poniedziałek, 27 marca 2017

BBC Global News 4

Smartify app

 Recently there have been created a new app that is supposed to help people discover more about the artists and paintings they see while visiting art museums. It's very easy in use and much cheaper for museums than electronic guides as claims the employee of the art museum in the Central London. She believes that it will be easier for smaller art museums to use the app than to create special guides.
 I was very suprised by hearing this piece of news because just a few days earlier I was visiting the National Museum in Warsaw and that was exactly what I needed. If I only had it on my phone that day! I think it's a great possibility to inspire people and help them understand the art a little bit more.

smirk - a kind of smile
The man on the painting had a superior smirk on his face.
instantly - immediately
The description of the painting you're interested in instantly appears on your phone's screen.
hold sth up 
You don't have to take a picture of the painting, just hold your smartphone up and it will work properly. 

sobota, 18 marca 2017

BBC Global News 3

Are you getting enough sleep?
 March the 17th is the international Sleep Day and a scientist, dr. Nayantara Santhi does a research on how the lack of sleep does harm both our physical health and mental health. Dr. Santhi carries out a very interesting experiment in which she attaches electrodes to the scalp of a woman  and then observes how her brain works during the sleep. The scientist claims that when you're sleep deprived you will have problems with your memory, tension, metabolism or even decision making!
 This news item is interesting for me because I personally very often experience the consequences of the lack of sleep, but I didn't realise that they might be as serious as that.

scalp - the skin that covers the head
The electrodes were attacheted to the woman's scalp.

carry out sth  
The scientist carries out a crucial experiment in the laboratory.

deprived of sth - without sth
When someone is sleep deprived they will find it difficult to concentrate and focus on something.



sobota, 11 marca 2017

BBC Global News 2

The chinese government wants more children.
 After decades of making chinese people to have only one child, the government in Shanghai starts to encourage them to have more children. The problem is that raising a kid in China is very expensive, and women are afraid of losing their jobs after having a second baby. The government's solution is that there will be built many nurseries in the companies where parents work. Even though it might seem like a convincing idea it will be very difficult for chinese families to suddenly change the structure of the family.
 Not allowing people to have more that one child and then wanting them to change that completely is for me an obvious example of not respecting people and treating them as objects that are only used for achieving government's plans.

concern = interest, matter, anxiety
The chinese politicians try to respond to citizens' concerns by establishing some nurseries.

frankly = freely, plainly, openly
So frankly, it's expensive to have a second child.

covered by = funded by, supported by
Health care and education are covered by the government but it's still not enough.

niedziela, 5 marca 2017

BBC Global News 1

Maram's miracle
 2 months ago a british surgeon, David Nott operated upon a Syrian baby girl. She was gravely injured in a bomb attack in which her whole family had been killed.The wound on her leg was so deep than both her bones were sticking out. Even though dr. Nott did surgeries of a lot children from Allepo, the one patient he could not forget was little Maram. He missed her so much that recently he visited her again, and was suprised by how good does she look like.
  David Nott operated Maram just a few days before Christmas, at the time when most of people would give up because of being "busy". He took a great risk and saved life of an innocent girl that was left without family in the middle of the war. I'm so happy that stories like that are spread because they can give others hope that brave and altruistic humans still exist on this planet.

gravely injured = seriously/deeply/horribly

A little girl was gravely injured and needed an urgent surgery.

artificial embryon = annatural/fake embryon

Scientists are still working on creating human artificial embryons.

fertility treatment = curing infertility

Recent scientific reaserch is meant to improve human fertility treatment.