1) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaOver the years, the world has moved closer to achieving gender equality. In many places in the world, women are better represented in politics, economic opportunities are greater, and health care is better. However, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take another century before true gender equality becomes a reality. What drives the gap between genders? Here are some causes of gender inequality: Uneven access to educationAround the world, women still have less access to education than men. 1/4 of young women between 15-24 will not finish primary school. That group makes up 58% of people not completing that basic education. Of all the illiterate people in the world, 2/3 are women. When girls are not educated on the same level as boys, it has a huge effect on their future and the kinds of opportunities they'll have.Lack of employment equalityOnly 6 countries in the world give women the same legal work rights as men. In fact, most economies give women only 3/4 the rights of men. Studies show that if employment became a more even playing field, it has a positive domino effect on other areas prone to gender inequality.Job segregationOne of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. In most societies, there's an inherent belief that men are simply better suited to handle certain jobs. In most cases these are the better paid jobs. This discrimination results in lower income for women. Women also take on the primary responsibility for unpaid labor, so even as they participate in the paid workforce, they have extra work that never gets recognized financially.Lack of legal protectionsAccording to research from the World Bank, over one billion women don't have legal protection against domestic sexual violence or domestic economic violence. Both have a significant impact on women's ability to thrive [1] and live in freedom. In many countries, there's also a lack of legal protections against harassment in the workplace, at school, and in public. These places become unsafe and without protection, women frequently have to make decisions that compromise and limit their goals. Lack of bodily autonomyMany women around the world do not have authority over their own bodies or when they become parents. Accessing birth control is frequently very difficult. According to the World Health Organization, over 200 million women who don't want to get pregnant do not use contraception. There are various reasons for this, such as a lack of options, limited access, and cultural/religious opposition. On a global scale, about 40% of pregnancies are not planned and while 50% of them do end in abortion, 38% result in births. These mothers often become financially dependent on another person or the state, losing their freedom.Poor medical careIn addition to limited access to contraception, women overall receive lower-quality medical care than men. This is linked to other gender inequality reasons such as a lack of education and job opportunities, which results in more women in poverty. They are less likely [2] to be able to afford good healthcare. There's also been less research into diseases that affect women more than men, such as autoimmune disorders and chronic pain conditions. Many women also experience discrimination and dismissal from their doctors, broadening the gender gap in healthcare quality.RacismIt would be impossible to talk about gender inequality without talking about racism. It affects what jobs women of color are able to get and how much they're paid, as well as how they are viewed by legal and healthcare systems. Gender inequality and racism have been closely-linked for a long time. According to Sally Kitch, a professor and author, European settlers in Virginia decided what work could be taxed based on the race of the woman performing the work. African women's work was "labor," so it was taxable, while work performed by English women was "domestic" and not taxable. The pay gaps between white women and women of color continues that legacy [3] of discrimination and contributes to gender inequality.Read the passage. Then answer the question belowIn the very first part of the text, the author’s opinion is that:
- We are closer to gender equality than in the past.
- Gender equality will be achieved in 50 years.
- Gender equality has been achieved everywhere.
- There is gender equality in every country.
2) "Direct person-to-person respiratory transmission is the primary means of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 can also be transmitted longer distances through the airborne route (through inhalation of particles that remain in the air over time and distance), but the extent to which this mode of transmission has contributed to the pandemic is unclear. Scattered reports of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks (eg, in a restaurant, on a bus) have highlighted the potential for longer- distance airborne transmission in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces." How is SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) transmitted?
- By visual contact.
- Through respiratory transmission.
- Through food.
- Through inhalation of flu particles.
3) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaPlastic from take-out and convenience food is littering rivers and oceans - but straws are not the worst offenders, according to a new study. Scientists analysed global inventories cataloguing more than 12 million pieces of litter found in and around rivers, oceans, shorelines and the seafloor. They found eight out of 10 items listed were made of plastic. And 44% of this plastic litter related to take-out food and drinks. Single-use bottles, food containers and wrappers, and plastic bags made up the biggest share. Measures to cut plastic pollution have focused on the likes of straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers, which are relatively easy to replace. The researchers say these actions are welcome, but they recommend also tackling plastic from take-out food and drink. Writing in the journal Nature Sustainability, they suggest three possible strategies for tackling the problem: replace plastic in take-out food and drink with more-easily degradable materials; bring in regulatory bans on plastic that can be avoided, such as bags; consider deposit-refund schemes to encourage shoppers to return take-out products. The study also highlighted the problem of litter from fishing gear, such as plastic nets and ropes, which was the biggest problem in the open ocean. Dumped and discarded nets and lines can be deadly for marine wildlife. A second study by the University of Cadiz looked at litter released into the ocean from rivers in Europe alone. Plastic made up about 80% of this, dominated by bits of plastic as well as single-use plastics such as bottles, food packaging and bags. Lead researcher Dr Daniel Gonzalez said action was needed to encourage consumers to reduce their plastic consumption. "We need to act from a citizen's point of view and also from the policy side," he said.Read the extract taken from BBC News and then choose the correct option.What does "litter" mean?
