read newspaper articles,
they only read the headlines! On
TV and on the radio, newsreaders
speak more quickly than years ago.
Speaker 2
Even when we relax, we do
everything more quickly. Years ago,
when people went to art galleries,
they spent at least some minutes to
look at each picture. But today we
spend just some seconds!
Speaker 3
The only thing that is slower than
before is the way we drive. Our cars
are faster but traffic is worse, so we
drive more slowly. We spend more
time in our cars feeling stressed.
Experts predict that in ten years’
time the average speed on the roads
in cities will be 17 km/h.
Speaker 4
In the USA, there is a book called
One-Minute Bedtime Stories for
children. These are shorter versions
of traditional stories, specially
written for “busy parents” who
want to save time!
AUDIO SCRIPT 10
School days around the world
are
extremely different, and
each country has its own specific
educational norms. How much
homework do they give? How
many hours are in the school day?
How many school days do they
have? Here’s a quick look at how
six countries around the world
handle everything from classroom
instruction to homework.
1. Chile has the highest average
amount instructional hours
worldwide for primary school
students. These Chileans spend
1.007 hours a year behind a desk.
Chile is at the top of Latin American
countries in reading and math.
2. The country with the most
heavy metal bands is also home
to one of the world’s best school
systems. Finland not only has some
of the world’s brightest children,