Кудинова Практическиы курс англиыского языка для студентов международник Ч.3 2014

So You Think You Know What’s Good For You?

Part A

Exercise

Everyone nowadays knows the benefits of physical exercise – but scientists at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands say the key to staying slim and keeping fit is to eat less and take gentle exercise such as walking or cycling. 'People who take intensive exercise often reward themselves by spending the rest of the day in front of the TV, ' says Professor Klaas Westertep. 'At the same time they have to eat more to give them energy for the next work-out. To avoid weight gain, it's better to take gentle exercise over a longer period.' And health researcher Peter Axt believes that spending a couple of hours a day doing absolutely nothing is more effective than exercise in building immunity and prolonging life. 'We always think that we have to be achieving something but just vegetating for half of your free time could be more healthy,' he claims.

A low-fat diet

A low-fat diet may be good for your waistline, but the latest research suggests that it is less beneficial psychologically. A team of volunteers at Sheffield University asked to follow a diet consisting of just twenty-five percent fat (the level recommended by the World Health Organisation) reported increased feelings of depression and hostility towards others. One reason perhaps that people on low-fat diets are apparently more likely to meet a violent death!

Drinking tea and coffee

Many of us already know that drinking coffee raises your blood pressure but according to the latest research, it can also make you bad-tempered. Mice who were given regular doses of caffeine by researchers were found to be unusually aggressive! On the other hand, the chemicals found in tea can reduce the risk of heart attacks, and have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. And tea doesn't keep you awake at night either!

Eating chocolate

Ever heard of the old saying "A little of what you fancy does you good"? Well, if you’re a chocolate fan there's good news! Recent studies have revealed that chemicals found in chocolate can protect you from a variety of minor illnesses including colds, coughs, depression and even help reduce the risk of heart disease!

Part B

Playing computer games

Parents worried about their children spending hours on their PlayStation may have it all wrong – it could actually be time well spent. Researchers at Manchester University found that gamers who play up to eighteen hours a week seem able to focus on what they are doing better than other people, have better co-ordination; and, far from being anti-social, 'computer nerds' find it easier to form friendships than children who prefer activities such as reading and

131

watching TV. But scientists in Japan have found that gaming develops only vision and movement, but not the parts of the brain associated with learning, emotion or behaviour. 'This might be a problem in our increasingly violent society,' says Professor Ryuta Kawashima of the Tohoku University.

Being married

'Every woman should marry – and no man' commented one wit almost 150 years ago. But scientific evidence has tended to suggest that it's men who find happiness through marriage more than women. It has been shown that single men are the least happy social group, while married men are the happiest. But a new study from LaTrobe University in Melbourne reveals that women do benefit as well: twenty-five percent of single people were miserable, compared with only thirteen percent of married people. Among the women surveyed, those who were married with children and a job had the fewest mental health problems.

Low self-esteem

The feeling of being undervalued can damage your health. Research by the National Arthritis Council shows that employees who suffer constant criticism, or feel out of control at work, are much more likely to suffer from back problems. Depression, says one researcher, is actually far more likely to cause backache than heavy lifting!

Watching soap operas on TV

Finally, a surprising piece of research that shows people who regularly watch soap operas are significantly happier than those who don't. Psychologists believe that this is because such programmes provide viewers with an imaginary set of friends, and a sense of belonging to a community. 'It works in rather the same way as membership of a club, or a church,' says Professor Michael Argyle of Oxford Brookes University.

3. Choose the correct alternative:

1.After strenuous exercise, people are often more / less active for the rest of the day.

2.Doing nothing for a couple of hours every day is the best way to keep fit / increase your immunity.

3.A low-fat diet will make you slimmer but more aggressive / fatter and less aggressive.

4.The chemicals in coffee / tea / chocolate reduce the risk of heart disease.

5.The chemicals in coffee / chocolate / tea protect you from coughs and colds.

6.Children who play a lot of computer games have better social skills / behaviour than children who don't.

7.Single / Married men are happier than single / married men.

132

8.Married women with children and a job have more / fewer mental health problems than other groups.

