Reading_for_the_Real_World_1_2nd_Ed

27	general --- vague; not definite or specific
38	criticism --- a critical comment
45	result --- the final outcome

person is obese. Many experts feel that BMI is a reliable way to determine if a person’s weight is unhealthy. However, others feel that BMI is too general to be really useful. The numbers come from comparisons of large groups of people. It is not related to an individual’s body composition. BMI says nothing about a

30person’s actual percentage of body fat. There are many different ways that BMI can be affected by body shape and size. Muscular people may show a high BMI, even though they are perfectly healthy. Some people have higher bone

density than others, which increases their weight. In some cases, those who have very low body fat and are also not muscular can have a BMI

35that is too high. BMI is also unreliable for children and the elderly. Even supporters of BMI think that it should not be used for people under eighteen or over seventy years old.

Despite these criticisms, there are strong positive aspects of

BMI. The main one is that it is very simple. The measurement can

40be performed easily. It does not take special knowledge or equipment. Though BMI is a general measurement, it still gives useful information. At least, it can suggest that there might be a problem. Furthermore, some studies have shown that people with

higher BMI numbers have a higher risk of health problems. It takes only

45a minute to get a BMI number, but the results can be very important to a person’s life.

Reading Time

_______ minutes _______ seconds

563 words

31

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Reading Comprehension

AMark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1.____ An obese person always looks very fat.

2.____ The most popular way of determining body fat is by weight.

3.____ BMI is not always a very reliable way to measure body fat.

4.____ Only very skilled people can measure BMI.

BChoose the best answer according to the reading.

1.What people would NOT show high BMIs?

a.Obese people

b.Very muscular people

c.Elderly people

d.Average people

2.What is the main advantage of using the BMI?

a.It is based on the individual’s body.

b.It is always reliable.

c.It does not require special equipment or skills.

d.It is of limited use.

3.Why is the BMI important to get?

a.We can plan a diet.

b.We can understand our body’s processes.

c.We know how healthy we are.

d.We can enjoy eating.

CFor the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1.When do we consider a person obese?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

2.Who do supporters of BMI think that this test should NOT be used for?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Summary

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary.

First Sentence: There are a couple different ways that people use to determine if a person has a healthy or unhealthy body weight.

1.A muscular person weighs more because the density of muscles is greater than the density of fat.

2.Most people still rely only on a person’s weight as a method for determining obesity, although it is considered inaccurate.

3.The Body Mass Index (BMI) compares a person’s weight with his or her height, and the resulting number is indexed with average people.

4.According to a study, about 55 percent of Americans are considered to be obese.

5.Despite the fact it is not precise, the BMI still gives a person useful information about her or his body.

Vocabulary Extension

Here are six words or phrases that are related to the topic but are not in the reading. Fill in each blank with the best word or phrase from the list. Use each word or phrase only once.

prone to

scale

measuring tape

disgnoses

protein

carbohydrates

1.A __________ measures your weight.

2.A doctor __________ and then treats diseases.

3.According to the __________, my waist is thirty inches.

4.Bread, rice and vegetables all contain __________.

5.Kathy’s family is __________ allergies. Almost every person in her family is allergic to something.

6.Meat contains a lot of __________.

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34

Supplemental Reading

Health Problems of Obesity

Track 10

	t is important to understand that obesity is not just an uncomfortable
	condition of the body. Obesity can cause serious health problems. Many
	Ipeople are not aware of these problems, so they do not try to prevent the
	problems before they appear. This is unfortunate, since prevention is possible,
5	though difficult.
	One of the worst health problems caused by obesity is Type 2 diabetes. One
	study found that about 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are obese.
	People with diabetes do not have insulin in their bodies. Insulin helps the body
	to absorb, or take in, sugar. If the body cannot absorb sugar, several bad things

10can happen. A person with diabetes can suffer from seizures (losing control of the body) or fall into a coma.

