LS3

The two pie charts give information about the percentage of staff employed by age in the public sector in
the UK between 2015 and 2020. Generally, there are significant differences between the two groups in
this survey; there were upward trends in the proportion of staff employed by 21-30 ages and 41-50
ages. The other age groups saw the opposite pattern.

In 2015, the employees who worked in the public sector in the UK were 21 to 30 years old, which
accounted for 23% higher than the figure for 41 to 50 years old by 4%, which contributed 19%. After
5 years, the percentage of employees aged 21-30 working was highest in the public sector, soaring to
33%, while the group of employees aged 41-50 also increased to 28% in 2020.

The share of the elderly was initially as high as that of the 21-30 age group and 2% higher than the rate
of the 31-40 age group, which represented 21% in 2015. In contrast, the staff employed over 50 ages in
this sector decreased significantly to 16% in 2020, while the 31-40 age group also showed a significant
decline, sliding to 11% in 2010. Whereas the youngest group of workers saw a slight decline from 14% in
2015 to 12% in 2020.

LS5 (reading)
Homework 1
Australian culture and culture shock
by Anna Jones and Xuan Quach
Sometimes work, study or a sense of adventure take us out of our familiar
surroundings to go and live in a different culture. The experience can be difficult,
even shocking.
Almost everyone who studies, lives or works abroad has problems adjusting to a
new culture. This response is commonly referred to as ‘culture shock’. Culture
shock can be defined as ‘the physical and emotional discomfort a person
experiences when entering a culture different from their own’ (Weaver, 1993).
For people moving to Australia, Price (2001) has identified certain values which
may give rise to culture shock. Firstly, he argues that Australians place a high value
on independence and personal choice. This means that a teacher or course tutor
will not tell students what to do but will give them a number of options and
suggest they work out which one is the best in their circumstances. It also means
that they are expected to take action if something goes wrong and seek out
resources and support for themselves.
Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than believing
there is one truth. This means that in an educational setting, students will be
expected to form their own opinions and defend the reasons for that point of
view and the evidence for it.
Price also comments that Australians are uncomfortable with differences in status
and hence idealize the idea of treating everyone equally. An illustration of this is
that most adult Australians call each other by their first names. This concern with
equality means that Australians are uncomfortable taking anything too seriously
and are even ready to joke about themselves.
Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time.
As a consequence, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as
doing nothing but study.
Australian notions of privacy mean that areas such as financial matters,
appearance and relationships are only discussed with close friends. While people
may volunteer such information, they may resent someone actually asking them
unless the friendship is firmly established. Even then, it is considered very impolite
to ask someone what they earn. With older people, it is also rude to ask how old
they are, why they are not married or why they do not have children. It is also
impolite to ask people how much they have paid for something, unless there is a
very good reason for asking.
Kohls (1996) describes culture shock as a process of change marked by four basic
stages. During the first stage, the new arrival is excited to be in a new place, so
this is often referred to as the “honeymoon” stage. Like a tourist, they are
intrigued by all the new sights and sounds, new smells and tastes of their
surroundings. They may have some problems, but usually they accept them as just
part of the novelty. At this point, it is the similarities that stand out, and it seems
to the newcomer that people everywhere and their way of life are very much
alike. This period of euphoria may last from a couple of weeks to a month, but the
letdown is inevitable.
During the second stage, known as the ‘rejection’ stage, the newcomer starts to
experience difficulties due to the differences between the new culture and the
way they were accustomed to living. The initial enthusiasm turns into irritation,
frustration, anger and depression, and these feelings may have the effect of
people rejecting the new culture so that they notice only the things that cause
them trouble, which they then complain about. In addition, they may feel
homesick, bored, withdrawn and irritable during this period as well.
Fortunately, most people gradually learn to adapt to the new culture and move on
to the third stage, known as ‘adjustment and reorientation’. During this stage a
transition occurs to a new optimistic attitude. As the newcomer begins to
understand more of the new culture, they are able to interpret some of the subtle
cultural clues which passed by unnoticed earlier. Now things make more sense,
and the culture seems more familiar. As a result, they begin to develop problem-
solving skills, and feelings of disorientation and anxiety no longer affect them.
In Kohls’s model, in the fourth stage, newcomers undergo a process of adaptation.
They have settled into the new culture, and this results in a feeling of direction
and self-confidence. They have accepted the new food, drinks, habits and customs
and may even find themselves enjoying some of the very customs that bothered
them so much previously. In addition, they realize that the new culture has good
and bad things to offer, and that no way is really better than another, just
different.
adapted from Intercultural Communication for Students in the Faculty of
