IELTS 4.

5- Lesson 9 Book:
Complete IELTS 4-5; Test 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9f42WwtA3M&list=PLoJ-

gM4TbsLjwcevmtAcZQ_2ldZlMdjGn&index=9

1.

William Kamkwamba
At only 14 years old, William Kamkwamba built a series of windmills that could
generate electricity in his African village, Masitala, in Malawi, south-eastern Africa.
In 2002, William Kamkwamba had to drop out of school, as his father, a maize and
tobacco farmer, could no longer afford his school fees. But despite this setback,
William was determined to get his education. He began visiting a local library that had
just opened in his old primary school, where he discovered a tattered science book.
With only a rudimentary grasp of English, he taught himself basic physics - mainly by
studying photos and diagrams. Another book he found there featured windmills on the
cover and inspired him to try and build his own.

He started by constructing a small model. Then, with the help of a cousin and friend,
he spent many weeks searching scrap yards and found old tractor fans, shock
absorbers, plastic pipe and bicycle parts, which he used to build the real thing.
For windmill blades, William cut some bath pipe in two lengthwise, then heated the
pieces over hot coals to press the curled edges flat. To bore holes into the blades, he
stuck a nail through half a corncob, heated the metal red and twisted it through the
blades. It took three hours to repeatedly heat the nail and bore the holes. He attached
the blades to a tractor fan using proper nuts and bolts and then to the back axle of a
bicycle. Electricity was generated through the bicycle dynamo. When the wind blew
the blades, the bike chain spun the bike wheel, which charged the dynamo and sent a
current through wire to his house.

What he had built was a crude machine that produced 12 volts and powered four
lights. When it was all done, the windmill's wingspan measured more than eight feet
and sat on top of a rickety tower 15 feet tall that swayed violently in strong gales. He
eventually replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands 39 feet, and built a second
machine that watered a family garden.

The windmill brought William Kamkwamba instant local fame, but despite his
accomplishment, he was still unable to return to school. However, news of his magetsi
a mphepo - electric wind - spread beyond Malawi, and eventually things began to
change. An education official, who had heard news of the windmill, came to visit his
village and was amazed to learn that William had been out of school for five years. He
arranged for him to attend secondary school at the government's expense and brought
journalists to the farm to see the windmill. Then a story published in the Malawi Daily
Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught the attention of organisers
for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.

In 2007, William spoke at the TED Global conference in Tanzania and got a standing
ovation. Businessmen stepped forward with offers to fund his education and projects,
and with money donated by them, he was able to put his cousin and several friends
back into school and pay for some medical needs of his family. With the donation, he
also drilled a borehole for a well and water pump in his village and installed drip
irrigation in his father's fields.

The water pump has allowed his family to expand its crops. They have abandoned
tobacco and now grow maize, beans, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts. The windmills
have also brought big lifestyle and health changes to the other villagers. 'The village
has changed a lot/ William says. 'Now, the time that they would have spent going to
fetch water, they are using for doing other things. And also the water they are drinking
is clean water, so there is less disease.' The villagers have also stopped using kerosene
and can use the money previously spent on fuel to buy other things.
William Kamkwamba's example has inspired other children in the village to pursue
science. William says they now see that if they put their mind to something, they can
achieve it. 'It has changed the way people think' he says.