A number of other problems related to obesity have also been found. Obesity can cause heart disease. Heart disease happens when the vessels that deliver blood to the heart become blocked. This makes it more likely that such

15

20

people will suffer from heart attacks, which take place when the heart loses blood supply and cannot pump properly. Furthermore, obesity causes problems with breathing, especially when sleeping. Obese people are at high risk for arthritis as well as certain kinds of cancers.

All of these problems, and others, can be prevented. Of course, losing weight is very difficult. Changing a lifestyle is hard and often painful. Even so, the results of obesity are much worse.

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1.What method do you use to determine your body fat? Would you like to try the BMI? Why or why not?

2.What do you think is the best way to lose weight?

U N I T 3 Health & Medicine 2

Studying

Headaches

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1.How often do you get headaches?

2.When you get headaches, what do you do?

3.Is there anything you can do to avoid headaches?

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1.	bark	a. to feel pain
2.	cluster	b. a small group of things close to each other
3.	insight	c. the covering on a tree’s trunk
4.	powder	d. to start; to begin
5.	set off	e. small pieces, like dust
6.	suffer	f. an understanding of something

36

Studying Headaches Track 11

	eadaches are a big problem. But they are not just a problem for the
	person suffering from the headache. They are a
	Hproblem for society as well. Each year, millions
	of people suffer from severe headaches that keep them from
5	doing their jobs. In fact, according to one estimate,
	headaches cost individuals and businesses more than $50
	billion each year! This is one of the reasons research into
	headaches has become a worldwide effort.
	Although he did not know much about how headaches work, Hippocrates
10	was the first doctor to find a way to treat them. Before 400 B.C., Hippocrates
	discovered that the bark from willow trees was useful in treating pain. He made
	a white powder from the tree’s bark and gave it to his patients.
	Hippocrates did not know it, but he was actually prescribing a natural
	chemical in willow bark called salicin. When a person eats salicin, the

15chemical is changed inside his or her body into salicylic acid. It turns out that salicylic acid is good for stopping pain, including headache pain, but it is bad for a person’s stomach. In the 1800s, a chemist in Germany changed the acid’s form a little to make it easier for people to take. This new form of the chemical was called acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin today.

20	Aspirin was used throughout most of the 1900s to treat headaches, but
	doctors had little idea about what really caused headaches. When doctors know
	the cause of a disease, they can find better ways to treat it. Therefore, as medical
	technology developed, doctors began to use the technology to learn more about
	the human brain and about headaches.
25	Currently, doctors classify headaches into two general types: primary and
	secondary. A primary headache is a condition suffered as only the headache itself.

4severe --- strong; very bad

5estimate --- a guess; approximate calculation

9	Hippocrates --- a Greek doctor who started the study of medicine
14	willow --- a kind of tree, having narrow leaves
14	salicin --- C13H18O7; a glucoside related to the sugar family

29 symptom --- a sign; an indication

31 tension --- mental strain or overuse

33dull --- not intense or sharp

34migraine --- a severe, recurring headache

51 disable --- to cripple; to stop an ability

On the other hand, a secondary headache is one caused by another condition. For example, someone who catches the flu may suffer from headaches along with other symptoms of the illness. Flu headaches are thus secondary headaches.

30 For primary headaches, doctors have determined three possible causes. One kind of primary headache is caused by stress. Doctors usually call headaches of this kind tension headaches. Such headaches are characteristically felt on both sides of the head as a dull, steady pain.

Another kind of primary headache is the migraine headache. Doctors

35believe this headache is caused by reduced flow of blood to certain parts of the brain. A migraine sufferer usually feels intense pain on one side of the head. The sufferer also becomes sensitive to light and noise. If the migraine is severe, the sufferer may vomit repeatedly.

The third kind of primary headache is known as the cluster headache.