Economics and Commerce, University of Melbourne.
Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading
passage?
1. Australian teachers will suggest alternatives to students rather than offer one
solution.
2. In Australia, teachers will show interest in students’ personal circumstances.
3. Australians use people’s first names so that everyone feels their status is
similar.
4. Students who study all the time may receive positive comments from their
colleagues.
5. It is acceptable to discuss financial issues with people you do not know well.
6. Younger Australians tend to be friendlier than older Australians.
Questions 7-12
The way the brain buys
Supermarkets take great care over the way the goods they sell are arranged. This
is because they know a lot about how to persuade people to buy things.
When you enter a supermarket, it takes some time for the mind to get into a
shopping mode. This is why the area immediately inside the entrance of a
supermarket is known as the 'decompression zone'. People need to slow down
and take stock of the surroundings, even if they are regulars. Supermarkets do not
expect to sell much here, so it tends to be used more for promotion. So, the large
items piled up here are designed to suggest that there are bargains further inside
the store, and shoppers are not necessarily expected to buy them. Walmart, the
world's biggest retailer, famously employs 'greeters' at the entrance to its stores. A
friendly welcome is said to cut shoplifting. It is harder to steal from nice people.
Immediately to the left in many supermarkets is a 'chill zone', where customers
can enjoy browsing magazines, books and DVDs. This is intended to tempt
unplanned purchases and slow customers down. But people who just want to do
their shopping quickly will keep walking ahead, and the first thing they come to is
the fresh fruit and vegetables section. However, for shoppers, this makes no
sense. Fruit and vegetables can be easily damaged, so they should be bought at
the end, not the beginning, of a shopping trip. But psychology is at work here:
selecting these items makes people feel good, so they feel less guilty about
reaching for less healthy food later on.
Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invariably placed
towards the back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers to
buy things which are not on their shopping list. This is why pharmacies are also
generally at the back. But supermarkets know shoppers know this, so they use
other tricks, like placing popular items halfway along a section so that people have
to walk all along the aisle looking for them. The idea is to boost 'dwell time': the
length of time people spend in a store.
Having walked to the end of the fruit-and-vegetable aisle, shoppers arrive at
counters of prepared food, the fishmonger, the butcher and the deli. Then there is
the in-store bakery, which can be smelt before it is seen. Even small supermarkets
now use in-store bakeries. Mostly these bake pre-prepared items and frozen
ingredients which have been delivered to the supermarket previously, and their
numbers have increased, even though central bakeries that deliver to a number of
stores are much more efficient. They do it for the smell of freshly baked bread,
which arouses people's appetites and thus encourages them to purchase not just
bread but also other food, including ready meals.
Retailers and producers talk a lot about the 'moment of truth'. This is not a
philosophical idea, but the point when people standing in the aisle decide to buy
something and reach to get it. At the instant coffee section, for example, branded
products from the big producers are arranged at eye level while cheaper ones are
lower down, along with the supermarket's own-label products.
But shelf positioning is fiercely fought over, not just by those trying to sell goods,
but also by those arguing over how best to manipulate shoppers. While many
stores reckon eye level is the top spot, some think a little higher is better. Others
think goods displayed at the end of aisles sell the most because they have the
greatest visibility. To be on the right-hand side of an eye-level selection is often
considered the very best place, because most people are right-handed and most
people's eyes drift rightwards. Some supermarkets reserve that for their most
expensive own-label goods.
Scott Bearse, a retail expert with Deloitte Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts,
has led projects observing and questioning tens of thousands of customers about
how they feel about shopping. People say they leave shops empty handed more
often because they are 'unable to decide' than because prices are too high, says
Mr. Bearse. Getting customers to try something is one of the best ways of getting
them to buy, adds Mr. Bearse. Deloitte found that customers who use fitting
rooms in order to try on clothes buy the product they are considering at a rate of
85% compared with 58% for those that do not do so.
Often a customer struggling to decide which of two items is best ends up not
buying either. In order to avoid a situation where a customer decides not to buy
either product, a third 'decoy' item, which is not quite as good as the other two, is
placed beside them to make the choice easier and more pleasurable. Happier
customers are more likely to buy.
Questions 7-12
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading
passage?
7. The 'greeters' at Walmart increase sales.
8. People feel better about their shopping if they buy fruit and vegetables before
they buy other food.
9. In-store bakeries produce a wider range of products than central bakeries.
10. Supermarkets find right-handed people easier to persuade than left-handed
people
11. The most frequent reason for leaving shops without buying something is
price.
12. 'Decoy' items are products which the store expects customers to choose.
 LS7
Topic 1

