The Flatmates episode 1, from BBC Learning English (including vocabulary)

Episode 1:	At the airport
Helen:	What does Michal look like?
Tim:	Well, he's tall and well built. He's got brown eyes and a shaved head.
Helen:	Is he handsome?
Tim:	Of course he is! He's my cousin.
Helen:	And what's he like? Is he like you too?
Tim:	No, he's quite shy really.
Helen:	Oh look! Is that him?
Tim:	Yeah! Michal! Michal! He's crying. I wonder what's wrong.

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Words you should know:

airport (noun) -a place where aircraft land and take off and where there are buildings for passengers to wait in and for aircraft to be sheltered

look like (verb) - to have an appearance that is very similar to (someone or something) : to resemble (someone or something)

well built (adjective) - built to be strong or to work well, physically strong or attractive

shave (verb) - to cut the hair, wool, etc., off (someone or something) very close to the skin

handsome (adjective) - pleasing to look at, having a pleasing appearance that causes romantic or sexual feelings in someone; Men are more frequently described as handsome than women

of course - used to show that what is being said is very obvious or already generally known or used informally to give permission or say yes in a way that shows you are very certain

cousin (noun) - a child of your uncle or aunt —called also first cousin, a person who is related to you but not in a close or direct way

like (adjective) - having the same or similar qualities

quite (adverb) - to a very noticeable degree or extent, completely or entirely; Quite is a more forceful word than fairly but it is a less forceful word than extremely. It is used more often in British English than in U.S. English, but it is not an unusual or rare word in U.S. English.

shy (adjective) - feeling nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people, showing that you are nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people, tending to avoid something because of nervousness, fear, dislike, etc., hesitant about taking what you want or need

wonder (verb) - to feel surprise or amazement, used to ask a question or make a polite request, to have interest in knowing or learning something : to think about something with curiosity

Forty years ago the Apollo 11 mission

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the fifth human spaceflight of Project Apollo and the third human voyage to the Moon. Forty years ago men from Earth made history on the moon. Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969. On July 20, 1969 astronauts Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander) and Buzz Aldrin became Earth's first human emissaries to set foot on the lunar surface while crewman Michael Collins orbited high above.

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mission (noun) - a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task
spaceflight (noun) - flight into outer space in a spacecraft
voyage (noun) - a long journey to a distant or unknown place especially over water or through outer space
launch (verb) - to send or shoot (something, such as a rocket) into the air or water or into outer space
astronaut (noun) - a person who travels in a spacecraft into outer space
commander (noun) - a person who is in charge of a group of people —often used as a title
emissary (noun)- a person who is sent on a mission to represent another person or organization
lunar (adjective ) - of or relating to the moon
surface (noun) -an outside part or layer of something
orbit (verb) - to travel around (something, such as a planet or moon) in a curved path : to make an orbit around (something)

Need a few minutes to relax?

Transcript

Need a few minutes to relax?

Get comfortable in your chair. Loosen any tight, uncomfortable clothing. Let your arms rest loosely at your side. Allow yourself a few moments to relax.

If your thoughts wander, just let them while gently moving your attention back to the relaxation. If you become anxious or uncomfortable, stop the relaxation by clicking on the pause button.

To begin, focus your eyes on the candle flame. Notice its simplicity and its beauty.

Take time to notice your breathing, gradually slowing down the rate of inhaling and exhaling as you become more comfortable.

Now relax and enjoy the feeling.

Close your mouth and relax your shoulders, releasing any tension that's built up.

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Let the air you breathe in push your stomach out.

Hold your breath in as you slowly count to four.

Breathe out slowly through your mouth as you continue counting up to six.

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three, four).

Breathe out (three, four, five, six).

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three and four).

Breathe out (three, four, five, six).

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three, four).

Breathe out (three, four, five, six).

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three, four).

Breathe out (three, four, five, six).

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three, four).

