UNIT 6

Things that go wrong lead-in

• What sort of things can go wrong on a typical day? What mishaps can happen?

(Think of the spheres of sport, exercise, travelling and working in the house, garden or office)

• Choose the correct word or phrase for the gap in each sentence.

disease	collapsed	trapped	convalescing	precaution
symptoms	wreckage	shock	plaster	survivors

1. The doctor asked Henry to describe his ___________ in order to diagnose what was wrong with him.

2. William was climbing the tree and lost his balance and that’s why he’s now got both his legs in ___________.

3. ___________ spread quickly in the unhealthy conditions of the prison camp.

4. All the ___________ of the crash were rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

5. It’s a good ___________ to have all the necessary vaccinations before you travel to tropical countries.

6. The plane exploded and the ___________ was strewn over an area of ten miles.

7. Anthony spent only three days being treated in hospital but he then spent another three weeks ____________.

8. There was an accident at the mine and over a hundred miners were ______________ underground for several hours.

9. A bridge over the river _____________ and three cars were left stranded.

10. Mary is still suffering from _____________ as a result of the accident, although she was not hurt physically.

• Complete the text with the correct word or phrase:

jaw	swollen	surgery	numb	suffering	extraction	sore
appointment	injection	waiting room	toothache	check-ups	decayed	take it out

One morning Jake woke up feeling terrible. His face was ………….. (1) and he had a throbbing pain in his lower …………. (2). He thought he had never had such bad ………….. (3) in his life. He knew he would have to see the dentist as soon as possible. He rang up to make an ………….. (4) and luckily the dentist was able to fit him in at 9.30. Jake got to the ………… (5) and sat down anxiously in the …………. (6) to wait his turn. By now his face was extremely ………….. (7) and the pain had got much worse.

‘How long have you had the pain?’ asked the dentist. She looked inside Jake’s mouth and told him that one of his bottom teeth was badly ………….. (8) and that the best thing would be to …………. (9) immediately. She also wondered why Jake hadn’t bothered to go for regular ………….. (10). He was ………….. (11) too much to be able to think of a suitable reply, and was just grateful when the dentist gave him an ….…… (12) to ease the pain of the …….… (13). The tooth came out quite easily, and soon Jake was on his way to work. His face was still …………. (14) as a result of the anaesthetic, but at least the dreadful pain, and a bad tooth, had gone.

• Answer the questions to the text:

1. What happened to Jake one morning?

2. What did he have to do immediately?

3. How did he feel when he got to the surgery?

4. How did the dentist explain the cause of the pain to Jake after examining him?

5. What did the dentist do to ease / relieve the pain of the extraction?

6. Did Jake suffer much while the tooth was being pulled / taken out?

7. Did the dentist manage to cure Jake?

8. Why was his face still numb when he was on his way to work?

• Summarize the text.

• Retell the text

SOMETHING UNPLEASANT HAS HAPPENED

Putting out a live news programme every day is high pressure and occasionally Newsround goes a bit wrong. Here Ellie explains what happens and how it's fixed.

O n Monday 20th October Newsround went wrong. One of our tapes wasn't ready and I was left staring at the camera for what felt like a lifetime (but was actually only a few seconds) while the people behind the scenes frantically sorted it out!

It was a bit embarrassing, but it does show that the news is always live, and with live TV, things can and do go wrong!

If a story breaks really late in the day, we still want to get it on the show if we possibly can, so sometimes things are still being put together while we're actually on air!

And very, very rarely, reports just don't get there in time, but at least we try to bring you the story before anyone else.

Another thing I dread happening is that my autocue breaks down.

I always read my words from a mirror in front of the camera - I don't memorise them!

So if that breaks, I then have to look at the scripts in my hand. It has happened to me once before at a previous job, and it always looks terrible.

But at least if you have back-up scripts on paper, you won't be left with nothing to say.

Sometimes you can't tell when things are going wrong, because they are technical problems that happen behind the scenes.

In my earpiece I can hear people frantically trying to sort things out, sometimes they are shouting over one another, but my job is always to stay calm and never give away that anything is wrong.

All news programmes can be hectic. It is live TV and impossible to prepare too far in advance, or the 'news' wouldn't be 'new' anymore!

But we try and make sure things generally go as smoothly as possible, otherwise it makes me look like a bit of an idiot, and you guys must wonder what on earth is going on!

A dog who got her head stuck in a pot had to be rescued by the fire service in Hampshire.

T he mishap occurred when Siberian husky, Scarlet, got her head stuck in a terracotta pot while playing in her garden in Church Road, Locks Heath.

The 17-month-old popped her head inside the pot when a pebble dropped into it.

Her worried owner called Hampshire fire service who sent an animal rescue specialist to remove the pot, returning Scarlet to her playful self.

Anton Phillips, from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's rural safety team, said: "This was quite an unusual call."

"The owner did a great job in keeping Scarlet as calm as possible before I got there."

"As you can see, Scarlet was completely unharmed in the incident and was immediately back to her old self."