- Unused materials.
- Rubbish left in public places.
- Provisions, reserve.
- Shortage of food.
4) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaWhatsApp has launched its first major privacy- focused advertising campaign in the UK. It follows a customer backlash against changes to its terms and conditions, announced earlier this year. The platform also said it is standing firm against pressure from governments, including the UK, to compromise on the way that it encrypts messages. Authorities should "demand more security" rather than less, WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart told the BBC. "The first step of keeping people safe is, you have to have strong security, and we think governments shouldn't be out there trying to encourage tech companies to offer weak security," he said. "They should be out there trying to encourage or even mandate that companies offer the strongest security possible."WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, which means messages can only be read on the device which sends one and the device which receives it. WhatsApp itself - and by default its parent company Facebook - cannot view or intercept them, and neither can law enforcement. Home Secretary Priti Patel has described the use of end-to-end encryption as "not acceptable" in the fight against the sharing of illegal content. WhatsApp is already blocked in mainland China, and it is suing the Indian government over new digital rules that will force it to violate its privacy protections. Around 400 million of its two billion global users are in India. While the firm cannot see the content of messages, it has developed other tools which help it block illegal material and widely-shared misinformation. In January, thousands of users threatened to leave WhatsApp, wrongly thinking it was going to start sharing messaging data with Facebook following an announcement about changes to its terms and conditions. Those who did not accept the update would begin to lose functionality, it said. Will Cathcart said the firm took responsibility for the "confusion" the announcement had created. "To reiterate, nothing about the privacy of people's personal conversations changed in our update," he said.Read the extract taken from BBC News and then choose the correct option.Whatsapp told governments, including the UK that.
- It will change its terms and conditions.
- It is willing to look for a compromise.
- It will increase the security of the app even further.
- It will not change its policy on message encryption.
5) "It is estimated that 2.6 million schoolchildren live below the poverty line in England alone, and Ofcom estimates that about 9% of children in the UK - between 1.1 million and 1.8 million - do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home. More than 880,000 children live in a household with only a mobile internet connection". How many schoolchildren do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet?
- 3 million.
- Between 1.1 million and 1.8 million.
- 2.6 million.
- 880.000.
6) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaIn an interview last month with Oprah for their jointly produced docuseries about mental health, The Me You Can't See, Prince Harry made a deeply personal disclosure. Harry said he sought a special therapy program, EMDR, to process the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. He described how living with the trauma of her death makes him feel "helpless", "hunted", and as if "there is no escape".EMDR was developed in 1989 by Francine Shapiro, a California psychotherapist, as a treatment for trauma. It operates on the theory that "emotional, behavioral, and mental health symptoms originate from maladaptively stored life events. As those stored events are triggered, the client experiences disturbances and dysfunction in his or her current life." EMDR aims to help patients with painful memories of trauma to better manage anxiety-provoking stimuli. A typical EMDR session lasts for 60 to 90 minutes, during which the client is asked to visualize a traumatic event. Practitioners use repeated physical stimuli - such as sounds, taps or a pulsing lightbar - to facilitate "information processing" until the client is able to report that the memory is less disturbing. The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) has more than 10,000 members trained to provide this therapy.EMDR is not without controversy. The Harvard psychologist Richard McNally has argued that "what is effective in EMDR is not new, and what is new is not effective". EMDR training ranges from $445 to $890. And it costs patients up to $200 per session if they don't have insurance or if their insurance does not cover it. That said, the therapy continues to grow in popularity in the US and across the globe and has been increasingly embraced by mainstream psychologists. EMDR may also provide an alternative for those who find talk therapy a challenge. Frontiers in Psychology, the largest peer-reviewed journal in its field, considers EMDR "an evidence-based psychotherapy which has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a first-choice treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)", and cites "growing interest" in the treatment. Past controversies plaguing the therapy are now considered outdated and said to "stem from misinformation".Read the extract taken from The Guardian and then choose the correct option.According to Frontiers in Psychology:
- EMDR therapy is outdated and misinformed.
