DRIVE 3/2013

MARCH 2013

MAGA ZINE FOR S TUDENTS OF ENGLISH / LE VEL A 2– B1

T H R O U G H

Y O U R

E N G L I S H

LEFT OR RIGHT?

Which is your dominant hemisphere?

COGENERATION

Heat and electricity from one box

IRELAND: GAP OF DUNLOE Amazing trip

LET’S GO IRISH DANCING!

Interview with a step dancing teacher

Our partner for 2012/13

MAGA ZINE FOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH / LE VEL A2– B1

T H R O U G H

Y O U R

E N G L I S H

Vážený čtenáři, přinášíme Vám Drive, první “lifestylový” časopis v jednoduché, živé angličtině od rodilých mluvčích. Najdete v něm zajímavé, aktuální články, témata k diskuzi a krátké povídky.

S naším unikátním časopisem si kupujete nejen moderní doplněk pro studium angličtiny a zábavné čtení, ale i možnost zlepšení a rozšíření svých znalostí pomocí mnoha cvičení na našich webových stránkách.

Přejeme si, abyste při čtení časopisu Drive měli takovou radost jako my a celý náš tým, když jej tvoříme.

Mgr. Pavla Štanclová ředitelka redakce

Mgr. Gabriela Sýkorová šéfredaktorka

Our motto for March 2013:

“We read to know that we are not alone.” (W. Nicholson, UK,

writer of books and screenplays)

DON ’ T MISS IN THIS ISSUE : C U LT U R E

ECO N OM Y

H E A LT H

4

6

14

Creative or Logical?

What Do You Use for Heating?

Joy, Energy and the Heart

Take our test to learn which hemisphere dominates you.

Compare prices for heat using different kinds of fuels.

Learn more about Irish dancing and win a free lesson in Irish dance.

Web task

Předplaťte si pololetí únor–červen (5 čísel) za 125 Kč a získejte bonusy: VÝTISKY ZDARMA, SLEVY NA POŠTOVNÉM

1 ks poštovné 70 Kč 18–30 ks 2 výtisky + poštovné zdarma 2–9 ks poštovné 100 Kč 31–45 ks 3 výtisky + poštovné zdarma 10–17 ks 1 výtisk zdarma + pošt. 100 Kč nad 45 ks 4 výtisky + poštovné zdarma Nejsme plátci DPH.

This icon means extra exercises on our website www.drive.gradus.cz.

Listening web task This icon means extra listening exercises on our website.

Solutions

Časopis Drive vychází měsíčně, objednat si můžete: na www.drive.gradus.cz mailem objednávky.drive@gradus.cz / telefonicky na čísle +420 608 539 129

p. 17 1a), 2c) p. 18 Seb was talking to St. Patrick.

Předplatné 2012/2013

DIFFICULTY

OPINION POLL

Your Dominant Hemisphere: Left or Right?

On pages 4–5, we speak about the brain1 and its hemispheres.2 We asked our readers three questions to find out which hemisphere is their dominant one.

When you listen to songs, do you prefer the melody or the text? Do you think in pictures or in words? Are you better at the arts or mathematics?

Jakub, 19

Adélka, 15

Míra, 16

I usually prefer the text. I love it when songs have something to say and make me think. However, the melody must attract3 me, too. My thinking is more in words because I don't have a very good imagination*. I'm better at mathematics. It was my favourite subject, so I decided to study at a technical university.

It depends on my mood.4 When I’m sad, I listen to the text, but when I'm happy, I enjoy that and listen to the melody. I always think about things in both words and pictures. I think that I'm better at the arts because I hate mathematics. I think that mathematics is useless5 in real life.

I listen to both, I really can’t say.

A good song for me has both a good melody and a nice text.

I like music. My thinking is more in pictures because I’m such a baby. I am slightly better at the arts than mathematics, but I’m not really a big artist.

Dominant hemisphere: left

Dominant hemisphere: right

Dominant hemisphere: right

Tereza, 15 When I listen to music, I definitely prefer the text. The song must have good words that make me think.

