English with Babaeva

​ For the past few decades, many of us have relied on "Doctor Google" to self-diagnose aches, pains and complaints. The advent of AI has brought a much more powerful tool to assist with medical diagnoses – ChatGPT-4. This is the next-generation version of the chatbot ChatGPT, which was unveiled only four months ago. Doctors believe the new AI will revolutionize their work and improve the lives of their patients. Three artificial intelligence experts have written an e-book titled: "The AI Revolution in Medicine". In it, they say ChatGPT-4 will provide surgeons with critical, life-saving advice and information in real time. The authors say: "We need to start understanding and discussing AI's potential." The new e-book says ChatGPT-4 will become invaluable to medical practitioners. It suggests the chatbot will be the equivalent of having "a benevolent mentor-servant with access to nearly all the world's medical knowledge" at your disposal. T...

​ British people are big tea drinkers. It is a tradition in Britain to drink tea for different occasions and reasons. People have it for breakfast, for when guests visit, and for tea breaks at work. People even "have a cuppa" when they talk about their personal problems. However, research from The Tea Group shows that herbal, fruit and other teas have become more popular than traditional English breakfast tea. Researchers conducted a survey of more than 2,000 tea lovers. Over half of people said their favourite tea was not the traditional variety. Over a fifth of people chose green tea as their favourite brew. Just over 20 per cent said Earl Grey was their number one.   Sales of traditional tea in the U.K. have been declining. Three years ago, a survey found that 54 per cent of Britons preferred English breakfast tea. The new research shows that breakfast tea is likely to continue to decline in popularity. The researchers found many other things about tea-drinking habits in t...

​ There is a plethora of research on the potential harm of the Internet. However, new research suggests that spending time online could be good for the mental health of older people. A study conducted by researchers from New York University found that regular Internet use could reduce the risk of dementia in those over 50. Study co-author Dr Virginia Chang explained why there could be a link between being online and better mental health. She wrote: "Online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which can in turn compensate for brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia." The study concluded that "regularly using the Internet may be associated with cognitive longevity".   Researchers analyzed data from an American health and retirement study. This research involved questioning 18,154 adults over the age of 50 every two years for 16 years. All of the participants were dementia-free at the start of the research. Everyone was asked about their p...

​ The government in the U.K. will allow cosmetics to be tested on animals for the first time in 25 years. It banned testing in 1998. It was still allowed on animals if there were great benefits for humans. This meant scientists could test chemicals on animals to develop new medicines. However, a court in London said animal testing for cosmetics could start again. The judges in the court followed European Union laws on the safer use of chemicals in animal testing. One chemical that can now be tested on animals is already widely used. It is in sunscreen, foundation and skincare products. The U.K. government said it was "committed to the protection of animals in science". Many people are angry with the government's decision. Surprisingly, many cosmetics companies are unhappy. A group called Cruelty Free International, which is made up of over 80 cosmetics brands, wrote a letter to the U.K. government. It said changing the law was a terrible decision. A spokesperson for the B...

​ The UK's Prince William has a new mission. He wants to end homelessness in his country. There are more than 300,000 people sleeping in doorways and on the streets across Britain. In London, the number of "rough sleepers" has increased by 20 per cent in the past year. William will follow the example set by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. She took him to a homeless charity when he was a schoolboy. He said he would never forget the sadness he felt to see people without a home. William told reporters that: "In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home." He added that people should, "be treated with dignity and given the support they need". Prince William helped to start a charity called Homewards. Its aim is to end rough sleeping, sofa surfing and temporary housing. He hopes to be as successful as Finland, where being without a home is almost a thing of the past. Homewards has a five-year project that will focus ...

​ Ramen is becoming more and more popular around the world. It is a noodle dish of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a rich broth. Common flavours are soy sauce and miso, and common toppings include sliced pork, dried seaweed, bamboo shoots and spring onions. A restaurant in Taiwan has added a new ingredient – a crocodile foot. The Witch Cat Kwai restaurant in Yunlin has named its dish "thick witch crocodile ramen". Photos of the ramen have gone viral on social media. Internet users are calling it "Godzilla ramen". The restaurant's owner told CNN Travel that the ramen is very popular. There is a long waiting list to eat at the restaurant. It is fully booked until the end of August. The Godzilla ramen is not cheap. One bowl costs about $50. The chef said the soup and the crocodile foot take about three hours to cook. He prepares just 10 feet a day. The chef uses 40 types of fresh ingredients. First, he cleans the foot and rubs it with alcohol. Then, he covers...

​ Only a handful of countries are famous for producing cheese. Switzerland is one of them. However, for the first time, Switzerland is importing more cheese than it exports. The reason is that in the 1990s, Switzerland opened up its milk market. This meant other countries could sell milk in Switzerland. The result is that Swiss farmers have had difficulty competing with the cheaper, imported milk. Many Swiss dairy farmers have given up because they can no longer make a profit. This has led to a decrease in the quantity of cheese made in Switzerland. A spokesperson for the Swiss Dairy Association said the country can now only produce enough cheese for its own population. Swiss cheese like Gruyere and Emmental are well known for their high quality. Restaurants worldwide add these cheeses to their menus. However, eateries and supermarkets around the world may have to replace Swiss cheeses with those from England, France or Venezuela. Even though Switzerland is not exporting as much cheese...

