Texte 1 f6,OOO-A-TERM ST PAUL`S OFFERS PARENTING CLASSES

Anglais- Texte1
f6,OOO-A-TERM
ST PAUL'S OFFERSPARENTING CLASSES
Oneofthe counhJ'stop girls'pdvate schoolsis offeringcoachinglessonsto high-flyiûg
:.::.nls who are strugglingto juggle their careerswiih the demandsof modemparenting.
ClarissaFaû, the headof St Paul's Girls' Schoolin Hammersmith,west London,is
to parentsthatcovera mrge ofissuesilom how to dealwith theiroffspring's
:i\ ing seminars
.\am stressto settingboundadesfor harmoniousfamily life. The cou$esalso cover how
:-nagers can stay safe in London and how to managethe London teenâgeparty sceneas a
:3aenr,
Two parenting courseshave been held at the school so far and the demandfor more is
righ.
The so-calledhigh mistess of St Paul's, whosç alumni of 'Old Paulinas'include
aclressesNatashaRichardsonand RachelWeisz, said that being a parentis the role for which
peoplehave"the leasttraining".
Ms Fan sad: "Paren'ingoftenfindspcopleat their mostvulterâble,eveniftheir dayjob
is ruling halfthe world.I havea lot ofparentswho find parentingitselfa challenge."
Shesaid that over recentyea$ paxentshave becorneincreasingly"time-poof' becauseof
the long work hoursexpectedof them.Dueto the increasein ùseofpofiablegadgetssuchas
the Blackberry, Ms Farr said that an "always on" culture has developedwhereby people
almostneverhave "downtime" for the farnily.
Researchover the suûmer found that almosthalf of all parentshave lessthan five hours
to bond with thet children each.reek.
ofmodemparetting.
Thecoursesat St Paul'scovereventhemostbasicâspects
"It is offedng active guidancefor parentswho are quite keen to get the school's view on
even quite basic things like how much pocket money or what time bedtime shouldbe," said
Ms Farr.
She said thât busy parentsof children at the f,6,000-a-termschool can overcompensate
for being a\ray f.jr long daysby failing to be tough enoughwith their children.
"We're deceivingourselvesif we think we canbring up oùr childrenthrough an iPhone,"
shetold The SundayTimes.
"lfthey have a problem and they want to talk to you, they want to talk to you aûd that is
when you have to be preparedto set asideyour o$'n very well-organisedagendaand listen.
Somebusy parentsgive their children eveq'thing exceptthe boùndariesthey needto find their
secureplacewithin the family andat school," shesaid.
Many parents' diaries are so busy thât they stuggle to attend school events such as
givingpareotstwo year'sadvance
concertsandplays.To counlerthis, St Paul'sis considering
noticeof schoolevents.
Adaptedftom The Guardian
October2012
(450words)
Anglais - Texte 2
A PRISON WITH HUMANITY
Halden prison smells of freshly brewed coffee, in the workshop axeas,in the games
rooms alld in the communalaparhnent-styleareas,whereprisonemlive togetherin groupsof
eight.
Coffee makesyou hungry, so in the aIïemoonthe guardson Unit A a separâtedwing
where sex offendersare held for their own protection bdtrg inmateswaffles andjam, which
guardsand inmatessit down and eattogether.
Anotherremarkablething is how quiet the prison is. Thereisn't any of the enraged,
thep sonelsarenot
persistentbangingofdoors you hearin Britishprisons,not leastbecause
whet âsked
govemor,
looks
surprised
Mr Hojdal,
lockedup during much of the day. The
about figures for prisoner attacks on guardsor prisoner-on-pdsonerassaults.He saysthere
the lasttimetlere wasa fight
isn't muchviolencehereandhe cat't remember
jails, holditg rapists, murderersand
Halden is one of Norway's highest-security
paedophiles.
Sinceit openedtwo yearsago,at a costo1$217m,it hasacquireda reputationas
most
humanep son.It is the flagshipofthe Norwegianjusticesystem,wherethe
the world's
focus is on rehabilitationratherthan punishment.
Halden has athactedattention globally for its designand its relative splendour.Set in a
feelsmore
forest,the prisonblocksarea modelof minimalistchic.At times,the environment
prison.
Scandinavian
boutiquehoteithanclassA
Every Haldencell has 3 flatscreentelevision,its olm toilet (with a doorl), a shower,
which comeswith large,soft, white towels.All cells havecupboardsand desksand huge,
unbarredwindows. "There was much focus on the design", Hojdal says "We wantedit to be
light andpositive."
is a stupidone,sincethe problemwith beingin prisonis
Obviouslythe hotelcomparison
that you cannot leave. Even if this prison compoundhas more in coûrmonwith â modem,
rural university campus,the key point aboutit is that, hiddeû behindthe trees,is a thick, tall,
concretewall, impossibleto scale.
crcatingan
Giventhe constaintsof needingto keep245 high-riskpeopleincarcerated'
is ûot like
priority.
architecture
possible
was
a
"The
envircnmentthat was as unprisonlike as
other prisons,"Hojdal says."We felt it shouldn'tlook like a prison.We rvùrtedto create
normality.lfyou can't seethe wall, this couldbe anlthing,anywhereLife behindthe walls
shouldbe asmuchlike life outsidethe wallsaspossiblc."
This principleis govemedby a key featureof the Norwegiansentencitgsystem:no life
insideNorwegianprisons
and a ma,\imumteIm of 21 yea$. Everyoteirnprisoned
sentences
will be released- maybenot Breivik, but everyote elsewill go back to society
Adaptedftom The Gua ian lleekly
June2012
(452words)
Anglais- Texte3
AN EQUAL START IN LIFE
Whendoesgenderinequalitytake root? In th€ cot, accordingto the Bourdariasnurseryin
Saint Oùen,in the suburbsofPâris, the first infant carecentrein Fraûceto introdncea policy
to combatdisc minationin 2009.
Lâst month France'sminister for women's rights visited the nursery to promote this
pioneeringwork. "We will not achieveequalityif we do not combatthe constructionof
stereotypes
asearlyaspossible,"the ministersaid.
"We aim to give children the foundationsto develop properly," says the head of the
nursery."But what we obserr'eis that even very young boys and girls don't have the same
degreeof self-conlidence".
"Children develop by imitatioû, with adults exerting considerable influence," she
suggests."We bring up our children in line with our own representationsand with the
expectations
societyplaceson eachsex.Little girls shouldsmileandbe sensible,little boys
the media,litelature,the
shouldbe brave."Parentsaxenot the only onesto blame.Teachers,
childcareandtoy industriesbombardtoddlerswith ster€otypes.
The ûursery looks much the sarneas any other, with the usual toys. Without denying
differences,its "pioactive egalitarianpedagogy"seeksto avoid locking children up in boxes,
with pink and tea setsfor girls, blue and lonies for boys. "We try to keep toys as neutralas
possible,withoutbanningdolls or garages,"
saysoneofthe educators.
