I) Read the article. Then answer the questions that follow.

Should There Be a Limit on Clinical Negligence Cases?

1 You’ve probably seen the dramas play out in the media in the U.S., whereby a doctor or hospital is
sued for carelessness — known legally as clinical negligence — that injures or even kills a patient.
The resulting lawsuit, or legal action, is called a malpractice lawsuit, and cases such as these,
where the parties involved must decide who is responsible and how much the settlement should
be, are a lot more common in the U.S. than anywhere else. This issue is controversial, mainly
because the majority of cases are frivolous. As a result, there is debate as to whether or not there
should there be a limit on compensation and even a cap on the cases themselves.
2 A 2017 report by Medscape questioned more than 4,000 physicians in the U.S. in more than 25
medical specialties. The report shows that more than half have at some point been involved in a
malpractice lawsuit. The reasons for the lawsuits are extremely varied. They include failure to
correctly diagnose a condition based on symptoms, complications from treatment, medication
errors, wrongful death, and failure to follow safety procedures, to name a few. Most of the lawsuits
involved surgery. Were all of these lawsuits necessary? Were the cases a reflection of the doctor’s
level of competence?
3 The process of going through malpractice lawsuits can have a negative effect on the rest of the
doctor’s career. Some may not be able to practice again. More than 25 % of doctors said they no
longer trusted their patients and treated them differently during consultation and treatment, which
goes against the very reason most people become doctors. Doctors become more concerned with
potential malpractice suits rather than caring for patients. The main reason this is being debated is
that ultimately it undermines the trust between patient and doctor.
4 So, should there be a limit on these cases and the compensation awarded? Proponents certainly
think there should be a safety net for doctors or hospitals hit with lawsuits. Critics, on the other
hand, feel that a cap would keep people from receiving the rewards they rightfully deserve in
legitimate cases. They claim caps would also do nothing to discourage poor care in the future.
Additionally, caps do not account for emotional costs that malpractice lawsuits cause to both
parties.
5 The debate goes on as malpractice cases continue to rise, not just in the U.S., but all over the
world, costing doctors and hospitals billions of dollars a year to protect themselves. According to
the World Health Organization, the number of clinical negligence cases is a reflection of the quality
of health care in a country. If this is the case, then nobody wins at the end of the day.

1 Follow the steps to annotate the article. Then use your annotations to answer the questions.
• Highlight the topic sentence in each paragraph.
• Underline one important supporting detail in each paragraph.
• Put a box around the main argument for capping the amounts rewarded in malpractice lawsuits.
• Circle two arguments for not capping the amounts rewarded in malpractice lawsuits.

1 What is a clinical negligence lawsuit?

________________________________________________________________________________

2 How do clinical negligence lawsuits affect the relationship between doctor and patient?

________________________________________________________________________________
3 What are two examples of the reasons people bring lawsuits against doctors?

________________________________________________________________________________

4 What are two reasons people have against limiting the amount of compensation awarded?

________________________________________________________________________________

2 Circle the correct answers to complete the sentences.

 1 It is possible that in the future ____.
a a doctor may not be able to see as many patients
b a doctor may not be able to practice medicine again
c a doctor may be able to sue the patient in return

2 According to the article, the number of negligence lawsuits ____.

a is increasing rapidly
b may reflect the quality of care in a country
c Both a and b.

3 After a lawsuit, some doctors ____.

a don’t trust their patients anymore
b are no longer worried about future lawsuits
c blame insurance companies

4 Critics do not like the idea of limiting compensation because it ____.

a requires hospitals to pay the remainder.
b limits the settlement they feel patients deserve.
c benefits insurance companies

5 The article proposes that ____.

a ending malpractice lawsuits will improve health care
b ending malpractice lawsuits will have a mixed effect on health care
c malpractice lawsuits are affecting the health-care industry

3 Write T (true), F (false), or DNS (does not say) next to the statements. Explain how you inferred your
answer from the text.

______ 1 The writer of the article is a medical professional.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______ 2 There are other reasons for malpractice lawsuits than those listed in Paragraph 2.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______ 3 The increase in malpractice lawsuits in the U.S. has probably discouraged some people from
becoming doctors.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______ 4 The number of clinical negligence cases in a country does not affect the quality of its health
care.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______ 5 The writer believes there should be a limit on clinical negligence cases.

_____________________________________________________________________________

II) Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box. You will not use all the
words.
 credible alternative discipline distance learning launch modern phenomenon
oriented pursue technological advance underrepresented
core principles underrepresented online degree pursue concrete
1 The fact that women and minorities are _____________________ in executive jobs is a worldwide
problem.

2 The _____________________ of online shopping has led many long-term companies to close down
because people are not shopping at their stores anymore.

3 Because Edward’s mother was a doctor, he has always been _____________________ toward a
career in the health industry.

4 In addition to teaching, Linda frequently writes articles on science_____________________ such as

physics and chemistry.

5 One of the most useful _____________________ of the early twentieth century was the washing
machine. Prior to that, people washed clothes in buckets, sinks, and bathtubs.

6 Mateo is currently _____________________ a master’s degree in literature. He hopes to become a

writer someday.

7 For people who are not able to move to a new city, _____________________ may be their only
opportunity to finish college.

8 The government has _____________________ a program that will provide scholarships to help
students

III) Circle the correct words to complete the sentences.

1 The community / proponent / policy is unhappy about the new factory that is being built. The
construction is going to create a lot of noise for a long time.

2 The treatment / issue / measure of global warming is a constant topic in the news.

3 Due to overfishing, there has been a huge contribution / reduction / issue in the number of fish in the
world’s oceans since the 1970s.

4 If you want to save money, you should make a budget and ensure / rely on / monitor your spending
habits.

5 The engineer’s plan to improve the city’s safety net / strategy / infrastructure includes a new highway
and a new bridge.

6 One measure / reduction / burden you can take to improve your health is to eat less junk food.

7 Children don’t always understand the difference between right and wrong, so they disrupt / rely on /
monitor their parents to teach them.

8 When too many tourists visit one destination, it can have conventional / chief / devastating effects,
such as increased pollution and overcrowding.

IV) Write a draft for each of the following topics:

1 Choose an environmental issue and bring forward some solutions.

2 Compare and contrast: studying abroad and studying in country.