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        <title>Couch Potato</title>
        <link>https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato</link>
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        <description></description>
        <language>en</language>
        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2023 22:13:30 +0800</pubDate>
        <lastBuildDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2023 22:13:30 +0800</lastBuildDate>
        <category>ielts topics</category>
        <category>marketing</category>
        <category>sales</category>
        <category>music</category>
        <item>
            <guid isPermalink="true">https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/26/Goverment%20and%20Society/</guid>
            <title>Government and Society</title>
            <link>https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/26/Goverment%20and%20Society/</link>
            <category>ielts topics</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2023 22:13:30 +0800</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[ &lt;h5 id=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#IDEAS&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IDEAS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5 id=&#34;What-governments-can-do&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#What-governments-can-do&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;What governments can do&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What governments can do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Governments provide public services like healthcare and education&lt;br&gt;They support people who are living in poverty or unable to work&lt;br&gt;Governments raise money by taxing working people&lt;br&gt;They can spend money on resources and campaigns&lt;br&gt;They can introduce new laws&lt;br&gt;They can impose taxes&lt;br&gt;They can raise people’s awareness of isssues(e.g. climate change/healthy eating)&lt;br&gt;They can influence people’s habits and opinions&lt;br&gt;They can create jobs&lt;br&gt;They can regulate the activities of companies such as banks&lt;br&gt;They can provide resources for schools&lt;br&gt;They are also responsible for the security and well-being of their citizens&lt;br&gt;They control armed forces and police forces&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Public-services&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Public-services&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Public services&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Governments pay the salaries of public sector workers like police officers and teachers&lt;br&gt;The necessary money is raised by taxing people’s income&lt;br&gt;Free education and healthcare may be provided by the state&lt;br&gt;Some governments control pubilce transpot systems and even TV channels&lt;br&gt;In other countries, these services are provided by private companies&lt;br&gt;Some people believe that competition between private companies is good&lt;br&gt;It helps to improve quality while bringing price down&lt;br&gt;Other people think that essential services should be free&lt;br&gt;Governments should pay for them&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Censorship-Opinion&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Censorship-Opinion&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Censorship: Opinion&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Censorship: Opinion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Governments can censor what public sees or reads in the media&lt;br&gt;To a certain extent censorship is necessary&lt;br&gt;We should use censorship to protect children from violent images&lt;br&gt;Some Computer games involve killing people or committing crimes&lt;br&gt;The Internet also needs to be controlled&lt;br&gt;Many websites show pornography and violence&lt;br&gt;There should be age limits for websites and computers games&lt;br&gt;Parents need to take responsibility for checking what their children watch&lt;br&gt;It is impossible for governments to control everything we see&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Video-cameras-in-public-places&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Video-cameras-in-public-places&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Video cameras in public places&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Video cameras in public places&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The use of CCTV is becoming widespread&lt;br&gt;Video cameras have been installed in many public places&lt;br&gt;They are supposed to protect us and deter criminals&lt;br&gt;Many people think that this surveillance violates our privacy&lt;br&gt;The authorities could build databases with our pictures and indentities&lt;br&gt;We should not be treated like criminals&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Smart-cards-Positives&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Smart-cards-Positives&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Smart cards: Positives&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Smart cards: Positives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Governments will probably intrduce a digital indentification card system&lt;br&gt;Smart cards will have benefits and drawbacks&lt;br&gt;They could help to reduce crime&lt;br&gt;They could hold personal information, such as DNA&lt;br&gt;Digital bank cards could contain fingerprint information&lt;br&gt;It would be very difficult for criminals to use a stolen card&lt;br&gt;It would be easier for police to identify people and catch criminals&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Smart-cards-Negatives&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Smart-cards-Negatives&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Smart cards: Negatives&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Smart cards: Negatives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people are worried about losing their privacy&lt;br&gt;Governments could store all our personal and medical information&lt;br&gt;This information could be used by insurance companies&lt;br&gt;Employers could check our health records&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;People-with-Disablities&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#People-with-Disablities&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;People with Disablities&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;People with Disablities&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;People with disabilities should be treated the same as everybody else&lt;br&gt;They should have the same rights as other people&lt;br&gt;They should access to the same jobs as other citizens&lt;br&gt;Discriminations against diable people is illegal in many countries&lt;br&gt;Ramps and lifts for wheelchairs should be installed in public buildings&lt;br&gt;Support teacher can be employed to help children with learning difficultiess&lt;/p&gt;