9.The biggest cause of backache is depression / heavy lifting.

10.People who watch soap operas have / do not have a sense of belonging to a community.

4.Make up five sentences with the construction “to find it + adj + to do something”.

Examples: 'Computer nerds' find it easy to form friendships.

Mike found it more horrible to watch the news than he had expected.

5.Discuss your impressions of the article in small groups:

Has the article made you feel that you should change your lifestyle? How?

Has it justified some of your habits for which you were blaming yourself?

Task to Inside Out Course Book p. 39, Text “I know It’s Bad for me…”

1. Read the text quickly, find these words and say where they were used. Use the context to help you guess the meaning: to pocket sth, to dial sb = to

dial sb’s number, to cure sb of sth, to quit, to struggle, to demand.

3. Six people were asked their opinion about the following issues:

•Should smoking in the workplace be banned?

•Should it be illegal to use surrogate mothers?

•Should experiments on animals be banned?

Listen and make a note of which issue they were asked about and what they said. Discuss the opinions in pairs, do your opinions coincide?

Vocabulary: Health and Illness

1. Study the use of the following phrasal verbs and verb-preposition

collocations for health and illness.

I’m fighting off a cold at the moment, [trying to get rid of]

Marge isn’t in today; she’s gone down with flu. [has caught, usually a nonserious illness]

I won’t be going today. I’ve come down with a dreadful cold. [with I we say come down not go down]

I had a virus last week, but I got over it quite quickly. [got better / recovered] My sister’s recovering from a major operation. [getting better: used for more serious illnesses]

Harry suffers from hay fever and sneezes a lot if he is near grass or flowers. [used for more long-term problems]

He died of / from lung cancer. [Not: He died with lung cancer.]

2. Which of these collocations are normal, and which are not normal? Correct the inappropriate ones.

1.Her mother died with skin cancer.

2.Is there a prescription price in your country?

3.In Britain, national security is a separate tax from income tax.

4.Healthcare is the biggest item in the nation’s budget.

5.Are there insurance societies for private healthcare in your country?

6.Private dentists charge very high fees.

7.She suffers of a severe allergy and can’t be in a smoky room.

3a. Sort these everyday phrasal verbs and expressions connected with health and illness into two groups, depending on whether they have positive or negative meanings with regard to health. Use a dictionary if necessary.

be poorly feel a bit under the weather be over the worst fight off be on the mend be back on one’s feet again get over come down with

3b. Now fill the gaps using the expressions above.

Example: [Nurse to visitor in a hospital] ‘I’m sorry, Mr Pickering is rather

__________ today and we’re not allowing visitors.’

1.[Someone speaking to a colleague just returned to work after an illness]

‘Hello, Frank, good to see you __________ .’

2.[Person ringing their place of work] ‘Jo, I won’t be in today, I’ve

__________ a cold.’

134

3.[Person in hospital, just beginning to get better, talking to a visitor] ‘Oh, I’m OK. I’m __________ now. I still feel bad, but I should be out within a week or so.’

4.[Parent to a child with a cold] ‘Don’t worry, darling. Everyone has a cold now and then. You’ll _________ it.’

5.[Someone to their partner, who is worried about them] ‘Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I’m just feeling __________ that’s all.’

6.[Someone ringing a workmate] ‘I’m trying to __________ the flu, but nothing seems to help. I don’t think I’ll be in work tomorrow.’

7.Hilary was quite ill last week, but she’s _________ now and should be back at work next week.

4.Study these names of minor ailments and ways of talking about minor

problems.

* Note that hurt is different from ache:

My arm hurts where I banged it against the car door. [gives pain caused by an injury]

My wrists ache from too much typing at the computer.

* The fixed expression (the usual) aches and pains is often used to refer in a non-serious way to minor problems.

A:How’ve you been keeping recently, Mona?

B:Oh fine, you know, just the usual aches and pains. (Just the usual рains and aches)

* The fixed expression cuts and bruises can refer to minor injuries.

A:I hear you fell off your bicycle. Are you all right?

