UNIT 6: DISEASES

Speaking Part 3
 Do you think health is important? Why?
Health is extremely important. Without it we are unable to work, unable to earn a living, unable to
socialise and we become completely dependent on others. Health is one of the few things that we can't
buy, but we can take steps to improve and protect our health. By protecting our health, we are
protecting our future.
 What types of activities do you think help people stay healthy?
There are many kinds of activities that can help us maintain good health. Cardiovascular exercise such
as jogging, tennis and football are really beneficial. But many people prefer doing more gentle exercise
like yoga or taichi that help us with our physical and mental health. Personally, I think a balanced
approach of different types of exercises is best combined with a healthy lifestyle and diet.
 What is the difference between physical health and mental health?
Physical health is about our physical bodies: our muscles, our blood circulation, our internal organs
and about keeping our immune systems and other bodily systems working well. Mental health, on the
other hand, is concerned with how healthy our thoughts are and our perspectives. It affects our ability
to cope with situations in life.
 What difficulties did some people face with social distancing and lockdown at the time of the
Coronavirus outbreak?
I think some people had a lot to cope with during lockdown. Some people struggled with the isolation,
some people worried about their income and others struggled with being trapped in a building unable
to go out. Most of the problems were psychological, but some also had practical problems. Some
people were unable to get to supermarkets due to vulnerability and struggled to get food. It was a really
challenging time.
 What did some people do to stay positive at that time?
People used different methods to keep their chins up when they were in lockdown. I think some of
them went online to either work or socialise. Others turned to indoor exercise and art projects. Nature
projects like planting indoor plants and watching live videos of wildlife were also really popular. It
was surprising how enterprising and creative people were ideas.
 What useful technology helped us combat the Coronavirus?
That's a really interesting question. Let me see ... I guess some of the most important pieces of
technology were things like ventilators which kept people breathing when they had severe Coronavirus
and the technology behind the contact tracing and testing which was used quite effectively in many
countries to suppress the spread of the virus. Looking ahead at new technology coming out, new apps
are being designed to allow people to trace where they have been and if they have come into contact
with the virus at any time. I think this will really help us control the virus better.
 During the Coronavirus crisis, some people did courageous deeds. Can you give an example
of one from your country?
There was more than one example of courage in the face of possible illness or death in my country
during the Coronavirus pandemic. All doctors, nurses, hospital staff, care home workers, social
workers and other frontline workers all selflessly went to work knowing the risks they were facing.
Some of them lost their lives as a result. Each day, they showed courage and determination to save
lives. They were indeed brave and without them many more people would have died.

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 UNIT 6: DISEASES
Speaking Part 3
 What do you think could have been done better to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak?
It's hard to say. Each country had their own approach based on what was happening in their own
country and decisions were led by the science. With hindsight some countries should have done more
rigorous contact tracing and testing at the start of the pandemic to prevent the disease spreading so
widely. Also some of them ought to have gone into lockdown sooner before the virus had spread so
far. We will see how things progress from this point onward.

 cardiovascular /ˌkɑː.di.əʊˈvæs.kjə.lər/ adj thuộc về hệ tim mạch

 muscles /ˈmʌs.əl/ n cơ
 aerobic /eəˈrəʊ.bɪk/ adj hiếu khí
 brisk /brɪsk/ adj nhanh
 vigorous /ˈvɪɡ.ər.əs/ adj mạnh mẽ
 blood circulation /blʌd ˌsɜː.kjəˈleɪ.ʃən/ n tuần hoàn máu
 immune system /ɪˈmjuːn/ adj hệ miễn dịch
 taichi / yoga
 mental health
 psychological
well-being
 perspectives
 struggle with
isolation
 feeling trapped in
a building
 socialise
 nature or art
projects
 a creative outlet /ˈaʊt.let/ n phương pháp giải tỏa
 to be enterprising
and creative
 ventilators /ˈven.tɪ.leɪ.tər/ n máy thở
 rigorous contact
tracing and
testing
 pandemic
 frontline workers /ˈfrʌntlaɪn/ adj tuyến đầu
 to be led by the
science
 hindsight /ˈhaɪnd.saɪt/ n sự xuy xét