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            <guid isPermalink="true">https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/22/environment/</guid>
            <title>Environment</title>
            <link>https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/22/environment/</link>
            <category>ielts topics</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2023 11:02:12 +0800</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[ &lt;h5 id=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#IDEAS&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IDEAS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5 id=&#34;Global-warning&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Global-warning&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Global warning&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global warning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gases such as carbon deoxide trap heat from the sun&lt;br&gt;This causes global temperatures to rise&lt;br&gt;This process is known as the greenhouse effect&lt;br&gt;Human activity is a major factor in the rise of the greenhouse gases&lt;br&gt;Factories and vehicles produce emissions and exhaust fumes&lt;br&gt;Many developing countries are becoming industrialized&lt;br&gt;The number of cars on our streets is growing&lt;br&gt;Cheap air travel is allowing more people to fly&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Effect-of-Global-warning&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Effect-of-Global-warning&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Effect of Global warning&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Effect of Global warning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Global warming will have a significant impact on our planet&lt;br&gt;Rising temperature will cause melting of the polar ice caps&lt;br&gt;Sea levels will rise&lt;br&gt;We can expect more extreme weather conditions&lt;br&gt;Flooding and droughts may become more common&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Impact-of-humans-on-the-environment&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Impact-of-humans-on-the-environment&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Impact of humans on the environment&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Impact of humans on the environment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The increasing world population is putting pressure on natural resources&lt;br&gt;Fossil fuels like oil and gas are running out&lt;br&gt;We are destroying wildlife habitats&lt;br&gt;We have cut down enormous areas of rainforest&lt;br&gt;This has led to the extinction of many species of animals and plants&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Solutions-to-environment-problems&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Solutions-to-environment-problems&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Solutions to environment problems&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solutions to environment problems&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Governments could introduce laws to limit emissions from factories&lt;br&gt;They should invest in renewable energy from solar, wind or water power&lt;br&gt;They could impose “green taxes” on drivers and airlines companies&lt;br&gt;Government campaigns should promote recycling&lt;br&gt;Natural areas and wild animals should be protected&lt;br&gt;Individuals should also try to be greener&lt;br&gt;We should take fewer flights abroad for holidays&lt;br&gt;We should take public transport rather than driving&lt;br&gt;We should choose products with less packaging&lt;br&gt;We should recycle as much as possible&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Waste-rubbish&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Waste-rubbish&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Waste/rubbish&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Waste/rubbish&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The amount of waster we produce has increased&lt;br&gt;This result is a result of our consumer culture&lt;br&gt;Products are not made to last&lt;br&gt;If something breaks, we throw it way  and buy a new one&lt;br&gt;Advertisers encourage is to buy the newest fashions&lt;br&gt;Packaging is an important part of selling&lt;br&gt;Most foods are sold in non-biodegradable plastics packaging&lt;br&gt;The amount of household waste is growing&lt;br&gt;This waste ends up in landfill sites&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Litter&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Litter&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Litter&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Litter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;People do not think about the consequences of dropping rubbish&lt;br&gt;They assume that somebody  is pad to clean the street&lt;br&gt;Plastic packing does not break down easily&lt;br&gt;Most of the litter seen on the street is fast food packing&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Recycling-and-other-solutions&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Recycling-and-other-solutions&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Recycling and other solutions&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recycling and other solutions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Companies should make goods that last longer&lt;br&gt;They should not use so much packaging&lt;br&gt;Governments should be stricter, about waster produced by companies&lt;br&gt;They should put legal limits on packaging&lt;br&gt;Consumers should avoid buying over-packaged products&lt;br&gt;We should recycle and reuse useful materials&lt;br&gt;There are collections banks for glass, paper and plastic bottles&lt;br&gt;Households can use several rubbish bins to separate waste&lt;br&gt;Recycling saves energy and raw materials&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Nuclear-Power&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Nuclear-Power&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Nuclear Power&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nuclear Power&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h6 id=&#34;Positives&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Positives&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Positives&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are several benefits to build more nuclear power stations&lt;br&gt;Fossil fuel like oil and gas are running out&lt;br&gt;Nuclear power is a sustainable energy source&lt;br&gt;It can be used to produce electricity without wasting natural resources&lt;br&gt;It could be replace the use of natural resources like coal, oil or gas&lt;br&gt;Nuclear power stations are cleaner than the fossil fuel power stations&lt;br&gt;They could help to reduce carbon emissions that  cause global warming&lt;br&gt;The risks of accidents are being reduced&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h6 id=&#34;Negatives&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Negatives&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Negatives&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Opponents of nuclear power worry about the safety of power stations&lt;br&gt;Nobody wants to live near one&lt;br&gt;Nuclear waste disposal is a significant problem&lt;br&gt;There is currently no way to to decontaminate radioactive material&lt;br&gt;People worry that terrorists could steal radioactive materials&lt;br&gt;It is safer to produce energy from solar, wind or water power.