B:Yeah, fine, just a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious. (Just n few bruises and cuts)

* Some other kinds of physical discomfort:

My hand is stinging since I touched that plant. [sudden, burning pain]

My head is throbbing. [beating with pain]

I have a stiff neck from turning round to look at the computer screen all day. I’ll have to move the monitor to a better position. [pain and difficulty in moving your neck round]

I feel a bit dizzy. I think I should sit down. [a feeling that you are spinning around and can t balance]

She was a bit feverish this morning, so I told her to stay in bed. [with a high temperature]

I had a terrible nauseous feeling after taking the medicine, but it passed. [feeling that you want to vomit]

He was trembling all over; I knew it must be something serious. [shaking] My nose is all bunged up today with this horrible cold. [blocked]

* Other informal expressions that mean ‘not well, but not seriously ill’:

You look a bit off-colour today. Are you all right?

135

I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I stayed home that day.

I’m just feeling a bit out of sorts, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine tomorrow.

5.Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

1.She was feeling out of the weather and a bit fevering so she took the day

off.

2.I felt really off my colour yesterday and my head was throwing, so I took a tablet.

3.I felt a bit off the sorts and seemed to have more pains and aches than usual.

4.My arms are hurting after carrying that heavy suitcase of yours.

6.Rewrite the underlined parts of these sentences using words and phrases

from ex.4.

1.I was feeling quite as if I had a high temperature.

2.The drugs always gave her a feeling that she wanted to vomit.

3.I felt ac if my head was spinning and went and lay down for an hour.

4.My nose was blocked so I got a spray from the chemist.

5.I got a pain in my neck from driving a long time in an awkward position.

6.Joanna was shaking and looked unwell, so I asked her if she needed help.

7.Complete these sentences with words from the box. Use a dictionary if necessary.

dosage prescription allergic to medication symptoms vaccinations sick note

1.I can’t take penicillin; I’m __________ it.

2.Before you take those pills, read the label to see what the correct

__________ is.

3.I’m going abroad next month so I have to get the necessary __________.

4.If you consult a new doctor you should tell him or her if you are already on any __________.

5.Did the doctor give you a __________? Do you want me to take it to the

chemist’s for you?

6.I told the doctor my __________, but I don't think she was listening

7.The doctor gave me a __________ for my employer. I was off work for two weeks.

8.Fill in the blanks with proper words. Use each word only once. There is one odd word.

EPIDEMICS

affecting / blood / deaths / diseases / effectively / extinction / fever / health / identification / infect / infectious / illnesses / outbreak / pandemics / physical / plague / poor / prevented / shrank / spread / temperature

Epidemics are outbreaks of contagious diseases (1) ___________ an unusually large number of people or involving an extensive geographical area.

136

Epidemics, which may be short-lived or last for years, are brought on by the widening reach of disease-causing organisms. These organisms can be (2) __________ by food or water, directly from one person to another through (3)

__________ contact or by the exchange of bodily secretions such as saliva, or (4)

__________. Insects, rodents, and other disease-carrying animals, are agents that may

(5) __________ human populations with epidemic diseases.

Among the diseases that have occurred in epidemic proportions throughout history are bubonic (6) _________, influenza, smallpox, typhoid (7) __________, tuberculosis, cholera, bacterial meningitis, and diphtheria. Occasionally childhood (8) __________ as mumps and

German measles become epidemic.

In the past, when sanitary conditions were

(9) __________ and diseases were little understood, epidemics occurred periodically and killed thousands of people. One of the largest epidemics ever recorded was the (10)

__________ of bubonic plague that raged throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia from 1347 to 1350. This epidemic, known as the Black Death in Europe, is estimated to have killed onethird of the European population. An outbreak of

influenza in 1918 killed more than 20 million people around the world. Such global epidemics are commonly called (11) __________.

Wars and foreign invasions have traditionally provided breeding grounds for epidemic disease. Prior to the 20th century, every European war produced more (12) __________ from disease than from the use of weaponry. Colonists arriving in the western hemisphere carried disease-causing organisms to which they were immune but that devastated the populations of Native Americans who had no previous exposure to these organisms. Due to the spread of disease the population of central Mexico (13) __________ by an estimated 90 percent in the first 50 years of Spanish domination.

