A carpenter put in new windows forted yesterday

A A better method

B Responsible shopping

C Lucky winners

DHelp from nature

1 Two families – one from London, and one from Liverpool – have won last night’s national lottery. Speaking from outside their home in London’s East End, Mr and Mrs Miller said that they will ‘not let the money change their lives’ and that they will both be at work as usual on Monday morning. The Liverpool family, who do not wish to be named, plan to move abroad.

2 For many years now, Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted the world’s best airport by airline travellers. Changi Airport does not simply provide travellers with wonderful restaurants and shops in a calm and pleasant atmosphere. You can also swim in its rooftop swimming pool, have a massage in one of its spas, sit quietly in the ‘garden’ area of its main hall, or watch TV in comfortable chairs while waiting for your flight.

3Before the invention of the compass, sailors looked to the sun in the daytime and to the stars at night to help them find their way across the oceans. For example, by locating Polaris (or ‘the North Star’) in the night sky, sailors could identify the direction of North. This is because Polaris never moves from its position in the night sky directly above the North Pole.

4Long ago, zoos obtained their animals by going out into the wild and capturing them. Today, this happens very rarely. For one thing, it is extremely stressful for the animals involved and there is a high risk of injury.

E A great shopping experience

F Working to protect animals

G Everything you need

H Waiting in comfort

Also, wild animals often carry diseases that would harm the other animals in the zoo. Today, therefore, most zoos get their animals from the captive breeding programmes of other zoos.

5Gyms these days are full of all kinds of fancy exercise equipment; treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes, resistance machines and much more. But the biggest gyms also have swimming pools, steam rooms and cafeterias. They offer classes in yoga, dance, aerobics and many other forms of exercise. And they have expert trainers on hand to answer all your fitness questions.

6Here is one thing that we can all do to help species that are close to extinction. When travelling overseas, be very careful not to buy any souvenirs that have been made from species nearing extinction. This means avoiding purchasing items made from ivory, coral and fur and also ‘medicinal’ products as they often contain rhino, tiger and bear parts.

7Wildlife parks and zoos are very educational places but perhaps their greatest purpose is the conservation of endangered species. Animal centres all around the world work together in order to breed rare and endangered species. For example, today there are only a few hundred giant pandas left in the wild. If breeding programmes and conservation efforts are successful, future generations may still be able to see these beautiful animals in the flesh, not just in books.

In 2004, a grave containing the skeletons of a human and a cat, lying close together, was excavated in Cyprus.

The grave was around 9,500 years old, 1) …….. .

The ancient Egyptians kept cats as pets,

2) …….. .

People often placed statues of cats outside their homes, 3) …….. . When a cat died, their former owners and the other occupants of the house would go into deep mourning and would often even shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief.

Moreover, cats were frequently mummified and bowls of milk and dead rats and mice were placed in their tombs, 4) …….. .

Awhich seems very strange to modern cultures

Band showed that cats had been kept by humans for far longer than we had previously thought

Cso that they would have food for their journey into the afterlife

Das they kept rats and mice away from homes

Cats were so respected in ancient Egypt that they were even protected by law. People could be sentenced to death if they killed a cat, 5) …….. .

One record documents the execution of an unfortunate Roman soldier whose chariot had run over a cat.

There are many tomb scenes that show cats as part of everyday life in ancient Egypt. They often showed them wearing jewellery including earrings, necklaces and fancy collars. The Egyptians even took their cats on hunting expeditions, 6) …….. .

Today, it is estimated that there are over 600 million domestic cats around the world, which makes the cat the most popular of all pets. However, the cat no longer has any religious significance in any culture.

Eand they also worshipped the cat like one of their gods

Fbecause they believed that this would protect the inhabitants

G even by accident

“Are you looking for a room?” the man had asked. We’d only just got off the bus. Ian was still pulling the bags out of the luggage

prices,” the man

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We’d been all around the country that summer, finding temporary work to pay for our travels. Ian had grown up in a village, so

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the local farmers had been happy to hire him to help them out for a week or two. I’m a city boy myself, but because I’m pretty well-built I didn’t have a problem either. Of course, that meant that I got all the heavy work!

