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May 13, 2008

Young gamers

lesson by Boon Boonprayoon

icafe

The word 'playground' for a new generation kids is changing its definition. It is no longer an outdoor area where children can play, especially at a school or in a park. Today, a playground more many kids is at the Internet cafe. Why? Interests are changing. The young are into online gaming, so Internet cafes are the place where
they hangout.

To make it more livable and pleasant, the shophouse owners who turns into Internet cafe owners provide snacks, cushions, armchairs as to make it a second home for their customers. So if you do not see your kids at home after schools, have a look at the nearest Internet hotspot. Your kids will likely be spending their evening socialising and enjoying themselves there.

hotspot - a place where there is a lot of activity or entertainment ที่ที่มีกิจกรรมให้ทำมากมาย

It’s a home away from home for some students

 Young people spend hours playing games, writes Pongsatorn Singnoy

Shophouses that are turned into games cafes have become the new ‘‘playground’’ of youngsters. Many are open 24 hours a day and charge low rates, only 10-15 baht per hour, which makes them an ideal home away from home for young internet buffs when school is out during the months-long summer holiday.

These shops are full of youngsters, who spend many hours a day sitting glued to the screens.

Most do not come in search of knowledge from the internet. The major reason for visiting the cafes is entertainment. They mostly come to play online games, or chat online with their internet friends.

A variety of online games are on offer, with competitive combat games really popular. About 50 different online games have already been rolled out this year.

Internet cafes are in every major city in the country.

They are springing up all over town, particularly in areas near universities and student dormitories.

Well-supplied with snacks and cool beverages, these cafes are the favourite hangouts for students, who have made them their ‘‘second homes’’, eating, sleeping and playing there.

Food stalls and convenience stores are on hand nearby to quell late-night hunger pangs. When they are exhausted from all the action, the gamers take a rest, dozing off on one of the big, comfortable reclining cushioned chairs commonly found in the establishments.

‘‘This place is like my second home. When school is over, I’ll be right here. It’s not strange to come to a place which makes me happy,’’ said Thammapamon Kamol, an 18-year-old Bangkok student.

An avid online gamer, he goes to an internet cafe near his house almost every day. ‘‘I would be bored to death going straight home after school,’’ he said.

At 10 baht an hour he could play for hours for only 40-100 baht each day.

Users of internet cafes also enjoy the opportunity to socialise with their peers.

‘‘It is fun sharing information about games. It’s like we speak the same language,’’ Thammapamon said.

shophouse - a shop that opens onto the street and is used as the owner’s home ร้านขายของชำ
make them an ideal home away from home -  to make it a place where you feel relaxed and comfortable as if you were in your own home ทำให้ผู้มาใช้บริการรู้สึกเหมือนว่าอยู่บ้านตนเอง
[internet] buff - a person who is very interested in a particular subject or activity and knows a lot about it สิงห์อินเตอร์เนต (หมายถึง คนที่ติดอินเตอร์เนต และการใช้ชีวิตออนไลน์และเล่นเกมส์ )
months-long - lasting or taking several months เป็นเวลานานหลายเดือน
glued to the screens - to give all your attention to something; to stay very close to something ติดอยู่กับหน้าจอคอมพิวเตอร์ ไม่ยอมละไปทำอย่างอื่น
competitive combat games - เกมส์คอมพิวเตอร์ที่เนื้อหาของเกมส์เกี่ยวกับการต่อสู้
springing up - to appear or develop quickly and/or suddenly ผุดขึ้นทั่วเมือง หมายถึง เปิดกิจการทั่วทุกมุมเมือง
dormitories - a room for several people to sleep in, especially in a school or other institution หอพัก
well-supplied -  to provide something / somebody with something that they need or want, especially in large quantities จัดสรรได้อย่างดี  ในที่นี้หมายถึง มีอาหารให้บริการครบครัน
hangouts - a place where somebody lives or likes to go often ที่สังสรรค์ของคนกลุ่มต่างๆ
second homes - a place where sb lives and which they know as well as, and like as much as, their home  บ้านที่สอง  ที่ๆ คุ้นเคยจนรู้สึกราวกับว่าเป็นบ้านอีกหลังของตัวเอง
food stalls - a table or small shop with an open front that people sell things from, especially at a market แผงขายสินค้า
convenience stores - a modern day grocery store ร้านสะดวกซื้อ  เช่น 7-Eleven
quell - to calm ช่วยบรรเทา
hunger pangs - a sudden strong feeling of hungers คนที่นอนดึกและชอบหิวตอนกลางคืน
exhuasted - very tired เหนื่อยล้า
dozing off - to go to sleep, especially during the day ผลอดหลับ งีบหลับ
reclining - to sit or lie in a relaxed way, with your body leaning backwards นั่งพิงเก้าอี้เพื่อผ่อนอิริยาบท
avid online gamer - people who are very enthusiastic about online games คนที่ติดการเล่นเกมส์ออนไลน์
be bored to death - to feel tired and impatient because you have lost interest in somethiung or because you have nothing to do ทำให้เบื่อจนถึงที่สุด
socialise - to meet and spend time with people in a friendly way, in order to enjoy yourself คบหาสมาึคม
peers -  a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you เพื่อนในวัย  ในกลุ่ม  เดียวกัน
speak the same language -  to share the same interests and to have something in common พูดภาษาเดียวกัน คุยกันรู้เรื่อง