"Simply,we showthe
young girls that they canplay with the toy cars,make a noise,shoutand climb. Boys wanting
to play with dolls are encouagedtoo.rl
"The merit of this pedagogyis that it enableseveryoneto broadenthe scopeof what is
possible,"saysa sociologistat Lille-l Universiryand a specialistin childrenand gender
relations."Genderdiscriminationreducesthe opportuniûesfor young wornen,but is also
damagingfor their male counterparts,imposing aggressivebehaviourand requiring them to
holdbackemotion."
Ever)'thing is checked:the activities available to children, but also relations between
adults of both sexesat the Dursery!ever everydaylanguage."Adults needto work hard on
their own behavioruto gain an awarenessof the biasedway they treat boys and girls," the
sociologistexplains."They'realwaysconvincedtheyareperfectlyeven-handed.
The work at the Bourdariasnursery denands parental support,but the responsein this
socially mixed arca - where execulivesfrom the capital rub shoulderswith the residentsof
low-incomehousingestates
- hâsbeenpositive.The nusery is now heavilyoversubscribed.
Childcarespecialistsare convincedthat suchpolicies enhancemùtual respectbetweenthe
sexesand can reduce violence against women. But the approâchneedsto be applied on a
larserscaleandextended
to schools.
Adaptedflom fre G ar.lian Weekl!
October2012
(454words)
Anglais- Texte 4
AN OCEAN OF TROLTBLES
causedby EI Nino. a pe.iodiceasnrard surgeof warm
In I 998 a risein seatemperatures
Pacificwater, causeda massbleachingof the world's coral reeil. rhe i.mporary homeof
to rain t-oresls
- coral'sterrest al
perhapsa quarterof all marinespecies.Had this happened
expected.But
hare
t'een
in attitudesto the environmentcould
iquivàlent - a sea-change
lille comment
this changeoccurrediû the sea,the câlamitydrewremarkable
because
Traditionalattitudestowardsthe sea,as somethingdistantto humanil).ale out of date'
marine
The effectsof overfishing,agriculturalpollutio[ and climatechangeare devastating
cause
anôther
ecosystems. Ihe industrialpollutionthat is cookingthe climatecould also
tums to carbonicacid'
problern:carbondioxide,absorbedby the seâfrom the atmosphere,
oysteNaûdanycreaturewith a shellofcalciumcarbonate'
which is a threatto coml,mussels,
The enomity of the sea'stroubles,andtheir implicationsfor mankind,areFonyiûg Yet
- let alonethe generalpublic'
by policl'rnakers
it is rcmarkâblehow little this is recognised
Hùnan activity is changingthe oceansfasterthan at almost any time iû the planet'shistory'
Take overlishing.The industrialisationof fishing lleets has massivelyincreasedman's
capability to scoop prctein liom the deep and to put to sea for weeks on end Most
commercialspecieshave beenreducedby over 7570aûd someby 997o.Overfishingis
eradicatng the primary protein sourceofon€ in five people,many ofthem poor'
Global warming is anotherproblem So far, the seahasbeena buffer againstit: because
the heat capacityof water is severaltimes that of air, the oceanshave absorbedmost of the
additional heat, sparing the continentsfurther warming. Yet this is now starting to changefaster than almost anyonehad daredimagine One effect of the warming ocean,ôr example,
is to increasethe density difference betweenthe surfaceand the chilly deep' which in tum
mixing ofthem. Thatmeanslessoxygenis makingit downto the depths,reducing
decreases
the liveability of the oceans.Fish under temperatLùeand oxygen stresswill reach smaller
sizes, live less long and devote a biggel fraction of their energyto survival at the cost of
growth and reproductioû.Not for 55m yeals hasthere beenoceanicdisruptionof comparable
severity to the calamity that liesjust a hundrcdyearsahead.
So what is to be done?Solutionsrangefiom the obvious - reducingcaxbonemissions- to
technical solutionslike genetc improvementsto âquacultue stocks None is impossible We
canchange.We cantum aroundow impact on the biosphere.We had betterdo so'
Adaptedfroû The Eco otnist
MaY2012
(447words)
Anglais- Texte5
ANTI.JUNK FOOD LOBBY TO TARGET 2014COMMONWf,ALTH
GAMES
A powerfirlcoalitionof doctors,dentists,children'scharitiesand consumergroupshas
and
urgedthe organisers
ofthe Glasgow2014Commonwcalth
Gamesto bânall spoûsorship
groups
advertising from fast-food and hzzy drink companies.The influential
behind the
Children'sFood Campaignhave claimedfirms sellingbwger1 fizzy drinks or chocolates
shouldnot be allowedto promotetheir productsat the 2014Gameswhile Scotlandis in the
grip of an obesityepidemic.
Their call follows criticism of the organisersof London's Olympics after sponsors,
food brandingin the Ollmpic
includingMcDonald's,Coca-Colaand Cadbury,monopolised
park and athletes'village. Such sponsorshipcontributedf,612 million in revenueto the
LondonOlympiad.
whichis backedby dozensof organisations
including
But the Children'sFoodCampaign,
the British Medical Associâtion,Children's Society, Bamardos,the British Dental
Association,ConsumerFocusandSavethe Chilciren,plansto mounta two-yeârcarnpaigtto
persuade
to pùsue "healthier"sponsorship
dealsinstead.
Glasgow201,1organisers
Lâstnight,MalcolmClark,the campaign'sco-ordinator,
said:"We arecallingfor ajunk
This is a reâlopportunityto makea
food banat Glasgow2014in advertising
andsponsorship.
mark, and go over ând abovewhat the London Ollmpics did.
"lt's all about making healthy choices easier for parentsand children. Scotlandhas a
particularly urlnerable population where obesity and dental problems are high. Special
measuresare needed.We believe Glâsgowcan leam from the ol]mpics, becausewe feel its
legacyhas beendownplayedin termsof healthyeating.Ow memberswill be pushingthe
which don't makejunk food.And if they do, we
2014organisem
to chooseothercompanies
will reportit."
The most recentstatisticsfrom the ScottishHealthSurveysuggest27 per centof people
aged16to 64 wereobesein 2010.Onein five childrenin Scotlandis overweight,with onein
blamea high-fatdietandlackofexercise.
12 classedasobese.Healthprofessionals
The London2012 Gamesprovideda worldwideplatformfor McDonald's,Coca-Cola
and Cadbury.McDonald's, which has sponsoredthe Olympics for 36 yearsand is signedup
for anothereight, had four restaùrantsin London's Ol),rnpicPùk, one of which can seat1,500
Coca-Colahassponsorcd
the Olympicssince1928andis signedup until 2020.lt
customers.
frontedthe Olympic torch relay and was London's official soft drinks provider.
Glasgow2014, which is not bound by such long-termdeals,has namedsponsors
including computerfirm Dell or law firm Harper Macleod.No food or drinks firms have so
far been selectedbut a Glasgow2014 sourcesaid organisershad not yet imposedany
Nothingis mled in or out."
restrictions.
