Reading for the real world 1

The top superstitions related to good luck that most people followed “very much” were picking four-leaf clovers 79 percent, knocking on wood 72 percent, picking up pennies 70 percent, a

S E C O N D E D I T I O N1

© 2009 Compass Publishing

All rights reserved No part of this book

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without prior permission

in writing from the publisher.

Acquisitions Editor: Jordan Candlewyck

Content Editor: Rob Jordens

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email: info@compasspub.com

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The authors of this book would like to acknowledge the following writers for contributing materials to this series: Michael Souza, Michael Pederson, Paul Edmunds, Paula Bramante, Kandice MacDonald, Barbara Graeber

Unit 1

Strange & Unusual

Reading 1 : American Superstitions / 5

Reading 2 : Bigfoot / 11

Unit 2

Computers & Technology

Reading 1 : The History of the Internet / 17

Reading 2 : Gamers: Image and Reality / 23

Unit 3

Health & Medicine

Reading 1 : Body Mass and Weight / 29

Reading 2 : Studying Headaches / 35

Unit 4

Social Issues

Reading 1 : High School Dropout Rates on the Rise / 41

Reading 2 : Where Are All the Boys? / 47

Unit 5

Environmental Issues

Reading 1 : Sixth Extinction / 53

Reading 2 : A Plan to Curb Greenhouse Gases / 59

Unit 6

C o n t e n t s

Reading 1 : King’s March on Washington Address / 77

Reading 2 : Desiree’s Baby By Kate Chopin / 83

Unit 8

Space & Exploration

Reading 1 : The Space Race / 89

Reading 2 : Asteroid Impacts on Earth / 95

Unit 9

Sports & Fitness

Reading 1 : Cheating in Sports / 101

Reading 2 : Gi / 107

Unit 10

People & Opinions

Reading 1 : Barack Obama’s Keynote Address at the Democratic National

Convention / 113

Reading 2 : Anita Roddick / 119

Unit 11

Cross-Cultural Viewpoints

Reading 1 : Ideas About Beauty / 125

Reading 2 : Bribery or Business as Usual? / 131

Unit 12

Business & Economics

Reading 1 : Adventure Tours for Charity / 137

Reading 2 : Rating Companies / 143

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 clover a inclined to believe in chance or magic

2 conduct b a small plant with white berries; a Christmas decoration

3 confess c a small flowering plant, usually with three leaves

4 optimistically d to do

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What are some good-luck superstitions?

2 What are some bad-luck superstitions?

3 Do you follow or believe any of these superstitions?

American

Superstitions

S t r a n g e & U n u s u a l 1

U N I T 1

E very culture has superstitions Some people

believe them more than others Even in our modern technological society, superstitions still hold a powerful influence Most people seem to

outgrow them But how many people continue to

believe (or at least act like they believe) these

superstitions as adults?

A survey conducted for the journal American Demographics by the research

firm Market Facts found some surprising results In modern America, where superstitions are seen as nothing more than the beliefs of a weak mind, 44 percent of the people surveyed still admitted they were superstitious The other

56 percent claimed to be only “optimistically superstitious,” meaning they were more willing to believe superstitions relating to good luck over ones related to bad luck For example, 12 percent of those who said they were not really

superstitious confessed to knocking on wood for good luck And 9 percent

confessed they would pick up a penny on the street for good luck A further

9 percent of non-believers also said they would pick a four-leaf clover for luck if they found one And some still believed in kissing under the mistletoe for luck

Of the 44 percent of Americans who admit their superstitious beliefs, 65 percent said they were “only a little” superstitious, 27 percent were “somewhat” superstitious, and 8 percent were “very” superstitious Among this group of believers, some interesting differences appeared when the men and women were

considered separately In the survey, women comprised 60 percent of the entire superstitious group, seeming to indicate that women tend to be more

superstitious than men However, more than half (64 percent) of the “very” superstitious believers were male

Additionally, age also showed significant differences between the believers

and non-believers More young people admitted their superstitious nature than

23 comprise - to make up

24 indicate - to show; to suggest

27 significant - major; large

Track 1

twenty-It might be expected that people with more education would be less

superstitious, but results from the survey indicated almost equal numbers of

believers between those with and without college degrees Of those survey

respondents who never finished or only finished high school, 42 percent

reported being at least a little superstitious For those with a college education,

47 percent claimed the same minimal level of belief

In the survey, ten common superstitions were listed for the people who

responded Of these superstitions, five were related to good luck and five to bad

luck Respondents were then asked to check the ones they believed Of the

superstitions in the list, good-luck superstitions were more widely held The top

superstitions related to good luck that most people followed “very much” were

picking four-leaf clovers (79 percent), knocking on wood (72 percent), picking up pennies (70 percent), and crossing fingers for luck (59 percent) Of the bad-luck superstitions, the most common belief was that breaking a mirror

brought bad luck (82 percent) Other bad luck superstitions

listed in the survey included seeing black cats, walking under

ladders, seeing the bride before the wedding, and doing

anything on Friday the 13th

Many people would like to think it could not hurt to do

something like knocking on wood or crossing your fingers to

bring a little luck After all, who doesn’t want a little luck?