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:31 PM

May 09, 2008

The Origins of Virus in Our Region

Lesson by Boon Boonprayoon

vspreasd

Strains of the most common type of influenza virus, A (H3N2), constantly evolve in East and Southeast Asia before spreading to the rest of the world along the pathways shown above, new research shows. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS

For centuries scientists and and biologists have tried to find the origins of deadly infectious viruses. The deadly Bird Flu epidemic that killed hundreds of people across Asia a few years ago caused scientists to intensify their search for the origin of influenza viruses. The article selected today tells us that the origin of influenza viruses are here in our region.

put the blame on - to think or say that sb/sth is responsible for sth bad กล่าวโทษว่าเป็นสาเหตุ
epidemic - a large number of cases of a particular disease happening at the same time in a particular community โรคระบาดร้ายแรง
gave a pause - caused to stop and think again
influenza - an infectious disease like a very bad cold, that causes fever, pains and weaknessไข้หวัดใหญ่

Flu viruses originate in Asia and hitch across globe

KER THAN 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS

The densely packed cities of East and Southeast Asia act as incubators for new strains of deadly influenza viruses that get exported around the globe, new research shows. Two new studies show that the virus spreads in waves through cities such as Hong Kong and Bangkok before hitching rides upon human hosts to other regions.

‘‘For over 60 years, the global migration of influenza viruses has been a mystery,’’ said study author Colin Russell of the University of Cambridge.

Now the new findings will help scientists better predict the evolution of the most common type of influenza virus, A (H3N2), which could in turn lead to improved flu vaccines, the authors said.

Russell and colleagues analysed 13,000 samples of influenza A (H3N2) virus gathered across six continents from 2002 to 2007. Their findings appear in the journal Science. The team used a new technique called antigenic cartography to make fine-grained measurements of genetic differences between strains.

densely packed – to fill something with a lot of people or things:  แน่นขนัด  แออัด
incubator –  a piece of equipment in a hospital which new babies are placed in when they are weak or born too early, in order to help them survive ตู้อบ ห้องเฝ้าอาการเด็กแรกเกิดที่ไม่สมบูรณ์ ไม่แข็งแรง
strain –  a particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc.: สายพันธุ์
hitch ride – to get a free ride in a person’s car; to travel around in this way, by standing at the side of the road and trying to get passing cars to stop: โบกรถ ในที่นี้หมายถึง  แพร่ระบาดของเชื้อโรคโดยการอาศัยหรือติดไปกับพาหะนำโรคต่างๆ
migration – the movement of large numbers of people, birds or animals from one place to another: การอพยพ ในที่นี้หมายถึง การเดินทางของไวรัสจากแหล่งเพาะเชื้อ ระบาดไปยังส่วนต่างๆ ของโลก
evolution – the gradual development of plants, animals, etc. over many years as they adapt to changes in their environment: วิวัฒนาการ
cartography – the art or process of drawing or making maps การสร้างแผนที่
fine-grained – how smooth a surface feels. In this case it means, in detail อย่างละเอียด

They focused on the gene that encodes for hemagglutinin, a protein on the virus’s protective shell that plays an important role in infection.

The team’s analysis allowed them to identify different viral strains as they travelled around the world. New strains first appeared in East and Southeast Asia and reached Europe and North America about six to nine months later. Several months after that the viruses arrived in South America. South America was the last to be infected because people travel less between that continent and East and Southeast Asia than they do between other parts of the world.

A key point, the authors say, is that once the strains leave their points of origin, they rarely return.

‘‘Regions outside of East and Southeast Asia are essentially evolutionary graveyards of influenza viruses,’’ Russell said.

