DESCRIPTION

I will describe a good classmate I met two years ago, in the high school. Her name is Lianett. She loves spending her time with her friends and her cats. She likes to read books and she would like to learn how to play an instrument. Now, she is studying first of “batxillerat” and we are very good friends.

She usually wears jeans and comfortable jerseys. She wears casual cotton blouses, elegant shoes and thigh ropes. She is a cool girl. She can’t leave home without her bag. She’s used to wearing clothes with bright colors. This girl, who is very tall and skinny, dresses with beautiful clothes.

Is thin, but she’s in good shape. She has a roundish and pretty face, with beautiful smooth skin and long and brown hair. She’s got thick eyebrows and stubble and has got a good figure.

She always has a smile in her face. I know that I can trust her. She is a cheerful girl and always wants to do the things well because is a perfectionist girl.

She is a very important person in my life because she helps me in class and in the difficult moments. She is generous, friendly and the most honest person I have known. 

GLOBAL ISSUES: HUNGER IN THE WORLD

HOPES FOR SAVING SCOTTISH WILDCAT REST ON CAPTIVE BREEDING PLAN

The experts believe that fewer than 100 Scottish wildcats now exist in the wild. About 80 captive wildcats in zoos, wildlife parks and private collections around the UK now hold the key to the successful re-establishment of viable populations.

Genetic testing of all those captive cats was completed in October. Data is now being fed into a new molecular stud book which will determine which captive cats are related and which are best matched for breeding. Mixed with genes from cats already in the wild it will produce a population of wildcats suitable for release into the wild. It is hoped the first trial releases will happen within five years.

The Scottish wildcat is listed as critically endangered. The main threat has been hybridisation. Those in the wild tend to have less gene purity than captive cats not exposed to hybridisation. Captive cats selected for possible release will be transferred to special conservation breeding enclosures. 

There are many animal species which are living in nature that are in danger of extinction. So I think it is important to be alert to animals and seek ways to save their species. In this way we will have a more varied population of animals. 

Vocabulary:

Wildcat

Endangered
Hybridisation

Link of the news: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/26/hopes-for-saving-scottish-wildcat-rest-on-captive-breeding-plan

COULD ONLINE TUTORS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BE THE FUTURE OF TEACHING?

Ambar is one of school children in Britain signed up for weekly one-to-one maths sessions with tutors based in India and Sri Lanka. He attends Pakeman primary school in north London. The lessons, provided by a company called Third Space Learning, are helping the pupils with maths.

From next year, the platform will become one of the first examples of artificial intelligence (AI) software. Together with scientists at University College London (UCL), the company has analysed around 100,000 hours of audio and written data from its tutorials, with the goal of identifying what makes a good teacher and a successful lesson.

Pupils on the programme have a 45-minute session with the same tutor each week. They communicate through a headset and a shared “whiteboard”. The lessons at Pakeman school are individual. In addition to the raw audio data, each lesson has various success metrics attached: how many problems completed, how useful the pupil found the session, how the tutor rated it.

An early analysis found that when tutors speak too quickly, the pupil is more likely to lose interest. Leaving sufficient time for the child to respond or pose their own questions was also found to be a factor in the lesson’s success. As the technology evolves, the interventions could become more sophisticated.

This is a great step for the new technologies and this innovation can help a lot of students to develop his virtues. But it is true that all these things can cause negative developments, such as the the contact of the student and the virtual teacher can be more cold and distant.

Vocabulary:

Pupil

Platform

Software

Link of the news: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/26/could-online-tutors-and-artificial-intelligence-be-the-future-of-teaching