Notes:
windmills (n) : cối xay gió
generate (v) : tạo ra
electricity (n) : điện
drop out of school : rời khỏi trường học
maize (n) : ngô
tobacco (n) : thuốc lá
no longer : không còn nữa
setback (n) : khó khăn
determined (v) : quyết tâm
primary school (n) : trường tiểu học
discovered (v) : khám phá
tattered (adj) : cũ nát
rudimentary (adj) : sơ đẳng
grasp (n) : sự hiểu biết
taught himself : tự học
featured (adj) : có vẽ
diagrams (n) : những sơ đồ
inspired (v) : truyền cảm hứng
scrap (n) : phế liệu
yards (n) : sân
tractor (n) : máy kéo
shock absorbers (n) : những bộ giảm xóc
blades (n) : những cánh quạt
coals (n) : những viên than
curled (adj) : cong
edges (n) : những cạnh
holes (n) : những cái lỗ
nail (n) : cái đinh
corncob (n) : lõi bắp
twisted (v) : vặn xoắn
repeatedly (adv) : một cách liên tục
attached (v) : gắn
proper nuts (n) : những cái đinh
axle (n) : trục
dynamo (n) : máy phát điện
chain (n) : dây xích
wheel (n) : bánh xe
charged (v) : nạp
wire (n) : dây
crude (adj) : thô
powered (v) : tạo điện/ thắp sáng
wingspan (n) : cánh quạt
measured (v) : đo lường
rickety (adj) : lung lay
swayed (v) : kiểm soát
violently (adv) : khó khăn
gales (n) : cơn gió
eventually (adv) : cuối cùng
sturdier (n) : vật cứng cáp hơn
instant (adj) : chốc lát
fame (n) : danh tiếng
accomplishment (n) : thành quả
amazed (v) : gây kinh ngạc
arranged (v) : sắp xếp
attend (v) : tham dự
journalists (n) : những nhà báo
organisers (n) : những nhà tổ chức
conference (n) : hội nghị
stepped forward (v) : hỗ trợ
donated (v) : quyên góp
drilled (v) : khoan
borehole (n) : lỗ khoang trong lòng đất
pump (v) : bơm
installed (v) : lắp đặt
drip (v) : nhỏ giọt
irrigation (n) : tưới tiêu
abandoned (v) : từ bỏ
maize (n) : ngô
beans (n) : đậu
soybeans (n) : đậu tương
potatoes (n) : củ khoai tây
peanuts (n) : củ lạc
fetch (v) : lấy
kerosene (n) : dầu lửa
spent on (v) : dành
put their mind to something : đặt tâm trí vào thứ gì đó
2.

White mountain, green tourism

The French Alpine town of Chamonix has been a magnet for tourists since the 18 th
century. But today, tourism and climate change are putting pressure on the
surrounding environment. Marc Grainger reports.

A
The town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc sits in a valley at 1,035 metres above sea level in
the Haute-Savoie department in south-eastern France. To the northwest are the red
peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges massif; to the south-east are the permanently white
peaks of Mont Blanc, which at 4,810 metres is the highest mountain in the Alps. It’s a
typical Alpine environment, but one that is under increasing strain from the hustle and
bustle of human activity.
B
Tourism is Chamonix’s lifeblood. Visitors have been encouraged to visit the valley
ever since it was discovered by explorers in 1741. Over 40 years later, in 1786,
Mont Blanc’s summit was finally reached by a French doctor and his guide, and this
gave birth to the sport of alpinism, with Chamonix at its centre. In 1924, it hosted the
first Winter Olympics, and the cable cars and lifts that were built in the years that
followed gave everyone access to the ski slopes.
C
Today, Chamonix is a modern town, connected to the outside world via the Mont
Blanc Road Tunnel and a busy highway network. It receives up to 60,000 visitors at a
time during the ski season, and climbers, hikers and extreme-sports enthusiasts swarm
there in the summer in even greater numbers, swelling the town’s population to
100,000. It is the third most visited natural site in the world, according to Chamonix’s
Tourism Office and, last year, it had 5.2 million visitor bed nights - all this in a town
with fewer than 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
D
This influx of tourists has put the local environment under severe pressure, and the
authorities in the valley have decided to take action. Educating visitors is vital.
Tourists are warned not to drop rubbish, and there are now recycling points dotted all
around the valley, from the town centre to halfway up the mountains. An internet blog
reports environmental news in the town, and the ‘green’ message is delivered with all
the tourist office’s activities.
E
Low-carbon initiatives are also important for the region. France is committed to
reducing its carbon emissions by a factor of four by 2050. Central to achieving this
aim is a strategy that encourages communities to identify their carbon emissions on a
local level and make plans to reduce them. Studies have identified that accommodation
accounts for half of all carbon emissions in the Chamonix valley. Hotels are known to
be inefficient operations, but those around Chamonix are now cleaning up their act.
Some are using low-energy lighting, restricting water use and making recycling bins
available for guests; others have invested in huge projects such as furnishing and
decorating using locally sourced materials, using geothermal energy for heating and
installing solar panels.
F
Chamonix’s council is encouraging the use of renewable energy in private properties
too, by making funds available for green renovations and new constructions. At the
same time, public- sector buildings have also undergone improvements to make them
more energy efficient and less wasteful. For example, the local ice rink has reduced its
annual water consumption from 140,000 cubic metres to 10,000 cubic metres in the
space of three years.
G
Improving public transport is another feature of the new policy, as 80 percent of
carbon emissions from transport used to come from private vehicles. While the Mont
Blanc Express is an ideal way to travel within the valley - and see some incredible
scenery along the route - it is much more difficult to arrive in Chamonix from outside
by rail. There is no direct line from the closest airport in Geneva, so tourists arriving
by air normally transfer by car or bus. However, at a cost of 3.3 million euros a year,
Chamonix has introduced a free shuttle service in order to get people out of their cars
and into buses fitted with particle filters.
H
If the valley’s visitors and residents want to know why they need to reduce their
environmental impact, they just have to look up; the effects of climate change are there
for everyone to see in the melting glaciers that cling to the mountains. The fragility of
the Alpine environment has long been a concern among local people. Today, 70
percent of the 805 square kilometres that comprise Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is protected
in some way. But now, the impact of tourism has led the authorities to recognise that
more must be done if the valley is to remain prosperous: that they must not only
protect the natural environment better, but also manage the numbers of visitors better,
so that its residents can happily remain there.