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 574 words

32 expect - to guess; to consider likely

35 respondent - a person who answers a survey

37 minimal - low; of the smallest amount

38 common - usual; occurring frequently

40 check - to mark

41 widely - over a large range or area

51 cross one’s fingers - to put the second finger over the first finger

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 The majority of people said they do not believe in bad luck.

2 None of the non-believers think four-leaf clovers are lucky.

3 It is bad luck to climb a ladder.

4 Few people thought that breaking a mirror was bad luck.

B Choose the best answer.

1 Which of the following would bring bad luck?

a A cracked mirror

b Crossed fingers

c Money on the street

d Walking under mistletoe

2 Which of these good-luck traditions was most commonly followed by

non-believers?

a Avoiding black cats

b Kissing under mistletoe

c Knocking on wood

d Picking up money

3 Who would be most likely to admit being superstitious?

a A nineteen-year-old, female, college student

b A thirty-year-old, male, high school drop-out

c A forty-year-old, male, college graduate

d A seventy-year-old, female, college graduate

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1 What was the main purpose of the survey?

2 What are the different groups of superstitions?

V ocabulary Extension

S ummary

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading

Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only

once.

horoscope curse omen fate astrologist faith

1 An can tell your fortune by the stars.

2 Oh, no! I just saw a crow That’s a bad .

3 According to my in the newspaper, I will have a good day today.

4 Have ! Everything will turn out all right in the end.

5 The archeologist had bad luck after he opened the tomb He received the

mummy’s

6 I can’t do anything about it It’s my to be in this situation.

in good-luck breaking a mirror confessed to beingpicking four-leaf clovers who responded to the superstitious beliefs

Fill in the blanks with the phrases from the list Use each phrase only once.

A marketing research firm conducted a survey to find out information about

1 _ of Americans It was found through the survey that many

Americans actually 2 _ at least “somewhat” superstitious

Most people see themselves as “optimistically superstitious,” meaning they believe

more 3 _ than bad-luck superstitions Some common

good-luck superstitions in the survey included 4 _ and

kissing under mistletoe Bad-luck superstitions on the survey included walking under

a ladder and 5 _ Of the people 6 _

the survey, young people said they were superstitious more often than old people

1 998 was a very bad year, especially for people

who believed the number 13 is an unlucky number In 1998, three months had a Friday that fell on the 13th of the month February, March, and

November That is actually the most Friday the 13ths

possible in a year

The origin of the number 13 being an unlucky number goes back to the time

of Jesus’s death At the last supper, Jesus gathered his twelve followers for a special meal, but including himself, there were a total of 13 people at the table One of those followers later betrayed Jesus and turned him over to be killed Today, superstitions about the number continue to worry people As a result, most American skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor In addition, most airplanes lack a 13th row because few customers would buy tickets to sit there Perhaps surprisingly, when asked, only 13 percent of the American population admit they believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day The percentage is slightly higher among young people About 30 percent of Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four say they try to generally be a little more careful on a Friday falling on the 13th Interestingly, the nine movies of the horror series

Friday the 13 th were all released during this age group’s formative years 1993) Perhaps the series has had a greater effect on people than anyone would like to admit

(1980-“Unlucky” Number 13

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 Can superstitions ever be helpful?

2 Do you have any item that brings you luck? What is it and where did you get it?

Track 2

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 aggressive a a dead body or bones

2 remains b a smell; a scent

3 creature c to travel; to move from one country or area to another

4 description d a statement that tells what something looks like

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 Do you know any stories about mysterious creatures?

Where were they seen?

2 Do you think that strange creatures like the Loch Ness monster

exist? Why or why not?

3 What have you heard about “Bigfoot”?

Bigfoot

S t r a n g e & U n u s u a l 2

U N I T 1

N ative American and Canadian Indian tribes

have passed down stories going back

thousands of years about giant ape-men living in the forests of the western United States and

Canada They called these creatures Sasquatch, Yerin,

or Mountain Devils Regardless of the name, the

descriptions of these animals are usually the same The

Bigfoot is usually described as being very tall, well over

two meters It is covered in thick, dark hair and usually gives off a bad odor The Bigfoot’s body is usually very muscular and ape-like, yet it walks upright and has a face more similar to that of humans than of apes For the most part, these creatures appear not to be violent or aggressive Bigfoot sightings are usually of lone, or single, creatures, but there have been reports of people seeing groups, or families, of Bigfoot

People in other countries also tell stories of similar ape-men In the Himalayas, a mountain range in Nepal, people call these creatures Yeti, or