Adaptedftom Nelrt Scotsma .com
August2012
(449words)
Anglais - Texte 6
APPSALERT THE DOCTOR WHEN TROUBLE LOOMS
pain or diabetes,
the
For manypatientswith chronicmedicalconditionslike depression,
pattem is predictable:The more they suffer, the more they draw inward. Doctorsmay not see
them until they are in crisis andshowup in an emergencyroom.
Now a digital-eÉ solutionis emerging.Whenpatientswithdraw,their cellphonesmay
reachout for them. The phonesuse an appthat tracks how often they sendtext messagesand
placecalls,andhow oftentheymoveandwherethey go. Iftheir habitsandpattemsdeviatein
â way that suggeststhey've becomewithdrawn, the app alefis a doctor or other caregiverto
checkin.
A handful of hospitals and medical centerchave recently begun testing and using the
technoiogy,with financialbackingfor thesedigital flarescomingftom medicalchains,the
companies.
UnitedStatesrnilitaryândinsurance
The novel approachrelies on technologythat is increasingly standardon smartphones:
that cantrack location and movement.
global positioning systemsatd accelerometers
Soliware is still being testedand studiedfor its elïectiveness.But mental health experts
and rcsearcherssay it showsgreat promise - not just for spottiûg worseûingconditions,but
also for picking up on behaviorchangesthat suggestsomeonehasstoppedtaking medication
or needsa dosagechange.
The companiesand researchersbehind the technologysay they are âwareofthe privâcy
concems.But they note that the patientsmust consent,and that the information goesonly to
family members.They alsosay it is 1ooearlyto gauge
or to designàtÈd
healthprofessionals
what effect it will have on doctorsandhow they work with patients.
The technology is part of a field often rcfened to as "big data" that capturesand sifts
throùgh enormousâmounts of data to better understandand predict bebavior, like buying
pattems,stock-marketmovementsandconditionsthat canleadto military conTlict
in labsaqossthe countryarepursuinga hostof big-data
In the healthfield, researchers
techrologies, iircluding ways to better assess patient behaviors and measure drug
could give
The idea of collectingpatientmovementsand corDmunications
effectiveness.
patients'
memory
or
efforts to
on
behavior
than
relying
doctors morc accuate evidenceof
describetheirproblems.
pointsto possibilities
like
A computerscietceprofessorsaidthepromisingearlyresearch
panems
behavior.
of
of
individual
personalized
based
on
assessments
treatments
increasingly
Doctors could better understandhow a particular treatment,medication or dosageaffects a
patient.
"I'm very excited,but thereis work to be done,"shesaid,adding:"lfhealth \\as easy,we
wouldn'tbe sosick."
Adaptedfrom The \e*' Yotk Times
2012
October
(4,16words)
Atrglais- Texte7
ARE MEN AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
In 2009,in a beachtown in Virginia wheremy family hâd beenvacationingfor several
yeârs,I noticedsomethingcurious.Everytime I vcûturedto the supemarket,say,or the icecreamstore- I almostneversawary men.
But as I spenttime researchingthe subjectI begat to ùnderstandthat somethingseismic
had shifted in the economyandthe culture and that both sexeswere going to haveto adjustto
anentirelynew way ofworking andliving andevenfallingin love.
The new story was that women,for the flrst time in history, had in many ways su?assed
three-quarters
ofthe 7.5 millionjobs lost werelost by men.The \torstmen.[n the recession,
hit industries were overwhelmingly male: consfuction, manufacturing,high finance. The
recession
revealeda profoundeconomicshiftthathasbeengoingon lbr at least30 years.
In 2009, the balanceof the workforce tipped toward women, who continue to occupy
aroundhalf of the nation'sjobs. Women worldwide dominatecollegesand professional
projectedto growthe mostin the UnitedStatesoverthe next
schools.Ofthe 15job categories
decade,12 areoccupiedprimarilyby women.Our vastandstrugglingmiddleclassis slowly
tuming into a matriarchy,with men increasinglyabsentfrom the workforce and from home,
aswomenmakeall thedecisions.
In the past, men derived theft advaûtagelargely from size and stength, but the postindustrial economyis indifferent to brawn. A service and information economyrewardsthe
oppositequalities the onesthat can'tb€ easilyreplacedby a machine.Thes€attributes
the ability to sit still and focus seemto come
social intelligence,open communication,
easilyto women.
Now a much more radical shift seemsto have come aboùt. Women arc not just catching
is measrued.
"Why can'tyou
up anymore;they are becomingthe standardby which success
be morelike your sister?"is a phrasethatrcsotateswith manyparcntsofschool-agechildren.
As parentsimagine the pride of watching a child succeedas an adult, it is more often a girl
thana boy thattheyseein thei mind'seye.
To a certain extent, women also pay a high price for this. Among the college-educaled
class, ambivalencècomes in the forrn of excesschoice. Educatedwomen take their time
finding the perfect paxtner,seekitg out creative,rewardingjobs, and then come home and
their
intensity.Theirlivesarerich with possibilities
parenttheirchildrenwith home-schooling
to
are
not
more
likely
yet
women
these
days
in mostsurveys,
mothersneverdreamedof. And
happierthanwomendid in the 1970s.
ratethemselves
Adaptedfrom The Observer
September
2012
(445words)
Ànglais- Texte8
ARE MOBILE PHONESSAFE FOR CHILDREN TO USE?
Mobileshave beenin use for a relativelyshorttime and cancerscan take decadesto
develop.Howevermost scientistsseemto agreeabout one thing that if mobiles are
hazardous,
childrenmay be morerulnerablethantherestofus to theirpossibleill-effects.
"lf the penetrationof the electromagneticwaves goesfor four centimetresinto the brain,
four centimetresinto the adult hain is just the temporal lobe," saysDr Annie Sascoof the
InstitùteofPublic Health,EpidemiologyandDevelopment
in Bordeaux.
"There arç not too many important functions in the temporal lobe - but in a child,.the
âregoingto be exposed."
morecental brainstructures
"ln addition,kids havea skull which is thinner, lessprotective,they hâvea higher content
of water in the brain, so there are many reasonswhy they absorbmore of the sameradiation,"
sheadds.
The IntemationalAgency for Researchon Cancerhasrecentlyreclassifiedmobile phones
possibly
as
carcinogenic.The re-classificationwas the resnlt of a meetingheld at the
headquârters
ofthe world'sleadingscientists
in the field in Lyons.
They reviewed experimentaldata llom the longestruDningresearchprcject into the use
ofmobile phonesby braincancersufferers.
The strongestevidencecomesfrom the stuciiesof cancerin humansand there was some
evidencethat there may be an associationbetweenthe use of mobile cell-phonesarld certain
tlpes of bIaincaûcer.
that somemobilephoneusersmay be concemed,
it
But while the GSMA acknowledged
saidthat presentsafetystandardsremainvalid, and that therewas needfor firther research.