Notes:
magnet (n) : cục nam châm
climate (n) : khí hậu
surrounding environment (n) : môi trường xung quanh
department (n) : khu hành chính
peaks (n) : những cái đỉnh
massif (n) : khối núi
permanently (adv) : vĩnh viễn
hustle and bustle : sự ồn ào náo nhiệt
encouraged (v) : khuyến khích
discovered (v) : khám phá
explorers (n) : những người khám phá
summit (n) : cái đỉnh
alpinism (n) : người neo núi
hosted (v) : trở thành nước chủ nhà
the ski slopes (n) : đỉnh đầy tuyết
highway (n) : đường quốc lộ
network (n) : mạng lưới
climbers (n) = hikers : những người neo núi
extreme-sports : (n) môn thể thao nguy hiểm
enthusiasts (n) : những người ưu thích
swarm (v) : chen chúc
swelling (v) : đẩy
population (n) : dân số
permanent inhabitants (n) : cư dân chính
influx (n) : sự tràn vào
under severe pressure : dưới áp lực nghiêm trọng
authorities (n) : những người cầm quyền
take action : hành đồng
rubbish (n) : rác
recycling (n) : tái chế
dotted (v) : đặt (rải rác)
halfway (adv) : lưng chừng
delivered (v) : chuyển đi
initiatives (n) : sự khởi đầu
committed (adj) : tận tâm
emissions (n) : độc hại
communities (n) : các cộng đồng
identified (v) : nhận ra
accommodation (n) : nơi cư trú/ nhà ở
inefficient operations (n) : những hoạt động không hiệu quả
restrict (v) : giảm
furnishing (n) : sự cung cấp
decorate (v) : trang trí
sourced materials (n) : chất liệu có nguồn gốc
geothermal (adj) : thuộc nhiệt điện
install (v) : lắp đặt
solar panels (n) : năng lượng mặt trời
council (n) : hội đồng
renewable (adj) : tái chế
private (adj) : riêng tư
properties (n) : tài sản
renovations (n) : những sự cải tiến
constructions (n) : những công trình
undergone (v) : trải qua
improvements (n) : những sự đổi mới
wasteful (adj) : lãng phí
rink (n) : sân băng
consumption (n) : sự tiêu thụ
cubic (n) : khối lập phương
feature (n) : nét đặc biệt
policy (n) : chính sách
incredible (adj) : gây kinh ngạc
scenery (n) : cảnh
route (n) : con đường
rail (n) : xe lửa
free shuttle service (n) : dịch vụ giao thông miễn phí
fitted (adj) : vừa/ thích hợp
particle filters (n) : bộ xử lý/ lọc
impact (v) : tác động
look up (v) : tra cứu
melting glaciers (n) : những sông băng đang tan chảy
fragility (n) : tính mỏng manh
authorities (n) : những nhà cầm quyền
recognise (v) : nhận ra
prosperous (n) : sự phồn thịnh
remain (v) : duy trì

3.