​ The emergence of artificial intelligence has brought consternation to people in all manner of industries. The investment bank Goldman Sachs has reported that AI could replace more than 300 million jobs worldwide in the next decade. Hollywood actors went on strike earlier this week demanding safeguards against AI replacing humans. One sector that could benefit from bots is gaming. Dr Richard Wilson, boss of the UK games association TIGA, said artificial intelligence would, "lead to more games being made and more jobs". He said: "AI would reduce the cost of making games and speed up the process. Reducing overall development costs means more game studios, and therefore more jobs." Gaming has greatly advanced because of AI and was one of the first industries to utilize it. Daniel Wood, co-CEO of the games body UKIE, told the BBC how important AI has been for his trade. He said: "The video games industry is always at the cutting edge of technology, so we are alrea...

​ High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the leading preventable cause of heart disease. It affects an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide. New guidelines from the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) include meditating for 45 minutes each day to reduce blood pressure. The ISH says "body and mind" goals should be adopted in conjunction with established advice, like cutting down on salt, limiting alcohol intake, and exercising regularly. Study author Dr Bryan Williams told the BBC: "It all sounds like it is a bit…fluffy, but these things make such an important contribution to reducing the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system, and the evidence is accumulating." Hypertension is often referred to as the "silent killer" because it rarely presents symptoms. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. It kills approximately 10 million people every year. Nearly half of Americans and 30 percen...

​ Women across Iceland joined their prime minister in going on strike on Tuesday. The action was part of a campaign for greater gender equality in the country. Prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir told reporters why she took part in the "Women's Day Off". She said: "As you know, we have not yet reached our goals of full gender equality and we are still tackling the gender-based wage gap, which is unacceptable in 2023." A spokeswoman for the day off said: "On 24 October, all women in Iceland were encouraged to stop work, both paid and unpaid. For the whole day, women (and non-binary people) went on strike, to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society." Yesterday was the seventh time that women in Iceland have gone on strike. It was the first such action in nearly 50 years. The last strike was in 1975, when 90 per cent of women did not go to work and did not do housework. The following year, Iceland passed an equal pay law. In 1980, Icela...

​ A new study says Internet access is good for our health. A report from the Oxford Internet Institute in the UK suggested that being connected to the worldwide web has a positive effect on our well-being. Researchers looked at data on people's Internet use and mental health from 168 countries. The data was gathered between the years 2006 and 2021. It included information on two million people aged 15 to 99. The research team looked at eight factors that affect people's well-being. These included life satisfaction, positive experiences and happiness with social life. The team found that people with Internet access were eight per cent happier than those without web access. The research included some surprising conclusions. One was the suggestion that Internet access had a similar, positive effect to walking in nature. It helps people to learn new things, practice hobbies, watch movies, and make new friends. However, the research did not look at how social media impacted people...

​ Cycling is a great way to keep fit and healthy. It strengthens our heart, keeps our weight down, and is good for mental health. A little-known and (perhaps) surprising benefit of getting on a bike is that it is good for our knees. A new study says cyclists are less likely to experience knee pain later in life than people who do not ride bicycles. The study was conducted by a research team from Baylor College of Medicine in the USA. Researchers surveyed 2,600 men and women, with an average age of 64. The survey participants were asked about their levels of physical activity. They also had X-rays of their knees taken. This was to look for signs and levels of arthritis in their knee joints. The lead researcher, Dr Grace Lo, said the results of the research were surprising. She said cyclists were 21 per cent less likely to have signs of osteoarthritis compared to those who did not have a history of cycling. She added: "I was surprised to see how very strong the benefit [of cycling] ...

​ The UK leader has a plan to introduce national service for 18-year-olds. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he will introduce compulsory national service if his party wins the UK election on July the 4th. Under his plan, young people will have two choices when they become 18. The first choice is to spend one year in the army, navy or air force. The government thinks about 30,000 people will choose to do this. The second option is to do voluntary work for one weekend a month. This means volunteering to work with Britain's National Health Service, ambulance service, fire service, or in local communities. Mr Sunak said young people will gain valuable skills, and help to "build a stronger national culture". Rishi Sunak's plan has been attacked by many people. Various experts say it is too expensive, and that the UK does not have enough staff to train 30,000 army volunteers. Many defence experts say the idea is unworkable. Admiral Alan West, a former navy head, said: "...

​ OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT, is worried that people may become emotionally dependent on artificial intelligence voices. The company released a new "advanced voice mode" to users last week. The chatbot comes equipped with an array of lifelike voices that are almost indistinguishable from human voices. They can have an authentic conversation in real time, laugh at the right time, interject with "umms," "aahs" and "hmms," and they can adjust to being interrupted. An OpenAI report states that the newly-released, human-sounding voices may lead people to rely on AI for companionship, and even for romance and love. It cautioned: "Users might form social relationships with the AI, reducing their need for human interaction." The OpenAI report warns that future chatbots could fundamentally change societies. They will reshape how we interact with family, friends and colleagues. They may even usurp communication among humans. The report...

​ Travelling is good for us. There is a saying that travel broadens the mind. A new study says that going on trips could slow down the ageing process. The travel bug could be one hobby that is healthy. Researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia said travelling could make us look and feel younger. They said having different experiences and meeting new people could make us more youthful as we get older. Fangli Hu, lead author of the research, said: "Tourism isn't just about leisure and recreation. It could also contribute to people's physical and mental health". Ms Hu added: "Ageing, as a process, is irreversible. While it can't be stopped, it can be slowed down."   The researchers looked at how travelling might affect how we age. They suggested that going on vacations, backpacking and sightseeing can lower stress. Going on trips can also boost our metabolism, which strengthens our immune system. Travel could also help repair body tissue. This he...