Abominable Snowmen The Africans call them Ngoloko, and the Chinese tell

stories of the Gin-Sung, or bearman

Though sightings have been reported for centuries, is there any scientific

evidence for the existence of these creatures? Some say yes, and others say no

Dr Grover Krantz, a physical anthropologist at the University of Oregon,

believes that Bigfoot may be a type of creature known as a Gigantopithecus

A Gigantopithecus is an animal that lived in Asia over 300,000 years ago and

looked like a mix between an ape and a very large man Dr Krantz believes that

these animals, which lived long before humans, may have migrated from Asia

and decided to settle in the heavily wooded area of the Pacific Northwest,

2 pass down - to tell from one generation to the next

6 regardless of - in spite of; not considering

17 abominable - terrible

19 sightings - fact of seeing; something seen

21 anthropologist - a person who studies the development of humans

24 mix - a combination

26 wooded - having many trees

Track 3

45 trickster - a person who cheats others

49 deeper - farther inside

50 elusive - not easy to find; good at hiding

where food was plentiful

Is it possible that creatures like these could have survived for so many years unknown to humans? Cryptozoologists compare the case of Bigfoot to that of the coelacanth The coelacanth is a type of fish that was believed to have gone

extinct over 70,000,000 years ago, but this fish has been discovered to be still living off the coast of South Africa Cryptozoologists believe that the animals that

we now call Bigfoot have been able to survive by living in an area that people,

until recently, have seldom gone

There are, however, some questions that science has been

unable to answer For example, why have no dead Bigfoot

bodies ever been discovered? And where is the physical proof

of their existence? Bigfoot researchers point out that it is

unusual to find the dead remains of any animal in the forest

Most of the time, they say, other animals eat the remains soon

after death; this may be the case for Bigfoot, too Many

skeptics, people who do not believe in Bigfoot, say that the video and

photographs of Bigfoot are really pictures of people wearing an ape costume

They also believe that the Bigfoot footprints are really the footprints of a bear, or

footprints made by tricksters trying to fool scientists

It is possible that we may never know the truth about these animals If they have avoided being seen for the last several thousand years, then maybe they will stay hidden for another several thousand Or it may be that as we humans go

deeper and deeper into the forests of Northwest America and Canada, we may

finally come face to face with the elusive Bigfoot.

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 572 words

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Stories of Bigfoot are only very recent.

2 Bigfoot could be related to an animal that lived thousands of years ago.

3 Many people think that Bigfoot evidence is not real.

4 The coelacanth is an extinct Bigfoot.

B Choose the best answer.

1 Why do cryptozoologists think that the coelacanth is good evidence for the

existence of Bigfoot?

a The coelacanth is an old kind of fish that can live out of water

b The coelacanth also looks strange

c The coelacanth is originally from Asia

d The coelacanth shows that living ancient animals exist without being easily found

2 Why don’t skeptics think Bigfoot exists?

a Only pictures of Bigfoot have been taken

b They believe that the footprints were made by bears or tricksters

c Skeptics made a Bigfoot costume

d They are very big

3 According to the reading, what do cryptozoologists probably study?

2 If Bigfoot does exist, why is the Northwest a good habitat for it to live in?

V ocabulary Extension

S ummary

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading

Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only

once.

1 Where does the fox live? Its is over there.

2 Is the Loch Ness monster real? I think it is just a(n) .

3 Long ago, people thought that rain was They didn’t realize that it was a natural process

4 “Do you think exist?” “Well, I’ve never seen one.”

5 Bob had a(n) experience He still feels strange about it.

6 There are many about ghosts.

believers say found or sighted are not aggressive

a bad odor came from Asia usually eat them

Fill in the blanks with the phrases from the list Use each phrase only once.

Descriptions of Bigfoot indicate they are larger than men, have lots of hair, and

usually have 1 _ One theory says that Bigfoot

2 _ originally, but it migrated to North America to find food

Some people wonder why more people have not 3 _ a Bigfoot Bigfoot researchers say it is because these creatures 4 _ and

hide when humans come near them Skeptics also point out that no one has ever

found a dead body of a Bigfoot; however, 5 _ that fact is not

so strange It is actually rare to find the remains of any dead animal because other

animals 6 _.

lair monsters legends hoax uncanny supernatural

I s Bigfoot dead? The answer is “yes” according to the

family of Ray L Wallace, who died November 26th,

2002 in Seattle, Washington After the death of his father, Michael Wallace told a story that surprised many

people who have been trying to solve the Bigfoot mystery

He claimed that his father thought of the idea of a Bigfoot

creature; though he did not make the name, Bigfoot, he developed it as a

practical joke to make money According to Michael, Ray Wallace asked a friend

to make a pair of 16-inch (40 cm) footprints out of wood He then used these footprints for making fake Bigfoot tracks around the woods near his house

Mr Wallace would use these footprints to support stories about Bigfoot that he would tell to newspapers Some of these stories were quite strange

He once told a newspaper reporter, “Bigfooted creatures are people, they speak a language.” Mr Wallace then used these stories to make money He made tape recordings of strange sounds that he said were “Bigfoot conversations” and sold the tapes to tourists along with Bigfoot photos, posters, and pieces of

animal hair that he said came from Bigfoot

Though his family claims that Bigfoot died with Ray Wallace, others are not

so sure Scientist Jeff Meldrum, a professor at Idaho State University, does not believe that Bigfoot was imaginary Professor Meldrum claims to have copies of over forty footprints that he says belong to a very large, unknown creature, which he believes is Bigfoot

The Death of Bigfoot?

