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August 16, 2017 / 10:00 AM

  Four years without Big Ben’s bongs? It can’t be right, says UK PM May

  LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday it could not be right for “Big Ben”, the bell in the British parliament’s clock tower whose bongs (1)_______, to fall silent for four years during renovations.

  May joined other politicians who have protested at the news that the great bell, which has rung every hour for most of the past 157 years, would cease its bongs to ensure the safety of workers carrying out renovations on the tower.

  “Of course we want to ensure that people are safe at work, but it can’t be right for Big Ben to be silent for four years,” May told reporters.

  “I hope that the Speaker (of the House of Commons) ... will urgently look into this and ensure that we can hear Big Ben through those four years.”

  Big Ben’s bongs, which are heard marking the start of some of the BBC’s flagship news bulletins, are part of the soundtrack of daily life in the British capital and beyond.

  Officially known as the Elizabeth Tower, the clock tower that houses Big Ben is believed to be the most photographed building in the United Kingdom. May’s comments were more restrained than those of her Brexit minister, David Davis, who said on Tuesday that (2)_____.

  Another Conservative politician, member of parliament Nigel Evans, suggested earlier on Wednesday that the bongs could be switched back on every evening when the workers carrying out the renovations of the clock tower finished for the day.

  Steve Jaggs, parliament’s Keeper of the Great Clock, had announced this week that Big Ben would stop its regular chimes at midday (1100 GMT) on Monday, Aug. 21, inviting members of the public to gather nearby to hear the final bongs.

  The bell will still toll for important (3)_____ but will otherwise remain silent until 2021.

  Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Michael Holden

(Adaptado de Acesso em 16/08/2017)

Text

    When I got to the airport, I learnt that the plane from Cairo, on which my brother was travelling, had been delayed at Paris with engine trouble and was expected to be about an hour late. As a rule I can pass the time quite happily; watching the planes land and take off, but that evening I had a headache; which I thought that the noise of the engines might make worse. I decided, therefore to walk around to make the time pass quickly.

    First of all I went back to the place where I had left my car to make sure that all the doors were locked. The walk in the fresh air did me good, for I felt slightly better as I entered the main airport building again. I made my way to the restaurant, where I ordered a cup of black coffee. As I stood drinking this at the counter, I studied the faces of the people around me. Some passengers were obviously anxious about the time, and kept looking at their watches; others checked to see that they had tickets, passports and money. Where there was a group of people, it was easy to tell which one was about to leave. He was the object of everyone’s attention and looked either very happy or very sad at the thought of departure.

    There was one woman who burst into tears as she said goodbye to the relatives or friends who had come to see her off. When I had finished my coffee, I went along to the bookstall, where I bought a couple of magazines, both of them about travel, which would help to make the time pass pleasantly. Then I went into one of the waiting-rooms and made myself comfortable in a big armchair. I had hardly had time to open one of my magazines, when someone came up and put his hand on my shoulder. It was an old friend; who was just about to leave on a business trip to South America. Since we had not seen each other for a long time, we found plenty to talk about until the arrival of my brother’s plane from Paris was announced.

Question will be based on the text below. Read it carefully and then choose the best alternative that answers the question placed immediately after it. 

What causes antibiotic resistance?

§1  Most of us will have taken antibiotics at some point in our lives. But what if nothing happens the next time you pop one of those little bug-busting pills? Your life could be in serious danger.

§2  The WHO (World Health Organization) calls antibiotic resistance ‘one of the biggest threats to global health.’ The need for new drugs is great.

§3  Bacteria are an integral part of our ecosystem and we share our bodies with many of these tiny creatures. However, they can be the root of serious health problems.

§4  There are roughly as many human cells as bacterial cells in our bodies, and our microscopic passengers pay their way by helping our immune system and contributing to our metabolism.

§5  But bacteria come in all manner of guises. Some can turn from friend to foe, while others are just plain nasty and will make us sick at any chance they get.

§6  Since their discovery in the 1920s and their introduction into mainstream medicine after World War Two, we’ve been relying on antibiotics to keep pathogenic bacteria at bay.

§7  Antibacterial resistance is on the rise, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the United States, at least 2,049,442 illnesses are caused by resistance to medicines prescribed to treat bacterial or fungal infections. What is more, 23,000 people die each year when these drugs fail to work.

§8  So, why have our once reliable antibacterials stopped working, and how do the pesky bugs manage to outfox us? It’s all about mutations. Mutations are a ‘natural phenomenon’.

§9  Bacteria are prone to DNA mutations. This is part of their natural evolution and allows them to constantly adapt their genetic makeup. When one bug naturally becomes resistant to a drug, it survives when all others are killed.

§10  Now it’s a race against the clock. How quickly can this one bacterium adapt to the new mutation, and how quickly can it replicate in the face of species eradication? If the bug comes on out top, it’s bad news for the infected individual and bad news for society at large: the drug-resistant bacterium will likely spread.

§11  Not only has it evaded the grim reaper, but it can also now spread the love by passing the resistance to its numerous offspring, who will soon be the dominant species on the block.

