HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

1. Can we talk nowadays about a global allergy epidemic? Is the modern obsession with hygiene
responsible for it? Read the text below and explore the causes responsible for this condition:

An epidemic is sweeping the Western world. The symptoms vary: sneezing, rashes, swollen eyes and
breathlessness. An inexorable rise in allergies is emerging as a serious threat to the health of future
generations. If this continues, allergy experts warn that it could become one of the biggest medical
challenges of the next century.
It has long been suspected that our hygiene-obsessed modern lifestyle is to blame. But immunologists are
now revealing precisely how reduced exposure to bacteria and parasitic worms is damaging the immune
system’s ability to regulate itself. Immune responses that evolved in the presence of certain microbes have
been thrown wildly out of kilter in their absence. As a result, the body’s defences have become dangerously
over-sensitive to things like dust, pets and foods.
Several explanations have already been proposed, from increased exposure to allergy triggers in carpeted
homes and polluted cities to changes in diet, obesity and breastfeeding patterns.
The theory that gained most credence, however, was the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, first proposed in 1989.
Observing that allergies were less frequent among people who had serious illnesses during childhood, David
Strachan, an epidemiologist at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London, argued that modern immune
systems were ill-prepared due to the reduction in serious childhood infection. In other words, in the confines
of our antiseptic modern lifestyle, the immune system falls idle, fails to mature properly and attacks
harmless foreign molecules, creating all sorts of self-destructive reactions.
Then, in 1995, the discovery of regulatory T-cells, specialist cells that function exclusively as a brake on the
attack cells, revolutionised the way we view the body’s defences. Studies have shown that mice with
respiratory allergies get better when treated with dead Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless bacterium found
in mud. Such studies also suggest that the shift to an antibacterial lifestyle may have caused this disruption
of immune development, isolating the body from those friendly microbes.
The next step is to identify which microbes are responsible for this all-important schooling of the immune
system. To that end, immunologists are focusing on the microbes that humans encountered on a daily basis
back when we drank from streams and toiled among soil and farm animals. It was in their company that our
defence mechanisms evolved, after all. Immuno-biologists are exploring the effect of helminths on allergic
responses in humans, and the early clinical trials are providing encouraging results. Meanwhile, a recent
German study – in which mice exposed to barnyard microbes gave birth to allergy-resistant offspring –
indicates that exposing pregnant women to such microbes may protect their children. Elsewhere, allergy
experts recommend probiotics as a way of smuggling the good bacteria into the body. And most agree that
hygiene needn’t be so absolute.
Experts are optimistic about the discovery of the immunological elixir that lurks on the farms and in the guts
of allergy-resistant people across the developing world. It should then be possible to find ways to re-educate
our frontline troops in the complex art of immunological warfare.
(Adapted from http://www.sciencefocus.com/)

2. Match the underlined words in the text with their definitions provided below:
1. importing or exporting secretly
2. device or agent that has a slowing or stopping effect
3. exists unperceived or unsuspected
4. boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier
5. credit, faith, confidence
6. radical change
7. good condition; order
8. gasping; panting
9. worked hard
10. parasitic roundworm or tapeworm
3. Choose the appropriate options to complete the sentences:

1. Your chest X-ray film shows severe emphysema. You ... give up smoking.
a. must b. may c. shall
2. All cardiology residents ... to learn how to evaluate an EKG in their first year of residency.
a. ought b. must c. have
3. You ... eat anything before the angiogram.
a. don't have to b. needn't c. mustn't
4. The lesion ... been detected on ultrasound.
a. should have b. might have c. had to have
5. You have been working all night, you ... be very tired.
a. must b. might c. should
6. According to his clinical situation, this ... be an episode of angina.
a. shouldn't b. can't c. wouldn't
7. ... go into the cath lab without surgical scrubs?
a. could you b. did you may c. were you allowed to
8. High doses of digoxin ... cause partial blindness. (high level of certainty)
a. can b. may c. might
9. Digoxin ... cause partial blindness (moderate to high level of certainty).
a. can b. may c. might
10. Digoxin ... cause nausea and vomiting (moderate to low level of certainty).
a. can b. may c. might