Discussion

1 If Bigfoot exists, what kind of creature do you think it could be?

2 What other kinds of hoaxes have you heard about?

Track 4

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 accelerate a a set of operation instructions for a computer program

2 access b easily carried by hand

3 cable c to go faster

4 code d a person skilled at programming, usually having

a mischievous purpose

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 During which decade were computers first used in homes?

2 During which decade did lots of people start using the Internet?

3 Was the original use of the Internet for business or some other

The History of the Internet

A lmost everyone knows about the Internet More than a billion people

around the world are now online The Internet is a powerful tool for

information and communication

The basic concept of the Internet was first thought of in the early 1960s It

began as a military research network, designed to be decentralized or spread out

over many locations If one location was attacked, the military could communicate from another location The first small network went online in 1969 It connected four universities in the United States

This network was very successful from the beginning Scientists could now share information about their research In 1972, email was invented and quickly

became the most popular application By the end of that year, the network

connected many universities and government research centers The general

public became aware of the network in the late 70s A new version allowed

anyone to get online People from all over the world joined online groups to talk about thousands of different subjects

The term Internet was used for the first time in 1982 New technology had created a common language for the network computers The Internet was now

recognized as an international network This was also at the time when privacy and security started becoming important issues Hackers and viruses began to emerge

In 1990, the original military network went offline, and a year later the

2 online - connected to the network

5 decentralize - to put in many different locations

11 application - a special purpose for which something is used

13 aware of - conscious of; informed about

World Wide Web was born The World Wide Web is in fact a browser for the

Internet -a kind of software program that allows users to access and navigate

within information on the net With the introduction of the World Wide Web, the

development of the Internet accelerated at a rapid pace The first computer code of

the web was created in 1991 allowing programmers to combine words, pictures, and

sounds on web pages

In the early nineties, the first search engine, Gopher, and the first web

browser, Mosaic, were developed, allowing easier and simpler access to the Net

Traffic on the Internet started growing at an annual rate of approximately

340,000 percent

At the end of the 1990s, Internet2 was born

Internet2 uses fiber optic cables to link together a

consortium of hundreds of high-speed networks

around the world Instead of connecting to the

Internet solely through telephone lines, people

could now connect in a wide variety of ways, including

via satellite These new methods have more data carrying capacity, or bandwidth,

than telephone lines This made the Internet faster and able to convey much more

information People could soon watch TV shows and movies online

In the future, people will not need a computer to access the Internet The

browser will become a platform for the Web Information will no longer need to

be stored in a computer hard drive Instead, it will be stored in places around

the world People can retrieve it through cell phones, music players, and other

portable devices This is called “cloud computing,” because it seems as if

information floats down from the sky A 2008 study said that the Internet will

continue to grow By 2020, a low-cost global network will allow people even in

remote areas to have Internet access English will remain the primary Net language,

but other languages, especially Mandarin, will increase Also, a segment of society

will refuse to use the Net and live without modern technology

29 navigate - to direct or manage its course

34 search engine - a computer program that searches the World Wide Web

36 annual - yearly

36 approximately - nearly

40 consortium - a group formed with the purpose to work together

44 data - information

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 The first small network went online in 1969.

2 Gopher was the first Internet search browser.

3 The Internet2 allowed people to watch TV online.

4 By 2020, English will no longer be the primary language of the

Internet

B Choose the best answer.

1 Which of the following is NOT an Internet-based technology?

a Mosaic

b Gopher

c Hacker

d World Wide Web

2 The first computer virus probably appeared in .

2 In the future, why will people no longer need computers to access the

Internet?

S ummary

V ocabulary Extension

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading

Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only

once.

install downloaded idle crashed click frozen

1 I lost all of my homework when my computer

2 Do you know how to this program?

3 To open the file, just on its name

4 Casey has over 400 MP3 files

5 If your computer is for a few minutes, the screensaver will start

6 The computer screen is not responding to the mouse I think your computer is

Fill in the blanks with the words from the list Use each word only once.