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Collocations&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Collocations&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Collocations&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collocations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;alternative energy sources; clean energy; renewable resources; energy conservation; energy consumption; generate electricity; natural light; sustainable materials; electric cars; hybrid cars; car giants; energy efficiency;&lt;br&gt;environment issues; drop litter; awash with rubbish; destroy wet lands&lt;br&gt;go green; environmental friendly; live a sustainable life; launch massive campaigns; educate the public about; impose heavy fines; household waste; energy conservation&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Potatoes&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Potatoes&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Potatoes&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Potatoes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/02/22/210-what-is-greenwashing/&#34;&gt;210. What is Greenwashing? (English Vocabulary Lesson) – Thinking in English&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 ]]></description>
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        <item>
            <guid isPermalink="true">https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/21/music/</guid>
            <title>music</title>
            <link>https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/21/music/</link>
            <category>ielts topics</category>
            <category>music</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:32:16 +0800</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[ &lt;p&gt;Classical music&lt;br&gt;symphony&lt;/p&gt;
 ]]></description>
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        <item>
            <guid isPermalink="true">https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/21/advertising/</guid>
            <title>Advertising</title>
            <link>https://larksh.github.io/couchpotato/2023/02/21/advertising/</link>
            <category>ielts topics</category>
            <category>marketing</category>
            <category>sales</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2023 06:33:34 +0800</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[ &lt;h5 id=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#IDEAS&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;IDEAS&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IDEAS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5 id=&#34;Positives-of-Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Positives-of-Advertising&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Positives of Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives of Advertising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advertising is a key part of modern business&lt;br&gt;Companies need to tell customers about their products&lt;br&gt;Advertisments inform us about the choices we have&lt;br&gt;Advertising is a creative industry that employs many people&lt;br&gt;Without advertising we should have less choice&lt;br&gt;Without advertising there would be higher unemployment&lt;br&gt;People enjoy adverts&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Negtives-of-Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Negtives-of-Advertising&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Negtives of Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negtives of Advertising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advertising manipulates people&lt;br&gt;It aims to persuade people that buying a product will make them happier&lt;br&gt;Advertisers focus on selling a brand image&lt;br&gt;They use glamorous, sucessful people&lt;br&gt;We now live in a consumer culture&lt;br&gt;We are persuaded to follow the latest trend&lt;br&gt;We are encouraged to associate certain brands with a higher status&lt;br&gt;Advertisers often aim their marketing at children&lt;br&gt;Children can easily be influenced by advertisements&lt;br&gt;Children put pressure on parents to bu them things&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Opinions-about-Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Opinions-about-Advertising&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Opinions about Advertising&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Opinions about Advertising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advertising should be regulated&lt;br&gt;Advertising aimed at childre should be controlled or even banned&lt;br&gt;Unhealthy foods should not be marketed in a way that attracts children&lt;br&gt;Products that can be risk to healthy should display warnings&lt;br&gt;In some countries it is illegal to advertise cigarettes on television&lt;br&gt;Warnings must be displyed on cigarette packets&lt;br&gt;However, advertising is necessary in free market economies&lt;br&gt;It creates demand for products&lt;br&gt;Governments should only censor false information or products that harmful&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;COLLOCATIONS&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#COLLOCATIONS&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;COLLOCATIONS&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COLLOCATIONS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;exposed to; be bombarded with; snack food; video games; impose a ban on;&lt;br&gt;pester parents; price sensitive; material needs; buy clothed/outfits; low-income families; economic pressure; avoid this problem; behavioural problems; lifestyle choices; lose temper; throw tantrum; violent games;&lt;br&gt;beneficial to; nourishing food; wholesome food; educational value; make well-informed decisions; tight control；to get messages to their customers&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 id=&#34;Potatoes&#34;&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;#Potatoes&#34; class=&#34;headerlink&#34; title=&#34;Potatoes&#34;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Potatoes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11356740-m&#34;&gt;M: Advertising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357719.Contemporary_Advertising&#34;&gt;Contemporary Advertising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804503/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1&#34;&gt;Mad Men&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;https://www.withinlink.com/zh/insight/%E8%B4%9D%E6%9C%9B%E5%BD%95/&#34;&gt;贝望录&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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