The team speculates that East and Southeast Asia are good breeding grounds for the virus because of the densely packed and well-connected cities of the region. Also, unlike in North America and Europe, where flu is a seasonal occurrence that spikes in winter, influenza has a year-long presence in the tropics.

play a role – to be involved in a situation or an activity and the effect that they have on it:  มีบทบาท
key point – most important; essential; critical, vital point  ประเด็นสำคัญ
graveyard – a place where things or people that are not wanted are sent or left
speculate – to form an opinion about  something without knowing all the details or facts: คาดการณ์
breeding ground – a place where something bad is able to develop แหล่งเพาะเชื้อ
occurrence –something that happens or exists  เหตุการณ์
spike – to rise quickly and reach a high value เพิ่มสูงขึ้น

Edward Holmes, a biologist at Pennsylvania State University, said that the team’s reasoning is sound.

‘‘To me, it makes perfect sense,’’ Holmes said. Holmes led a separate study, detailed in the journal Nature, that reached similar conclusions.

Rather than comparing a single gene, Holmes’ team compared the full genomic sequences of influenza viruses gathered from New York State and New Zealand. Their results also suggested a common source of influenza viruses located somewhere in the tropics, but due to the study’s limited geographic sampling, the scientists could not pinpoint it to a specific region.

The work by Holmes’ team could help solve another influenza mystery, however. For years, scientists have wondered how some influenza strains gain resistance to drugs that are not widely used, such as Tamiflu. By sequencing the virus’s full genome, the team showed that genes are linked in a complicated way.

‘‘We show in our paper that you can’t think of the evolution of it [hemagglutinin] alone,’’ Holmes said. ‘‘The whole genome evolves. It all links up.’’ Thus, one way influenza might be acquiring resistance to new drugs is by linking together mutations on different genes.

Kathryn Edwards is an influenza researcher at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, who was not involved in either study.

‘‘These are really fascinating molecular stories,’’ Edwards said. ‘‘It’s really beautiful science.’’

The findings could lead to improved forecasts of which strains to target when creating flu vaccines, experts say.

Currently, flu experts meet twice a year to pinpoint strains they think will pose the greatest threat the following season.

Now that scientists know the virus’s Asian origins, they can better focus their energies and resources.

‘‘There’s no point in going to New York or Seattle or Buenos Aires,’’ Holmes of Penn State said. ‘‘The viruses are dying in those places. We need to go to the source.’’
 
make a perfect sense - to be a very sensible thing to do มีเหตุผลที่ดี
genomic sequence - การลำดับสายพันธุ์
pinpoint - to find and show the exact position of somebody or something or the exact time that sth happened บอกแหล่งกำเนิด
resistance - the power not to be affected by something ความต้านทาน
acquire -  to gain something by your own efforts, ability or behaviour ได้มาซึ่ง
mutation - a process in which the genetic material of a person, a plant or an animal changes in structure when it is passed on to children, etc., causing different physical characteristics to develop; a change of this kind  การผ่าเหล่า
molecular - related to the smallest unit of atom เกี่ยวกับพันธุกรรม
pose the threat - create a threat, problem, etc. that has to be dealt with สร้างปัญหา ก่อปัญหา



Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 10:57 AM

April 29, 2008

A no-tube week

Lesson by Boon Boonprayoon

Imagine your life without turning on the tube for a week. Impossible, isn’t it? Last week was a “TV Turnoff Week 2008”. It was the first time in my life to have heard about such a campaign like this and it is a good initiative to promote healthy and loving family ties. 

Why is there a need to launch the campaign? Is it no longer a source of knowledge? Doesn’t it bring the world to your home? Well, there are always two sides of the coin. Whenever we do not keep the balance of our lives and keep things in harmony, there are always disadvantages.

Read the feature and the interviews of three different TV viewers to see what their perspectives on TV viewing are.

family ties -  a strong connection between people or organizations สายสัมพันธ์ของคนในครอบครัว
initiative –  new plan for dealing with a particular problem or for achieving a particular purpose ความคิดริเริ่ม
keep the balance –  to stay in a particular condition or position; to make somebody /something  do thisรักษาสมดุลย์

LIFE WITHOUT TV     

‘TV Turnoff Week 2008’ is currently in progress

lifewithoutApril 21 to 27 is TV Turnoff Week 2008. Around the world people are promoting the need for healthier lives and functional families by regaining control of the electronic media in their lives, not allowing it to control them any longer.

 In Thailand, a campaign began this week, organised by Wechange Group, Makham Pom Theatre Troupe, Tonkla Institute, Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation and INEB, among others, to encourage finding more creative outlets for the use of our leisure time.

