COMISIÓN/PROFESORA/ APELLIDO y NOMBRE DEL ALUMNO/LEGAJO/CARRERA

CAPACITACIÓN EN INGLÉS I

TEXT 1 The Generational Differences in PTSD Treatment

October 2016 - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most misunderstood mental health
conditions, and there is a wealth of myths and mistruths that surround the condition. Many people, for
example, believe that anyone who is exposed to trauma is given a diagnosis of Post-traumatic stress
disorder, while others don't believe that the condition exists at all.

In reality, PTSD is a long term psychological response to a life threatening experience or other significant
trauma. Anyone can experience PTSD, although it is most common amongst returning veterans that
have experienced combat, victims of rape or abuse, or those who have witnessed traumatic events such
as a car accident, murder, or other significant incident. The symptoms of PTSD include suffering from
flashbacks of the event, intrusive and distressing thoughts that you are unable to control, experiencing
nightmares, emotional numbness and hyper-exaggerated responses to perceived danger. An estimated
8% of the American population will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, and PTSD affects
approximately 8 million adults in any given year. The largest part of the American population to suffer
from PTSD is the military population, particularly returning veterans. One in three returning troops are
diagnosed with serious post-traumatic stress symptoms and go on to develop the condition. However a
marked difference occurs in the treatment and diagnosis of PTSD amongst returning servicemen
depending on their generation, which can prove fascinating.

Current military veterans are often referred to as 'Generation PTSD' because of the high number of
returning veterans that are presenting with the condition, when compared to the returning veterans of
other wars. However that doesn't mean that PTSD occurs more in veterans of today's wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan than it did among veterans of Vietnam and the Gulf War: simply that awareness means
more veterans are receiving the diagnosis and treatment that they need. The latter are often known as
the forgotten generation and while with hindsight we can see that many veterans presented with the
symptoms of PTSD, they were often not treated and chose instead to self-medicate with drugs or
alcohol. More than 200,000 of these veterans are still experiencing PTSD today, and yet many of them
were not offered treatment for their conditions until decades after they were back. The prevailing
attitude was to brush the war under the carpet once they had returned: not to talk about it, not to
acknowledge their trauma, and certainly not to admit that they needed any help or support.

COMPREHENSION

1. Read the text and choose the correct answer. If FALSE, write the TRUE versión.

 The problem with PTSD is that nobody can diagnose it. TRUE/FALSE
 PTSD misunderstanding is nourished by myths and lies. TRUE/FALSE
 An accident or a war might be triggered by this disease. TRUE/FALSE
 Anyone undergoing a significant incident should suffer from PTSD. TRUE/FALSE
 Most Americans will suffer from this condition some day in their lives. TRUE/FALSE
 Among its symptoms non-aggressive behaviours are included. TRUE/FALSE
 The diagnosis of this disease can prove fascinating. TRUE/FALSE
 2. Answer these questions about the text IN SPANISH.

 What two extreme beliefs are expressed in the text as regards PTSD diagnosis?
 Do Vietnam veterans suffer from this condition more than others? Justify your
answer.
 What does this sentence mean within this context?
“The prevailing attitude was to brush the war under the carpet..”(last sentence of the text)

3. Which ideas do these conjunctions link in the text?

IDEA 1 IDEA 2

ALTHOUGH

HOWEVER

WHILE

4. What do the following contextual referents refer to in the text? Write them in English.

WHO

THAT

THEIR

WHICH

IT DID

GRAMMAR

 Make a list of Finite Verbs/Non-finite Verbs (both highlighted in yellow in the text).

 Look at those lists and underline the Passive Voice verbal groups.
 FINITE VERBS NON-FINITE VERBS

TEXT 2 How Culture Affects the Recognition of Emotions

April 2008 - Research from the University of Alberta, Canada and Hokkaido University, Japan, published
in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has found significant differences in how people from
eastern and western cultures assess interpersonal situations.

In the course of two studies, participants viewed group photographs comprising one central and four
background figures. Researchers manipulated the facial emotions of all five (happy, angry, or sad) and
asked participants to determine the dominant emotion of the central figure. The study found that 72 per
cent of Japanese participants reported that their judgment was influenced by emotions displayed by all
the figures in the group, while a similar percentage of North Americans reported not being influenced by
the background figures at all.

Co-author Takahiko Masuda, a psychology professor from the University of Alberta said the results
demonstrate that when North Americans are trying to figure out how a person is feeling, they selectively
focus on that particular person's facial expression, whereas Japanese consider other people´s emotions
in the situation.

Researchers confirmed these findings by monitoring participants' eye movements. While both groups
looked at the central figure during the first second of viewing, Japanese participants immediately
switched to the surrounding figures while westerners continued to focus on the central one.

"East Asians seem to have a more holistic pattern of attention, perceiving people in terms of the
relationships to others. People raised in the North American tradition often find it easy to isolate a
person from its surroundings, while East Asians are used to reading the air 'kuuki wo yomu' of the
situation through their cultural practices, and as a result, they think that even surrounding people's
facial expressions are an informative source to understand the emotions,” said T.M.
COMPREHENSION

1. Summarize the results emerging from this study.

EASTERN POPULATION WESTERN POPULATION

2. Do you find any link between Text 1 and Text 2? Justify your opinion.
3. Explain the last sentence of this text. (It is highlighted and underlined).

GRAMMAR

 Underline ONLY the head of the main noun phrase of the subject in each sentence.

 Research from the University of Alberta, Canada and Hokkaido University,

Japan, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has found
significant differences in how people from eastern and western cultures assess
interpersonal situations.

 In the course of two studies, participants viewed group photographs

comprising one central and four background figures.

 …72 per cent of Japanese participants reported that their judgment was
influenced by emotions….

 People raised in the North American tradition often find it easy to isolate a
person from its surroundings,…

 …even surrounding people's facial expressions are an informative source to

understand the emotions,”…