- EMDR is a great treatment option for PTSD.
- EMDR is too expensive for most people.
- There is not enough evidence to prove the effectiveness of EMDR.
7) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaPresident Biden and fellow Western leaders issued a confrontational declaration about Russian and Chinese government behaviour on Sunday, castigating Beijing over its internal repression, vowing to investigate the pandemic's origins, and excoriating Moscow for using nerve agents and cyberweapons. Concluding the first in-person summit meeting since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the leaders tried to present a unified front against a range of threats. But they disagreed about crucial issues, from timelines for halting the burning of coal to committing tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to challenge Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, China's overseas investment and lending push.Still, as they left Cornwall, almost all the participants welcomed a new tone as they began to repair the breaches from four years of dealing with Mr. Biden's predecessor, Donald J. Trump. The difference in tone was indeed striking: the last time the Group of 7 met in person, in Biarritz, France in 2019, its final communiqué never mentioned China and the United States dissented from all the commitments to confront the climate crisis. Then Mr. Trump withdrew American support from the gathering's final statement. This year's final communiqué called on China to restore the freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong when Britain returned it to Chinese control, and condemned Mr. Putin's "destabilizing behavior and malign activities," including interfering with elections and a "systematic crackdown" on dissidents and the media.Even as Mr. Biden successfully pushed his counterparts to embrace a more aggressive posture against autocracies, the group failed to reach agreement on key parts of the president's early foreign policy agenda. It did not settle on a timeline to eliminate the use of coal for generating electric power, and climate activists said that signaled a lack of resolve to confront one of the world's leading causes of global warming. And while the leaders called on China to respect "fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang," there was no agreement on banning Western participation in projects that benefited from forced labour. Instead, the effort to confront Beijing's human rights abuses ended with a vague declaration that the allies were setting up a working group to "identify areas for strengthened cooperation and collective efforts towards eradicating the use of all forms of forced labour in global supply chains."Read the extract taken from the New York Times and then choose the correct option.What is a 'SYSTEMATIC CRACKDOWN'?
- A series of measures to restrict unwanted behaviour.
- A system that tries to control election results.
- A government department that stops the media from talking to protestors.
- A policy that aims to reduce division between groups.
8) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaBeekeeping is one of the oldest industries in existence, but it faces numerous threats. A number of tech firms hope to help the honey bee have a brighter future. Noah Wilson-Rich, chief scientific officer of US firm Best Bees Company, says it is distressing how many American honey bee colonies, or hives as they are otherwise known, die off every year. Hit by a deadly parasitic mite, pesticides and climate change, a survey showed that between April 2019 and 2020 43.7% of US hives were lost. His Boston firm installs hives on commercial and residential properties - everywhere from roof tops to back gardens. Its staff then use an advanced software system to monitor and record the health of all the bee colonies. The data is shared with researchers at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to help them better understand the plight of the insects. One firm also at the forefront of the honey bee industry is Irish business ApisProtect, which makes wireless in-hive sensors that collect and transmit data to a website-based "dashboard". "What we do is extract those raw data points and then use machine learning to convert that into useful information," says Chief Executive Fiona Edwards Murphy. "In a commercial operation only about 20% of hives at any given time need intervention. The problem is that beekeepers don't know which 20%. They literally go out and pick around a hive to see if it's the one they should be looking at. What we do is enable them to get a picture of what's happening in all their hives, spread across a large area, before they even leave their office in the morning. For commercial beekeepers, we see a 50% reduction in labour costs. That obviously has a huge impact on the business of beekeeping." An even more futuristic bee tech project is the pan European Hiveopolis scheme, which is studying the possibility of putting tiny "waggle dancing" robots inside hives to influence bee behaviour. The idea is that the robots will try to imitate how bees communicate using movement. And from that the hope is that the robots will be able to direct the worker bees to the best sources of nectar.Read the extract taken from BBC News and then choose the correct option.What is the purpose of the article?
- Promote the Best Bees Company.
- Help the reader decide which company has the best technology.
