Post-reading exercises

Ex.1. Find in the text the paragraphs describing:

• the contribution of physical activity and sport to the battle against disease;

• the beneficial effect training has on the heart;

• the beneficial effect long-term endurance training has on various forms of hypertension;

• the beneficial effect of strength and mobility exercises;

• the life the older people in good physical condition are able to live;

• the effect of physical activity and sport in rehabilitation programmes.

Ex.2. Choose any two paragraphs from the text 1B and translate them into Russian in written form.

Ex.3. Write questions to the following answers:

1. The significance of physical activity and sport as a promoter of health is great.

2. Sometimes physical activity and sport are more effective than medicine.

3. Strength and mobility exercises prevent the premature appearance of postural defects.

4. Endurance training has direct beneficial effect on the heart.

5. Training methods occupy a special place in rehabilitation programmes.

Ex.4. Read the statements below and agree to them saying “That’s right” or disagree saying “That’s wrong” and correct the mistakes.

1. Regular physical exercises are sometimes more effective than medicine.

2. Regular physical exercise performed in accordance with well defined rules cannot greatly improve the functioning of various body systems.

3. Hypodynamia is the desease of the age.

4. For Wilma Rudolf, the struggle for life began at the age of ten.

5. After a series of illnesses she lost the use of her right leg.

6. She had to wear a leg brace but was able to walk.

7. At the age 12 she threw away her brace and shoe to play volleyball.

8. By 16 she was not only a star in basketball, but also in track.

9. At the 1960 Olympics she won silver medals.

10. Wilma Rudolph died in 1995.

Ex.5. Write your comments on the role of physical activity and sport in the human life.

Task 4. Learn the following medical terms you will come across in Text 1C.

body n torso n limb n forehead n eyebrow n eyelash n cheek n lip n chin n neck n chest n shoulder n blade n waist n hip n thigh n calf n knee n shin n heel n sole n instep n ball n toe n upper arm n elbow n forearm n wrist n joint n palm n finger n cell n brain n tissue n lung n abdomen n stomach n kidney n urinary bladder gland n skull n spinal cord rib n ligament n tendon n contract v sprain v ankle n skin n

тело, организм туловище конечность лоб бровь ресница щека губа подбородок шея грудь плечо лопатка талия бедро, поясница бедро икра колено голень пятка подошва подъем подушечка пальца палец (на ноге) плечо локоть предплечье запястье сустав ладонь палец на руке клетка мозг ткань легкое живот желудок почка мочевой пузырь железа череп спинной мозг ребро связка сухожилия сокращать растянуть лодыжка кожа

Task 5. Skim Text 1C to understand how the human body is built. Time your reading. It is good if you can read it for ten minutes (70 words per minute).

Text 1 С

Human Body

Physical education teachers and coaches need to know how the human body is built. The human body can perform amazing acts of strength and grace.

People sometimes call the human body a machine – the most wonderful one ever built. Of course, the human body is not a machine. But it can be compared to one in many ways. Like a machine, the body is made up of many parts. The main parts of it are a head, a torso and limbs.

The forehead, eyes, eyelashes, nose, mouth, cheeks and chin make the face. We see with eyes and hear with ears.

The neck joins the head to the torso.

The main parts of the torso are the chest, the shoulders, the blades, the back, the waist and hips. The leg consists of a thigh, a calf, a knee, a shin and a foot. The foot in its turn consists of a heel, a sole, an instep, a ball and toes.

The arm consists of an upper arm, an elbow, a forearm and a hand. The wrist is the joint which unites the arm with the hand.

The hand consists of a palm, a back of the hand and five fingers.

Each part of the body, like each part of a machine, does special jobs. But all the parts work together and so make the body or the machine run smoothly. Also like a machine, the body needs energy to work. In such a machine as a car, the energy comes from petrol. In the body, it comes from food and oxygen.

Although the human body can be compared to a machine, it is far more amazing than any machine. It can do things that no machine can do. For example, the body can grow. The body starts out as one cell. In time, this tiny cell develops into a body consisting of trillions of cells.

The most remarkable part of the human body is the brain. The human brain is so highly developed that it makes people different from all other living things. Their magnificent brain makes people able to think.

Each kind of cell has special features and jobs. Cells of the same type form tissues. The body has four chief kinds of tissues: connective, epithelial, muscle and nervous tissue.

A human has organs. Every organ consists of two or more kinds of tissues joined into one structure that has a certain task.

The skin is the largest outer organ of the body. If the skin of a 68-kilogram person was spread out flat, it would cover about 2 square metres.

The main human internal organs are: a heart, lungs, a stomach, kidneys, a urinary bladder, glands.

Groups of organs form organ systems. Each organ system carries out a major activity in the body. The skeleton forms a strong framework that supports the body. It also helps protect the internal organs. For example, the brain is shielded by the skull, the spinal cord by the spinal column, and the heart and lungs by the ribs. The skeleton system includes more then 200 bones.

The skeleton works together with the muscles in enabling the body to move.

Ligaments and tendons consist of connective tissue. Ligaments connect one bone to another. Tendons connect a muscle to a bone. When the muscle contracts, the tendon pulls the bone to which it is attached.

Every part of human body and organ has its own duty which it performs without difficulty as long as the human takes care of his (her) health.