§12  Bacteria are also able to pass genes to other bacteria. This is known as horizontal gene transfer, or “bacterial sex.” While this process is actually quite rare, bacteria are highly mobile creatures, which gives them plenty of opportunity to come into contact with other microbes and pass on their mutated genes.

§13  But how do genetic mutations equip bacteria with the skills to outsmart antibiotics?

§14  A study recently published in Nature Communications sheds new light on how Echerichia coli and other members of the Enterobacteria family fight off commonly used antibiotics. A gene called mar is commonly shared by family members. Some of the proteins encoded in this gene can switch on other genes, explain researchers from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Microbiology and Infection in the United Kingdom.

§15  “We found two completely unexpected mechanisms,” says senior study author Prof. David Grainger, “that bacteria use to protect themselves from antibiotics. One protected their DNA from the harmful effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, and the other prevented doxycyline getting inside bacteria.” But finding out how Enterobacteria combat antibiotics is only the first step in this decade-long research project.

§16  First study author Prateek Sharma, Ph.D., says that “the resistance mechanisms that we identified are found in many different species of bacteria therefore, our research could lead to the discovery of molecules that could be developed into new drugs that can treat bacterial infections.”

§17  This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The WHO aims to warn people that inappropriate use of antimicrobials makes drug resistance worse. This includes both overuse and underuse. This year, they urge everyone to “seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before taking antibiotics.”

(Published on 14 November 2017 By Yella Hewings-Martin PhD Fact checked by Jasmin Collier) (Adapted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320070.php)

Question will be based on the text below. Read it carefully and then choose the best alternative that answers the question placed immediately after it. 

What causes antibiotic resistance?

§1  Most of us will have taken antibiotics at some point in our lives. But what if nothing happens the next time you pop one of those little bug-busting pills? Your life could be in serious danger.

§2  The WHO (World Health Organization) calls antibiotic resistance ‘one of the biggest threats to global health.’ The need for new drugs is great.

§3  Bacteria are an integral part of our ecosystem and we share our bodies with many of these tiny creatures. However, they can be the root of serious health problems.

§4  There are roughly as many human cells as bacterial cells in our bodies, and our microscopic passengers pay their way by helping our immune system and contributing to our metabolism.

§5  But bacteria come in all manner of guises. Some can turn from friend to foe, while others are just plain nasty and will make us sick at any chance they get.

§6  Since their discovery in the 1920s and their introduction into mainstream medicine after World War Two, we’ve been relying on antibiotics to keep pathogenic bacteria at bay.

§7  Antibacterial resistance is on the rise, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the United States, at least 2,049,442 illnesses are caused by resistance to medicines prescribed to treat bacterial or fungal infections. What is more, 23,000 people die each year when these drugs fail to work.

§8  So, why have our once reliable antibacterials stopped working, and how do the pesky bugs manage to outfox us? It’s all about mutations. Mutations are a ‘natural phenomenon’.

§9  Bacteria are prone to DNA mutations. This is part of their natural evolution and allows them to constantly adapt their genetic makeup. When one bug naturally becomes resistant to a drug, it survives when all others are killed.

§10  Now it’s a race against the clock. How quickly can this one bacterium adapt to the new mutation, and how quickly can it replicate in the face of species eradication? If the bug comes on out top, it’s bad news for the infected individual and bad news for society at large: the drug-resistant bacterium will likely spread.

§11  Not only has it evaded the grim reaper, but it can also now spread the love by passing the resistance to its numerous offspring, who will soon be the dominant species on the block.

§12  Bacteria are also able to pass genes to other bacteria. This is known as horizontal gene transfer, or “bacterial sex.” While this process is actually quite rare, bacteria are highly mobile creatures, which gives them plenty of opportunity to come into contact with other microbes and pass on their mutated genes.

§13  But how do genetic mutations equip bacteria with the skills to outsmart antibiotics?

§14  A study recently published in Nature Communications sheds new light on how Echerichia coli and other members of the Enterobacteria family fight off commonly used antibiotics. A gene called mar is commonly shared by family members. Some of the proteins encoded in this gene can switch on other genes, explain researchers from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Microbiology and Infection in the United Kingdom.

§15  “We found two completely unexpected mechanisms,” says senior study author Prof. David Grainger, “that bacteria use to protect themselves from antibiotics. One protected their DNA from the harmful effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, and the other prevented doxycyline getting inside bacteria.” But finding out how Enterobacteria combat antibiotics is only the first step in this decade-long research project.

§16  First study author Prateek Sharma, Ph.D., says that “the resistance mechanisms that we identified are found in many different species of bacteria therefore, our research could lead to the discovery of molecules that could be developed into new drugs that can treat bacterial infections.”

§17  This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The WHO aims to warn people that inappropriate use of antimicrobials makes drug resistance worse. This includes both overuse and underuse. This year, they urge everyone to “seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before taking antibiotics.”

(Published on 14 November 2017 By Yella Hewings-Martin PhD Fact checked by Jasmin Collier) (Adapted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320070.php)