High Heels Shorten Women's Leg Muscles

Scientists have found out that women who wear high-heel shoes make the calf muscles shorter. The heels also give many women pain in their legs when they take them off and walk. The researchers tested different women aged between 20 and 50 who wore heels that were 5cm or higher. The research, which covered a two-year period, also looked at women who never wore high heels. The research team used ultrasound to measure the length of the fibres in the calf muscles. Their results showed that the muscle fibres of high-heel wearers were 13 per cent shorter than those in the non-high-heel-wearing women. Lead researcher Professor Marco Narci said: "This confirmed the hypothesis that when you place the muscle in a shorter position, the fibres become shorter.”

The researchers also found that women who regularly wore high heels suffered more muscle aches and pains when they took their shoes off. This is because their muscles are being overstretched for long periods and do not have time to relax. Professor Narci said it was harder for women to stretch their feet out when they took their shoes off. He did advise women to do simple stretching exercises to relieve the pain. "If you stand on your tip toes and lower your heels up and down again it will stretch out the tendons making it easier to walk without heels,” he said. He did not suggest that women stop wearing high heels but recommended wearing flat shoes a little more often."Fashion is intended to be uncomfortable and none of the women in the study planned to give up their high heels," he said.

Question 1. (2 points)

Say whether the following statements are true or false. Give evidence from the text.

a. Wearing high heels makes women’s legs shorter.

b. Women suffer more pain when their high heels are on.

c. A professor advised women to sit down and stretch their toes.

d. The women in the study intend to keep on wearing high heels.

Question 2. (2 points)

Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. Which women were examined and how did they carry out the study?

b. What were the results of the study?

Question 3. (1.5 points)

Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. to discover (par.1)

b. head (par. 1)

c. difficult (par.2)

Question 4. (1.5 points)

Complete the sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Professor Narci said it was harder for women to stretch their feet out when they took their shoes off. He said:“.....................................................................................................................“

b. Their muscles are being overstretched for long periods. They ................................................................

c. She suffered muscle aches and pains because she wore high heel shoes. If she had .......................................................

Question 5. (3 points)

Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:

How important is fashion for you?

More students cheating on university applications

Key

Question 1

a) True. Almost a third of applicants failed to get on to degree courses last year. Demand for places is expected to be even more fierce in 2011, with some 583,500 people submitting applications by the end of January – a rise of more than five per cent.

b) False. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has been employing Copycatch – for several years.

c) False. When it was first employed in 2007, it found cheating in five per cent of applications. .. latest figures show the proportion of personal statements containing plagiarism increased by around a third to 3.85 per cent in 2010

d) False. 275 started applications with the line “Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career”,

Question 2

a) A personal statement is part of the application process for students in the UK who want to go to university. They have to explain in writing why they wish to study for a particular degree. In their statement, candidates have to try to show that they are different from the rest but it should be their own work.

b) UCAS uses a computer programme which is capable of contrasting the content of personal statements with published documents.

Question 3

a) quote b) attempt/attempting c) awareness

Question 4

a) Personal statements for design courses from 189 candidates attempting to study design courses started with a quote from Coco Chanel.

b) Due to a rise of more than five per cent in people submitting applications by the end of January, the demand for places is expected to be even fiercer in 2011,

c) A Ucas spokesman said that the personal statement was one of the most important parts of the online application process and that it gave applicants the chance to stand out from the crowd, which was why it should be /should have been an individual, and personal, piece of work.

More students cheating on university applications

Key

Question 1

a) True. Almost a third of applicants failed to get on to degree courses last year. Demand for places is expected to be even more fierce in 2011, with some 583,500 people submitting applications by the end of January – a rise of more than five per cent.

b) False. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has been employing Copycatch – for several years.

c) False. When it was first employed in 2007, it found cheating in five per cent of applications. .. latest figures show the proportion of personal statements containing plagiarism increased by around a third to 3.85 per cent in 2010

d) False. 275 started applications with the line “Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career”,

Question 2

a) A personal statement is part of the application process for students in the UK who want to go to university. They have to explain in writing why they wish to study for a particular degree. In their statement, candidates have to try to show that they are different from the rest but it should be their own work.

b) UCAS uses a computer programme which is capable of contrasting the content of personal statements with published documents.

Question 3

a) quote b) attempt/attempting c) awareness

Question 4

a) Personal statements for design courses from 189 candidates attempting to study design courses started with a quote from Coco Chanel.

b) Due to a rise of more than five per cent in people submitting applications by the end of January, the demand for places is expected to be even fiercer in 2011,

c) A Ucas spokesman said that the personal statement was one of the most important parts of the online application process and that it gave applicants the chance to stand out from the crowd, which was why it should be /should have been an individual, and personal, piece of work.