Reading in a whole new way

As technology improves , how does the act of reading change?
Reading and writing, like all technologies, are constantly changing. In ancient times,
authors often dictated their books. Dictation sounded like an uninterrupted series of
words, so scribes wrote these down in one long continuous string,
justastheyoccurinspeech. For this reason, text was written without spaces between
words until the 11th century.

This continuous script made books hard to read, so only a few people were
accomplished at reading them aloud to others. Being able to read silently to yourself
was considered an amazing talent; writing was an even rarer skill. In fact, in 15 th-
century Europe, only one in 20 adult males could write.

After Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1440 , mass-produced books
changed the way people read and wrote. The technology of printing increased the
number of words available, and more types of media, such as newspapers and
magazines, broadened what was written about. Authors no longer had to produce
scholarly works, as was common until then, but could write, for example, inexpensive,
heart-rending love stories or publish autobiographies, even if they were unknown.
In time, the power of the written word gave birth to the idea of authority and expertise.
Laws were compiled into official documents, contracts were written down and nothing
was valid unless it was in this form. Painting, music, architecture, dance were all
important, but the heartbeat of many cultures was the turning pages of a book. By the
early 19 th century, public libraries had been built in many cities.

Today, words are migrating from paper to computers, phones, laptops and game
consoles. Some4.5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Letters are no longer
fixed in black ink on paper, but flitter on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors as fast
as our eyes can blink. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, cars, living-room walls and
the sides of buildings. They sit in front of us when we work - regardless of what we
do. And of course, these newly ubiquitous screens have changed how we read and
write.

The first screens that overtook culture, several decades ago - the big, fat, warm tubes
of television - reduced the time we spent reading to such an extent that it seemed as if
reading and writing were over. Educators and parents worried deeply that the TV
generation would be unable to write. But the interconnected, cool, thin displays of
computer screens launched an epidemic of writing that continues to swell. As a
consequence, the amount of time people spend reading has almost tripled since 1980 .
By 2008 , the World Wide Web contained more than a trillion pages, and that total
grows rapidly every day.

But it is not book reading or newspaper reading, it is screen reading. Screens are
always on, and, unlike books, we never stop staring at them. This new platform is very
visual, and it is gradually merging words with moving images. You might think of this
new medium as books we watch, or television we read. We also use screens to present
data, and this encourages numeracy: visualising data and reading charts, looking at
pictures and symbols are all part of this new literacy.

Screens engage our bodies, too. The most we may do while reading a book is to flip
the pages or turn over a corner, but when we use a screen, we interact with what we
see. In the futuristic movieMinority Report, the main character stands in front of a
screen and hunts through huge amounts of information as if conducting an orchestra.
Just as it seemed strange five centuries ago to see someone read silently, in the future
it will seem strange to read without moving your body.
In addition, screens encourage more utilitarian (practical) thinking. A new idea or
unfamiliar fact will cause a reflex to do something: to research a word, to question
your screen ‘friends’ for their opinions or to find alternative views. Book reading
strengthened our analytical skills, encouraging us to think carefully about how we feel.
Screen reading, on the other hand, encourages quick responses, associating this idea
with another, equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed every
day. For example, we review a movie for our friends while we watch it; we read the
owner’s manual of a device we see in a shop before we purchase it, rather than after
we get home and discover that it can’t do what we need it to do.