Video and Transcript are the property of © 1998-2009 MayoClinic.com

US Declaration of Independence

This quotation the opening of The Declaration of Independence opens with the quotation written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Many of the ideas in the Declaration were borrowed from John Locke, the great English liberal political philosopher.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Declaration of Independence is the document that established the United States of America's independence from the colonial rule of Great Britain in 1776. This anniversary is celebrated as Independence Day every 4th July in the United States.

Before The Declaration of Independence, the US was made up of thirteen colonies under British rule, and relations were wearing thin. Using this political document, delegates and politicians from each 'colony' declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their reasons for doing so. The handwritten copy with the signatures of all the delegates has been preserved and is on show in Washington DC.

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Vocabularies:

quotation (noun) - something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing or a speech

declaration (noun) - the act of making an official statement about something, a document that contains an official statement

independence (noun) - freedom from outside control or support

philosopher (noun) - a person who studies ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc. : a person who studies philosophy

self-evident (adjective) - clearly true and requiring no proof or explanation

equal (adjective) - the same rights for each person

endow (verb) - to freely or naturally provide (someone or something) with something

unalienable (adjective) - impossible to take away or give up

pursuit (noun) - the act of pursuing someone or something: such as a : the act of following or chasing someone or something

colonial (adjective) - of or relating to a colony

colony (noun) - an area that is controlled by or belongs to a country and is usually far away from it

wearing thin (v phr.) - to be weakened or eroded gradually

preserve (verb) - to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

Omega-3 fatty acids — Get the heart-health benefits

Transcript:

Welcome to Mayo Clinic's podcast. I'm your host, Rich Dietman. In today's podcast we're talking about omega-3 fatty acids and heart health with Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic. Katherine, thanks for being with us today. Let's start by talking about why omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart.

Katherine Zeratsky: Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids have long been associated with health benefits, due to the fact that they have a link to heart health, specifically lowering cholesterol levels. Other areas of promising research within the omega-3 fatty acids arena are looking more specifically at heart health related to lowering triglyceride levels, reduction in sudden deaths due to heart attacks and abnormal heart rhythms, and possibly lowering blood pressure levels.

Rich Dietman: So omega-3s are good for a lot of things that contribute to heart health, it sounds like. What are the best food sources of omega-3 fatty acids?

Katherine Zeratsky: Fish is truly the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically the fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring and sardines.

Rich Dietman: OK, but what if I don't like fish? What are some other foods that contain omega-3s that I could still get a good dose from?

Katherine Zeratsky: Certainly, not everybody likes fish or prefers fish, and there are other foods that are good sources of alpha-linolenic acid, and these are plant sources. And some of those foods are walnuts, flaxseed, soybeans or the oils from those foods.

Rich Dietman: So in the case of flaxseed, most likely it would be the oils, although there are some foods that are made from flax, aren't there?

Katherine Zeratsky: There are. Actually, you can buy flaxseed, ground flax and other varieties of flax in health food or even grocery stores now, and you can add them to yogurt, smoothies and sprinkle them on salads, things like that.

Rich Dietman: Are some food manufacturers adding omega-3s to their manufactured foods — things like yogurt and margarine, and so forth?

Katherine Zeratsky: The food manufacturers have caught on to the health benefits, or potential health benefits, of omega-3 fatty acids, and they are now adding them to foods. Some of the foods that may contain the omega-3s would be margarines, cereals, snack foods and even baby foods, specifically the baby formulas. The addition of these fats is simply, they might add some of those flaxseeds or ground flax into the cereal, or they may use the oils from those foods to add into margarines or other foods.

Rich Dietman: If I wanted to find out whether a manufactured food product had omega-3 added, how would I find that out?

Katherine Zeratsky: The label will state as such. And the FDA does allow for health claims to potentially promoting heart health to be put on products that contain the omega-3 fatty acids.

Rich Dietman: So there might be something in addition to the nutritional information. There might be some claim by the manufacturer on the box or whatever it is that says it contains omega-3s.