Although it has only a short history, the Internet has had a great impact on

modern society The concept of the Internet came from military research in the

1960s The military wanted to 1 _ its research and control

centers through connections to many locations by computers As more and more

people began using the system during the 1980s, privacy and security became an

issue due to the threat of 2 _ and viruses In the 1990s, the

development of the Internet 3 _ rapidly thanks to the World

Wide Web and the invention of the first computer 4 _ for web pages Soon after, fiber optic 5 _ made the Internet faster and able to carry much more information In decades to come, 6 _

devices will be used instead of computers to retrieve information from the Internet

O ne of the most important things that the

Internet has fostered or strengthened has been freedom of speech and freedom of expression The Internet is a very large

common public area that is shared by people all

around the world Due to the diversity of the Net’s

users, no one standard can be applied to govern

speech on the Net Furthermore, the Internet technology itself prevents complete blocking of access to information

The Internet has helped to promote political freedom in many cases and allowed protesters a way to express their discontent In 1990, the Internet allowed Chinese dissidents to bypass government censorship and inform the world Chinese community of the rebellion in Tiananmen Square and its tragic outcome Similarly in 1991, people both in the Soviet Union and around the world were able to access eyewitness accounts of the attempted coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in spite of an information blackout During Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, Internet users got up-to-date information through Internet connections with Kuwait even though radio and television broadcasts had been cut off

In the late 1990s, many countries became alarmed at the freedom of speech accessible on the Internet and tried to restrict it Singapore mandated that political and religious sites must register with the government China ordered that all Internet users register with the police And Saudi Arabia restricted Internet use to only universities and hospitals However, due to the nature of the Internet, none of these efforts has had much lasting effect

Internet and Freedom of Speech

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 What do you usually use the Internet for?

2 How has the Internet changed since you first began using it?

Track 6

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 antisocial a highly developed; complicated

2 activity b a picture; an idea of how something looks

3 image c an action to hurt or kill others

4 recognize d disliking other people; not fitting in with others

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What are the most popular computer games today?

2 Do you know any people who play a lot of games on the computer?

What are these people like?

3 What do you think most gamers have in common?

Gamers:

Image and Reality

C o m p u t e r s & Te c h n o l o g y 2

U N I T 2

Gamers: Image and Reality

V ideo games have become very popular There are

numerous games for the personal computer

Additionally, game systems, like the Sony Playstation and the Xbox, can be found in many

homes As video games have become more popular

and sophisticated, they have influenced popular

culture The character of Lara Croft from the

game, Tomb Raider, is well known even to people

who have never played the game There have been

several movies based on video games, Tomb

Raider included Obviously, the video game industry is highly profitable, and

the designers of a successful game can become very rich Of course, what this means is that there are many people buying and playing video games What kinds of people are they?

There are many stereotypes about gamers The first one is that most gamers are males Another stereotype about gamers is that they are not interesting or attractive people According to this view, gamers are mostly fat because they always play games instead of exercising Even if they are not fat, they are still

unhealthy because they rarely go outside or do anything active Another part of

this image is that gamers are ugly They play games because it is impossible for them to find girlfriends Not only are they ugly, but they are also boring Gamers have no interests outside games, so games are all that they can talk about,

besides computers Further, this image of gamers implies they are antisocial

They do not know how to communicate with other people This is the main reason that they play games Gamers spend all of their time alone with their computers, and they only connect with other people through the Internet, where

2 numerous - many

7 character - a person in a story

10 based on - originating from; taken from

11 profitable - able to earn money for a company

19 rarely - seldom; not often

23 imply - to suggest; to seems to mean

Track 7

The most negative stereotype about gamers is that they possibly have

emotional problems Many video games are violent, so gamers might be

influenced by that violence They may start to feel that it is OK to use violence in real life Further, gamers spend too much time in the false worlds of their games The result is that they can no longer recognize the real world They may come to believe that they are characters in a game The result of this could be violence or

destruction of property, either real or through computer hacking.

Of course, these views are only stereotypes There may be some gamers that

fit the negative stereotype However, a recent study about gamers was conducted

in the United States by the Pew Internet and American Life Project This research involved a survey of 1,162 college students across the United States The survey

found that most gamers are the same as normal people According to the survey, both gamers and non-gamers spent the same amount of time doing different

kinds of activities, like studying and exercising Gamers did not spend all their time playing games They did not spend all their time alone, either Most of the

gamers in the survey lived normal lives and had normal friends For them, gaming

was a social activity These gamers were unlikely to commit violence against others

Finally, the survey found that just as many women as men played video games

According to this survey, at least, gaming has

become a normal hobby, like any other, and as is the

case with many other stereotypes, the stereotypical

image of gamers does not seem to match with

46 commit - to do; to carry out

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 591 words

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Gamers are not thought to be like normal people.

2 Gamers are thought to be antisocial.

3 Many gamers always play games as a way to enjoy time with friends.

4 More men play video games than women.

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What is the main idea of this reading?

a Gamers have similar personalities, likes and dislikes

b Gamers are similar to people’s ideas of them

c Gamers are different from people’s ideas of them

d Gamers are not similar to each other

2 What is NOT a stereotype of a gamer?

a They don’t make friends easily

b They dislike sports

c They are often boring to other people

d They frequently interact with other people

3 According to the reading, what does “stereotype” probably mean?

a An idea about gamers that is usually true

b An idea about gamers that is good to have

c An idea about gamers that is often too simple

d An idea about gamers that is wrong

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1 Why is it dangerous for gamers to think video games are the real world?