- Describe various technologies being used to help honeybees.
- Describe the plight of honeybees.
9) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaThe aviation industry is in crisis, there's a global push to cut carbon emissions, and many of us haven't stepped on a plane or hugged far-flung loved ones in more than a year. But now a fresh bunch of start-ups are working on supersonic and hypersonic projects. Last October frontrunner Boom Supersonic was the first to roll out an actual demonstrator aircraft, the XB1. "That barrier of time is what keeps us apart. We believe it's deeply important to break the time barrier, more so than the sound barrier", said Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO. Designed to seat between 65 and 88 people, Overture will focus on over 500 primarily transoceanic routes that will benefit from the aircraft's Mach-2.2 speeds -- more than twice as fast as today's subsonic commercial jets. A journey from New York to London would take just three hours and 15 minutes while Los Angeles to Sydney would be cut down to eight and a half hours. Breaking the time barrier could be life-changing, says Scholl. "It changes where we can vacation, changes where we can do business, changes who you can fall in love with or you can be close to." Accessibility is key. His aim is that airlines will be able to set fares at a price point similar to business class -- unlike Concorde, which by the '90s was charging around $12,000 for a round trip, or $20,000 in today's money."As things get back into growth mode," says Scholl, "There's an opportunity to build a new-generation fleet that's got supersonic baked into it. That actually makes it easier to adopt." Then there's the plane's lean 199 feet (60 meters) of super- svelte lines, with no space inside for those undesirable middle seats -- an advantage post-pandemic. "Supersonic's got some inherent advantages," says Scholl. "It's about the same form factor as a 757, so it fits in narrow-body gates, which actually causes airlines to really love it." Wide-body gates are at a premium in today's super-congested airports, so big fat airplanes can be hard to find space for -- but not so for a humble Boeing 757 or a Boom Overture.The major obstacle is that "beyond just accomplishing the speed, it generates a ferocious amount of heat. Any conventional engine that you put together would melt." What will be needed is further advances in material science -- and it's dependent on further invention or discovery. Interest in Boom's project has been high, the company says it currently has $6 billion in pre-orders of Overture aircraft.Read the extract taken from CNN and then choose the correct option.Which of the following is the best title for the article?
- Boom Supersonic: The leader in high-speed aviation.
- Boom Supersonic focuses on breaking the sound barrier.
- Boom Supersonic: The future of aviation for the mega-rich.
- Boom Supersonic: Ready to fly in a post-pandemic world.
10) Leggere il brano e rispondere alla seguente domandaWhatsApp has launched its first major privacy- focused advertising campaign in the UK. It follows a customer backlash against changes to its terms and conditions, announced earlier this year. The platform also said it is standing firm against pressure from governments, including the UK, to compromise on the way that it encrypts messages. Authorities should "demand more security" rather than less, WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart told the BBC. "The first step of keeping people safe is, you have to have strong security, and we think governments shouldn't be out there trying to encourage tech companies to offer weak security," he said. "They should be out there trying to encourage or even mandate that companies offer the strongest security possible."WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, which means messages can only be read on the device which sends one and the device which receives it. WhatsApp itself - and by default its parent company Facebook - cannot view or intercept them, and neither can law enforcement. Home Secretary Priti Patel has described the use of end-to-end encryption as "not acceptable" in the fight against the sharing of illegal content. WhatsApp is already blocked in mainland China, and it is suing the Indian government over new digital rules that will force it to violate its privacy protections. Around 400 million of its two billion global users are in India. While the firm cannot see the content of messages, it has developed other tools which help it block illegal material and widely-shared misinformation. In January, thousands of users threatened to leave WhatsApp, wrongly thinking it was going to start sharing messaging data with Facebook following an announcement about changes to its terms and conditions. Those who did not accept the update would begin to lose functionality, it said. Will Cathcart said the firm took responsibility for the "confusion" the announcement had created. "To reiterate, nothing about the privacy of people's personal conversations changed in our update," he said.Read the extract taken from BBC News and then choose the correct option.Which sentence has the same meaning as 'Whatsapp is suing the Indian government over new digital rules'?
- The Indian government is forcing Whatsapp to implement new digital rules.
- Whatsapp is blocked by the Indian government because of new digital rules.
- Whatsapp is taking legal action against the Indian government in connection with new digital rules.
- Whatsapp has to pay money to the Indian government for failing to implement new digital rules.
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