High Heels Shorten Women's Leg Muscles

KEY

Question 1.

a. False. “Scientists have found out that women who wear high-heel shoes make the calf muscles shorter.”

b. False. “The researchers also found that women who regularly wore high heels suffered more muscle aches and pains when they took their shoes off.”

c. False. “. He did advise women to do simple stretching exercises to relieve the pain. "If you stand on your tip toes and lower your heels up and down again it will stretch out the tendons making it easier to walk without heels.”

d. True. “none of the women in the study planned to give up their high heels,"

Question 2.

a. They examined women between 20 and 50 who often wore 5 cm or higher heel shoes and women who didn´t wear high heel shoes.They used a special technique using sounds to test their leg muscles.

b. The researchers found that women who wear high heel shoes had more pains in their muscles when they take them off. As a result of the habit of wearing such shoes, their leg muscles were shorter than those of women who wear flat shoes.

Question 3.

a. found out / to find out b. lead c. hard/harder

Question 4.

a. “It´s harder for women to stretch their feet out when they take their shoes off.“

b. They are overstretching their muscles for long periods.

c. If she hadn´t worn high heel shoes, she wouldn’t have suffered muscle aches and pains.

High Heels Shorten Women's Leg Muscles

KEY

Question 1.

a. False. “Scientists have found out that women who wear high-heel shoes make the calf muscles shorter.”

b. False. “The researchers also found that women who regularly wore high heels suffered more muscle aches and pains when they took their shoes off.”

c. False. “. He did advise women to do simple stretching exercises to relieve the pain. "If you stand on your tip toes and lower your heels up and down again it will stretch out the tendons making it easier to walk without heels.”

d. True. “none of the women in the study planned to give up their high heels,"

Question 2.

a. They examined women between 20 and 50 who often wore 5 cm or higher heel shoes and women who didn´t wear high heel shoes.They used a special technique using sounds to test their leg muscles.

b. The researchers found that women who wear high heel shoes had more pains in their muscles when they take them off. As a result of the habit of wearing such shoes, their leg muscles were shorter than those of women who wear flat shoes.

Question 3.

a. found out / to find out b. lead c. hard/harder

Question 4.

a. “It´s harder for women to stretch their feet out when they take their shoes off.“

b. They are overstretching their muscles for long periods.

c. If she hadn´t worn high heel shoes, she wouldn’t have suffered muscle aches and pains.

Every citizen to have personal webpage

Everyone in the country is to be given a personalised webpage for accessing Government services within a year as part of a plan to save billions of pounds, Gordon Brown is to announce.

The Prime Minister has previously hailed the potential for the internet to slash costs by reducing paper forms, face-to-face contact with officials, postage, phone calls and building costs. He is now set to use a speech on Monday to unveil plans to give every voter a unique identifier allowing them to apply for school places, book GP appointments, claim benefits, get a new passport, pay council tax or register a car.

Within another three years, the secure site would include an interactive service allowing people to ask medical advice of their doctor or consult their children's teachers.

The move could see the closure of job centres and offices dealing with tax, vehicle licensing, passports and housing benefit within 10 years as services are offered through a single digital ''gateway''.

But the proposals came under fire from union leaders who complained that thousands of public sector workers would be made jobless and pointed to the Government's poor record of handling personal data. Questions have also been raised about the impact on some older people unable to use the internet.

Among the Prime Minister's advisers on the drive to put services online is World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee. ''I don't want to go to a government office. It should all be online. That saves time for people and it saves money for the Government - the processing of a piece of paper and mailing it back costs many times more than it costs to process something electronically,'' he told the newspaper.

Question 1 (2 points)

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) People will need a different username and password for each online service.
b) This is the first time that the Prime Minister has talked about the benefits of
online bureaucracy.
c) With the new service, it will be possible to arrange to see a doctor.
d) Some senior citizens might have problems using this service.

Question 2 (2 points)

Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What will users of the online government service be able to do in 3 years’
time?
b) What complaints have trade union leaders made?

Question 3 (1.5 points)

Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) to announce, reveal (Paragraph 2)
b unemployed (Paragraph 5)
c) history (Paragraph 5)

Question 4 (1.5 points)

Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Processing paper documents is much more expensive than processing documents electronically.
Processing documents electronically is far …………
b) The changes in the way official documents are handled could see the closure of job centres and offices.
Job centres and offices may close ….
c) The plan could save the government billions of pounds.
If the plan goes ahead, billions ………..

Question 5(3 points)
Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:
• Does the Internet make everybody’s life easier?