"I think mobile phonesare a risk for brain tumoursand we havealreadyquite substantiÂl
epidemiological
evidenceshowingthat peoplewho usecell-phonesfor more than l0 years
haveabouta doublingin theirrisk ofglioma, which is a braintumour,quiteoftenfatal,"says
Dr Annie Sasco..
Certainly for parents,giving children mobiles helps to keep tabs on them whet they âIe
out and about in a world full of hazards.But if the hazardis the phoneitself. then we woùld
be wise to take precautions.
After 20 or so yearswith mobiles,thereis no clearevidencethat mobilephoneradiation
damageshealth and many expertssay there is nothing to worry aboùt.But the LN saysthere
might be a problem,and othe$ believetherc definitely is an issue.
So, it is up to the individual to decide whether to dismiss the warnings or take minor
precautions to ensure those thought most vulnerable do not blame us if the most dire
predictionsdo tum out to be coûect.
Adaptedfrom BBC
August2012
(448words)
Arglais- Texte9
ARE SELF-GUIDED CARS GOING TO DRIVE THE NEXT WAVE OF
UNEMPLOYMENT?
The world crosseda significantthresholdlast week when Californiapasseda law
allowingdriverlesscarsto run on stateroadsfrom 2015onwards.Ifpeople noticedthe event
at all, theyprobablysriffed at arotherexampleof Tarzanshowingoffin thejungle,or space
geeksplartingnew flagson the moon.
But specially adaptedhybrids have been driving along roads for severalyears now. To
date,theyhavelogged300,000mileswith only one accident(whena human-controlled
car
ran into oneof them),while 50,000of thosemilesweremn withoutâ hnmar havingto take
thewheel.
Companies
intendto bringautonomous
vehiclesto the marketin five yeârs,pointingout
they would be signihcantlysaferthan driver-controlled
ones,as most of the 40,000people
killed every year on Amedcanroadsare victims of humanenor. Furthemorc,too mâry
peopleare unsatishedwith the currenttransportsystem.They may be handicapped,blind, too
young or too old to drive, or intoxicated after late-night partying. Manual operationof cars
remains inefiicient, and autonomousvehicles would make better use of both roads and car
parks.
Engineershave demonstratedthat with smartsoftuare and an anay of sensors,a machine
perform
can
sophisticated,
complextasksmost of us assumedwould alwaysrequirehuman
capabilities.And thal meansow assumptionsabout what machinescan arrd cannot do are
ugently in need of updating. For example,economistsare increasinglypuzzled by the fact
that evenafterthe US recession
officially ended,job-creationis rnuchlower thanexpected.
Economictheory saysthat when companiesbegin to becomeprofitable, they buy equipment
and hire workers.Today, companiesare still buying machines,but they'renot employing
workels.
So wheredid the jobs go? As you'd expecttom economistsj
thereare lots of theories.
The most intriguing explanationhas been offered by MIT academicsir RaceAgainst the
Machine. Their view is that advancesin computingof the kind embodiedby the self-driving
cal representthe next wave of job-elimiûating technology.Many skills that were considered
to be our pdde andjoy (suchas driving) might soonbecome\{olthless,at leastin the job
market.
ln fact, Moore's law, which statesthat computingpower doublesevery 18 months,
implies that even complex forms of intelligencecan ultimatelybe replacedby massive
porver.
processing
And asfor scepticswho think driverlesscarsaretoo anod]'neto appealto most moto sts,
there is the uncomfortablefact that we're driving less,year after year.Costsdrain the romance
from cruising.And youngpeoplearc not lustingto own cârslike theyusedto in the post-war
Cadillaceraportrayedir AmericdnGralJiti.
Adaptedfrom The Observer
October2012
(460words)
Àrglais - Texte l0
ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?
Nasa'sCn'iosi|l, the rover now on Mârs, may find evidencefor creatùresthat lived early
in Martian history; firm evidencefor eveû the most pdmitive bugs would have huge imporl
But what really fuels popularimaginationis the prospectof advancedlife - the "aliens"
in thoselocations.
fâmiliarfrom sciencefiction andnobodyexpectsa complexbiosphere
Suppose,however,we widen our gazebeyondour solar system.Astronomemhave leamt
that other stars have planets circling round them The data provided by Nasa's ,(epler
spacecraftalreadyrevealsthousandsof suchplanets.But we'd really like to seethem directly
- not just their shadows and thafs hard. To realisejust how hard, supposedn alien
wasviewingEarth.Our planetwould seema paleblue
with a powerfultelescope
astronomer
dot, very closeto a star (oul sun) that outshinesit many billion times. But if the hypothetical
aliens could detectEarth, they could leam quite a bit about it They could get information of
andclimate.
topography
the lengthofdays,seâsons,
We know too little about how life beganon Earth to lay conldent odds about finding
advancedlife somewhereelse.It may have involved a fluke so rarethat it hâppenedonly once
in the entire galaxy. On the other hand, it may have been almost inevitable, given the right
environment. [n the text two decâdes we can expect progress in understandingthe
biochemisùyof life's origins:this is one of the greatunsolvedproblems,which is crucialin
guiding astronome$on how andwhereto searchfor alien life
questionwhetherit's likely to
Evenif simplelife is common,iÎ is, of coufse,a separate
don't agree on how
Indeed,
evolutiotists
complex.
intelligent
or
evolve into anlthing
divergeirtly our oun biospherecould have developedif ice agesand meteoriteirnpactshad
happeneddifferettly. It for instance, the dinosaurshadn't been wiped oùt, the chain of
manmalian evolution that led to humansmight havebeenpreventedand it's not cleaxwhether
anotherspecieswould havetaken our role.
Advancedlife must be Ére. Many starsarc a billion yearsolder than our sun.Life, were
it common, would have had a head start arcund these more ancient sta$. So why havet't
aliens already come here? There is substanceto this argùment However,we mustt't be too
anthropomoiphic:some advancedlife could be unimaginably different from that on Eaxth.
Otherscould be living contemplativelives, doing nothing to revealtheir presence.
We may leam in the coming decadeswhether biological evolution is unique to the pale
blue dot in the cosmos that is our home, or whether Darwin's wdt runs through a wider
universethat teemswith life evenwith intelligence.
Adapledfiorr' The Gua lian
20l2
September
(453words)
Anglais- Texte 11
AS II{DIA'S ECONOMY GROWS, SO DOES ITS GARBAGE
The garbagetrucks regularly line up for hours here outside Bangalore's last ofiicial
landfill, their burdens putrerying in the aftemoon sun. A stinking mountain of trash, the
landfill hasbeenpoisoninglocalwatersandsickeningnearbyvillagers.Anotherlandfill was
in evenworseshapebeforeit closedrecentlyafterviolentprotests.
