For some employees, remote work is definitely a perk, as they can steer clear of long hours transportation.
FlexSea’s biodegradable plastics attract £3m investment
01 FlexSea, a startup with its roots at Imperial College London, has announced the completion
02 of a seed round worth £3 million in equity and grants. The investment will help the company
03 commercialize a range of sustainable packaging solutions it has developed, based on plastics
04 derived from seaweed. The aim is to address the catastrophic impact of conventional plastics
05 on the environment, in particular the single-use plastic products that persist in the ocean for
06 many hundreds of years after they are discarded. In contrast, the biodegradable plastics
07 devised by FlexSea will break down in the sea or the soil within a matter of weeks.
08 Carlo Fedeli, the co-founder and Chief Executive of FlexSea, first started to think about
09 biodegradable plastics during the COVID pandemic. “I noticed the amount of plastic packaging
10 that was piling up at home, because of the online groceries and other deliveries we relied on
11 at the time, and I just had enough,” he says. He started looking into the biodegradable plastics
12 that were already available, and found that they often had shortcomings. Some didn’t actually
13 break down very rapidly under day-to-day environmental conditions, while others involved
14 unsustainable production methods. For example, plastics derived from seaweed are often made
15 from brown seaweed, which is usually harvested from nature, rather than the commonly
16 cultivated red seaweed. He set out to develop a thin-film plastic from red seaweed. “By the
17 end of lockdown I had the first prototype, a transparent flexi-film, and that is still the backbone
18 technology of our solvent-cast thin films,” he says.
19 FlexSea was set up in 2021 with co-founder Thibaut Monfort-Micheo. Their first home was
20 at Scale Space, on the White City Campus, and they received support from across Imperial's
21 enterprising ecosystem. In 2021 they joined the Centre for Climate Change Innovation’s
22 Greenhouse Accelerator, and in 2022 they took part in Imperial’s Venture Catalyst Challenge,
23 winning the energy and environment track. "FlexSea has the potential to change the pattern
24 of human consumption of plastic and therefore change the sustainability path of our planet,”
25 says Stephan Morais, Managing General Partner of lead investor Indico Capital. "This
26 investment will allow us ___ (make) significant progress and penetrate the market effectively,”
27 says Carlo Fedeli, the co-founder and Chief Executive of FlexSea.
(Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/news/248154/flexseas-biodegradable-plastics-attract-3m-investment/ – text especially adapted for this test).
Which alternative best describes FlexSea’s main objective in producing biodegradable plastic?
AEB•
Anna loves spending her weekends outdoors. On Saturdays, she usually visits the local park with her friends. They enjoy playing games, having picnics, and walking their dogs. Anna always brings a blanket and some snacks.
According to the text, which sentence uses a noun (substantivo) correctly and matches the meaning of the passage?
The role of technology in language and literacy education
As Dourish and Bell (2011) have pointed out, “The technologically mediated world does not stand apart from the physical one within which it is embedded; rather, it provides a new set of ways for that physical world to be understood and appropriated” (p. 132). But those new ways of understanding and appropriating are not likely to be developed automatically. A favorable disposition of mind is a prerequisite. And that disposition is probably best fostered in educational settings. Young people today learn digitally mediated modes of expression largely outside of school, and those out of school uses of digital technologies are often more varied and more sophisticated than those they encounter at school (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton, & Robison, 2009; Lundby, 2008). This raises the question of what the function of schools should be with respect to digital technologies and literacy. If literacy is the know-how needed to deal with the technology of writing in a given culture, and if globalization and its attendant social and technological changes have simultaneously increased individuals’ control of and control by technologies of communication, then I would suggest that the answer to the question above is that schools need to foster literacy that includes a dimension of critical semiotic awareness.
KERN, Richard. Language, literacy, and technology. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
According to the text, the technologically mediated world influences the understanding and appropriation of the physical world, therefore what role should educational settings play in this context to improve students’ awareness?
[...] Then he ______ I ______ a lot, and I ______ that I did. He ______ where, and I ______ him that I ______ throughout Europe and to the east coast in America, primarily.
(MCDANIEL, Phyllis. Over the line: a Detective Bendix mystery VI. 2013. p. 200)
“ESP is teaching with the aim of assisting learners’ study or research in the particular variety of English they may need. It has emerged from over 50 years of research and classroom practice and has become a major influence in university and workplace classrooms in many parts of the world. The basic idea behind ESP is that learners’ needs differ enormously according to future academic or occupational goals, and this is why ESP has become so influential in universities around the world in recent years.”
Adapted from: https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.1
ESP stands for:
Read the text and answer the question.
What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Milk Every Day
Milk (and dairy in general) gets the blame for a lot of unwanted health outcomes. We're sure you've heard that dairy causes acne, increases inflammation and can even be the reason you're not losing weight. Spoiler: For those who aren't lactose-intolerant or allergic to dairy, research doesn't back up those claims. In fact, there are actually some impressive benefits that come with drinking a nutritious glass of milk.
Your Bone Health Might Improve
Not only is milk a great vegetarian protein source, but it's also packed with calcium and vitamin D—two nutrients that are vital for bone health. Calcium is a mineral needed to build and maintain strong bones, and vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium from the foods we eat. Since milk is a great source of both of thesenutrients, it's one of the best things to keep in your diet for bone health throughout life.
You Might Reach Your Weight Loss Goals
There are lots of misconceptions about how drinking milk can affect weight, but research shows regular consumption probably won't hurt your cause if you're trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. This is largely due to the satisfying combination of carbohydrates, protein and fat found in milk. Protein and fat can help make milk super filling, which can help with weight loss. Carbs give you energy and help your body function at its best. When you're more satisfied from the foods you eat, it's easier to honor your hunger and fullness levels and stick to a healthy, balanced eating pattern.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of research) published in the journal Nutrients found that including dairy in a calorie-restricted diet resulted in greater weight loss and fat loss, while reducing loss of lean muscle. This doesn't mean milk is a miracle weight-loss food, though. Another review of studies found that consuming milk or other dairy products didn't result in significant weight loss, but didn't lead to weight gain either. If your goal is to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, drinking a glass of milk each day might help, if it's a food you enjoy. You Might Lower Your Risk of Cognitive Decline
The impressive nutrition profile of milk could be a reason why it can help you stay more mentally sharp as you age. A 2021 review of studies published in Nutrition & Metabolism found that milk intake was connected with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Another study published in 2020 in the journal Nutrients found that skimmed dairy, fermented dairy and buttermilk were associated with better executive functioning. So adding some milk to your morning oats or as a side to a snack may help boost your brain health.
Researchers hypothesize that one reason milk might support healthy aging is the nutrition that it provides. Milk is a good source of calcium, protein and vitamin B12, all of which are critical nutrients for older adults.
The Bottom Line
If you aren't lactose-intolerant or allergic to dairy, it's totally OK to enjoy a regular glass of milk each day. From improving bone health to helping mitigate cognitive decline, drinking milk and incorporating other dairy items into your diet can come with some health benefits. As with any food, remember that moderation is key (an 8-ounce serving of milk probably wouldn't completely fill many of the glasses in your cupboard). Since there are dairy farmers all across the U.S., try choosing milk that is produced locally. Making a connection with a local farmer can help you get a better-quality product that takes less of a toll on the environment, too.
FONTE: Adapted from: https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7961444/what-happensto-your-body-if-you-drink-milk-every-day/#:~:text=Not%20only%20is% 20milk%20a,from%20the%20foods%20we%20eat.