Katherine Zeratsky: Exactly. It's likely right on the front of the package.

Rich Dietman: OK. Are omega-3 supplements another option if I don't get enough of it or don't think I'm getting enough of it in my food? Are there supplements that are another option? And do they have the same benefits as getting it more naturally from food?

Katherine Zeratsky: Certainly, there are fish oil supplements available for those people who don't have a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids naturally. However, we prefer most people get their nutrients from food — that is what is recommended. If you are not eating fish or don't prefer fish, are not eating nuts or any of the other rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, you can take a fish oil supplement. Be aware, however, that at this time the supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA as the medication industry is, the prescription medication industry is. Therefore, what the label claims is in the product may not be exactly what you're getting in the bottle.

Rich Dietman: So you have to trust that what they say is really in it.

Katherine Zeratsky: You do, so choose a manufacturer that you believe has a good reputation.

Rich Dietman: Katherine, how much omega-3 does a person need in terms of daily intake?

Katherine Zeratsky: Well, the FDA recommends that, from food sources, that we eat about 3 grams of the omega-3 fatty acids per day, and if we're taking a supplement, we should not exceed 2 grams per day.

Rich Dietman: OK, so it sounds like a relatively small amount.

Katherine Zeratsky: It is. Although it sounds like a small amount, it is fairly difficult to exceed that. To give you some examples, a general recommendation would be to eat about two 3-ounce meals of fatty fish per week. This may get you up to 1 to 2 grams of the essential fatty acids or the omega-3 fatty acids within that week's time. Another example would be walnut oil. Again, if you're not a fish eater and choosing to put walnut oil in a salad dressing, walnut oil has 1.4 grams of the omega-3 fatty acids in 1 tablespoon. And if you're choosing to take a fish oil supplement, a common amount of omega-3 in the fish oil supplement is about 0.3 grams per capsule.

Rich Dietman: Is there such a thing as getting too much omega-3?

Katherine Zeratsky: There is, and if someone were to take too much of a supplement, or have a diet extremely rich in the fatty fishes, you should be concerned about exceeding these limits because they could potentially lead to a side effect such as bleeding — something as devastating as a stroke or as simple as a nosebleed.

Rich Dietman: So, it's good to follow the recommended dietary guidelines?

Katherine Zeratsky: It is.

Rich Dietman: Katherine, thanks very much for joining us today. We've been talking with Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic. You've been listening to Mayo Clinic podcast. I'm Rich Dietman.

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fatty acid (n) - an acid that is naturally in fats and various oils

Polyunsaturated (adjective) - used to describe a type of oil or fat that is found especially in nuts and fish and that is better for your health than saturated fats and trans fats

Unsaturated (adjective) - used to describe a type of oil or fat that is found in foods and that is better for your health than other types

Cholesterol (noun) - a substance that is found in the bodies of people and animals

omega-3 (noun) - a type of fat that is good for your heart and is found in fish, green leafy vegetables, and some nuts —called also omega-3 fatty acid

triglyceride (noun) - A naturally occurring ester of three fatty acids and glycerol that is the chief constituent of fats and oils.

alpha-linolenic acid (noun) - a polyunsaturated fatty acid with 18 carbon atoms; the only omega-3 fatty acid found in vegetable products; it is most abundant in canola oil; a fatty acid essential for nutrition

flaxseed (noun) - The seed of flax, the source of linseed oil and emollient medicinal preparations.

Flax (noun) - A widely cultivated plant, Linum usitatissimum, having pale blue flowers, seeds that yield linseed oil, and slender stems from which a textile fiber is obtained.

FDA (abbreviation) - Food and Drug Administration: The Food and Drug Administration is a part of the U.S. federal government that tests, approves, and sets standards for foods, drugs, chemicals, and household products.