Bangalore,the capital of the modem Ildian economy and home to many of its hightecbnologyworkers,is drowningin its owû waste.Trashis India'splague.It chokesdvers,
scarsmeadows,contaminatesstreetsând nurtures a vast and dangerousecosystemof Éts,
mosquitoes,stray dogs, monkeysand pigs. Perhapseven more than the Iitful electricity and
chaotic taïfic, the ubiquitous garbagedemonstratesthe incompetenceof Indian govemance
and the dark side ofthe country's rapid economicgrowth. Greaterwealth has spawnedmore
garbage,and the rnanagersofthe countly's pell-mell developmenthavebeenurable to hândlc
the load,evenin thecitiesIndiansprizethemostard look to astheirmodelsfor the l'uture.
"Bangaloreusedto be India'scleanestcity," saidAmiya Kumar Sahu,presidentof the
garbagecrisis
NationalSolidWasteAssociation
oflndia. "Now, it's the filthiest."Bangalore's
grew directly out of its stunningsuccess.Technologycornpaniesstartedsettling in Bangalore
hackedout of urban chaos,
in the 1980s.As they grew, many createdpristinecampuses
supplying their own electricity, water, traûsportationand a rare senseof tranquility. But the
wherethe compânies'executives
built mansions
is drattheyhad
dirty secretofthosecampuses
nowhereto put tleir hash. Many hired tuckers to take the messout ofthe city, careful rot to
ask where it went. The truckersfound empty iots or wiiling farmersancisimply dumpedtheir
loads.The city soon followed the companies'lead.
"We never followed scientificlandfill
practices,"RajneeshGoel, Bangalore'schief civil servant,said in â.r inter.Jiew."All that
ground water contaminationis going to come to us; moæ than 300 of our lakes are alreâdy
gone.The problemis gettingout ofhand,andeventuallyit will swallowusup."
Few expect the Bangaloremunicipal govemmert to solve the problem itself. Insteada
network of nonprofit groups has spnmg up to conceive and implement recycling projects
the thousands
of rag pickemwho daily paw
acrossthe city, andthosegroupshaveembraced
thrcughthe city's garbageto retrievevaluablerefuselike paper,glassand certainplastics.For
that systemto work, however,householdsin Bangaloremust separatetheir trashinto wet food
waste,dry recyclableslike plastics and paper,and medical waste.The city tries to persuade
residents
to dojust that.
"The city is at its knees," said KaplanaKar, the city's wastenanagementadvisor,"we
don't havea choice."
Adaptedfrom lre New York Times
October2012
(457words)
Anglais- Texte 12
ATTENTION DISORDER OR \OT. PILL'' T0 HELP I\ SCHOOLS
i:--. : :l : - r ! ---When Dr. A]tdersonhearsabout his 1o\L_ira
he usually givesthem a tasteofsome poùerlul n::::::'
Thepills boostfocusandimpulsecontrolin chi'J:.' '
disorder.ÀlthoughA.D.H.D is the diagnosisDr. -'\nJerr' .
up" and "an excùse"to prescribethe pjlls to treat\\hâ1"
schools.
in inadequate
performance
pooracademic
-:
_ r rrneûtaryschool,
- - ::::H) Per activitY
. - : ,:_::: .r ldcr"made
: _: - - :::a i lrueill -
_: :::11 Butsome
is represenuli\3
It is not yetclearwhetherDr. Anderson
':: : ' :::
1orais' l-r:::; ':: : ::'j:s in colleges
expertsnotetirataswealthystudettsabusestimulants
anàhigh schools,the medicationsare beingusedon lo\\'incLrme::;:-:':::1 '-r'rLrl children
wiLhfalteringgradesard parenlseagerto seethemsLlccced'
i''rlcs a little
Dr. Anderson'sinstjnctis that of a socialjuslicethinker\\ho is e\ ':::: :':
\\ith their
bit. The childrenhe secswith academicproblemsare essenliâll)irli :l:i'ir:J
lhe'rir: like rutoring
environment.Becausethefufamiliescan rarelyaffbrd behavior-bascd
and family counseling,medicationbecomesthe mostreliableand pragnali' \\a\ lo rcdirect
the studentto\À'ardsuccess
to
Someexpertsseelittle harm il1 a rcsponsiblephysicianusingAD H D nrcdications
help a strùggljngstudent.Othersfear that doctorsare exposingchildrento un\rananted
risks. Repofiedside eflectsof the drugshare inciudedgrowth
ptrysicd anà-psychoiogical
and,iù ffe cases'psychoticepisodes
bloodpressure
irtcreased
s,,rppression,
The disorder,which is charâctedzedby severeinattentionand impulsivity' is an
increasinglycommonpsychiatdcdiagnosisamongAmedcanyouth The rcpodedpre\alence
of *r" aiiia". nut risen stcadilyfor morethan a decade.with sornedoctorsgratifiedby its
wideningrecognitionbut othersfearlùlthat the diagnosisandthe drugsto treatit arehaûded
therâpies'
out too looselyandat the exclusionof non-phamaceutical
The Drug EnforcementAdministrationclassifiesthese medicationsas SchedulelI
becausethey areparticularlyaddictiveLong-termeffectsof extended
ControlledS;bstânces
use are not well undeistood,said manymedicalexpets some of them worry that childret
D'
can becomedependenton the medicationwell into adulthood'iong after âny A D H
symptomscandissipale.
Dr. Andersot says that every child he treats with A D H D medicationhas met
qualifications and if tire school had other ideas they would implement them' but the other
to mcds
compared
iàeascoslmone)andresouceq
He ad<lsthat they might not know the long-teÛ[ effects,but they do knoq''the short-term
personand
costsof schoolfailure,which arereal.He saysthathe is lookingto the iûdividual
wheretheyareright now. Hc seeshimselfasthedoctorfor thepatient'not for society
Adaptedftom lrie New York Times
October2012
(445words)
Anglais- Texte 13
BAD MEDICINE
Patientswânt drugs to be safe.Bùt even in supposedlywell-run health systems,they can
be useless
or deadly.No oneknowsexactlywhatshareofmedicinesarefake,ill-made,stolen
or diverted.
But badpharmais a globalproblem,which nationâldrug-safety
agenciesare struggling
to contain.It particularlyafflictscountdeswhereoffrcialsarebribable,healthsystemsla,t and
consumemdesperâte.In Nigeria, Africa's largestmarketfor medicines,a surveyby the World
in 2011 foundthat 640 of antimalarialdrugswerefake.Over 700loof
HealthOrganization,
drugsconsumedin Nigeria are impodedûom India and China,widely seenas the biggest
sourceoffakes.
havepeddledworthlesscuresfor millennia.But the 21stcenturyis a golden
Salesmen
agefor baddrugs.Pricepressureencourages
evenwell-intentioned
firms to cut comers.For
criminals, fake pharmais lucrative and the penalliesâre usually low. Indeedthe drug-supply
chain is a cheat'sparadise.Raw materialscome from one place and are processedinto active
ingredientsin another.Manufactu ng and packagingmay be separate.Betbre reachingthe
dispensary,the drug passesthrough disfibution chainsand may be re-packaged.This fieates
a regulatory nightmare.In the caseof Heparin, a contaminatedblood thinner that killed 149
Americanpeoplein 2008, Chinesesuppliersreplacedthe main ingredientwith a cheaper
dangercus substancethat still passed authentication tests. This yeal, Avastin, a cancer
medicine,hoppedftom Turkey to Britain to America through a Canadianonline pharmacy:it
\ras fake and containedno âctive iûgredient.