My thinking is probably more in pictures. I’m better at mathematics and it’s my favourite subject.

Dominant hemisphere: left

VOCABULARY

brain [breɪn] – mozek 2 hemisphere [ˈhemɪˌsfɪə] – hemisféra, polokoule 3 to attract [əˈtrækt] – přitáhnout (pozornost) 4 mood [muːd] – nálada 5 useless [ˈjuːslɪs] – zbytečný 6 as a whole [əz ə həʊl] – jako celek 7 juggling [ˈdʒʌgəlɪŋ] – žonglování

Kryštof, 15 You know, I think music is the only thing I understand.

I take it as a whole,6 but melody, harmony and rhythm are probably more important than words.

I think in pictures. Everything I imagine* is in pictures, and I have a fantastic imagination*.

The arts! I love the arts – it’s my life. I love music, art and poetry and I write and paint a lot, too.

Dominant hemisphere: right

1

LANGUAGE NOTE * t o imagine, imagination – představit si, představivost

Use it or lose it The best thing for all of us is when both hemispheres are working fully. There are many exercises to help us balance the two hemispheres, for example juggling.7 But our simple advice is: USE THEM BOTH.

drive / March 2013 | 3

H E A LTH

DIFFICULTY

Creative Or Logical?

ONE BRAIN, TWO HEMISPHERES

We have one brain1 divided right down the middle into two halves called hemispheres: left and right. We might also call them the left and right brains. They have specific functions and roles, but they don’t work separately. The two hemispheres communicate with each other through millions of nerve fibers.2 / RYAN KELLEY (USA)

Left and right The brain controls3 the whole body; each hemisphere has its role. The right brain controls the left side of the body and the left brain controls the right. If there is a problem or an injury in one side of the brain, it will affect4 the opposite side of the body.

Popular psychology All of the information we get from our senses5 is processed in both hemispheres. However, most of us tend to have a dominant side.

Popular psychology says that left or right brain dominance means a lot, so much that some psychologists describe people as “left-brained” or “right-brained”. Some scientists 4 | Health

agree, but others say that neuroscience is not that simple. So what’s the difference, according to pop psychology?

“Left-brained” people are oriented to reality, details and logistics. They are analytical and logical thinkers.

They are usually good at mathematics and communication; they prefer dogs and reading. They learn quickly, but also forget quickly.

“Right-brained” people are creative, emotive, intuitive, visual and fantasy-oriented. They are less oriented to details, since they can see an issue as a whole. It takes more time for them to learn new things, but they don’t forget that easily.

They have a talent for creative writing and art. They prefer daydreaming, philosophy and sports. These people have strong imagination.

VOCABULARY

brain [breɪn] – mozek fiber [ˈfaɪbə] – vlákno 3 to control [kənˈtrəʊl] – řídit, ovládat 4 to affect [əˈfekt] – zasáhnout 5 sense [sens] – smysl 6 significant [sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt] – významný 7 freckle [ˈfrekəl] – piha 8 wrinkle [ˈrɪŋkəl] – vráska 9 route [ruːt] – cesta, trasa 10 forward [ˈfɔːwəd] – dopředu 11 punch line [pʌntʃ laɪn] – pointa 1 2

Web task

Your face says it all The left brain controls the right side of the body, so we may see some significant6 marks on the right half of the faces of “leftbrained” people, and on the left half of the faces of “right-brained” people. Compare your eyes, eyebrows, freckles,7 or wrinkles8 on the right and left side of your face.

Are there any differences?

An

aly

When your brain works right, you work right

Fun tricks to activate both hemispheres:

The hemispheres operate in different ways, but they are both important.

To be more successful at work or at school, you should balance your brain. Why not be both creative and logical? Sports, exercises and various techniques can help you activate both hemispheres. We recommend puzzles, yoga, telling jokes, drawing and singing – in any order you like.