The table illustrates the percentage of young learners attending four different
types of secondary school from 2000 to 2009. Overall, it is noticeable that the
number of students attending community schools witnessed an upward trend
over the period, while the proportion of students studying at the other secondary
schools underwent a corresponding decline.
On the one hand, institutions presented dramatic data of middle school pupils.
Firstly, the percentage of learners in voluntary-controlled schools went down
significantly from just over half to only 20% from 2000 to 2009. Similarly, the
relative number of young learners in grammar schools that just contributed under
one quarter dropped by 12% at the same time. Lastly, the lowest level is shown by
children attending specialist schools, which also fell slightly to 10%.
On the other hand, while the other three types of schools decreased in
importance, community schools experienced the opposite situation. Actually,
whereas in 2000 just 12% of students received an education at these schools, over
the next nine years this number rose considerably to over half of all students.
 LS9 afterclass
Homework
Questions 1-7.
DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia, also referred to as "specific reading disability," predominantly affects a
person's ability to read and write. Dyslexics have difficulty connecting visual
symbols (i.e., letters) with their corresponding sounds. Many people who suffer
from dyslexia also have trouble with enunciation, organization, and short-term
memory. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children. It is not
related to intellectual ability, vision, or access to education. Approximately 5-10
percent of school-age children in North America suffer from the condition, with
each case varying in severity. Children are generally diagnosed with dyslexia
during the elementary school years when they are learning how to read and spell.
Determining the definite cause of dyslexia is a difficult task since studies of the
morphology of the brain are generally conducted in an autopsy. One hypothesis
suggests that dyslexic children suffer from "strabismus," the tendency of the eyes
to focus on two different points. When reading, for example, one eye focuses on
the beginning of the word and the other focuses on the end. This theory could
explain why dyslexics have difficulty reading. Many dyslexic children read letters
and words backwards, often mistaking ab for ad or reading was instead of saw.
These reversals are normal for children under the age of six, but indicate a
problem if they persist beyond the early elementary grades. Neurological research
points to tiny flaws in the dyslexic brain called ectopias and microgyria. These
flaws alter the structure of the cortex, the area of the brain that is responsible for
connecting visual and audio processing. Genetic research, often in the form of
twins studies, shows that dyslexia may be passed on in families.
Though most children are not diagnosed with dyslexia until they enter the school
system, there are some early signs of the disability. Toddlers who talk much later
than average, have difficulty learning new words, or do not understand the
concept of rhyming may develop other dyslexic symptoms. As children begin
school, teachers are trained to look for warning signs, such as an inability to
recognize letters or spaces between words on a page or difficulty following
instructions given with more than one command at a time. Properly screening
children for dyslexia is important since other factors can limit reading abilities,
including vision or hearing impairment, anxiety, or other neurological problems.
Dyslexia is a type of learning disorder that can often be compensated for with
therapy and motivational techniques. Phonological training, which involves
identifying and separating sound patterns, is the most common form of therapy
used in the school system. Depending on the severity of the disorder, dyslexic
children are pulled from regular classroom activities in order to work one-on-one
with a language specialist. Studies have shown that activity in the right
temporoparietal cortex tends to increase after sufficient phonological training.
Improvements in visual focus can sometimes be achieved when students are given
an eye patch to wear while they learn to read. Encouraging children to use many
senses while reading also has proven benefits. Some teachers find that having
students listen to a book on tape before reading the text can help with
information processing as well.
Though it is properly classified as a learning disability, dyslexia is commonly
mistaken for a behavioral disorder. Dyslexic children often exhibit behavior that
seems abnormal but is caused by frustration at their own inability to perform at
the same level as their peers. Some studies show that attention deficit disorder
co-occurs with dyslexia in up to 50 percent of cases. In general, behavioral
problems decline as dyslexic students are diagnosed and begin to receive
treatment.
Other learning disabilities are neurologically linked to dyslexia, including
dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia. People who suffer from dyscalculia can
usually perform difficult mathematical tasks, but have trouble with formulas or
basic addition and subtraction. Dysgraphia prevents people from writing in an
organized manner. Dyspraxia impedes the performance of routine tasks that
involve balance and fine motor skills.
The earlier children are diagnosed with dyslexia, the more likely they are to
overcome their disabilities and progress to adult reading levels. Many studies
show that children who are diagnosed after grade three have a much lower
chance of eliminating the symptoms of dyslexia. Some dyslexics, especially those
who are not diagnosed as children, naturally develop their own coping
mechanisms such as an increased visual memory. In some instances, dyslexics
develop keen spatial and visual abilities that prepare them for very specialized
careers.