Someintemationaloperationsaxeled to steln the scourge.The latest raids involved 100
countriesaûd shut down over 18,000onlinepill-pushers.Yet most intematioirâleJïoftsare
moving slowly. For years govemmentsand companieshave talked about "track-and-trace"
systemsto id€ntiry and authenticatemedicire. Thoughthe technologyexists,countriescannot
agreewhat to use.Different firrns hawk their own schemes;regulatorsdisagreeaboutwhat to
tlack.
an impressive
So individualstatesare takirg their own steps.Nigeriahas spearheaded
from
tetth
in 5 years.
which
has
brought
the
share
of
fake
medicine
half
to
a
counterattack
One meânsis TruScan,a cheaphand-heldspectoscopethat allows officials to spot fakes at
of fakes(detaining2,000peoplein August).
the poirt ofimport. Chinahasstagedbig seizures
It executedits top drug-official in 2007 for approving untestedmedicite in exchangefor
bribes.America'sFood and Drug Administration,FDA has steadilyreachedabroad.Since
2008,it hasopenedofficesin China,India, SouthAfric4 Mexico,Belgiumand manyother
countdes.
A recentlaw setshigher penaltiesfor counterfeitersand allocatesmore money to the agency
to inspectmore factoriesoverseas.But eventhe FDA admits it caTmotpolice the world's drug
suDDlv
alone.
Adaptedftom The Economist
October2012
(456words)
Anclais- T€xte 14
BIAS PERSISTSFOR WOMEN OF SCIENCE
widely regardfemaleundergraduates
asless
ScienceprcfessoNat Americanuniversities
and skills, a tew study by
.ompetentthan male studentswith the sameaccomplishments
were
As
a
result,
the
report
found,the professors
researchers
at Yale Univenity concluded.
job,
the salaty
lesslikely to o1ïerthe womena job. And evenif they werewilling to offer a
rvaslower. The bias was peNasive,the scientistssaid,and probablyteflectedsubconscious
werejust
Femaleprofessors
cultulalinfluencesratherthanovertor deliberatediscrimination.
just as
and biology pro{èssors
as biasedagainstwomen studentsas their male colleagues,
biasedas physicsprofessors,even thoughmore than half of biology majorsarc women,
\\'hereas
menfal outnumberwomenin physics.
Nancy Hopkins, a professorof biology at the M.l.T., who has long talked aboul
the studyas"enormouslyimportant."Dr.
continuingbarriersto womenin science,described
women
overthe cowseofa career,slowedma11y
Hopkinssaidthat smallslights,âccumulated
"They're
getting
get
level
to
to
the
top,"
she
said.
ofscience."They don't havetheconfidence
uùdercut.Peopletend to think that the problemhasgoneaway,but alas,it hasn't."
by a
havelong beencomplicated
Discussions
of genderbiasin scienceandmathematics
preferential
affirmative
treatment
through
whether
women
rcceive
factors
including
host of
action or wheth€r innate differencesindeed exist betweenmen and women. To avoid such
complications, the Yale researcherssought 1o design the simplest study possible. They
contactedprcfessorsin the biology, chemistryand physicsdepartmentsat six major research
rmiversities- dùee p vate and three public, unnamed in rhe study and asked them to
evaluate,as part of a study, arl âpplication from a recent graduateseeking a position as a
laboÉtory manag€r.
All ofthe professorsreceivedthe sâmeone-pagesummary,which pofirayedthe applicant
themlthical applicantwasnamed
aspromisingbut not stellar.But in halfofthe descdptions,
(127in
Johnandin halfthe applicântwasnamedJennifer.About30 percentof the plofessorc
On a scaleof I to 7, with 7 beinghighest,professoNgaveJohnan avenge
all) responded.
and Jennifer3.3-Johnwas alsoseenmorefavorablyas someone
scoreof 4 for competence
laboratories
or would be willing to mentor. The averagestarting
might
hire
for
their
rhey
salaryofferedto Jènniferwas$26,000.To Johnit was$30,000andthebiashadno relatiorto
rheprofessor'sage,sex,teachingfield or tenurestatus.
Dr. Handelsmansaid previous studies hâd shown similar subconsciousbias in other
that
manyresponded
the concemswith otherscientists,
But when shediscussed
occupations.
theyweretained to analyzeobjectivedatarationâlly.
wouldriseaboveit because
scientists
Adaptedfrom /re New vorh Times
September20I 2
(457words)
Anglais- Texte l5
BIG BROTHER IS WATCIIING YOU MORE CLOSELY TIIAN EVER
the technologyhasbecome.Now fâcescanbe
Most peoplehaveno ideahow advanced
trackedfrom half a mile away.Thanksto softwarecalled IntelligencePedestrianSurveillance,
and even'gait analysis',to spot
camerasare capableof facialrecogûition,facialcomparison
peoplewalkingsuspiciously.
This is a profoundly disturbinghend. To understandhow we got to this stateyou needto
hark back to February 12, 1993 - a landmark moment that transformedthe relationship
andindividuallibety.
betweensurveillance
The police releaseda blurry CCTV image of a trusting toddler taking a sûangerby the hand
and being led out of a Liverpool shoppingcentre.That was two-year-oldJamieBulger, whose
bodl hadbeenloundon a raih.raltrack
This wasseenasa hugeandverywelcomebreaktkoughin policing.Althoughthe cameÉdid
not prcventthe crime, its imageshelpedthe police find the two boyswho were later convicted
of his murder.
we now havcasmanyastwo million cameiâsin Britain.Thatis onefor evcry30 peoplc.
It is said that on any given day in a city centr€,the averagepersonis likely to be spottedby
CCTV 300times.
Camerasdeployedin airports,milway stationsand outside goverDmettbuildings are an
important part of counter-terodsm strâtegy.
Increasingly,however,aswith other forms of surveillance,it is local authodtiesthal are most
keento pry into our lives.
Big BrorherWatch,a groupsetup to chailengepoliciesthat threateûour civii liberties,
and to exposethe true scaleof the surveillancestate,reportedrecently thâl 100,000cameras
asmanyas200 insidetoiletsandchangingrooms.
arein usein schools- andastonishingly
Yet the propo ion of crimesactuallysolvedby camerasis believedto be low. So, are
andefncientmeansof cdmeprevention?
canemsthe mostcost-effective
Money that might have been spent on street lighting or bobbies on the beat is thlown at
technology.
And,ofcoursè,manycriminalshidetheirfacesto avoidrecognition.
