Gatehouse Awards · Classic IESOL · B2
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Shoes on or off?
Do you take off your shoes when you go into someone's home? It is a common practice in Japan and Finland. But quite a few British people do not, and they get a bit of a 0) surprise when their host asks them to do so. Taking off your shoes is often considered to be a sign of good manners. But there are even ____ reasons to take them off: shoes carry a lot of bacteria.
An average, healthy person is unlikely to get sick because of germs on their shoes. But there is more risk for the young and old. And even more risk for those who are already sick. According to Dr Janet Smith from York University, it is amazing how ____ humans travel during the day. And as all that walking drags in germs and bugs, her advice is to take your shoes off.
Researchers at York University conducted a big study in 2011. They looked at a bacterium called clostridium difficile. This bacterium ____ about a half-million infections in the U.S. in 2011 alone. When the researchers collected samples from people's shoes, they found that more than a quarter of the samples tested positive for clostridium difficile. This is about three times the amount ____ on the surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms.
Unfortunately, wiping your feet on a welcome mat is of limited _____. One of the researchers said, "It will remove some of the dirt, but you have to think of the person who wiped their feet before. You might be picking up stuff he or she left behind." Some people worry about what is on the bottom of their socks, but experts believe this to be much less of a ____. The inside of a shoe has far less bacteria than the outside.
What Not to Watch!
How much television do you watch every day? Recent research says that it is up to seven hours every day. An even more alarming fact is that 70% of what we watch we have absolutely no interest in. So if you are looking for some extra time to devote to your personal development, improving your relationships and enjoying really entertaining activities, giving up TV is usually a good place to start.
Several months ago I made the decision to give up television entirely. Initially I found it difficult to find other activities to fill the gap the absence of TV created, but after a few months I can say it was worth it. The extra time I gained allowed me to achieve a few of my goals and to pursue activities such as volunteer football coaching.
If you are currently addicted to watching TV, then you may be curious as to why you should decide to give it up. Here are the major reasons to drop TV viewing: Although I doubt most of the people who read articles like this spend a full seven hours a day watching television, you probably spend a lot more time on it than you think. By giving up television completely you will suddenly find yourself with a lot of extra time to enjoy new activities. If you're a busy person, like most people in today's society, stealing back the television time can be a good start.
Although the act of watching television doesn't use up much energy, by watching it so much you decrease your ability to use energy. Like someone who is stuck in bed for weeks, your energy 'muscles' disappear to the point where it takes a lot of effort to concentrate and focus. Not to mention the fact that television may be replacing exercise in your daily routine, which could even contribute to other common problems such as obesity, tiredness and stress.
I'll be the first to admit it. There are some fantastically entertaining shows on television, such as Family Guy, Star Trek, or Friends. Unfortunately, I started to notice that the quality of the entertainment was fairly hit or miss. While some shows offered consistent entertainment, for many getting true laughs was rare and hard to come by. By eliminating television I spent more time on social activities that I found consistently enjoyable.
Watching television gradually makes you lose sensation for everyday experiences. The beauty of the clouds and smell after a rainstorm are not very impressive when compared to the experience of a car explosion or intense colours of a new advertisement. By giving up television you ensure that your everyday experiences become a little more vibrant and exciting.
Serious telly-addicts may conclude that they really don't have many other entertaining activities to replace TV. Others may find they have a poor social life because of the telly. Finding new sources of entertainment is very important if you want to beat TV addiction. So look around for other activities in your area. Make a list of fun, interesting or exciting things you always wanted to try but didn't feel you had enough time to do.
Honestly, this was the biggest reason for my experiment. If giving up television works out well, then I've created a great new habit. If I decide that life was better before, then the trial was still successful. That's the beauty of experimentation, you are free to experience both sides and then pick the one you prefer. The worst thing that can happen is that you miss a few of your favourite shows for a couple of days!
The hotel is located in the centre of the old town, just off the Duomo Piazza. We booked a superior room and it was very comfortable, even though there could have been a little bit more space available. The bathroom was good, with nice fluffy towels, and the whole place was kept clean throughout our stay. There is a lift to all floors, which in the hot weather is a blessing as walking up the stairs to our room on the second floor would have left us exhausted! The lounge in the public area of the hotel is quite small but very nice, and it has a free of charge PC for guest use, which was handy. We printed boarding passes and looked up some good restaurants. The hotel's restaurant, Monzu, serves truly excellent meals but is quite expensive compared to others in the area. The main downside to the hotel was the reception staff who spoke poor English. We couldn't get any information from them at all!
This hotel is certainly grand, and seems to have a long history behind it. Both the outside and the foyer are very charming, but unfortunately the room did not meet our expectations. It was small, dark and felt like a dungeon as our window was very low, at the level of the pavement outside. The breakfast was OK, but we were astounded to see that there was an additional charge for the orange juice! The location of the hotel is not ideal unless you have a car, which we did not, so we had to walk a long way every day to get to the main sights. Finally, make sure that you remember to collect your passports from the reception at the end of the stay. They forgot to return ours when we checked out – lucky I remembered before we walked out of the door! The hotel is alright, but we would have preferred to stay somewhere closer to the centre of the old town.
I highly recommend this hotel for travellers visiting Ortigia. It's definitely better for the traveller who wants to spend his time on Ortigia itself. You can walk everywhere on the island! Another nice thing about this location is that the hotel is located in the more peaceful quarter of the island: it is within easy walking distance to everything, but removed from the heaviest crowds. And if you want to see some of the sights in the town of Syracuse that are off Ortigia island, you can easily take short taxi rides. It's not the best hotel for someone who is interested in making trips outside of Syracuse. The parking, roads, and traffic on Ortigia are simply too crazy to make this practical. The hotel tries very hard to make it better for the customers. They have a staff member who will come out and park your car for you, for no extra charge. He's very friendly, and he's also got the hardest job in Italy. So if you have to come and go a lot, it's probably better to find a hotel on the mainland.
| # | Which text does the following? | Text (A/B/C) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | say they were disappointed with the room? | |
| 2 | compliment the food at the hotel restaurant? | |
| 3 | complain about having to pay extra? | |
| 4 | suggest they experienced problems with communication? | |
| 5 | make a positive comment about a member of the hotel staff? | |
| 6 | struggle with travelling around the area? | |
| 7 | describe the traffic on the island? | |
| 8 | comment on the cleanliness of the accommodation? |