Eindexamen engels vmbo kb 2008, tijdvak 2

Parrot Squawks on secret affair 1 Ziggy, an eight-year-old talking parrot from Leeds has been blamed for breaking up his owner’s relationship. Computer programmer Chris Taylor found out his girlfriend Suzy was cheating on him when his parrot kept blurting out her lover’s name. His suspicions were aroused when Ziggy squawked “Hiya Gary” every time Suzy’s mobile rang. When Chris asked her who Gary was she said she didn’t know anyone called Gary. Ziggy was also making slurpy kissing sounds whenever he heard the name Gary on TV. 2 Then one night when Chris was cuddling Suzy on the sofa, Ziggy screeched: “I love you, Gary,” in a voice identical to his girlfriend’s. Chris started laughing but then he could tell something was up. When he looked at Suzy, her face went red and she tearfully confessed to him that she was seeing another man named Gary. 3 Chris ditched her and gave the parrot away as he was tormented by the bird constantly mentioning Gary. Chris said: “After what Suzy did I wasn’t sorry to see the back of her. But it really broke my heart to let Ziggy go. I love him to bits and I really miss having him around, but it was torture hearing him repeat that name over and over again. Ziggy was one in a million. He was a loyal friend and looking back I think he had been trying to tell me more for weeks.” 4 Suzy who is no longer seeing Gary said: “I’m surprised to hear Chris has got rid of that bloody bird. He spent more time talking to his bird than talking to me, I couldn’t stand Ziggy and it looks now like the feeling was mutual.” A local parrot dealer has found a new home for Ziggy.

WHY KIDS CAN’T USE A KNIFE AND FORK 1 A recent study has revealed that children no longer know how to use a knife and fork properly. Almost a quarter of under-11s eat with their fingers more often than with cutlery, as they follow a diet of packed lunches and snacks. Moreover, eating TV dinners means that basic table manners are not really necessary. 2 Even when they do sit down at the table, 49 per cent say they use only a fork and never a knife. Youngsters were also unaware of other table manners, such as not starting a meal before everyone else, not talking with their mouth full and not leaving the table without a word.

Jane White interviews women who ‘changed their lives’. Here, Lucy Morgan talks to Jane White about how she escaped from her old life. ‘I abandoned a high-pressure career.’ Lucy Morgan, 38, a trapeze artist, lives in London. Lucy gave up her high- powered job as a lawyer to enrol at 5 circus school. 35 Montreal. But my family weren’t pleased. “By the time I finished training to be a lawyer, I felt like I’d spent my whole life doing exams. I was 26 and had 10 been in higher education for eight 40 very dangerous. But I was 23 . years. My father is a lawyer, so it seemed natural for me to study law. I worked freelance on immigration cases for about 18 months but 15 I couldn’t help feeling a little 45 dissatisfied. I took up gymnastics after leaving school and practised throughout university. Then, a year after starting 20 work as a solicitor, I heard that 50 it because you love it. It’s not London’s The Circus Space School held flying trapeze classes, so I signed up. As soon as I got onto a trapeze, I loved it. I swore to myself that I would 25 master this skill, or die trying, and the 55 passion has been there ever since. I always skipped after-work drinks with the lawyers to practise trapeze, dividing my time between two worlds 30 which couldn’t be more different. 60 act using silks – lengths of material

strong enough to perform on, the bookings flew in for parties and events worldwide. We commanded £600 a 75 the middle of the screen. And I have night, comparable with the money 65 I could have earned as a lawyer. But in 2000, Suzy had a horrific accident: she fell 20ft and broke her back. She’ll never perform again, and 80 blood, it never leaves.” it certainly made me realise the 70 dangers of the job. A couple of years later, the BBC asked me and two others to perform

1 Thomas to dinner! Because she is a top-ranked American competitive eater. This small Korean-American woman can wolf down 37 hot dogs in twelve minutes, 56 hamburgers in eight minutes and 65 hard-boiled eggs in six minutes and 40 seconds. 29 she only weighs 48 kilos, it takes her just twelve minutes to eat a whole turkey. Since taking up this bizarre sport in 2003, Miss Thomas, 38, who is the manager of a Burger King in 4 Virginia, has taken the world of competitive eating by storm. Last year she won almost £50,000 in prizes and she currently holds 23 world records, including the extraordinary feat of downing 9 pounds of crawfish jambalaya in 10 minutes flat. 2 Sometimes after feasting, her weight increases by ten pounds for a few days. To stay in shape she has one big meal a day with lots of vegetables and fruits, and she always avoids junk food. She runs on the treadmill for close to two hours a day. To train for contests she regularly visits all-you–can-eat buffets at restaurants to stretch her stomach. Sonya thinks her talent is due to a large stomach capacity. Her stomach 5 can handle up to 16 pounds of food and liquids. The night before a contest, she fasts all night in order to put an edge to her appetite. second only to Mr Kobayashi in the

What really happens in classrooms… a new website! 1 Schools are trying to ban an internet website that allows pupils to rate their teachers and tell what goes on in the classroom. Pupils are asked to rate their teachers on a scale of one to five for clarity, helpfulness and overall quality. The site started in America and has swept through Northern Ireland. It claims to have more than 420,000 ratings on 35,000 teachers in the United Kingdom. 2 Some teachers are universally praised or condemned, while others attract very different responses. “I like Mrs Derby,” says a pupil in Lancashire. “She only shouts when the idiots talk and I’d like to strangle them too.” But another child complains that the same teacher always sends him out. There is praise for teachers with a sense of humour, who are enthusiastic about their subject and provide lively lessons and can keep order. 3 Schools fear that teachers’ reputations can be damaged by funny remarks ranging from “could speak louder” to “I could have learned more from a carrot”. There are complaints about boring teaching, the overuse of worksheets and favouritism. Teachers who shout and who speak too softly are also criticised. 4 “There is a general feeling that there is insufficient information about what happens in the classroom,” said Seb Haigh, a founder of the UK branch of the site. 36 Chris Keats of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union on the other hand said: “Someone’s harmless fun could ruin someone else’s career.”