Easy Word | Học từ vựng


English Vocabulary in Use Advance (Unit 53: Medical language)


A. Medical information leaflets

Read this extract from a leaflet included in a packet of painkillers.

Before taking this medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you:

  • • are taking low-dose1 aspirin (up to 75 mg daily)
  • • suffer from asthma2, or have a past history3 of asthma
  • • have a connective tissue disorder4
  • • have a history of gastrointestinal disease5 or suffer from bowel6 problems
  • • are elderly as it increases the risk of adverse reactions7
  • • have heart problems, have had a previous stroke8 or think you might be at risk of these conditions9

Do not exceed10 the stated dose or duration 11 of treatment

Like all medicines, these tablets may sometimes cause side effects,12 though not everybody gets them.
Stop taking this medicine and seek medical help if you suffer from any of the following:
  • • allergic reactions13
  • • are sick and it contains blood or dark particles14 that look like coffee grounds
  • • pass blood in your stools15
  • • stiff neck, headache, feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting), fever and disorientation (not knowing where you are).
  • 1 measured amount of medicine that is relatively small
  • 2 medical condition in which breathing becomes diff icult because air passages have narrowed
  • 3 record of medical conditions a person has experienced
  • 4 illness of the body or mind
  • 5 illness of the stomach or digestive passages
  • 6 tube that carries solid waste out of the body
  • 7 unwanted results
  • 8 sudden change in blood supply to the brain causing loss of function of part of the body
  • 9 illnesses or physical problems
  • 10 take more than
  • 11 length
  • 12 unwanted eff ects in addition to the intended one
  • 13 conditions aff ecting skin or breathing because of eating or coming into contact with certain substances
  • 14 small pieces
  • 15 medical term for excrement (formal) or poo (informal, childish)

B. Medical metaphors

  • Social and other problems are often talked about as if they were illnesses: the current spate of car thefts is a symptom of a deeper underlying problem.
  • This behaviour is symptomatic of his general lack of self-confidence.
  • The causes of a problem can be diagnosed and the outlook for a situation can also be referred to as the prognosis.
  • The medical meaning of the key word is given in brackets before the examples below:
    • [ailing = unwell, sickly] an ailing organisation [one that has a lot of problems]
    • [rash = a lot of small red spots on the skin] a rash of burglaries [a number of similar things happening at the same time]
    • [fever = high temperature] World Cup fever, election fever [great excitement]
    • at fever pitch [to reach fever pitch = a point of very high intensity] With a week to go before Anne’s wedding, preparations had reached fever pitch.
    • [jaundiced = yellow-looking skin because of a liver problem] Experts in the history of the area take a rather jaundiced view of the likely success of the peace talks. [unenthusiastic or sceptical because of previous bad experiences]
    • [scar = mark left on skin after an injury such as a cut] carry the scars of / be scarred by [be permanently affected by a negative experience] I’m afraid that children will always be scarred by experiencing war at a young age.
    • [infect = pass on an illness] I hope Helen’s enthusiasm will infect everyone else. [pass on to]
    • [pulse = regular beating of heart, e.g. as felt on wrist] That journalist really has his finger on the pulse of public opinion. [understands how things are changing]
Exercise-53.1


Bình luận


Các task khác trong bài học