1. Change your route9 to work/school.

2. Walk like a robot – put both your left arm and leg forward,10 then your right.

3. Use your non-dominant hand to: comb your hair, clean your teeth, write or draw, unlock the car, open a bottle…

4. J uggle or play with a hacky sack (footbag).

s

r lo Co

tic

s

thm

Log ic

Numbers

Rhy

Left hemisphere

Right hemisphere

on

Imaginati

3D

Words

Syn t

s

Line

hes

is

Test: Are you left-brained or right-brained?

Have you ever wondered which half of your brain is the dominant one? Try out this test.

1. People think your desk is a) quite messy.....................................1 b) well-organized...............................0 2. W hen someone is angry at you, you listen to a) what he/she is saying....................0 b) how he/she is saying it..................1 3. You are better at remembering a) names..............................................0 b) faces................................................1 4. When you talk, you a) use gestures and face a lot............1 b) choose your words carefully.......0

5. Y ou sometimes catch yourself daydreaming a) not so much...................................0 b) yes....................................................1

9. When you hear a good joke a) you remember it word for word.....0 b) you remember just the punch line11................................................1

6. In the morning, when you get dressed, a) you put on what you feel like.......1 b) y ou put on what you prepared the night before.............................0

10. L ook at your face. Which half is dominant? (deeper wrinkles, one eyebrow more arched, a bigger eye.) a) left....................................................1 b) right................................................0 c) both are the same..........................0

7. You change your plans a) easily...............................................1 b) with difficulty................................0 8. When you have a new task, you a) l ike to get instructions about how to do it.........................0 b) like to do things your own way.....1

R E SU LT S

Add all your points. The total of points says you have: 0–3 a strong left brain 4–6 a middle brain 7–10 a strong right brain drive / March 2013 | 5

ECONOMY

DIFFICULTY

1

2

3

4

5

6

What Do You Use for Heating?

With the winter coming to an end, we might about think how much we’ve spent on heating.1 The cost of heating our homes has risen* dramatically over the last 20 years and perhaps it’s high time to find a cheaper way of heating. / ALASTAIR S. EDWARDS (UK)

DI D YO U K NOW ?

Fuel2 prices have gone up faster than the rate of inflation, which leads to “fuel poverty”.3 This is when the people living in a house have to spend more than 10% of their income4 to heat the house. In some European countries, including Ireland and parts of the UK, fuel poverty affects5 over 24% of households.

And how much do Czech households pay for heating?

Discuss

Here is a table showing the cost of heating a typical Czech house, calculated with an average6 consumption** of 65 GJ in the 2011/12 season.

Fuel

What type of fuel do you use for heating? Is it the cheapest way of heating your home? Which fuel for heating is now the cheapest/the most expensive?

Cost (CZK)

Wood 2

18 000

Heat pump 7

18 500

Brown coal 5

19 000

Pellets (biomass)8 1

21 000

Black coal 6

25 000

Gas9 4

30 000

Electricity 3

50 000 Source: www.cenyenergie.cz

Many Czech people live in flats. To heat them up, they consume** on average 40 GJ. If they get heat from district heating schemes,10 they pay around CZK 20 500.

1 GJ = 1 gigajoule = 1 billion joules Joule (J) is a unit of energy, work or amount of heat.

6 | Economy

Some people can’t afford any kind of heating. This is one of the reasons why more people die in winter than during the rest of the year. For example, England has an 18% rise in deaths during the winter, Finland has a 10% rise, Germany and the Netherlands have 11%.

LANGUAGE NOTE

* to rise [raɪz], a rise – narůst, nárůst ** to consume [kənˈsjuːm] – spotřebovat, a consumption [kənˈsʌmpʃən] – spotřeba

VOCABULARY

heating [ˈhiːtɪŋ] – topení fuel [fjʊəl] – palivo 3 fuel poverty [ˈpɒvətɪ] – energetická chudoba 4 income [ˈɪnkəm] – příjem 5 to affect [əˈfekt] – zasáhnout 6 average [ˈævrɪdʒ] – průměrný 7 heat pump [hiːt pʌmp] – tepelné čerpadlo 8 pellet [ˈpelɪt] – granule, peleta 9 gas [gæs] – plyn 10 district heating scheme [skiːm] – místní teplárna 1 2

Web task