Cutty Sark: the fastest sailing ship of all time
The nineteenth century was a period of great technological development in Britain, and for shipping the major changes were from wind to steam power, and from wood to iron and steel. The fastest commercial sailing vessels of all time were clippers, three-masted ships built to transport goods around the world, although some also took passengers. […]
Whatever happened to the Harappan Civilisation?
New research sheds light on the disappearance of an ancient society A The Harappan Civilisation of ancient Pakistan and India flourished 5,000 years ago, but a thousand years later their cities were abandoned. The Harappan Civilisation was a sophisticated Bronze Age society who built ‘megacities’ and traded internationally in luxury craft products, and yet seemed […]
How baby talk gives infant brains a boost
A The typical way of talking to a baby – high-pitched, exaggerated and repetitious – is a source of fascination for linguists who hope to understand how ‘baby talk’ impacts on learning. Most babies start developing their hearing while still in the womb, prompting some hopeful parents to play classical music to their pregnant bellies. […]
The coconut palm
For millennia, the coconut has been central to the lives of Polynesian and Asian peoples. In the western world, on the other hand, coconuts have always been exotic and unusual, sometimes rare. The Italian merchant traveller Marco Polo apparently saw coconuts in South Asia in the late 13th century, and among the mid-14th-century travel writings […]
Oxytocin
The positive and negative effects of the chemical known as the ‘love hormone’ A Oxytocin is a chemical, a hormone produced in the pituitary gland in the brain. It was through various studies focusing on animals that scientists first became aware of the influence of oxytocin. They discovered that it helps reinforce the bonds between […]
Bringing cinnamon to Europe
Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian sub-continent. It was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient that was mixed with oils for anointing people’s bodies, and also as […]
Why being bored is stimulating – and useful, too
This most common of emotions is turning out to be more interesting than we thought A We all know how it feels – it’s impossible to keep your mind on anything, time stretches out, and all the things you could do seem equally unlikely to make you feel better. But defining boredom so that it […]
Case Study: Tourism New Zealand website
New Zealand is a small country of four million inhabitants, a long-haul flight from all the major tourist-generating markets of the world. Tourism currently makes up 9% of the country’s gross domestic product, and is the country’s largest export sector. Unlike other export sectors, which make products and then sell them overseas, tourism brings its […]
The hunt for sunken settlements and ancient shipwrecks
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 4 – Part 4
Enquiry about booking hotel room for event
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 4 – Part 1
Concerts in university arts festival
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 3 – Part 4
School marching band
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 3 – Part 3
Flanders Conference Hotel
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 3 – Part 1
The history of weather forecasting
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 2 – Part 4
Total health clinic
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 2 – Part 1
Marine renewable energy (ocean energy)
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 1 – Part 4
Crime Report Form
Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 1 – Part 1
How the Industrial Revolution affected life in Britain
Cambridge IELTS 15 – Test 4 – Part 4
Customer Satisfaction Survey
Cambridge IELTS 15 – Test 4 – Part 1
Early history of keeping clean
Cambridge IELTS 15 – Test 3 – Part 4
