Food Allergies, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) & Space Tourism Facts

Food Allergies

Reading 1: True/False Statements

1. False — “Sometimes, an allergic person may suffer a reaction from simply touching or smelling the dangerous food.”
2. True — “by releasing chemicals such as histamine, which cause an allergic reaction.”
3. True — “an anaphylactic reaction, which results in a decrease in the flow of blood to the heart, lungs or brain.”
4. False — “recent research shows that teenagers … tend to minimise the risks.”

Lexicon

• something that is incorrect — a mistake
• dangerous — harmful
• start — trigger
• stay away from — avoid

Phonetics

1. “near” — severe, disappear
2. “bed” — /b/
3. 
4. /?sdeath
5. “cause” — /z/.

Use of English

1. Allergies among children are often outgrown over time.

   Corrected: Over time, children often outgrow allergies.

2. Living with a potentially fatal food allergy can be difficult for teenagers.

   Corrected: It can be difficult for teenagers to live with a potentially fatal food allergy.

3. Teenagers often ignore allergy precautions.

   Corrected: Allergy precautions are often ignored by teenagers.

4. Eating a forbidden food can trigger a reaction.

   Corrected: If you eat a forbidden food, you / it can trigger a reaction.

5. I can’t eat this cake because I’m allergic to nuts.

   Corrected: If I weren’t allergic to nuts, I would / could eat this cake.

6. “Did you have any allergies as a child?” he asked me.

   Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had had any allergies as a child.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Reading: True/False Statements

1. True — “(SAD), also known as winter depression.”
2. False — “some people, 70 to 80% of them women … become unable to function.”
3. False — “No one is certain what causes the condition.”
4. False — “light therapy … a supplement to weak winter sun.”

Lexicon

• not very strong — mild
• weakness — fatigue
• observed and written — noted
• enough — sufficient

Phonetics

1. now: found, however, hour
2. “food” — mood
3. “travelled”. — diagnosed.

Use of English

1. With the coming of spring, these symptoms disappear.

   Corrected: These symptoms disappear when spring comes.

2. Although the service was terrible, we enjoyed the food.

   Corrected: In spite of the terrible service, we enjoyed the food.

3. “Why don’t we travel to a warm climate?” said Tony.

   Reported / Suggested: Tony suggested travelling / that we travel to a warm climate.

4. They came to work here two years ago.

   Corrected: They have been working here for two years.

5. A cap is worn by sufferers for half an hour a day.

   Corrected: Sufferers wear a cap for half an hour a day.

6. It’s recommended that you use sunscreen.

   Corrected: You should use sunscreen.

Space Tourism

Reading: True/False Statements

1. True — “Would you pay $20 million for a 10-day vacation? That is what Dennis Tito … did.”
2. False — “the price could quickly drop to $10,000.” (A ticket is not expected to cost less than $50,000.)
3. False — “they still have to develop reliable vehicles that can be reused.” (Companies have not yet developed safe, reusable space vehicles for commercial flights.)
4. True — “These would take passengers straight up into space … then back down again, without orbiting the Earth.”

Lexicon

• money for journeys — fares
• secure — ensure
• dependable — reliable
• shor — brief

Phonetics

1. “there”. — millionaire, fares
2. saw — short
3. /s/ or /k/ in “space” — /s/

Use of English

1. “How much does a space vacation cost?” I asked.

   Reported: I asked how much a space vacation cost.

2. They will soon offer short space flights to the public.

   Passive: The public will soon be offered short space flights.

3. I haven’t travelled anywhere for eight years.

   Corrected: It is eight years since I’ve travelled anywhere.

4. He didn’t buy a ticket because he couldn’t afford it.

   Conditional: If he could have afforded a ticket, he would have bought one.

5. The travel agent booked my flight yesterday.

   Passive / Causative: I had my flight booked by the travel agent yesterday / had the travel agent book my flight yesterday.

6. Although it was snowing heavily, we arrived on time.

   Corrected: In spite of the heavy snow, we arrived on time.