QUESTIONS 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading
passage?

1. Dyslexia is a disorder related to intelligence. Answer 1

2. Dyslexia is usually diagnosed during a child's first years of school. Answer 2
3. People with dyslexia often read in reverse. Answer 3
4. Children with dyslexia learn to speak at a younger than average age. Answer 4
5. Scientists are looking for a drug treatment for dyslexia. Answer 5
6. Dyslexia in children is often accompanied by behavioral problems. Answer 6
7. People with dysgraphia have difficulty with math. Answer 7

Questions 8-12

Maori Fish Hooks

A. Maori fish hooks, made from wood, bone, stone and flax, are intended to have
the best possible design and function. The hooks are designed to target specific
species with precision. In the industry of commercial long-line fishing, there are
some Maori hook designs which are making a splash.
B. When Polynesians first came New Zealand sometime within the years 1100-
1300 AD, they didn’t have the technology necessary to heat and manipulate metal
out of rocks. Meanwhile, fish was the settlers’ main food source at the time, so
fishermen made their hooks and fishing gear out of wood, bone, stone and shells.
Other plants native to the island of New Zealand, like as flax (harakeke), cabbage
tree (ti) and astelia (kiekie) gave the necessary fibrous material to make fishing
lines and nets of greater or equal strength to the jute, which was being used by
the Europeans at the time. However, as a material, metal is more malleable, and
can be changed into any shape, while natural materials are limited in the shapes
they can take on. The Maori fish hooks needed to be more innovative in the ways
that they dealt with these limitations.
C. Early accounts of Europeans who settled and explored New Zealand claimed
that Maori hooks, known as matau, were “odd”, “of doubtful efficacy”, “very
clumsy affairs” or “impossible looking.” Archaeologists from more recent times
have also mentioned the round hook appearing as odd, with comments such as,
“shaped in a manner which makes it very difficult to imagine could ever be
effective in catching a fish.” William Anderson, who was aboard the Resolution
during Cook’s third voyage in 1777 as the ship’s surgeon, commented that the
Maori “live chiefly by fishing, making use…of wooden fish hooks pointed with
bone, but so oddly made that a stranger is at a loss to know how they can answer
such a purpose.”
D. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa did their own recent study on
Maori fish hooks two hundred and thirty years later, and were able to
demonstrate that the unique hook design was a matter of function. The hook’s
design allowed it to catch fish by spinning away from the direction of the point
and catching their jaws, instead of poking a hole through the fish or by being used
as a lever, which some archaeologists also suggested. It seems that the design of
the Maori fish hook is, perhaps, the world’s most efficiently and masterfully
designed fish hook, likely superior to any modern metal fish hook of today.
E. To make larger hooks, Maori used shanks made of strong wood, with stout
points made of bone or shell. They tied tree branches and saplings together to
grow them into the ideal shapes for building, then harvested the plants when they
grew to the appropriate size. They hardened wood by carefully drying it and
burying underground with fires lit above it. Human bone was often used for bone
points, which they lashed securely to a groove at the end of the shank with pre-
made flax materials (muka). When they wanted to catch larger species like sharks,
groper and ling, they used composite hook. However, average the traditional hook
was usually not longer than a three finger breadth (128 mm length).
F. To capture seabirds for food and feathers, like albatross, the islanders used
slender hooks which can be differentiated from other hooks intended to catch fish
by their lighter build and lack of an inturned point. Many of these hooks were
collected by early explorers, suggesting that the taking of seabirds with hook and
line was an important source of food and feathers for Maori. (105 mm length).
Slender hooks with wide gapes were used to capture albatross and other seabirds
for food and feathers, and can be distinguished from hooks intended to catch fish
by the lighter construction and lack of an inturned point. Early explorers collected
many of these hooks which could indicated that catching seabirds with a hook and
line provided significant amounts of food and feathers for the Maori. (105 mm
length)
G. Maori adopted new materials quickly once they became available with
European explorers, sealers and whalers who began to arrive towards the end of
the 1700s. At this point, the Maori were still making their fish hooks, but now
using metals and imported materials. Wooden and flax parts of old, abandoned
fish hooks decomposed quickly as traditional hooks were cast away in favor of
new ones. Tools made of luxury materials such as ivory or greenstone may have
been kept around as decorations items, with stylized Maori fish hooks seen today
as a symbol of cultural revitalization.
H. The Maori kept recreating traditional designs even as new materials poured in,
preferring hook shapes which were introduced by Pakeha into the 1800s. By
following the tradition of the rotating hook design, they remained connected with
a part of their traditional culture. In the end, though, it was only a matter of time
before the amount of mass-produced metal European hooks finally overwhelmed
the area, highlighting the difficulty of making hooks from nails, horseshoes and
other metal objects, and finally the use of the traditional designs fell out of favor.
I. By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, tourists and
collectors’ demands for Maori artifacts had grown, leading manufacturers to
produce large quantities of forged hooks. These replicas were then traded with
both Maoris and Europeans to use as forgeries of the real thing, sometimes
directly commissioned by artifact dealers themselves. Fake hooks can be spotted
by their cheap construction, inconsistent materials, rudimentary lashings, odd or
over-elaborate decorative carvings, and finally, by the lack of in-turned points or
angled grooves used to actually attach the fishing line.
J. The ways that matau have changed throughout their history is somewhat
symbolic of how Maori have adapted to use European tools, materials and
technology to their purposes over time, as well as the ways that European
influence and technology contributed to, rather overtook, generally compatible
Maori skills, and traditional materials were replaced or complemented by metals
and, more recently, artificial materials. Commercial longline fishermen
everywhere have begun using the circle hook design today, one that is nearly the
same as the traditional matau in both its appearance and functionality. It seems
that the advantages and improved catch rates of this Maori technology have been
recognized once more.

