Английский язык «Bridge to Confidence». Учебное пособие для студентов всех специальностей

of children." Pope Francis encouraged couples to adopt children. He said: "We must not be afraid to choose the path of adoption, to take the risk of welcoming children. Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child."

It is not the first time Pope Francis has spoken out on this topic. In 2014, he said choosing pets over children was detrimental to our future. He called it a "phenomenon of cultural degradation". He commented that the emotional relationship with pets was "easier" than the "complex" relationship with children. In continuing this theme, he called the downward trend in birth rates across many countries a "demographic winter". Not everyone agrees with the Pope's comments. The New York Post pointed out the contradiction of Francis taking his name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It added: "Dogs make us more human. They make us better. Dogs, I think, are superior to most people."

The Irish budget airline Ryanair has a plan to deal with oversized luggage. The airline could increase a bonus it pays to staff for spotting bags that are too big. Ryanair staff currently get a "gate bag bonus" of €1.50 ($1.75) a passenger. This bonus is capped at about €80 ($94) a month. Ryanair's chief executive officer (CEO) wants to remove the monthly cap. He hopes removing it will mean fewer large bags going on the aircraft. The CEO said: "We're already struggling with that amount of baggage. That's one of the reasons we are so aggressive about [cutting] the [number] of passengers with excess baggage." Passengers must pay a fee of up to €75 for oversized bags and suitcases.

Ryanair's CEO said being stricter with baggage was necessary, even though most people follow the rules. He said more than 99.9 per cent of passengers have luggage that fits within the size limits. Ryanair said most people knew about the company's baggage rules because they are clear to see on different websites. The company said: "Our bag policies and options are well understood, and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel, and on their boarding pass. A very small proportion of customers who do not [follow our rules] will be charged at the airport." The company hopes the problem of oversized luggage will disappear within a few years.

A new study suggests that people who abbreviate their text messages might seem insincere. In addition, they might be less likely to receive replies. Researchers from Stanford University in the USA and the University of

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Toronto in Canada analyzed 5,000 text messages to gauge the impact of abbreviations. Test participants had to rate their perceived sincerity of messages with and without abbreviations. They also evaluated their likelihood of responding. The researchers said: "Abbreviations make senders seem less sincere and recipients less likely to write back." They added: "Abbreviations signal a lower level of effort from the sender."

Abbreviations in text messages and social media comments have evolved into a distinct genre of writing. The first text message was sent in 1992. Since then, a system of abbreviated text has developed that is largely understood and widely used. Many abbreviations are now in dictionaries. Truncated terms like "fyi," "cul8r," and "imho" are commonplace in text messages. Of course, these mean "for your information," "see you later," and "in my humble opinion". Researcher David Fang said: "We thought texters might like abbreviations because they would convey an informal sense of closeness, so we were surprised that abbreviations elicited negative perceptions about people who use them."

When we think of Valentine's Day, we think of romance. Images of red roses, pink hearts and candlelit dinners come to our minds. We rarely envisage breaking up with our partner. However, restaurant chain Pizza Hut is selling a Valentine's pizza for those who want to ditch their better half. Pizza Hut is selling "Hot Honey Goodbye Pies" in New York, Chicago and Miami. Pizza Hut will write the name of your soon-to-be ex on the box of the pizza. For those who live elsewhere, Pizza Hut has an online service to aid the break-up. Customers can go to the GoodbyePies.com website to send a break-up message, along with a link for the "future-ex" to receive a complimentary pizza to help them get over being dumped.

Pizza Hut's goodbye pie pizzas are a blend of sweet and spicy flavours. The company's chief marketing officer said: "With the launch of Goodbye

Pies, we are bringing that perfect blend of sweet and heat…to real life. We are delivering spicy news in the sweetest way for Valentine's Day." The company's website said: "Break-ups are awkward. We can help. Send a free…Goodbye Pie from now through Valentine's Day, and the delivery driver will deliver the bad news in the best way." It added: "We'll generate an expertly crafted, carefully curated, and potentially plausible break-up excuse for you." A YouGov poll stated that 45 per cent of people believe it is best to end a relationship before February 14.

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A record-breaking bridge opened to traffic on Sunday in China. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in mountainous Guizhou Province is now the world's tallest bridge. It stands at a lofty height of 625 metres above the Beipan River. The feat of engineering also has the longest span of any bridge that has been constructed in rugged terrain. The bridge is 2,890 metres long, with the main span stretching 1,420 metres. The crossing will have a significant impact on the economy, logistics, and travel times in the region. It will slash the travel time between the two sides of the Beipan River from two hours to just two minutes. A spokesperson said it would revitalize rural areas.

China is displaying an impressive level of prowess in bridge-building. The website highestbridges.com lists the 18 tallest bridges in the world, all of which have been constructed or are under construction in China. The top three are in Guizhou, which also boasts a further 32,000 spans. Nearly half of the 100 highest bridges in the world are located there. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also full of cutting-edge engineering features in its wind-resistant design and high-altitude construction. The spokesperson expects the bridge will become a sightseeing spot and attract more than a million visitors a year. It has a cafe, a geological museum, and a bungee-jumping centre.

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Мельников Максим Владимирович

Английский язык «Bridge to Confidence»

Учебное пособие для студентов экономического факультета.- Ульяновск: УлГАУ, 2025.- 95 с.

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