An unfortunate incident

On a cold dark night in December, John Campbell went to a reunion dinner with some old friends from university. It was a very pleasant evening and large amounts of food and drink were consumed. Just before midnight, feeling not quite as alert as he had done earlier in the evening, John left the restaurant and got into his car. As he reversed he crashed into a vehicle parked behind him. He began to panic but then realized that the street was totally deserted and no-one had seen him, so he put the car into the first gear and pressed the accelerator. At first the car did not move, but then there was a second crashing sound and John drove off. He went straight home, without any further mishaps, put the car in the garage and went to bed. He was going to check the damage in the morning. How lucky he had been to get away with it!

After twenty minutes, his peace was disturbed by someone knocking at his door. He went down, opened the door and saw two policemen standing there.

‘Is everything all right, sir?’ said one policeman.

‘Yes, perfectly,’ replied John.

‘Have you been out this evening, sir?’

‘No, not at all. I’ve been at home all evening.’

‘Then, in that case, sir, can you explain how this came to be found lying in the road outside a restaurant in Dean Street?’ said the policeman, producing from behind his back the rear bumper of John’s car, complete with number plate.

• Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases. Translate them into Russian.

Text 1.

1. frantically

2. embarrassing

3. a story breaks

4. to sort things out

5. hectic

6. to prepare too far in advance

7. things generally go smoothly

Text 2.

1. The mishap occurred

2. The owner did a great job

3. was completely unharmed in the incident

4. was immediately back to her old self

Text 3.

1. a reunion

2. alert

3. reversed

4. totally deserted

5. to get away with it

6. his peace was disturbed

7. this came to be found

8. producing from behind

• Say whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Putting out a live news programme every day is simple and trouble-free.

2. They always prepare the stories in advance.

3. The main point in their work is to bring the news to the viewers first.

4. The newsreader always relies on the autocue.

5. The viewers can’t see when things are going wrong, or there are some technical problems.

6. Siberian husky, Scarlet, cracked a terracotta pot while playing in her garden.

7. It’s usual thing for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to get such calls.

8. Scarlet felt depressed after the incident.

9. John Campbell enjoyed the reunion dinner with some old friends from university.

10. John began to panic when he realized that the street was totally deserted.

11. He was unaware of the damage caused to his car.

12. The police came to John owing to the fact that they had found his lost passport.

• Summarize the texts.

• Retell the texts.

ENGLISH IN USE:

• Study the difference between the following words:

′mishap – a small accident or mistake that does not have a very serious effect, a misfortune – неудача, несчастье, злоключение

accident – a situation in which someone is hurt or something is damaged without anyone intending it to happen, something happening by chance; also it is used when talking about traffic and vehicle collisions – несчастный случай, катастрофа, авария

incident – an event, something unusual, serious, or violent that happens; it may denote a minor hostile act (a protest, an attack, an argument) started deliberately, intentionally; something that went badly wrong – происшествие, случай, инцидент

Which of the two words accident or incident would you apply to the following situations:

1. Somebody burns themselves with an electric iron.

2. You leave the key in the lock of your front door.

3. There is a confrontation between some strikers and police.

4. Some workmen on a building site are injured by falling bricks.

5. During a performance of “Hamlet” a cat walks onto the stage.

6. A bomb explodes in a street.

7. A friend of yours drops tea on a book which you have lent him.

8. A car crashes into a tree.

9. While walking along the street you are stopped by a man who mistakes you for a friend of his.

10. A holiday-maker is drowned while bathing.

11. An intruder manages to get into Buckingham Palace.

12. Your sister slips on the ice, falls and breaks her arm.

• Complete the sentences with the correct word, wound, injure, injury or damage in the correct form.

wound (n. / v.) – you want to say that the skin is clearly cut or penetrated, by a knife or bullet for example; or when people have been fighting in battles (The nurse removed bits of glass from the wound.)

injury (n.) – physical harm or damage that is caused by an accident or attack

injure (v.) – to hurt a person or an animal (She was badly injured in the accident.)

damage (uncountable n. / v.) – harm done to something, so that it is broken or injured, used for objects, not people. To have a bad effect on someone or something. (The tests show some liver damage. The scandal has badly damaged his reputation. The earthquake caused serious damage to the freeway system.)

*damages (plural n.) – a sum of money paid for harming someone or his/ her property (the court ordered him to pay £2,000 in damages.)

1. More than two thousand men were ………….. in the battle.

2. The house suffered major structural …………... as a result of the storm.

3. You must report a road accident to the police if someone is ……….. .

4. The general has an old war ……….. in his leg which causes him difficulty in walking.

5. Martin suffered brain ………….. as a result of the accident.

6. The builder fell from scaffolding and was taken to hospital with multiple …………. .

7. The building was badly …………. by fire.

8. The …………… were transported by helicopter from the battle front.

9. The wings of the plane were ………….. in the attack.

10. Clean the ………… with running water.

11. The victim suffered minor ………… .

12. Doctors tried to save the soldier’s life, but he died of his ……………. .

13. Caroline fell off her bicycle, but it was not ……………. .

• Complete the sentences with the correct word, heal, cure or treat.

cure – to make an injury or illness better, so that the person who was sick recovers

treat – to give someone medical attention for a sickness or injury (We can treat this disease but there is no cure for it.)

heal – you refer to the way in which a wound or broken bone becomes healthy again, or skin which has been cut gradually returns to normal (The scratch on her finger healed quickly. Only time can heal a broken heart. – used metaphorically)

1. There is no …………. but we can …………. this condition with drugs.

2. I’ve been taking lots of medicine, but nothing seems to ………… my cough.

3. John cut his finger two weeks ago and it still hasn’t …………. .

4. ‘I went into medicine in order to …………. the sick,’ said the doctor.