For the most part, the public appearsto supportcamelas while having little idea ofhow
much they arebeing filmed.
Most camerasare installed without public consultation.Thereare few rules aboutwhere they
areplaced,who can opeBte them andwhat happensto the imagesstored.
And it is extemely difficult for any citizen to get hold of any imagestaken of them or to
discoverwhetherthey have sincebeendestroyedor still exist.
societicsin the world. Do we really
Britain has becomeone of the most watched-over
wherever
we
arc?
want to be monitoredround-the-clock,
lt om M ail Onl i ne
Adapted,
October2012
(447words)
Anglais- Text€16
BRITISH CLIMBERS RELIYE ORDEAL OF < LAST GREAT CLIMB >
IN HIMALAYAS
While GreatBritain was excellingat the LondonOlympics,SandyAllan, 57, ard Rick
hungerand frostbiteit conqueringa ridge on Nanga
Allen, 59, were sufferingexhaustion,
Parbat.
Sandy Allan and his climbing pafiner Rick Allen were at their last camp below the
summit ofNanga Parbat,the world's ninth highestmountain,when they gatheredtogetherthe
food they had left. After 14 days on the vast unclimbed Mazeno Ridge - the longest in the
Himalayas it amountedto a packetof Mcvitie's Digestivesbiscuits.A lightertheyhadtaket
with them had stoppedworking, its flint wom through.The only spare,they realised,was in
the pocket of another member of the team who, exhaustedand demoralised,had already
decidedto descend.
was that they could not light their stoveto boil snowfor water,essential
The consequence
ofdehydration is the risk of frostbite
on the world's highestmountaiûswhete the consequence
and pulmonaryand cerebraloedema.They hoped,however,that they could rcach the sunrnit
and descendthe imposing Diamft Facein a dây and a half; they were countingon fixed ropes
left by other expeditions.In reality, it took them thee full daysto get down from the summil
without any food or water, a lengthy stuggle throughdeepsnow at the limits of survival.
Even with the most optimistic assumptions planning for eight days' food and fuel they
thought they could stetch to l0 - the climb took l8 days with seven different camp and
bivouacsites,someof them no more than snowholes."We didn't think it would take 18
days". The other four team membercwould becomeexhaustedand "discouraged"by the scale
beforethe final ascent.
ofthe ridge,electingto descend
In the midst of the Olympics, the achievementof the two men in climbing the ridge
dubbedthe "last greatproblem ofthe Himalayas"passedalmostunnoticed ln the mofihs that
asthe mostimpressiveBritishascenton an 8,000mpeak
followed,it hasbecomerecognised
ln a generatron.
.
Now that their story can be told in full for the first time, it is even more remarkable,not
oftheir ages:Allan was57 andRick Allen 59 whentheymadetheirclimb.
leastbecause
First explored by British mountaineerAlbert Mummery, who died on the moùntain in
1895,NangaParbatbecamethe focus of Geman and Aùst an climbersbetweenthe first and
by HermarmBuhl in 1953.
secondworld warsandaffer 1945;it wasfinally conquered
"It hadalwaysinspiredme,"saidAllan.
Among those who praised the ascentwas climber Doug Scott who describedit as an
"incredibleachievement".
Adaptedfrom The obserrer
November2012
(456words)
Anglâis- Texte 17
CIIILD OBDSITY: WHY DO PARENTS LET THEIR KIDS GET FAT?
new
The healthrisksfor obesechildrenmay be evengreaterthanprevioùslyestimated,
research
suggests.
Sowhy do parentslet theirchildrengetfàt?
The recent start of the new school year was grcetedwith reports of a dramaticrise in
demandfor extalarge wiforms for primaryschoolpupils.Justover33% of 1l-year-oldsare
now overweight or obesearld among four and five-year-oldsit's 220%,accordingto figures
the height ând weight of primary
from the Child MeasurementProgramme,which assesses
.choolchildrenin England.
New researchpùblished today by the Universif of Oxford also suggeststhat obese
children and adolescentshave severalrisk factors for hea( diseâse,including raised blood
with normalweightchil&en.
pressure
andcholestercl,
compâred
Obesityexpertssay parentsare sfuggliûg with a multitude ofproblems when it comesto
their child'sweight.They rângefrom a lack of educationaboutfood, limited cookingskills
and limited money to bùy healthier food to longer working hours and marketing campaigls
for junk food aimed at kids. But the more sedentarylives childrcn now lead is also creating
huge problems. Last week a study suggestedthat up to 75% of junior school children
preferredto stay at home than go to their nearby park. Watchitg TV was one of the most
popularactivities,with 89% sayingit washow they liked bestto spendtheirtime awayfiom
In July, scientistsllom Universityof Monteâl claimed
school,accordingto researcheN.
a
every extra hour oiteievision that todcilerwatcheseachweek addsto their waist sizeby the
time theyturn 10.
While the problemsparentsface might be increasingso is evidenceaboutthe dargersof
obesity.However,despitethe rise in child obesity,expertssay it's wrong to just blâme
parents."They definitely have a æsponsibility, but the issùe is much broaderthaû simply
blamingthen," saysPaul Gately,prcfessorof exerciseand obesityat LeedsMetropolitan
University. Many parentsdon't realise their child is fat when it might be obvious to othcr
people,he says.
According to studies, 757o of parentsunderestimatedthe size of ân overweight child,
while 50o%underestimatedthe size of an obesechild. Even more surprisingly,a similal study
producedn€arlythesameresults.
professioûs
ofhealthcare
The expefi's view is that despiteall the talk about tackling child obesity, the reality is
help out there.Most dieteticsewiceswill not seeobesekids
thereis very little professional
becausethey don'Î think they can be effective. They kllow losing weight is about more than
just the diet. We clearly need an approachthat combinesdiet, exercise,educâtionând
psychological
support.
Adaptedfrom B,BCNewsMagazine
September2012
(455words)
Anclais - Texte l8
CHILDREN OF SYRIA BADLY TRAUMATISED
Children from war-tom Syria are being badly ûaumatsedfrom witnessingkillings'
torture and other atocities in the country'sconflict, a charity haswamed'
Harrowitg testimonycollectedfrom refugeesin the "save the Chil&eri' charityprojects
îave been the target of brutal attacks' seenthe deathsof parents'
reveals that y-oungsters
siblings and other children, andhavewitnessedandexperiencedtorture'
The charity is working to help children come to terns wilh the devastatng mentâl
scaningof theirexperiencelprovidingspecialists'suppofito thoseshowingsignsofdistess
including self-harm,nightmaresand bedwetting
of all
The aid agencyis alsocallingfor the UnitedNationsto stepÙpits documentation
rightsin Slria ândthatit shouldhavemoreresoÛcesto do this' sothal
violationsof c-hildr;n's
cdmesagainstchildrenarcnot committedwith impunity.