Tomorrow TV Turn Off Week will culminate in a gettogether where participants can exchange ideas about their alternative leisure pursuits. This will take place from 6pm onwards at Sem Sikhalai, Suan Ngern Mee Ma and Ruan Roy Chanam.

‘‘Outlook’’ talked to a variety of people about their television habits, and whether they thought they could survive a week without TV.

 SATANASORN YUTIBUNPA, 24, Magazine writer

We have our TV on for about eight to 10 hours a day since my mother stays at home all the time. I usually watch TV with my family when we sit down to eat dinner. I would definitely have no problem not watching TV for a week. I usually just listen to music or surf the net anyway.

 I don’t think there are many disadvantages to TV, not for people my age anyway. First of all, we already know right from wrong. Secondly, people with jobs like me don’t watch much TV, I don’t think. We don’t watch it as much as housewives or children. So TV doesn’t have much impact on our lives. I think four to five hours of TV per day is enough.

At home we keep the TV in the entertainment room running for longer than any other TV in the house. If it’s been running for four or five hours, my mother tells us to turn it off. This is to give that TV a rest. We have three TVs in our house and we alternate them.

JAMNANJA NA NONGKHAI, 11, A six grade student

I watch television for about three hours a day, maybe up to five hours sometimes. Mostly at night when I’m back home with my mom and she sometimes joins me. My favourite programmes are games shows, talk shows and soap operas. But I find some programmes that are labelled to be suitable for everyone are actually not good for kids. Like the ones that feature gossip news, for example. Children should not be allowed to watch thing like this.

 Often, I just turn on the television and don’t watch it. I might eat or read cartoons with the sound of it [in the background].

No TV for a week? No, no, no. I don’t think I can’t live with that. There’s nothing to do. I might read more cartoons and books instead. If there’s no TV, kids might forget about watching television everyday.

ACHARA SINGTHAMUANG, 41, Housekeeper

I usually have the TV on from 8:30pm to 10pm on weekdays and from 4pm to 10pm on weekends. Among my favourite programmes are news and after-news soap operas. Normally I turn on the TV only when there are programmes I want to watch and hardly ever leave it on all the time. If I know there’s a good show, I’ll definitely watch it.
At home, the TV is in the living room. It’s where my family members have dinner together every evening or do something else before bedtime. So during dinner, normally we all watch TV together. But we do not discuss the programmes. In fact we talk about such things as economic crisis and how to earn a living and spend money as wisely as possible.

If I was to turn the tube off for a week, for me I think it would be ok. One good thing would be that our electricity bill would go down. I think I’d perhaps spend more time sleeping.

Disadvantages of TV? I think television has more advantages than disadvantages. On one side of the coin, good TV programmes broaden viewers’ horizons and help them to have wider perspectives. They also help children to develop their imagination. On the other side, the impact of violence on TV especially on young viewers must not be overlooked because many of the programmes these days contain violent scenes as well as the use of obscene language.

At home I do not have any strict rules about watching TV but when good shows are over, I think the TV time should be over too. On average I think I should spend only a maximum of three hours in front of television each day.

functional – working ที่สามารถนำไปใช้ได้จริง ในที่นี้ functional family หมายถึง ครอบครัวที่มีความเป็นครอบครัวจริงๆ มีความรัก ความห่วงใย มีการสื่อสารกันระหว่างคนในครอบครัว
campaign – a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim การรณรงค์
encourage – to persuade somebody to do something  by making it easier for them and making them believe it is a good thing to do เชิญชวน
outlets – a way of expressing or making good use of strong feelings, ideas or energy วิธีการแสดงออกทางอารมณ์หรือความรู้สึก
culminate – to end with a particular result, or at a particular point ส่งผลให้เกิด
get-together – an informal meeting; a party การเลี้ยงสังสรรค์กันอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ (คำไม่เป็นทางการ)
pursuits – he act of looking for or trying to find something การติดตาม,การไล่ตาม,การตามจับ,การดำเนินต่อไป,การดำเนินตาม,
impact – the powerful effect that something  has on somebody /something ผลกระทบ
run – to continue for a particular period of time without stopping
alternate - to keep changing from one thing to another and back again สลับกันใช้
soap operas – a story about the lives and problems of a group of people which is broadcast every day or several times a week on television or radio ละครที่แสดงทางโทรทัศน์มีหลายตอนจบเป็นต้น
labeled – to describe somebody /something  in a particular way, especially unfairly ตีตรา
feature – to include a particular person or thing as a special feature ซึ่งให้ความสำคัญ
the tube – the television
electricity bill – a piece of paper that shows how much you owe sb  for goods or services ค่าไฟฟ้า
broaden [your] horizon – to increase your experience, knowledge, etc. เพิ่มพูนความรู้ เปิดโลกทัศน์
contain – if something  contains something  else, it has that thing inside it or as part of it ประกอบไปด้วย
obscene language – connected with sex in a way that most people find offensive ภาษาที่ลามก