40Cluster headaches typically occur around the same time each day for weeks or months at a time. The person suffering from this kind of headache usually feels pain on one side of her or his head, and the pain is centered around one of the person’s eyes. Doctors do not know much at present about cluster headaches, but they seem more common among men and could be related to alcohol or

45	other things that affect a person’s blood flow.
	Using computers and more advanced medical equipment, doctors continue
	to learn more about what happens in the brain before and during headaches.
	Especially in the case of migraines, some doctors believe they have found the
	part of the brain that sets off the reaction for severe attacks.

50With this new insight into brain processes, doctors hope new ways will be discovered to disable headaches before they begin.

Reading Time

_______ minutes _______ seconds

598 words

38

Reading Comprehension

AMark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1.____ The first treatment for headaches was prescribed over 2,000 years ago.

2.____ There are different types of headaches.

3.____ Cluster headaches occur regularly.

4.____ Migraine headaches are caused by stress.

BChoose the best answer according to the reading.

1.What was the first treatment for headaches?

a.Powder from the outer part of a tree

b.Powder from tree roots

c.Willow bark

d.Acetylsalicylic acid

2.What is NOT a possible cause of a primary headache?

a.A reduced flow of blood

b.Alcohol

c.Stress

d.Catching the flu

3.What will doctors likely study to treat migraines in the future?

a.How aspirin stops migraines

b.How to make drugs less expensive

c.How the brain develops in childhood

d.How drugs can stop parts of the brain from reacting

CFor the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1.Why are many scientists interested in finding out about headaches?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

2.How is a secondary headache different from a primary headache?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Summary

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary.

First Sentence: Doctors have classified various kinds of primary headaches that people can suffer from.

1.Hippocrates was the first doctor to find a way to treat headaches.

2.Tension headaches are when a person suffers a steady and dull pain on both sides of their head.

3.Aspirin has been used for hundreds of years to treat a headache, but doctors had almost no insight about the actual causes of the condition.

4.When there is a reduced flow of blood to certain parts of the brain, doctors believe this sets off a migraine headache.

5.A headache that occurs at the same time every day for weeks at a time and involves pain around one of a person’s eyes is called a cluster headache.

Vocabulary Extension

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading. Fill in each blank with the best word from the list. Use each word only once.

chronic

throbbing

placebo

alleviate

dehydration

tablet

1.__________, or lack of water, can cause headaches.

2.My headache is so painful right now. My head is really __________.

3.Aspirin can __________ pain.

4.A(n) __________ headache is a headache that occurs regularly.

5.As part of the research project, the doctor gave half the people a tablet with no aspirin; it was a(n) ________.

6.Most people take aspirin in __________ form, not in liquid form.

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40

Supplemental Reading

Fighting Migraines

Track 12

Aspirin may work well for fighting minor headaches, but it may not be the best choice for dealing with migraines. Doctors have found that after treating a migraine sufferer with aspirin, the next migraine attack becomes

stronger. Therefore, doctors have searched for other ways to treat migraines.

5 From brain research, doctors have learned that certain cells in parts of the brain release proteins during a migraine attack. By using a drug which acts like the natural chemical serotonin in the brain, the cells can be stopped from releasing protein. This has the effect of blocking the migraine. Now drug companies are producing even better products developed from this idea.

10However, the most effective of these drugs must be taken as liquid and put directly into the bloodstream. The drug is not yet available as a pill.

The above example is only one kind of medicine doctors have found useful in fighting migraines. It also turns out that drugs used to fight depression work well to relieve migraines. And surprisingly, some migraine sufferers claim Botox

15has proven helpful for them. (Botox is a chemical injected into the face for the purpose of removing wrinkles.)

Not all migraine sufferers are turning to medicine for help with their problem. Some of them use alternative remedies to fight migraines. For example, many people use yoga or meditation to

20relieve stress and reduce the number of migraines they suffer. And in some cases, people know that certain foods or fluorescent lights trigger their migraines. These people simply try to avoid things that set off migraine attacks.

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1.Was your last headache a primary or secondary headache? How did you treat it?

2.Would you be willing to test a new headache drug that affects your brain activity? Why or why not?