Supplement (noun) - something that is added to something else in order to make it complete such as dietary/vitamin supplements

Prescription (noun) - a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine, therapy, etc.

recommend (verb) - to say that (someone or something) is good and deserves to be chosen

recommendation (noun) - the act of saying that someone or something is good and deserves to be chosen

capsule (noun) - a very small container that is filled with medicine and swallowed whole

guideline (noun) - rule or instruction that shows or tells how something should be done

Sudden cardiac arrest

Definition

Sudden cardiac arrest is the sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. Sudden cardiac arrest usually results from an electrical disturbance in your heart that disrupts its pumping action and causes blood to stop flowing to the rest of your body.

Sudden cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to a portion of the heart is blocked, depriving the heart muscle of necessary oxygen. Like a heart attack, however, sudden cardiac arrest almost always occurs in the context of other underlying heart problems, particularly coronary artery disease.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. If not treated immediately, it is fatal, resulting in sudden cardiac death. With fast, appropriate medical care, survival is possible. Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — or even just rapid compressions to the chest — can improve the chances of survival until emergency personnel arrive.

Causes

The immediate cause of sudden cardiac arrest is usually an abnormality in your heart rhythm (arrhythmia), the result of a malfunction in your heart's electrical system.

Unlike other muscles in your body, which rely on nerve connections to receive the electrical stimulation they need to function, your heart has its own electrical stimulator — a specialized group of cells called the sinus node, located in the upper right chamber (right atrium) of your heart. The sinus node generates electrical impulses that flow in an orderly manner through your heart to synchronize heart rate and coordinate the pumping of blood from your heart to the rest of your body.

If something goes wrong with the sinus node or the flow of electric impulses through your heart, an arrhythmia can result, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or in an irregular fashion. Often, these interruptions in rhythm are momentary and harmless. But some types of arrhythmia can be serious and lead to a sudden stop in heart function (sudden cardiac arrest).

The most common cause of cardiac arrest is an arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation — when rapid, erratic electrical impulses cause your ventricles to quiver uselessly instead of pumping blood. Without an effective heartbeat, your blood pressure plummets, cutting off blood supply to your vital organs.

Most of the time, cardiac-arrest-inducing arrhythmia don't occur on their own. In a person with a normal, healthy heart, a sustained arrhythmia is unlikely to develop without some outside trigger, such as an electrical shock, the use of illegal drugs, or trauma to the chest at just the wrong time of the heart's cycle (commotio cordis).

(MayoClinic.com)

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consciousness (noun) - the condition of being conscious: the normal state of being awake and able to understand what is happening around you

disturbance (noun) - something that stops you from working, the act of disturbing something

heart attack (noun) - a sudden painful and dangerous condition in which your heart stops beating properly

deprive (verb) - to take something away from someone or something

coronary (adjective) - of or relating to the heart and especially to the vessels that supply blood to the heart

fatal (adjective) - causing death

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (noun) - a way of trying to save the life of someone who has stopped breathing and whose heart has stopped beating

survival (noun) - the state or fact of continuing to live or exist especially in spite of difficult conditions

chamber (noun) - a small space inside something

impulses (noun) - a small amount of energy that moves from one area to another

synchronize (verb) - to cause (things) to agree in time or to make (things) happen at the same time and speed, to happen at the same time and speed

momentary (adjective) - lasting a very short time : lasting only a moment

quiver (verb) - to shake rapidly with small movements or tremble

vital (adjective) - needed by your body in order to keep living

organ (noun) - a part of the body (such as the heart or liver) that has a particular function

sustain (verb) - to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc.

trigger (noun) - something that causes something else to happen

trauma (noun) - a serious injury to a person's body

Michael Jackson dead at 50

The eccentric icon of American pop music rose to international fame with albums such as 1982's "Thriller." (NBC Video/YouTube)
Mr. Michael Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London beginning next month and continuing into 2010. The shows were positioned as a comeback, with the potential to earn him up to $50 million, according to some reports.