5. There is still no ………… for the common cold.

6. ‘There are no facilities in this hospital to ………… these kinds of injuries,’ the doctor stated.

7. You could put cream on the sore, but it will ………….. of its own accord just as quickly.

8. The doctor could offer no …………, she could only …………. the symptoms.

9. It took three years before I knew I was ………….. of the disease.

10. ‘Yes, the skin is …………. nicely,’ said the specialist.

11. For many years the patient was ………….. for the wrong illness.

12. Frankie grazed her leg and it took a long time to ………….. .

13. The doctors told the young man that there was little chance of his being completely.………

• Complete each sentence with the appropriate preposition.

1. Julia has suffered ……… back problems for a number of years.

2. I’ve got a pain ……….. my foot.

3. John had to undergo an operation ………. his left knee.

4. Years of lifting heavy objects had caused damage ……….. Terry’s spine.

5. My father is recovering ………… a heart attack.

6. The Prime Minister entered hospital ………….. a check-up.

7. What’s wrong …………. Frank? He doesn’t look at all well.

8. Many people in this village died ………… tuberculosis.

H ow do you think you would cope if something bad happened to you?

What qualities help people to survive terrible experiences?

SURVIVORS

1.

Earlier this year Rachel Wilbourn was ill. Very ill. While she was having a liver transplant her heart stopped beating for 20 minutes. But Rachel came back to life to tell her story.

‘It all started one day when out of the blue I started to vomit. And I kept on being sick. I went to the doctor and he sent me for some blood tests at the local hospital. Then I was transferred to a hospital in London. I felt like I was putting on a lot of weight. I felt so bloated. It turned out I was retaining loads of fluid. Shortly after arriving at the hospital I went into a coma. My liver had failed because I had something called Wilson’s disease, which is an inability of the body to get rid of copper. My body was poisoning itself, and I had to have an emergency transplant. Apparently, during the transplant operation, I started to bleed internally and my heart stopped for twenty minutes. The doctors finally managed to revive me, but my mum was told that I would be definitely brain-damaged because the oxygen supply to my brain had been cut off. When I finally regained consciousness after nineteen days, I couldn’t talk, my arms were weak and I could hardly move. I kept asking for my mum but nobody understood. I was so lonely and frustrated.’

‘I was in hospital for two months in all. When I started to recover the doctors and my mum told me what I’d been through. When my mum told me they thought I would have brain damage I just couldn’t believe it. It’s so scary to think about how I could have ended up. I would have been a burden to everyone. I can’t really think about it too much. Suffering has really made me see how many friends I have. And I have come to appreciate even the tiny things in life. I am covered with scars. They are really hideous but they don’t really bother me. They’re certainly not going to stop me from wearing my swimsuit when I go on holiday. When I think that I died and came back to life it puts having a few scars into perspective.

The illness has given me a new view on life. It’s made me not want to sit around and do nothing. I am definitely more determined now and I really want to live life to the full. You don’t realize just how precious life is until you come so close to losing it.’

           

2.

Twenty-two-year-old Karen Morgan thought she had it made. She had a good job as a secretary, her own house and a good social life. Then she was made redundant and everything changed. ‘I was working for a firm of surveyors and the recession hit the building trade really badly. Out of a staff of 60 they made 40 people redundant. I was so devastated that I literally couldn’t speak. I felt like I was utterly worthless, just cast aside.’

‘To begin with, I thought that I wouldn’t have much of a problem getting another job. Because I had a mortgage I needed a certain wage, and I went for interview after interview, but either the money wasn’t good enough or the job wasn’t right or they didn’t like me. At one stage I got so depressed that I just broke down and cried. Eventually I got myself a bit of temporary work but I just wasn’t bringing in enough money. I was living with a friend and she was worried that I wasn’t going to pay the bills. We had to move out. It’s a shame because my friend and I parted on bad terms. So as well as a job and a house I lost one of my best friends.’

‘This experience has made me appreciate how lucky I was, and how we shouldn’t take anything for granted. I went from being comfortably off to a situation where, if I fancied going to the corner shop and buying some crisps, I had to think if I really could afford them. It took me eight months to sort everything out – slowly paying off my debts and coming to terms with what had happened. I’ve got a good job now with lots of prospects. I can see a good future and I’m a stronger person. If it ever happened again, I’d be more prepared and able to cope much better.’