4. Choose the correct form of the adjectives in brackets to complete the sentences:

1. The number of animals used for (experimenting / experimental) and other (scientifical / scientific)
purposes has decreased.
2. His message is so (confusing / confused), that I didn't know what to say.
3. Clinical trials are very useful in (medic / medical) research.
4. (Pathologic / pathological) secondary headaches require brain imaging for an accurate diagnosis.
5. She has a (pathologic / pathological) fear of worms.
6. It is a chilly, (crisp / crispy) evening.
7. The cough syrup is effective, but not very (tasteful / tasty).
8. The (logical / logic) solution would be the surgical approach.
9. We need an (electric / electrical) generator to store the bacterial samples in optimum condition.
10. The presence of such medical conditions as (chemic / chemical) or (electric / electrical) burns may
increase the risk factor considerably.

5. Form compound adjectives matching the words in the two columns and use them to fill in the blanks in
the sentences below:

fat minded
last saving
time educated
absent free
strong dried
narrow minute
short world
sun minded
well willed
developing sighted

1. A _______________ person is not easily discouraged or intimidated.

2. Researchers developed a cost-effective and _______________ surgical treatment for pulmonary cysts.
3. A _______________ patient needs visual aid in order to achieve a sharp far-distance image.
4. A serving of _______________ tomatoes delivers heart benefits by providing 6 % of the recommended
daily intake of calcium.
5. _______________ foods must have less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving.
6. A courteous, _______________ nurse will create a comfortable environment for the patients.
7. Lack of management is the biggest obstacle to decent health care in the _______________ .
8. It would be _______________ not to treat equally patients from disadvantaged groups.
9. The therapist asks the patient for any _______________ issues.
10. Patients affected by Alzheimer's disease are very _______________ and forgetful.

6. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb:

1. He wanted ... (discover) a cure for the disease.

2. Many people hate ... (drink) coffee with sugar.
3. He has forgotten ... (meet) me last summer. (can't remember)
4. He insisted on ... (help) me with the clinical examination.
5. I am used to ... (drink) enough water daily.
6. It is important to avoid ... (eat) too much saturated fat.
7. Governments are beginning ... (appreciate) the value of preventive medicine.
8. He enjoyed ... (learn) about biochemistry.
9. Changes in pH stop cells from ...(function) properly.
10. The body uses glucose ... (create) energy.

7. Use the following words to complete the passage below:

1. from, through, to, across, on, into, in

Monoamines are released ... granular stores by a nerve impulse. They diffuse ... the membrane of the
granules ... the cytoplasm. From there they pass ... the exterior of the cell by passing ... the cell membrane.
They then diffuse ... the synapse and attach themselves to receptor sites ... the postsynaptic membrane. The
monoamines are either inactivated whilst ... the synaptic cleft or taken up again ... the nerve ending, being
transported ... the membrane by an active process.
2. of, on, during, to, as
Our analysis was based ... information collected for the Birmingham births register of the university
department ... social medicine. This is one ... the few sources of data ... births in the United Kingdom where
the ethnic origin ... both parents is recorded. The sample comprised all births ... parents resident in Central
Birmingham Health Authority ... 2002-2004 inclusive (total number 11890). Each group was classified
according ... the ethnic group of both parents ... European (white), Asian (Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi),
Afro-Caribbean, oriental or mixed (when the parents were of different ethnic origin).

10. Choose the appropriate phrasal verbs to complete the sentences:

1. The doctor recommends ... fried food or saturated fats.

a. putting on; b. giving up; c. cutting out; d. wearing off.
2. I have ... from 10 cigarettes a day to 5.
a. cut out; b. fallen out; c. pulled through; d. cut down
3. My father's hair started ... when he was 20.
a. washing out; b. falling out; c. wearing off; d. pulling through
4. When you are ..., you need to focus on keeping your nasal passages and sinuses moist.
a. cut out; b. stuffed up; c. warmed up; d. pulled through
5. The effects of the drugs started to ... after 4 hours.
a. wear off; b. check out; c. spit out; d. pull out
6. The player ... due to dehydration.
a. passed out; b. came round; c. went down; d. fell out
7. The nurse ... the patient with pillows.
a. brought up; b. propped up; c. warmed up; d. picked up
8. She was very depressed after her father died, but her husband helped her ... .
a. pass away; b. get over; c. break down; d. pull through
9. The patient became unconscious and then his lungs ... .
a. broke down; b. wore off; c. packed up; d. stuffed up
10. I need to ... the sweets I ate during holidays.
a. work off; b. work out; c. put on; d. cut out.

