[187] Norway inserts UV Aurora Borealis into new passports

TRAVEL NEWS WIRE…

Norway inserts UV Aurora Borealis into new passports The Scandinavian country of Norway, which crosses the Arctic Circle, is inserting the famous Aurora Borealis lights into the design of its new passports. When airport security officials shine a UV light on the passport to confirm that it is a real passport, a nighttime scene of the Aurora becomes visible. The Norwegian government expects the design to combine security and promotion of the country. Several other countries also include art in their passports that show up under UV light.

HEALTH AND TECH NEWS

Health tracking for space travellers
Quebec-based tech company Hexoskin has developed shirts that can monitor basic biometric data such as heart rate and steps taken, and send the information to the wearer’s smartphone. The developers at Hexoskin hope that the technology can be used by athletes, astronauts, and soldiers to monitor their exercise movements and also their sleep patterns.

THIS WEEK’S NATURAL PHRASE

try to avoid (something)

Erika: What is the best way for me to get from my house to your office?

Andy: There is a lot of traffic at this time of day, and some of roads are closed because of construction, so you should try to avoid the downtown area if you are driving.

Erika: I’ll just take the subway instead of driving. That way I won’t get stuck in traffic.

Explanation: We can say “try to avoid (X)” as a soft way of saying “Please don’t (X).”

THIS WEEK’S MEDICAL PHRASE

prescribe an anticoagulant

Patient: Do you think that after the surgery I might be at risk of developing a blood clot or having a stroke?

Doctor Chen: We can prescribe an anticoagulant medicine along with aspirin to protect against any type of embolism or other hemodynamic complication. And we’ll continue monitoring the situation closely.

Explanation: To “prescribe an anticoagulant” means to order medicine that will help the blood flow easily without creating any hard lumps that might stop the blood from flowing.

THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS/EMAIL PHRASE

check the files

Hello Toby:

A customer called to say that he’s not happy with a table that he bought from us on September 3rd. Can you check the files and find out the inventory number of the table?

Explanation: The phrase “check the files” means to look into the paper documents or computer files to find out some information.