Savethe Children'schief executive,said: "No child shouldever seethe holaolsbeing
describedon a daily basis to our staff on the ground; sto es of tortule, murder àld terror'
They needspecialists'emotionalsupportto cometo termswith theseshockingexperiences
fol theseappalling
so thoseresponsible
and their storiesneedto be heardând documented
"
crimesagainstchildret canbe heldto accou'lt.
The charity has releasedUntold Atrocities' a collection of first-hand accountsof the
conllict from children and parentsreceivinghelp from Savethe Children after fleeing Syria'
The accountscoûtain graphic details of how children ale caught up in Syria's wâr:
torture'
and.in somecases.experiencing
witnessingmassacres
"Dead bodiesalong with injured peoplewere scatteredall over the ground l found body
parts all over each other. Dogs were eating the deadbodiesfor two days after the rnassacre"
told a memberofthe charity.
al4 year-oldyoungster
survived
"This six-year-oldboy wastorturedmorethananyoneelsein thatroom He only
year-old
boy'
for threedaysandthenhe simplydied,"saidanother15
Even thoughSavethe Childrenis providingspecialisthelp to childrento reco\er fiom
they have beenrefusedpermissionto enterSyria to help more children'
their experienc-es,
Much oithe children'stestimony,however,coroboratesviolations documentedby the United
Nations and human rights organisationsin recent months A lot of children have indeed
staftedself-hatmingasihey struggleto cometo termswith what they havebeenthrough
Save the Children is on the ground on Syda's borders' providing emotiotal supportto
thousandsof childrenwho have fled to neighbouringcountries,helpingthem recoverfrom
its
their experiencesand rebuild their lives The agencyhas launchedan appealto help fund
work iû the region.
Adaptedfrom Î,'e 1zdePendenl
20l2
September
(441words)
Anglais- Texte19
CLOSED DRUG TRIALS LEAVE PATIENTS AT RISK AND DOCTORS
IN TIIE DARI(
This week, Daily Telegraph readers have been astonishedby revelations about the
incompetent
regulationof implantablemedicaldevices.This paperhasclearlydemonstrâÎed
thatpatientsareput at risk, because
offlawed andabsentlegislation.But manyoftheseissues
applyevenmorewidely to theregulationofall medicines,andat thecoreis a scandalthathas
beenshamefullyignoredby politicians.
The storyis simple:drug companies
canhideinfomation abouttheir drugsfrom doctors
andpatents,pedectlylegally,with the helpof regulators.
While industryandpoliticiansdeny
the existenceof this problem, it is widely recognisedwithin medical academia,and
meticulouslywell-docturented.
The curent bestestmateis that half of all drug trials never
getpublished.
hasspentar estimated€500million stockpilingTamiflu,a medicineto
The GoverTùnent
help prevent pneumoniaand death in caseof an avian flu epidemic. Bùt the manufacturer
cortinues to withhold vitally important information on trials of this drug from Cochrane
Library, the universally respectedauthority, which produces gold-standardsummarieson
medicinesfor doctorsand patients.Nobody in the Departmentof Health or any regulatorhas
raiseda whisperaboutthis.
In fact, while regulatom should be helping to inform docto6, and prctect patients, in
reality they have conspired with companies to withhold infomation aboùt trials. The
EuropeanMedicinesAgency, which now approvesdrugs for use in Britain, spentmore than
three years refusing to hand ovei informatior on two wid€ly used weight loss drugs. The
agency's excuses were so poor that the Euopean Ombudsman made a finding of
maladministration.
Even the National Institute for Health aûd Clinical Excellence,plays along with this
game. Sometimeschunks of its summarydocumentson the benefits and risks of drugs axe
rewritten, becausedata have only been sharedby companiesunder unethical "confidentiality
agreements".
The numbersareblackedout in the tablesto preventdoctorsseeingthe benefits
from a drug in eachtrial; and ever the namesofthe trials areblackedoul.
Regulatorshave lacked ambition. Politicians have ignored the issue. Joumalists have
been scaredoff by lobbyists.Worst of all, the doctorsin medicalmembershipbodies,the
Royal Collegesandthe Societies,even the patient groups- many of them futded by industry
- have let us all down.
This mustchange.We needmuscularlegislationto ensue that all infomation aboutall
trials on all currentlyused drugsis made availableto doctors.We needthe membersof
patientgoups and medicalbodiesto forcetheir leadersto act. And we needEU medicine
regulatorsto be held to public account,for the harm they haveinflicted on us.
Adaptedfrom lre , aily Telegraph
October2012
(451words)
Ànglais- Texte20
COCOA - AND YOUR CHOCOLATE FIX _ IS UNDER THR-EAT
The effectsof climatechangecanbe seenall aroundus. Glaciersare shrinking,water
levelsare changing.The rapid escalationof changepairedwith very convincingscientific
evidencesuggests
we'recausingit. It meanswe might havea chanceat arestingor reversing
rt,
One areawhere we'rc really starting to seethe effects of climate changeis with global
agricultwe.Most cropsgrow within a relativelynaûow rângeof climaticconditions.They
need the right amount of lain and sunshi[e, they need to grow in the right kind of soil,
becausethey've evolved and beenbred for very specific conditions.You cant grow bànanas
in Alaska.
In areaswhere somecrops have tmditionallybeen grown with great succ€ss,we're
startingto seeproblems.Crop failures arç occuning where they shouldn'tand thosefailures
are definitively comected to changesin the climate. what's happeningto the cocoacrop in
Africa is mostcertainlylinkedto climatechange.WestAfrica is a majorcocoaproducerbut
it is gettiûg too hot and might not be able to grow it any more unlessresearcherscan develop
plants capableof handlinghotter,drier conditions.This raisesconcems
drought-tolerant
aboutreactirebreeding
andgenetic
engineering.
Chocolateis also a huge industry, with a number of major companiesinvolved in the
tanspod, processing,and production of chocolate.For west Aftican farmers, the loss of
cocoa farms could present seriousproblems. Those farms were instailed in the first piace
becauseof the high demandfor cocoain the west,displacingfood cropsand subsistetce
farming. Cocoa farming in some regions dates to colonial rule and, as a legacy of
colonialism, its decline could have very far-reachingeffects. Without cocoa, communities
will have trouble supportirg themselves,providing employnent to residents,feeding
themselvesandmaintaining social order.
Temporaryfixes in the order of food aid are often proposed,but those arcn't going to
solve the larger problem: we are drying Aftica out, we are milking it for all the resourceswe
can get, and then we axeabandoningthe emptyhusk and letting peoplefend for themselves.It
is a twisted systemwe have created.Since climate changeis heavily influenced by westem
practicesand lifestyles, including pressureson the global south to "develop" in the way we
deemappropriate,we must tie environmettal justice in with the larger picture of colonialism,
food security and taditional ways of life urder thùeat.This isn't just about handing aid to
Africa or providing assistance.Cocoafarms were built at our demandto cater for our hunger
for chocolate,and now that they are facing a very real crisis, we needto examineour role in
the development
of thatcdsis.
A.daptedfiom The Guardian
November2012
(458words)