2 Why do people think that gamers play computer games?

V ocabulary Extension

S ummary

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading

Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only

once.

bias points weird ammunition juvenile select

1 Roger does very strange things, so most people think he is .

2 Now you have to what color hair you want your character to have.

3 Don’t act in that childish way It’s very .

4 Hey! I got 50 for picking up the gold coin!

5 You need a lot of to shoot all your opponents in Quake III.

6 He has a(n) against people who play computer games

He doesn’t like to talk to them

Fill in the blanks with the words from the list Use each word only once.

Over the years, video games have become more popular and 1 _ For most people, the 2 _ of a gamer is a man who is

overweight and lazy Because gamers sit in front of computers all day, their lack of

physical 3 _ makes them gain weight People also think that

gamers are 4 _ because they spend so much time alone,

playing games that typically focus on killing However, research indicates that

gamers easily 5 _ appropriate and inappropriate behavior

In other words, they are not more likely to commit acts of 6

than non-gamers

recognize sophisticated violence

P eople like video games for different reasons Playing a game like Quake

III allows people to have an imaginary battle, where they can shoot or

destroy their opponents This sort of game can be exciting for some

Others find that it helps to take away their stress Quake III is an example of a

first-person-shooter (FPS) game, one of the most popular kinds of games There seems to be a thrill that comes with fighting, especially when it is with other people on the Internet

Other games provide a different world for the player to enter These are called adventure games

The games may place a player in a different time or

place or create an entirely imaginary world A player

may be able to win by fighting, using strategy, or

solving puzzles, but the most important point is the

different world of the game Myst and Riven are two of the most famous

adventure games

Some role-playing adventure games allow players to create new characters for themselves In the game, a player can be a hero, monster, or any number of other kinds of characters Role-playing games are very popular, particularly on

the Internet One of the most popular is Everquest In this game, players join

others online to have adventures They can play many different characters, making different names, abilities, and personalities for themselves The feeling

in these games is like becoming a character in a book There seems to be a game for just about every kind of personality

Why Play Computer Games?

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 What are the advantages of playing video games?

2 What are some problems that playing video games can cause?

Track 8

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 density a a way; a procedure

2 inaccurate b mass divided by volume

3 mass c having well-developed muscles

4 method d not exact; not correct

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What are some health problems caused by too much body fat?

2 How can you tell if someone is unhealthily fat?

3 What do you think BMI is?

Body Mass

and Weight

H e a l t h & M e d i c i n e 1

U N I T 3

Body Mass and Weight

T o be obese means to have too much fat on the body Obese people are

not just overweight Such people are likely to suffer health problems because of their weight The precise cause of obesity is not clear

However, it is clear that obesity is a problem in most countries One study

estimated that about 55 percent of people in the United States are obese People need to understand what obesity is and how to tell if they themselves are obese

so that they can change their condition

An obese person does not have to look extremely fat Even people who seem only slightly overweight can actually be considered obese If a person has a certain

amount of fat on their body, then their health might be in danger This amount of fat

is usually thought to be 40 percent of the body’s total composition Finding a

person’s exact fat percentage is troublesome Most people still rely on their weight measurement to tell them if they are overweight or obese

There are problems with this method, however There are recommended

weights for different ages In addition, weight alone says nothing about a person’s percentage of body fat, which is most important People have different body types,

which can make weight measurements unreliable For instance, athletes usually

have more muscle mass than other people Muscle weighs more than fat Therefore,

an athlete may weigh more than their recommended weight, but this does not mean they are not healthy A more accurate measurement of body fat is needed

Probably the most popular method of determining body fat today is the Body Mass Index (BMI) BMI is a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided

by the square of his or her height (in meters) For men, a BMI of 24

to 27 is normal For women, it is 23 to

26 A BMI of 30 or more means a

1 obese - overweight in an unhealthy way

8 extremely - to the utmost degree; exceedingly;

35

40

45

person is obese Many experts feel that BMI is a reliable way to determine if a

person’s weight is unhealthy However, others feel that BMI is too general to be

really useful The numbers come from comparisons of large groups of people It

is not related to an individual’s body composition BMI says nothing about a

person’s actual percentage of body fat There are many different ways that BMI can be affected by body shape and size Muscular people may show a high BMI, even though they are perfectly healthy Some people have higher bone

density than others, which increases their weight In some cases, those

who have very low body fat and are also not muscular can have a BMI

that is too high BMI is also unreliable for children and the elderly

Even supporters of BMI think that it should not be used for people

under eighteen or over seventy years old

Despite these criticisms, there are strong positive aspects of

BMI The main one is that it is very simple The measurement can

be performed easily It does not take special knowledge or

equipment Though BMI is a general measurement, it still gives

useful information At least, it can suggest that there might be a

problem Furthermore, some studies have shown that people with

higher BMI numbers have a higher risk of health problems It takes only

a minute to get a BMI number, but the results can be very important to a

person’s life

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 563 words

27 general - vague; not definite or specific

38 criticism - a critical comment

45 result - the final outcome

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 An obese person always looks very fat.

