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Poziomy europejskie

European levels:

The levels of language command are classified by the Common European Framework which is an internationally recognised classification of exams and levels accepted by the Council of Europe. The system thoroughly defines the range of language skills which must be mastered by the learners of a language to be able to communicate in it, and to ensure that the communication is set properly in any given sociolinguistic context.

The levels classified by the system:

C2 Mastery
C1 EOP - Effective Operational Proficiency
B2 Vantage
B1 Threshold
A2 Waystage
A1 Breakthrough

More about European levels

 
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Level 2 – Pre-intermediate

European men getting taller

German scientists recently published their research on the height of Europeans and Americans over the past two hundred years. They made some interesting discoveries. 
At the end of the 18th century, the average American man was two inches taller than the average British man. Today the situation is the opposite. The British are on average half an inch taller than the Americans. But Dutch men are even taller. Their average height is 6ft 1 compared to 5ft 10 for the Americans.

The reasons why Americans have stopped growing is a mystery. But it is possible that better health care in Europe is one reason. In the US, around 40 million people have no health insurance.

Another possible explanation is that Americans are not eating the right food. Obesity is a big problem in the US and this suggests that people are eating the wrong food. They are getting fatter but not taller.

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Answer the questions below to check how well you understand the text.  

According to German scientists, today:

American men are shorter than British men and Dutch men.

American men are shorter than British men and taller than Dutch men.

American men taller than British men and shorter than Dutch men.

 


American men might have stopped growing because:

no-one in America has health insurance.

they don't eat very much.

they eat the wrong types of food.

 

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Last update: 2006-04-13

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