Screens provoke action instead of persuasion. Propaganda is less effective, and false
information is hard to deliver in a world of screens because while misinformation
travels fast, corrections do, too. On a screen, it is often easier to correct a falsehood
than to tell one in the first place. Wikipedia works so well because it removes an error
in a single click. In books, we find a revealedtruth; on the screen, we assemble our
own truth from pieces. What is more, a screen can revealthe inner nature of things.
Waving the camera eye of a smartphone over the bar code of a manufactured product
reveals its price, origins and even relevant comments by other owners. It is as if the
screen displays the object’s intangible essence. A popular children’s toy (Webkinz)
instills stuffed animals with a virtual character that is ‘hidden’ inside; a screen enables
children to play with this inner character online in a virtual world.

In the near future, screens will be the first place we’ll look for answers, for friends, for
news, for meaning, for our sense of who we are and who we can be.

Notes:

constantly (adv) : một cách liên tục

ancient (adj) : cổ xưa
dictated (v) : đọc chính tả
Dictation (n) : sự đọc chính tả
uninterrupted (adj) : liên tục
string (n) : chuỗi
scribes (n) : người sao chép
script (n) : lối viết
accomplished : hoàn thành
silently (adv) : âm thầm
considered (v) : xem xét
invention (n) : sáng kiến
the printing (n) : máy in
available (adj) : có sẵn
broadened (v) : mở rộng
no longer (v) : không còn
scholarly (adj) : mang tính học thuật
inexpensive (adj) : rẻ
heart-rending (adj) : đẫm lệ
autobiographies (n) : tự truyện
unknown (v) : không nổi tiếng
authority (n) : quyền hành
expertise (n) : chuyên môn
compiled into (v) : ban hành vào trong
official documents (n) : văn bản chính thống
architecture (n) : kiến trúc
heartbeat (n) : nhịp đập của tim
libraries (n) : thư viện
game consoles (n) : máy chơi game thùng/ cầm tay
digital (n) : kỹ thuật số
illuminate (v) : chiếu sáng
pockets (n) : túi
briefcases (n) : cặp
regardless of + N/Ving : bất kể việc gì
ubiquitous (adj) : ở khắp nơi
overtook (v) : vượt qua
extent (n) : pham vi
Educators (n) : nhà sư phạm
generation (n) : thế hệ
displays (n) : hiển thị
interconnected (adj) : liên kết
epidemic (adj) : bệnh dịch
As a consequence : như một kết quả
tripled (v) : gấp 3 lần
contained (v) : chứa đựng
rapidly (adv) : nhanh chóng
gradually (adv) : dần dần
merge (v) : kết hợp
encourages (v) : khuyến khích
numeracy (n) : sự giỏi toán
charts (n) : bản đồ
symbols (n) : biểu tượng
literacy (n) : sự biết đọc
engage (v) : gắn kết
flip (v) : lướt
futuristic (adj) : thuộc về thuyết vị lai
main character (n) :
conducting (n) : cách cư xử
orchestra (n) : ban nhạc
silently (adv) : âm thầm
strange (adj) : kỳ lạ
In addition (adv) : thêm vào đó
encourage (v) : khuyến khích
utilitarian (n) : người theo thuyết vị lợi
unfamiliar (adj) : xa lạ
reflex (n) : sự phản ánh
alternative (adj) : loại trừ
strengthened (adj) : được tăng cường
analytical (n) : phép phân tích
responses (n) : sự phản ứng lại
associate (v) : kết hợp
equip (v) : trang bị
expressed (v) : biểu lộ
manual (n) : sổ tay
provoke (v) : kích thích
Propaganda (n) : sự tuyên truyền
misinformation (n) : sự sai lệch thông tin
falsehood (n) : điều sai lầm
revealed (v) : biểu lộ
truth (n) : sự thật
assemble (v) : tập hợp
manufactured (n) : ngành công nghiệp
reveals (v) : khá phá
relevant (adj) : thích hợp
comments (n) : những bình luận
intangible (adj) : mơ hồ
stuffed (v) : nhồi nhét
instills (v) : thấm nhuần
virtual (adj) : thực tế
character (n) : nhân vật