2 The most popular way of determining body fat is by weight.

3 BMI is not always a very reliable way to measure body fat.

4 Only very skilled people can measure BMI.

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What people would NOT show high BMIs?

a Obese people

b Very muscular people

c Elderly people

d Average people

2 What is the main advantage of using the BMI?

a It is based on the individual’s body

b It is always reliable

c It does not require special equipment or skills

d It is of limited use

3 Why is the BMI important to get?

a We can plan a diet

b We can understand our body’s processes

c We know how healthy we are

d We can enjoy eating

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1 When do we consider a person obese?

2 Who do supporters of BMI think that this test should NOT be used for?

V ocabulary Extension

S ummary

Here are six words or phrases that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word or phrase from the list Use each word or phrase only once.

1 A measures your weight.

2 A doctor and then treats diseases.

3 According to the , my waist is thirty inches.

4 Bread, rice and vegetables all contain .

5 Kathy’s family is allergies Almost every person in her family is

allergic to something

6 Meat contains a lot of .

prone to scale measuring tape disgnoses protein carbohydrates

below Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary

First Sentence: There are a couple different ways that people use to determine if a

person has a healthy or unhealthy body weight

1 A muscular person weighs more because the density of muscles is greater than

the density of fat

2 Most people still rely only on a person’s weight as a method for determining

obesity, although it is considered inaccurate

3 The Body Mass Index (BMI) compares a person’s weight with his or her height,

and the resulting number is indexed with average people

4 According to a study, about 55 percent of Americans are considered to be obese.

5 Despite the fact it is not precise, the BMI still gives a person useful information

about her or his body

I t is important to understand that obesity is not just an uncomfortable

condition of the body Obesity can cause serious health problems Many people are not aware of these problems, so they do not try to prevent the problems before they appear This is unfortunate, since prevention is possible, though difficult

One of the worst health problems caused by obesity is Type 2 diabetes One study found that about 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are obese People with diabetes do not have insulin in their bodies Insulin helps the body

to absorb, or take in, sugar If the body cannot absorb sugar, several bad things can happen A person with diabetes can suffer from seizures (losing control of the body) or fall into a coma

A number of other problems related to obesity have also been found

Obesity can cause heart disease Heart disease happens when the vessels that deliver blood to the heart become blocked This makes it more likely that such people will suffer from heart attacks, which take place

when the heart loses blood supply and cannot pump

properly Furthermore, obesity causes problems with

breathing, especially when sleeping Obese people are

at high risk for arthritis as well as certain kinds of

cancers

All of these problems, and others, can be prevented Of course, losing weight is very difficult Changing a lifestyle is hard and often painful Even so, the results of obesity are much worse

Health Problems of Obesity

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 What method do you use to determine your body fat? Would you like to try the

BMI? Why or why not?

2 What do you think is the best way to lose weight?

Track 10

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 bark a to feel pain

2 cluster b a small group of things close to each other

3 insight c the covering on a tree’s trunk

4 powder d to start; to begin

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 How often do you get headaches?

2 When you get headaches, what do you do?

3 Is there anything you can do to avoid headaches?

Studying

Headaches

H e a l t h & M e d i c i n e 2

U N I T 3

H eadaches are a big problem But they are not just a problem for the

person suffering from the headache They are a problem for society as well Each year, millions

of people suffer from severe headaches that keep them from

doing their jobs In fact, according to one estimate,

headaches cost individuals and businesses more than $50

billion each year! This is one of the reasons research into

headaches has become a worldwide effort

Although he did not know much about how headaches work, Hippocrates

was the first doctor to find a way to treat them Before 400 B.C., Hippocrates discovered that the bark from willow trees was useful in treating pain He made

a white powder from the tree’s bark and gave it to his patients

Hippocrates did not know it, but he was actually prescribing a natural

chemical in willow bark called salicin When a person eats salicin, the

chemical is changed inside his or her body into salicylic acid It turns out that salicylic acid is good for stopping pain, including headache pain, but it is bad for

a person’s stomach In the 1800s, a chemist in Germany changed the acid’s form

a little to make it easier for people to take This new form of the chemical was called acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin today

Aspirin was used throughout most of the 1900s to treat headaches, but doctors had little idea about what really caused headaches When doctors know the cause of a disease, they can find better ways to treat it Therefore, as medical technology developed, doctors began to use the technology to learn more about the human brain and about headaches

Currently, doctors classify headaches into two general types: primary and secondary A primary headache is a condition suffered as only the headache itself