1. The early European settlers quickly understood how the Maori fish hook
worked.
Answer 8
2. The hook works by making a hole and embedding itself in the mouth of the
fish.
Answer 9
3. The Maoris catch seabirds by their feet.
Answer 10
4. There used to be a demand for Maori fish hooks and many counterfeit ones
were produced.
Answer 11
5. Today European style hooks have completely replaced the traditional styles
used by the Maoris.
 LESSON 11
Task 1. Additional topics for further practice.

Choose one of the following IELTS Writing Tasks and write a complete essay. Remember to give
reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

1. Some people believe that the best way to improve the general well-being of school children is to
make physical education compulsory in all schools. Others, however, think that this would have little
effect on overall health and other measures are needed.

2. Some people believe government should spend money on building train and subway lines to reduce
traffic congestion. Others think that building more and wider roads is the better way to reduce traffic
congestion.

3. Some people think that parents have a great influence on their children. Others believe that the
media is a bigger influence.

Đề 1
People have different opinions about whether the best way to improve the general well-being of school
children is to make physical education compulsory in all schools or this would have little effect on overall
health and other measures are needed. This essay will discuss both sides of this argument and then I will
give my own perspective.

On the one hand, there are several reasons why improving the general well-being of school children
children is to make physical education beneficial. Physical education in school plays an important role in
enhancing children's overall health. The main advantage of this subject is to raise the physical health and
immune system. For instance, in my country, physical education classes are added in all schools, such as
primary school, junior, and senior high school It helps reduce obesity-related diseases and develop bones
for students. As a result, students can be healthier and have a strong body. In
addition, physical education class helps children reduce the feeling of pressure. As a result, when stress
is reduced, the quality of children's sleep is also improved. Therefore,
this helps students improve memory and concentration.

On the other hand, although physical teaching at school is good, other measures should be taken into
consideration as well. Having physical education is not the only way to enhance the overall wellness of
schoolchildren. Another method is that students will learn nutrition education. This results
in students having more knowledge about balanced nutrition, helping them know how to eat what food
their bodies need and form scientific eating habits. It helps the body stay healthy and full of energy.
Furthermore, doing exercises on a daily basis and participating in extracurricular activities are also
essential. This provides students with chances to maintain their strength and good mental health. For
example, a child who rarely does exercises will easily get sick than a child who usually does exercises or
participates in extracurriculars.

In conclusion, while physical education in schools can let students have stronger bodies and reduce
stress when studying at schools, other measures help children form a healthy lifestyle and maintain their
health. To the best of my belief, I encourage you that the way to stay healthy is to know how to balance
the above methods.