Comprehension Questions:
1. What kind of programmes do the three different viewers watch?
2. What is the opinion of Jamnanja Na Nongkia? What does it say about children with TV?
3. If we made an inferrence from the interview of a 24-year-old magazine writer, we could assume that young adults  _______________________.
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of TV watching according to the housewife?

Answers:
1. A magazine writer watches entertainment programme; A young child watches games shows; and a housewife watches news and after-news soap-opera.
2. He does not think he could survive without watching TV.
3. Young adults prefer listening to music and surfing the Net.
4. Advantages: good TV programmes broaden viewers’ horizons and help them to have wider perspectives. They also help children to develop their imagination.
Disadvantages: the impact of violence on TV especially on young viewers must not be overlooked because many of the programmes these days contain violent scenes as well as the use of obscene language.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:58 AM

April 22, 2008

Troubled youth, troubled parents!

Lesson by Boon Boonprayoon

Today we have a follow up for Ajarn Terry's Easy English News yesterday. A teenage boy ahs been arrested and charged with attempted murder. It was not only the boy himself who is facing the attempted murder charge, but it is his parents who are holding responsible, too.

follow up - an action or a thing that continues sth that has already started or comes after sth similar that was done earlier ความคืบหน้า

Read the news and answer the following questions:

1. Why was the boy arrested?
2. Did the boy commit the crime by himself?
3. Who may also be charged regarding the case? His friends? His parents?
4. How long will it likely take for the police to investigate and wrap up the case?
5. If the boy were to be sentenced, where would he be kept? Criminal court?

Teen may be charged with attempted murder

A 16-year-old arrested for driving around with his friends in a car and throwing eggs at other vehicles could face attempted murder charges, police said.

Pol Maj-Gen Phanu Kerdlarppol, deputy chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the teenager could face more serious charges if there was proof that he had intended to cause accidents.

The boy has so far been charged with causing damage to other people’s property, said the officer.

According to a preliminary investigation, the boy had three young friends in the car with him and they hurled eggs at other vehicles and pedestrians as they drove around the Bang Na-Trat area on Sunday.

He was arrested after his car crashed into a six-wheel truck, which overturned on Rama III road. He crashed while trying to escape from an irate victim who was in hot pursuit. His friends fled the crash scene.

He was sent to Ban Metta remand home for juvenile delinquents after being arrested and was temporarily released on bail yesterday.

Pol Maj-Gen Phanu said that other victims are expected to file charges against the boy.

He added that the boy’s parents could also face charges as he was underage and did not have a driving licence.

Thawatchai Thaikhiew, deputy chief of the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department, said that a psychologist would be present at today’s questioning.

He said that the questioning would focus on the boy’s motive and on how the parents should be held responsible for his actions.

He said that the authorities would wrap up the case within 30 days and forward it to the Central Family and Youth Court.

attempted - an act of trying to do something พยายาม
face - if you face a particular situation, or it faces you, you have to deal with it เผชิญ
charge - an official claim made by the police that sb has committed a crime ข้อหา
preliminary -  happening before a more important action or event; initial ในเบื้องต้น
hurled - to throw something/somebody violently in a particular direction ขว้าง ปา
irate - very angry โกรธเ็ป็นฟืนเป็นไฟ เดือดดาล
in hot pursuit - following somebody closely and determined to catch them การไล่ติดตามอาชญากรหรือข้าศึกอย่างกระชั้นชิด เช่นการข้ามพรมแดน
juvenile delinquent - a young person who is not yet an adult and who is guilty of committing a crime เด็กและเยาวชนที่กระทำผิด
bail - money that sb agrees to pay if a person accused of a crime does not appear at their trial. When bail has been arranged, the accused person is allowed to go free until the trial เงินประกันตัว
underage - done by people who are too young by law ที่ยังไม่บรรลุนิติภาวะ
observation -  the act of watching spmebody/something carefully for a period of time, especially to learn something จับตาดู ในที่นี้หมายถึงคุมประพฤติ
motive - a reason for doing something แรงจูงใจ
wrap up -   to finish; to complete sth such as an agreement or a meeting in an acceptable way สรุปคดี

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:04 AM


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