4 severe - strong; very bad

5 estimate - a guess; approximate calculation

9 Hippocrates - a Greek doctor who started the study of medicine

14 willow - a kind of tree, having narrow leaves

14 salicin - C H O ; a glucoside related to the sugar family

Track 11

On the other hand, a secondary headache is one caused by another condition

For example, someone who catches the flu may suffer from headaches along with

other symptoms of the illness Flu headaches are thus secondary headaches

For primary headaches, doctors have determined three possible causes One kind of primary headache is caused by stress Doctors usually call headaches of

this kind tension headaches Such headaches are characteristically felt on both sides of the head as a dull, steady pain

Another kind of primary headache is the migraine headache Doctors

believe this headache is caused by reduced flow of blood to certain parts of the brain A migraine sufferer usually feels intense pain on one side of the head The sufferer also becomes sensitive to light and noise If the migraine is severe, the sufferer may vomit repeatedly

The third kind of primary headache is known as the cluster headache

Cluster headaches typically occur around the same time each day for weeks or months at a time The person suffering from this kind of headache usually feels pain on one side of her or his head, and the pain is centered around one of the person’s eyes Doctors do not know much at present about cluster headaches,

but they seem more common among men and could be related to alcohol or

other things that affect a person’s blood flow

Using computers and more advanced medical equipment, doctors continue

to learn more about what happens in the brain before and during headaches

Especially in the case of migraines, some doctors believe they have found the

part of the brain that sets off the reaction for severe attacks

With this new insight into brain processes, doctors hope

new ways will be discovered to disable headaches

before they begin

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 598 words

29 symptom - a sign; an indication

31 tension - mental strain or overuse

33 dull - not intense or sharp

34 migraine - a severe, recurring headache

51 disable - to cripple; to stop an ability

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 The first treatment for headaches was prescribed over 2,000 years ago.

2 There are different types of headaches.

3 Cluster headaches occur regularly.

4 Migraine headaches are caused by stress.

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What was the first treatment for headaches?

a Powder from the outer part of a tree

b Powder from tree roots

c Willow bark

d Acetylsalicylic acid

2 What is NOT a possible cause of a primary headache?

a A reduced flow of blood

b Alcohol

c Stress

d Catching the flu

3 What will doctors likely study to treat migraines in the future?

a How aspirin stops migraines

b How to make drugs less expensive

c How the brain develops in childhood

d How drugs can stop parts of the brain from reacting

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided.

1 Why are many scientists interested in finding out about headaches?

2 How is a secondary headache different from a primary headache?

V ocabulary Extension

S ummary

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading

Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only

once.

chronic throbbing placebo alleviate dehydration tablet

1 , or lack of water, can cause headaches.

2 My headache is so painful right now My head is really .

3 Aspirin can pain.

4 A(n) headache is a headache that occurs regularly.

5 As part of the research project, the doctor gave half the people a tablet with no

aspirin; it was a(n)

6 Most people take aspirin in form, not in liquid form.

First Sentence: Doctors have classified various kinds of primary headaches that

people can suffer from

1 Hippocrates was the first doctor to find a way to treat headaches

2 Tension headaches are when a person suffers a steady and dull pain on both sides

of their head

3 Aspirin has been used for hundreds of years to treat a headache, but doctors had

almost no insight about the actual causes of the condition

4 When there is a reduced flow of blood to certain parts of the brain, doctors

believe this sets off a migraine headache

5 A headache that occurs at the same time every day for weeks at a time and

involves pain around one of a person’s eyes is called a cluster headache

below Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary

A spirin may work well for fighting minor headaches, but it may not be the

best choice for dealing with migraines Doctors have found that after treating a migraine sufferer with aspirin, the next migraine attack becomes stronger Therefore, doctors have searched for other ways to treat migraines

From brain research, doctors have learned that certain cells in parts of the brain release proteins during a migraine attack By using a drug which acts like the natural chemical serotonin in the brain, the cells can be stopped from

releasing protein This has the effect of blocking the migraine Now drug

companies are producing even better products developed from this idea

However, the most effective of these drugs must be taken as liquid and put directly into the bloodstream The drug is not yet available as a pill

The above example is only one kind of medicine doctors have found useful

in fighting migraines It also turns out that drugs used to fight depression work well to relieve migraines And surprisingly, some migraine sufferers claim Botox has proven helpful for them (Botox is a chemical injected into the face for the purpose of removing wrinkles.)

Not all migraine sufferers are turning to medicine for help with their problem Some of them use alternative remedies to fight

migraines For example, many people use yoga or meditation to

relieve stress and reduce the number of migraines they suffer And

in some cases, people know that certain foods or fluorescent lights

trigger their migraines These people simply try to avoid things

that set off migraine attacks

Fighting Migraines

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 Was your last headache a primary or secondary headache? How did you treat it?

2 Would you be willing to test a new headache drug that affects your brain

activity? Why or why not?

Track 12