Good manners

Are you sure that you are a polite person? Good manners are important across the globe, but that doesn't mean they are the same. The rules of politeness vary greatly all over the world, from country to country everywhere.

Good manners are taken extremely seriously in Japan. It is considered rude to blow your nose in front of other people, and impolite to eat while standing or walking in the street (except ice-cream). When visiting someone's house you should always take off your shoes, and you should be very careful what you say.

The Japanese are so well-mannered that they think it is rude to express your opinion too directly. In fact, the Japanese have two different words for opinions 'honne' which is your real opinion; and 'tatemae' which is your public opinion. Generally, they express their public opinion not to hurt people.

But it isn't only in Japan where you can see the difference. In many countries people shake hands when they greet each other but in others it might be seen as aggressive. While in Western cultures it is polite to keep eye-contact during a conversation, in other countries it is best to show your respect by not looking directly at the speaker. Just to add to the confusion*, whereas we shall nod* our to say 'yes' and shake them to say 'no', in some parts of the Middle East, shaking your head means 'yes' and nodding it means 'no'!

In spite of all the differences most of the countries have to face one problem nowadays: the disappearance of good manners. In America Public Agenda showed that 73 % of Americans think that manners are worse now than 20 years ago. At the same time in China the government had to start a campaign during the Olympics to give up bad habits such as spitting* in public, littering the streets and using bad language. In England announcements are made on trains to remind people to offer their seats for the elderly and women with children.

As we can see good manners are treated seriously all over the world, that's why we should learn and follow them.

2.Good manners are important in Japan. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3.Which facts from the article prove that good manners vary in different countries?

4.What do the governments in China and England do to teach people good manners?

№24

1.Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

Are gm plants safe?

A few years ago I read an amusing article about a crazy scientist who had invented a way of making tomatoes grow in cube shapes. That way the tomatoes were easier to pack in boxes. The article was not true of course. But now biotechnology* has developed very rapidly. Genetically modified food (GM food) is a fact of modern life.

Genetic modification means that a gene from one plant or animal is put inside another plant or animal. In this way scientists can produce plants or animals that have special qualities that do not exist naturally. The idea of changing the genetic structure of food plants seems a bad thing to many people.

If people do not want GM foods, why are biotechnology companies trying to produce more of them? It is a question of simple economics. Genetically modified food plants are less damaged by diseases and can better survive in bad weather conditions than natural food plants. As a result, harvests are higher and so food costs less to produce. This is an advantage for both consumers and producers.

The biggest worry is the possible danger of GM food for people's health. When scientists put a new gene inside a plant, that gene changes the plant in some desirable way. For example, the fruit stays fresh for longer.

But at the same time, it is possible that the modified plant contains toxic* material, making it dangerous for people to eat. Before a genetically modified plant is sold to the public, it has to be tested very carefully so that it will be safe to eat. But some scientists think that no amount of testing will ever be enough. Dr Doug Parr, Chief Scientist with Greenpeace, says, "When you put a foreign gene into a plant you find that new toxins appear that weren't expected. These effects are very hard to see in advance because living organisms are ver\ complex."

Consequently, the testing of GM foods should be very thorough and governments should be very careful before they approve the introduction of GM foods into our supermarkets.

2.The author says that he read an article about cubed-tomatoes. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3.What are the advantages of GM foods?

4.Why is it important to test GM foods?

№25

1.Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

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