Epidemics can often be (14) __________ or controlled by immunization, improved sanitation, and by other public (15) __________ measures such as the use of pesticides to wipe out disease-carrying insects.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the medical profession hoped that epidemic diseases were well on their way to (16) __________. Poliomyelitis, an (17)

__________ viral disease of the central nervous system that had once been a

137

scourge of young people in the United States, no longer appeared in significant numbers, and other diseases, including smallpox, tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera seemed almost neutralized.

But since the 1970s, 30 new disease-causing (18) __________ , including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and hepatitis C, have been identified, most of them emerging from new settlements in the rain forests of South America, Africa, and Asia. New antibiotic-resistant strains of influenza, tuberculosis, meningitis, cholera, and malaria have also appeared.

Fortunately, disease (19) ___________ and control establishments are now in place through most of the world and have repeatedly shown themselves capable of responding quickly and (20) __________ to sudden outbreaks of disease.

9. Fill in the blanks with proper words. Use each word only once. There is one odd word.

INFLUENZA

aching / acute / chill / complication / cough / epidemics / evidence / fever / flu / identical / outbreak / risk /signs / sore / symptoms / temperature /

uncomplicated / vaccine

Influenza is an (1) ________, infectious, contagious disease of the respiratory tract, especially the trachea colloquially called (2) ________ or, less often, grippe. The (3) ________ of a simple attack include dry (4) ________, (5)

________ throat, nasal obstruction and discharge, and burning of the eyes; more complex cases are characterized by (6) _______, sudden onset of (7) ________, headache, (8) ________ of muscles and joints, and occasional gastrointestinal symptoms. In (9) ________ cases, symptoms fade and (10) ________ drops to normal in a few days; the (11) ________ of death increases if the disease is accompanied or followed by viral pneumonia or bacterial pneumonia.

Since the 16th century, at least 31 influenza pandemics, which are very widespread (12)

________, have been described. The most destructive epidemic of modern times, that of 1918, is estimated to have caused 20 million deaths; in the U.S. about 500,000 persons died, generally following the (13) ________ of bacterial pneumonia.

138

Vocabulary: Multi-Part Verbs

1. Some tourists are talking about what they like to do on holiday. Complete the gaps in the sentences with the words in the box.

around away back down in of off (x2) up (x2)

1.'A holiday is all about getting __________ from it all.'

2.'I just want time away from work when I feel I can really let my hair

__________.'

3.'I just love going somewhere new and soaking __________ the atmosphere.'

4.'We live in a big city, although I grew up in the country, so getting

__________ to nature is important.'

5.'I love to blow a lot of money and really live it __________ when I go on holiday – no expense spared.'

6.'We're keen on finding unusual places – going __________ the beaten track.'

7.'Steering clear __________ the tourist traps is our main priority when booking a holiday.'

8.'I don't really like to do very much on holiday. Just lounging __________

by the pool is enough.'

9.'The main thing is to avoid getting ripped __________ , so I try not to look

like a tourist.'

10.'I love seeing new things and taking __________ the sights.'

2. Replace the words in bold with the correct form of prepositional verbs in the box.

1.Anyone who doubts the power of the social web only needs to observe the activity on Twitter.

2.How are you progressing at work?

3.A free microblogging service that started a few years ago, Twitter resembles an onscreen bulletin.

4.An opportunity has arisen for a Twitter correspondent at Sky News.board.

5.I am resisting an urge to investigate Twitter in case it is as addictive as Facebook.

6.If Twitter ever suffers a catastrophic failure it cannot recover from, you will still be protected from any data loss.

7.We inspected the new office to see if the building was suitable.

8.I've seen a really interesting anecdote on Twitter. I found it by chance.

3.Complete the text with prepositional verbs.

Journalists need to be familiar with technical developments in the media. They shouldn't just (1) __________ social networking sites, they need to use them because familiarity with the tools is important. They need to (2) __________ their

140