Text 1

Crazy Mom’s Fashion

It started 20 years ago. One day, Jane Smith, a busy mom and a loving wife, went shopping for new clothes. After a few hours of searching, she came home exhausted and disappointed. In the mid-80s, few manufacturers made clothes for women over thirty. “Thousands of women in England have the same problem, and I will help them,” – thought Mrs. Smith.  With very little money, no connections in the fashion world and a husband who thought that her idea was crazy, the ambitious woman decided to start up her own business.

Jane designed her first collection of twenty clothing items, bought suitable material and sewing machines, and hired experienced tailors. The Smiths’ balcony turned into a workshop. When the collection was ready, Jane offered it to a famous chain of stores. To her surprise, they bought the whole collection at once. When they asked her about the name of her company, Jane looked at her husband, smiled and said: “Crazy Mom”. The collection was sold in a very short time – women liked Jane’s models. In a month, the manager of the chain ordered more clothes from “Crazy Mom” and Jane had to hire more people and find a bigger place for the workshop. The next step was opening her own shop at the central train station in Manchester.

 Now “Crazy Mom” has 50 boutiques all over the world. Mr. Smith left his job as an engineer and became head of the company. Their four children also work in the company and, according to Jane, this is what makes the business so successful. 

 Task 1. Answer the questions.

 1. Why didn’t Jane manage to buy any clothes?

2. What difficulties did Jane face when starting up her business?

3. What special trait helped Jane succeed in her new career?

4. What did Mrs. Smith do in order to start her business?

5. Where did Jane sew her first collection?

6. Why did Jane decide to call her collection “Crazy Mom”?

7. What did Jane do when the manager ordered more clothes?

8.  What fact proves that that “Crazy Mom” is a successful

company?

 Task 2. Writing

If you had an opportunity to open your own business what would it be? What challenges would you meet? How would you overcome difficulties on the way to success?


Text 2.

Sleep for Your Health

You may eat properly and do exercise, but if you don't get enough sleep, you threaten your health. Lack of sleep not only affects concentration and alertness, it also increases the risk of getting different diseases. Millions of people don't sleep well. But many of them think that sleep problems are natural. They suffer for many years before they finally ask for help. Here are some tips to improve sleep:

·     Go to bed only when you really feel tired.

·    Don't read, watch television or use your computer in bed. These are waking activities.

·    Try not to take a nap during the day, even if you feel tired.

·    Try to avoid any physical work or activity late in the evening.

·  If you don't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and relax in another room. Do something calming until you're tired enough to go back to bed.

·   If you are still thinking about daytime problems, listening to quiet music for a while may be helpful.

·   Take a warm bath to calm down.

·    Drink hot milk before going to bed.

·  Practice relaxation exercises before you go to bed. Breathe in slowly and deeply for four seconds, and then breathe out for another four seconds.  Tense and then relax your muscles a few times.

 If none of these help, going to a doctor is the best way to get your sleep regular again.

 Task 1. Fill in the blank spaces in the sentences, according to what you read

 A lot of people suffer from lack of sleep, but most of them think it is ____________and do not look for help. They do not realize that not sleeping well _______ their risk of getting diseases and decreases ____________and alertness.   The article offers several _______________that may help people to improve their sleep. Doctors recommend not to watch _____________or use a computer in bed. Reading is also a waking _________. Those, who want to sleep well at night, should not take a nap in the daytime and should _____________physical work in the evening. On the contrary, specialists advise you to relax: listen to ___________, take a warm bath, or drink hot milk before going to bed. ______________exercises are also good. But if these tips don’t _____________, it is better to visit a doctor.

Task 2. Writing

Write an e-mail to your friend giving pieces of advice how to keep fit and prepare for sport competitions.


Text 3

Students and Teachers

Different students like or dislike different subjects. However, there is one thing in common for all of them: the role of the teacher in these ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. It’s very hard for a student to succeed in learning a subject if he or she doesn’t like the person who teaches it.

To be sure that students are going to like a teacher the school wants to hire, the principal of one high school decided to try a new way of choosing teachers. In order to be accepted, the candidate has to be interviewed twice – first by the principal and then by the students’ committee.

Gabi Levy explains the reason for this double interview: “We, the students, want to know what kind of person our future teacher is because he or she will teach us and not the principal.” Another student adds: “It is great that our school allows us to make important decisions and influence our school life.”

The principal, Ronen Dan, agrees with his students: “The students want to know whether the candidate answers their criteria, and the administration has its own requirements. We discuss the results of each interview together and decide who can be accepted. I hope that now there will be fewer conflicts and more understanding between students and teachers in our school. This experiment teaches kids to take responsibility for their choice. If they approve of a teacher, they can’t complain that his or her requirements are unfair.”

Task 1. Answer the questions:

1.   What is the connection between the teacher’s personality and a student’s success?

2.  What made the school principal try a different approach in finding new teachers?

3.   Who interviews potential teachers?

4.   What is the purpose of the double interview, according to students?

5.   How do students feel about their school because of this experiment?

6.   How do the principal and the students cooperate when choosing the right teacher for their school?

7.   What goal does the principal want to achieve by letting students

take part in a job interview?

Task 2.  Describe a teacher of the 21st century. If you were Head of school what staff of teachers would you hire? Why? Give your reasons.

 

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