THE PROBLEM WITH HAPPINESS
Most people want to be happy. Some people even spend lots of money to learn
to be more positive. But perhaps the search for happiness isn't always a good
thing. Some scientific research shows that you cannot force yourself to be happy.
Research has also shown that being in a negative mood can sometimes be an
advantage.
Joseph Forgas is a scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
He has studied how happy and negative moods affect people's lives. Professor
Forgas has found that people in a negative mood know more about the world
and they are more careful when making important decisions. "A positive mood
is good for creativity and quick thinking," says Forgas. "But negative moods
connect people with reality."
In some experiments, Professor Forgas found that people in a negative mood
rs didn't easily believe rumours*, but happy people are more likely to believe them.
Other tests showed that people in a negative mood were better at remembering events that they had seen. People in a bad mood were also better at expressing
their opinions on serious subjects.
Forgas has also found a connection between the weather and people's moods.
When the weather is bad, people tend to have a negative mood. When the
weather is good, people are happier. Forgas also found that on rainy days, when
people were negative, their memory was improved.
Other experiments by Forgas show that happy people are more selfish than
unhappy people. Forgas says: "Happy people think more about their own needs
than the needs of other people."
Some people are pleased about the results of Forgas's research. "Today, if you
aren't happy people think there is something wrong," says Michael Collins,
a journalist. "This is why Forgas's research is so important. Certainly, happiness
is a good thing. But we do not have to try to be happy all the time."
Forgas told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "Positive mood is not
always a good thing. People in a negative mood make fewer errors. Even they
remember events more clearly and they are often better at communicating."
2.What does Joseph Forgas do? Read aloud the extract which says about it.
3.What are the results of Forgas' studies?
3 Do people find the results of the research important? Why?
№22
1.Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
Value
значимость
MARY POPPINS: PERFECTLY MAGICAL THERAPY!
In 1964, Walt Disney's production of Mary Poppins was a great success, and it
is still considered to be among the top ten musical films of all time. The film
was famous for its special technical effects. But people also loved the film for
the story it told and the feelings it expressed.
Perhaps this is why the Mary Poppins story is so successful today, this time as a
stage musical. At a recent performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre,
many people in the audience were adults who had not brought children with
them.
The film version of Mary Poppins and the stage production are a little different,
but they express the same message. Mary Poppins teaches the Banks family how
to live well together.
At the beginning there is a crisis, naturally. Mr Banks is a very successful man
but he spends too much time thinking about work and not enough time with
his family, especially his two young children. Everyone in the family is stressed
and the children become difficult to control and behave badly. It's a situation
that is very common in families today.
And then Mary Poppins appears from nowhere and works her magic to help
the family live in harmony again. Incredibly, the answers that she provides are
really very simple. One answer is that money does not buy happiness. Instead,
Mary Poppins tries to show the Banks family how important it is to understand
the true value* of things.
Another lesson that Mary Poppins teaches is that it is sometimes important to
look at the world from a child's point of view. It is good to believe in magic, and
enjoy simple things like flying a kite. Most lifestyle experts would agree that
these things really can make us feel better and less stressed.
Perhaps the most important lesson of all is that we should value the people that
are closest to us. It is important to have time for one another.
The magic of Mary Poppins is really well expressed in the stage musical. In the
final scene, the actors point up at the stars, reminding us how small we really
are and how big the world is.
2.The film and the theatre versions were very successful. Read aloud the extract
which says about the success of the film.
3.What happens in the Banks family before Mary Poppins comes?
4.What lessons does Mary Poppins teach the family and the audience?
№23
1.Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.
Confusion
путаница
To nod
кивать
To spit
плевать
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.
A tip
совет
Confident
уверенный
