International Students NZ

Today’s picture: Chocolate brownie (with banana) - home-made by my niece, Mary

Part 1: Today's word

If something is credible, it is convincing and so, easy to believe and respect. Credibility is important in many areas of life, including law, business and research. For instance, a credible witness needs to give clear answers to questions, showing a good recall of the key events. And in business, it’s important that any offers or bids that you make are credible, since potential partners will not want to take unnecessary risks. In academic writing, it’s important to use credible sources to support the claims you make in your essays and reports. Generally, journal articles have greater credibility than internet sources because they are normally produced by experts, they are based on research, they include a critical review of previous research and they are peer-reviewed. That means that before publication, each article is sent to three other experts, whose evaluation and detailed comments are then sent back to the original author who then revises the article.

Click here for interactive exercises on academic vocabulary and writing.

Part 2: Test

Here are FOUR sentences with the word of the day. But only THREE are correct. Which is the Odd One Out?

The quantitative research course will help students to analyse and interpret numerical data in order to draw credible conclusions.

Despite his relative youth, he gave a credible performance as King Lear in the recent award-winning London production.

The ANOVA results indicated a weak correlation between the variables (p = 0.078) but this did not reach statistical credibility.

He argued that prison sentences were necessary as a credible deterrent to hardened criminals.

Part 3: Practice Questions:

How could you improve the credibility of the sources you use in your academic writing?

Do you think you could be a credible witness in a court of law?

How do advertisers seek to enhance their credibility in the eyes of consumers?

Part 4: Really useful idioms

take XXXX into account and take account of XXXX
consider
When they report crime figures they ought to take account of the fact that most crimes are not even reported.

get in on the act
follow a trend
We opened the first cybercafe here, but several other people have got in on the act in the last year.

be out of action
unavailable
I’m afraid the elevator’s going to be out of action for a few days.

be up in the air
undecided / unresolved
I may be going to Europe on business but it’s still up in the air.

all in all
All things considered
All in all, I think we can say Sao Paulo has a rich cultural life.

Part 5: Kiwi Quiz Question

Which of these well-known international chocolate manufacturers has a large factory and visitors’ centre in Dunedin, New Zealand?

Hershey
Kraft
Cadbury
Nestle

Click here and here for more information about New Zealand chocolate manufacturers

Part 6: Today's online listening:

This is in interview from Radio New Zealand with Paul Martin, the author of a book about the pleasures of chocolate

Vocabulary for the article:

malnutrition
savoury
predisposition
hooked
cultivate
abundance
ceremonial
take off
catch on
frown upon

Questions for the article:

1) Why do we have a predisposition to like chocolate?

it’s high in calories
it was associated with religious ceremonies
it has a bitter taste
it contains pheromones

2) This predisposition is problematic because ...

it is associated with pleasure
there has been a change in food supply
chocolate has become less beneficial
it has become a luxury product

3) Addiction is fundamentally a case of uncontrolled ...

pleasure
desire
consumption
sensation

4) Premium quality chocolate tends to...

have a higher sugar content
be made in vineyards
be more bitter
be more addictive

5) Consumption of chocolate during periods of sadness is likely to lead to ..

self-medication
deepening depression
relief of symptoms
addiction

6) What is the main point of the analogy Paul Martin makes between chocolate and wine?

they shouldn’t be too sweet
they should be sucked
they should be enjoyed at room temperature
they shouldn’t be rushed

7) When chocolate was first exported to Europe it was used for what purposes?

medicinal
religious
ceremonial
financial

8) Why was chocolate mainly commercialised by companies belonging to religious groups such as the Quakers?

they were granted a monopoly over its production
it was seen as a way of reducing alcohol consumption
the Catholic Church had decided that chocolate was not sinful
these groups were excluded from other areas of business

9) Studies conducted into the Cuna Indians, who consume large quantities of chocolate, support the claims that chocolate ...

reduces cardio-vascular disease
contains high concentrations of flavenoids
contributes positively to dental health
has complex sociocultural associations

10) What attitude does Paul Martin have towards the idea that some people are ‘chocoholics’?

sympathetic
concerned
sceptical
hopeful

Today’s musical suggestion: from Canada
Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan
________________________________________________________________