11. Correct the sentences, using the correct form of Genitive:

1. The nurse disinfected the syringe’s needle.

2. The patients’s blood test indicated high blood sugar.
3. I don't know the name's of the book.
4. Jacket’s John is here.
5. The house’s gate is closed.
6. It was the decision of the board that the visiting hours be changed.
7. She is not feeling well; she has undergone a two hour operation.
8. The patient's condition who was brought here yesterday is severe.
9. She is suffering from a bout flu.
10. The clock's hand stopped.

12. Below there are 10 terms associated with diabetes. Match them with their definitions:

charcot foot, glucose tolerance test, brittle diabetes, artificial pancreas, aspartame, dawn phenomenon,
glycosuria, glycaemic index, fasting blood glucose test, glycogen.

1. A machine that constantly measures glucose in the blood and releases the right amount of insulin
accordingly.
2. An artificial sweetener used to replace sugar.
3. The presence of glucose in the urine.
4. A method for measuring blood glucose levels at a time when it is not affected by recent food intake.
5. A test in which glucose is given and blood samples are taken afterward to determine how quickly it is
cleared from the blood.
6. The effect of different foods on blood glucose levels over a period of time.
7. A polysaccharide which serves as the principal storage form of glucose.
8. A severe form of diabetes characterized by frequent, extreme swings in blood glucose levels.
9. A complication associated with diabetic neuropathy which affects the foot and is characterized by
varying degrees of bone and joint destruction,
10. A sudden increase in blood glucose levels in the early morning hours.

13. Form compound nouns with the following words in order to match the definition. The first one has
been done for you:

break, set, pass, theatre, room, take, eye, burst, breeding, killer.

Break - outbreak: a sudden breaking out or occurrence, eruption

Set - ________: beginning or start
Pass - __________ : a passage created surgically to divert the flow of blood or other bodily fluid or to
circumvent an obstructed or diseased organ.
Theatre - _____________: a room in which surgical operations are performed
Room - ______________: a room for the use of persons waiting, as in a railroad station or a physician's
office.
Take - ______________: a quantity taken in
Eye - _______________: discoloration of the skin around the eye, resulting from a blow, bruise, etc.
Burst - ______________: a sudden and violent release or outpouring.
Breeding - _________________: to breed from unions between closely related individuals, esp over several
generations.
Killer - ________________: analgesic

14. There are many idioms related to health. There are ten such expressions with their equivalents below.
Read them and then use them in order to fill in the blanks:

- (as) fit as a fiddle: healthy and 1. I can't catch my breath when I run because
physically fit, slim I'm _______________________.

- a bag of bones: extremely thin
- to burn (oneself) out: to become ill
or exhausted from working too hard
- to be green/blue/pale around the
gills: to look sick
2. I saw my old friend last week and he
_______________________, so he can't be
this ill.
3. I was surprised to see how much weight
she had lost: she was ________________
_______!

- to kick a habit: to stop a bad habit
- to look the picture of health: to look
very healthy
- out of condition / shape: not in good
physical condition
- to be out of sorts: not feeling well, in
a bad mood
4. Jane was looking a little ________
_______________ when she came to school
today, so the teacher sent her home.
5. John is _______________________, so
don't try to speak to him right now.
6. I can't believe he has put on so much
weight! Last time I saw him, he was _______
________________.

- to take a sick day: to be absent from 7. My father worked very hard last month
work and still receive pay and now he is _____________________.

- to be run down: to be in poor 8. She hasn't felt well today so she decided
condition _______________________.

9. The man used to drink a lot, but he was

able to kick the habit.

10. You should stop working so hard or you

will burn yourself out.