Học tiếng Anh: Hầm chống bom trở thành trang trại rau

Tin chính trong tuần (Phát trên BBC World Service tháng 1/3/2017):

London WW2 bunker turns into farm

The growing industry of corporate wellness

Meet the kung fu grandmother

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Transcription/Bài khóa

This is urban farming's new frontier, where crops are grown underground. Pink LED lights shine instead of the sun, and carpets replace soil - quite a contrast from the World War Two days when these tunnels were used as bomb shelters. The quick upside is freshness and reduced export costs. Produce goes straight to nearby retailers and restaurants the same day it is harvested. But indoor farming has its limits - generally only smaller produce can be grown.

It's 5pm at Silicon Labs and instead of catching a bus home, workers here are busy catching their breath. Staff at the semi-conductor maker are taking part in a free health programme at work. It's an example of a growing trend with companies buying into the idea that healthier and happier employees are also more productive. Asia Pacific's corporate wellness market is estimated to reach 7.4 billion dollars by 2024, and there's no shortage of firms offering packages that include health screenings, exercise programmes and stress management workshops.

This is 94-year-old Zhang Hexian, commonly known as Kung Fu Grandma and the latest social media sensation to hit China. She lives a semi-reclusive lifestyle on a hilltop in a rural area. Zhang started practising the martial art when she was just four. Ninety years later and she's still fit and practising kung fu with great dexterity. She wants younger generations to continue her legacy.

Words and Phrases/Từ vựng

upside (positive aspect of something): khía cạnh tích cực, mặt tích cực của cái gì đó

catching their breath (struggling to breathe normally after physical activity): thở hổn hển, cố lấy lại hơi thở bình thường sau một hoạt động thể lực nào đó

dexterity(skill in performing tasks): sự khéo léo, tài nghệ

Exercise/Bài tập

Dùng một từ hoặc cụm từ ở trên để hoàn thành các câu sau. Chú ý là bạn có thể phải thay đổi dạng của từ hay cụm từ đó cho thích hợp.

upside / catching their breath / dexterity

1. You can continue your jogging. I will stop here for a minute to ______. I'm not very fit.

2. On the ______, the fall of the pound has boosted exports as goods are now far cheaper on foreign markets.

3. The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand ______ at more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.

Answers/Câu trả lời

1. You can continue your jogging. I will stop here for a minute to catch my breath. I'm not very fit.

2. On the upside, the fall of the pound has boosted exports as goods are now far cheaper on foreign markets.

3. The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand dexterity at more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.