5 . Cold Truths

Is there any truth behind the saying “You are what you eat”? We put this to the test by asking three people to open their fridge doors and talk about their lifestyles.    1     Maybe you can recognize your own fridge here!

“You might find bean products in our fridge, but hamburgers? Never!” — Amy, Teacher

    2     This means we don’t eat meat, and any milk or cheese had better be dairy-free. We like cooking at home and make our meals from fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables. If we have children, I want to bring them up just like us, but my husband says that everyone should be able to make their own lifestyle choices.

“    3    ” — Mike, Chef

With five children, we’re one big family! My wife and I both work full-time, so life can get pretty busy! Like a lot of chefs I know, I don't really do much cooking at home. Sometimes I bring home food from the restaurant where I work. Once a week we do a big shop and buy a lot of frozen food. I know we should eat more fresh fruit and vegetables...    4    

“There isn’t really much in my fridge. I’m too busy and tired to cook at home!” — Ted, Doctor

There’s not enough room to swing a cat in my small apartment, so I don’t cook very often. My fridge is usually half empty and I’m often too tired to eat much anyway.    5    

As a doctor, I know I had better change the way I eat, but I just don’t have the time or the energy right now.

6 . Sleeping in class prevents you from paying attention to the teacher as well as stops you from learning about the material that is being taught.     1    . It is important to determine why you are falling asleep in class and try to change the situation so that you are able to stay awake and pass all of your classes. There are a number of different tricks you can use to try to stay awake.

Get a full night’s sleep on school nights. It is reported that teenagers may need more sleep than adults.     2    . This is a key part to staying awake in class. If you are not tired, you are unlikely to fall asleep.

Eat a healthy breakfast full of nutritious food.     3     If you get hungry or tired in the middle of the day, try eating a healthy snack like a piece of fruit or some biscuits.

    4    . If you are actively involved in the information the teacher is presenting, you are less likely to doze off. Taking notes, asking questions and otherwise getting involved in classroom activities and discussions will make you far less likely to doze off.

Contact your doctor in order to rule out medical conditions that can cause you to fall asleep.     5    . Prescription drugs may also cause sleepiness as a side effect, so discuss any medicine you are taking with your doctor.

8 . The Programme for International Student Assessment. (PISA)is a worldwide study of 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance in mathematics, science, and reading undertaken by the OECD. A closer look at the reading tests, shows the interesting fact that girls are outperforming boys in reading and that this is associated with girls’ greater enjoyment of reading.

One key area which has a major impact on reading performance, is reading for enjoyment rather than simply for study or school work purposes. Interestingly, the PISA study found that in all countries assessed (apart from South Korea), girls read for enjoyment more than boys.     1     In countries such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands, the difference between boys and girls was most significant, where they found a 30%gap or more between the genders. Additionally in places such as Austria and Liechtenstein, very low levels of boys expressed interest in reading(40% or less), which are worrying statistics.

    2     In places like Japan, boys and girls read for enjoyment at an almost identical level, with 54% of boys and 58% of girls reporting that they enjoy reading. And there were a few countries and regions that scored very highly in boys reading enjoyment, for example in Albania, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Shanghai in China and Thailand where at least 80% of boys enjoy reading.     3    

    4     There were clear differences in the choices boys and girls make when deciding on what to read. Boys were found to enjoy reading magazines, newspapers and comic books more than girls.       5     Unlike reading enjoyment, this pattern was clearly repeated across all countries, especially in terms of boys reading of magazines and comic books.

10 . People know the dangers of fires. It’s good for a family to learn how to prepare for afire.     1    :

Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off.     2    . The sound tells everyone to leave the house at once.

    3     . You should know all the ways out of the house. If there is fire, everyone follows the plan to get out. Part of the plan is to check all the windows to make sure they can be opened easily.

Practice for a fire at home now and then because it can teach children about fire safety. Everyone in the family should know the following fire rules:

▲Don’t open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.

▲Stay close to the floor! Everyone should follow your plan.     4    . There are many possible causes for fires. A wise family is ready all the time.     5    .