How to save the Earth

1. Most of the Earth's water is salt water. Only three per cent is fresh water. This must be saved! To save water, you can have showers instead of baths. You can wash dishes in a bowl rather than under a running tap. Are you aware that every time a tap is left running while you brush your teeth, about 60 litres of water is wasted?
2. A lot of pollution is caused by the electricity we use. To save electricity, don't keep your TV on if you aren't watching it. Make sure that you turn off lights when you go out of a room.
3. Don't use lots of plastic bags. They don't decompose, so most of them will be unchanged 100 years from now! When you go shopping, try to take a paper bag with you. When you pack your sandwiches, put them in reusable containers.
4. Rubbish can make our country dirty and unpleasant. Wild animals and birds are often harmed and killed by rubbish. Last year, many animals were killed when they ate pieces of metal from cans. Others were hurt by broken bottles. Keep the country clean. Put your rubbish in a bin or take it home.
5. Thousands of trees were cut down in tropical forests last year. When you buy anything made of wood, make sure it isn't hardwood, such as mahogany or teak. Buy softwood, such as pine and ash. Softwood trees grow quickly. Another way to save the forests is to recycle paper. One ton of recycled paper will save 17 trees! When you go on a picnic, be careful to put out cooking fires and cigarettes. Many forests are destroyed by fires every year.

Level: Beginner

Book: Changes for ESO 4

Year: 2002

Homes in the UK

Here are some typical homes in the UK. Are there homes like these where you live?

 

Detached houses
A detached house is an independent building. Some detached houses are very big. Others, like traditional cottages or bungalows, are small. Detached houses have usually got a garden and they've often got a garage too.

Semi-detached houses
Semi-detached houses are two houses which are connected. They share a wall on one side, but they've usually got separate gardens. The two houses are usually similar, but they're sometimes very different.

Terraced houses
Terraced houses are three or more houses in a row. The houses in the middle share walls on two sides. Some terraced houses are small and simple. Others are very big and elaborate.

Flats
In big towns and cities, people often live in flats. Some flats are in old houses. Other flats are in tower blocks. About 30 per cent of people in London live in flats because houses in the city are very expensive.

How common are different types of home in the UK?

• Detached houses: 23%
• Semi-detached houses: 31%
• Terraced houses: 26%
• Flats: 20%

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

The high life!

The House in the Clouds is in Suffolk, on the east coast of England. It's a very unusual home. It's an old water tower and it's 21 metres tall. It's got six floors and 67 stairs!

The kitchen is on the ground floor of the house. There's also a dining room and a toilet. On the first floor, there's a living room. It's very big and comfortable. On the second floor, there are two bedrooms and one bathroom. On the next floor, there's one big bedroom with a private bathroom. The fourth floor has got two more bedrooms and another bathroom. It's perfect house for a big family!

On the top floor of the house, there's another big living room. You can play games and have parties there. It's got big windows and there's a balcony. The views from the top of the house are fantastic! The House in the Clouds has got an enormous garden, where you can play tennis, and a patio, where you can have lunch in the sun.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Frank Gehry

 

Designers are always thinking of new ideas for furniture. They often use unusual materials. Frank Gehry is the designer of the famous Wiggle Chair. It's made of cardboard, but it's very strong. Gehry is also the architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

A bedroom in a box!

The Casulo is a new idea from two designers at the International School of Design in Cologne, Germany. It's a complete bedroom in a box!

The Casulo weighs only 150 kilograms, but it's got lots of things inside. There's a bed, of course, and there's also a big wardrobe for your clothes. It's got nine drawers for small things like socks!

The Casulo includes a desk, where you can study. It comes with a metal stool. There's also a small table with three drawers. You can put it under the desk or you can use it as a bedside table. There's a tall bookcase with seven shelves for all your books. And there are two small boxes which you can use as extra stools.

The Casulo is very easy to assemble. Two people can construct it in about ten minutes. And when you move house. you can put everything back into the box! What a great idea!

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Artist profile: Sam Cooke

Wonderful World

Sam Cooke was born in 1931 in Mississippi, USA, but his family moved to Chicago in 1933. Sam had four brothers and three sisters. They sang gospel music in church and Sam became a famous gospel singer. He sang soul, blues and pop music. Sam recorded 'Wonderful World' in 1960. It was the title song of the 2005 film Hitch, starring Will Smith.

His other famous songs include 'Cupid' and 'Twisting the Night Away'.

Rolling Stone Magazine named him the fourth greatest singer of all time.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Royal brothers

Prince William and Prince Harry are members of the British Royal Family. Their grandmother is Queen Elizabeth II, and their father is Prince Charles. Princess Diana was their mother. She died in a car accident in 1997.

Prince William has got fair hair and blue-green eyes. William is a big football fan. He's also the President of the FA. the English Football Association.

Prince Harry has also got blue-green eyes, but his hair is short and red. Harry is a big rugby fan. He also likes motocross and listening to music.

The princes' nicknames are Wills and Harry, but their full names are William Arthur Philip Louis and Henry Charles Albert David. Their surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince Williams's birthday is 21^st June 1982. Prince Harry's birthday is 15^th September 1984.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Cartoon Families

Lisa Simpson
This is Lisa Simpson. She's from Springfield. Her mum's name is Marge and her dad's name is Homer. She's got a big brother named Bart and a little sister named Maggie. They've got two pets at home -- a cat and a dog. Lisa's grandpa's name is Abe. She's also got two aunts -- Patty and Selma. They're her mum's twin sisters.

Twins are two babies that are born together. Identical twins are from the same egg. They're always the same sex. Fraternal twins are from two different eggs. They can be opposite sexes.

Dash Parr
This is Dash Parr. He's a superhero from Metroville. He's got a big sister and a little brother. His sister's name is Violet and his brother's name is Jack-Jack. Dash Parr's parents are Mr Incredible and Elastigirl. But their real names are Bob and Helen. Mr Incredible's best friend is Frozone. Frozone's real name is Lucius.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Traditional Dress

Many countries or peoples have got a traditional or national style of dress. But nowadays, at least in Europe and other parts of the Western world, people do not usually wear their traditional costumes. They only wear them for special occasions, such as weddings and festivals.

In Scotland, men wear tartan 'kilts' on Burns Night (25th January), when Scottish people celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet.

In Wales, women wear national dress, long skirts and tall hats, at the Eisteddfod, a festival when Welsh people come together and win prizes for singing, writing and reciting poetry in their native language, Welsh.

Native American Indians have got one of the most colourful traditional costumes. Their feathered head-dressed are a traditional symbol of battle skills.

In Japan, women and children wear kimonos for special occasions. Kimonos are long, richly-embroidered robes tied around the waist.

In some parts of the world, however, people wear traditional clothes every day. In southern India, Hindu women wear saris, which are long lengths of colourful material wrapped round the body. In parts of Africa, men wear long robes and women wear brightly coloured cotton dresses. In the cities and towns of the Middle East, you will see many people wearing Western clothes, but you will also see Arab men wearing loose robes and kaffiyehs, pieces of cotton or silk tied to the head by a band of cord.

Level: Beginner

Book: Changes for ESO 4

Year: 2002