Once we had collected our bags, we followed the man up a nearby side-street. He didn’t stop talking the whole way. After a few twists

That first night we strolled around the town to see what opportunities there might be for work. Our last job had given us enough to live off for a few weeks so we weren’t desperate,

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possible. Everyone we met was very friendly and we went back to our rooms feeling quite optimistic.

Within a couple of days, I had started work

at a fish restaurant in the town washing up the

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pots and dishes. Maybe it wasn’t the best job in the world, but after weeks of manual labour in the fields it was a welcome change. I could watch the chef preparing the food and sometimes, when the restaurant was particularly busy, I would help him. He knew

these rooms would be too expensive for us. The man must have read my thoughts. “Now, normally I’d be asking twice as much for these rooms,” he began, “but you’re in luck because the tourist season is practically over.”

The rooms were perfect. The décor was slightly shabby but, as if to make up for it, the balcony had a stunning view over the town. We decided to stay for a month initially, and depending on what happened, we would come to an arrangement after that. It was a relief to be settled somewhere, if only for a few weeks. I could now pack my suitcase in record time and we’d met so many people that I’d lost count. Sometimes when I was introduced to yet another stranger I would change my name, just to make it more interesting.

tasted amazing. I’d go home at night and write down the recipes and tips that I’d learnt.

Our first month in the town came to an end and we decided to stay for another three. Ian had found some painting and decorating work and I was quite happy. Those three months turned into six, and before I knew it I had been at the restaurant for a whole year. The chef asked me if I would like to become his assistant — he said I had a natural gift for cooking. So that’s how I ended up here, ten years later, as Head Chef at Alberto’s Fish

Restaurant. Ian is still here as well, running

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his own decorating business. One day I hope to achieve something similar for myself, too.

The Trans Siberian Railway

makes the journey special. You can spend many hours making new friends and discussing the

The journey ends on the east coast of Russia in Vladivostok, whose name means “Lord of the East”. However you decide to spend your time on the Trans Siberian Express, it will be an extremely

CONTINUE

AMAZE CONVERSE

ADVENTURE BEAUTY

MEMORY

A Travel with a purpose

B Make a discovery

C Getting a good view

DA difficult task

1 For hundreds of years, people have been competing in bizarre ‘gurning’ contests around England. What is gurning? Well, it is simply the act of making the ugliest face possible. Some elderly people can make some spectacular gurns. If they have false teeth, they can take them out and bring their lower lip so far up that it can cover their nose! But even younger people can make amazing gurns – just look at celebrity Jim Carrey!

2Thousands of spectators line the route of the Tour de France bike race each year, trying to see over other people’s heads. Then when the competitors pass, they flash by so quickly that it is hard to get even a glimpse of them. Therefore, it’s worth buying a tour guide with route information so that you can plan well in advance the best place to stand to see your favourite cyclists speed by.

3The goal of responsible tourism is to help people in need as well as the holidaymakers themselves. Some tour operators, for example, organise charity bike rides. Visitors cycle around places of interest following a pre-arranged route. They enjoy a valuable new experience and at the same time part of the cost of the holiday is donated to local community projects.

4The Sibit-sibit Festival is held each year to give tourists a rich and colourful picture of the history of Olongapo in the Philippines. Sibit-sibits are ancient paddle boats that

E Greatest invention

F An unusual competition

G Keeping traditions alive

H Still popular today

were used by fishing villages. During past celebrations, fishermen held races and won with their great physical strength alone. Today, the traditional Sibit-sibit Festival is a lively and enchanting event that brings together Olongapo’s rich past, successful present and promising future.

5Bicycles were first introduced in the 19th century and there are now over one billion of them worldwide. Many people still prefer this eco-friendly mode of transport. Postmen, delivery personnel and even police officers can often be seen riding bicycles.

6The Archaeological Seminars Foundation offers visitors of all ages the opportunity to ‘Dig for a Day’. This programme allows the unskilled enthusiast to get their hands dirty while getting the chance to make a fabulous discovery. Activities include digging, pottery examination and touring the latest excavation site. Thousands of people have already participated in this memorable experience!

7What is the most important mechanical invention of all time? The wheel no doubt! The earliest known use of the wheel was probably the potter’s wheel in 3500 BC in Mesopotamia. Interestingly enough, the wheel was used for manufacturing before it was used for transporting. Today, nearly every machine includes the wheel; from the smallest of pocket watches to the largest of aeroplanes.