Practice Listening English Exercises for A2 – Health

1

A 1   B 3   C 2

2

1 put butter   2 Don’t wait, Take   3 Always take   4 Stop

Linda   Hello, hello … Good evening, everyone. It’s great to see so many people here for the presentation on first aid in the home. I’m very happy to welcome Mike Carter From St. John’s Hospital once again. Injuries in the home are a very common problem. Mike is going to give us some tips on what to do for everyday injuries. Welcome, Mike.

Mike   Thank you, Linda. Hi, everyone. There are several injuries in the home that we see a lot. I’m going to talk about those injuries, and then we’ll have time for some questions from you. The first, and a very common one is, of course, a burn. Let’s look at this picture of a burned arm. What to do? First, put the burn under cold water. It can hurt at first but this is the best thing to do.

Audience   And what about butter?

Mike   Butter? No, never put butter on a burn. That can cause infection. The best thing is definitely cold water. Okay then, another common problem is the child who takes medicine, or drinks cleaning fluid. Don’t panic. First and most important, don’t give the child a drink.

Audience   No drink?

Mike   No, that would carry the toxin into the body. In this case, don’t wait for an ambulance. Take the child to a hospital right away. Always take the bottle of pills or fluid with you. The doctor will need to see it to decide what to do.

Audience   And what about cuts? Cuts are a very common injury.

Mike   Yes, the last type of injury we’re going to talk about is a cut, for example, a small cut like this one on the finger. For this, stop the blood with a tissue. Use pressure to help the blood stop. Then clean the cut with soap and water.

Audience   So first stop the blood and the clean the cut, right?

Mike   That’s right. Okay, do you have any questions?

Audience   Uh yes, Can you tell us …?

2

1 3, 4   2 c   3 b

Doctor   Well, this is the big question, you know, and everybody is always asking me, especially before summer vacation, when they want to look good in a bikini! People try really incredible things – for example, not eating, and drinking only lemon juice for two weeks. Many people get sick because of crazy diets. And these kinds of diets almost never work. People lose weight, but when they stop the diet, they gain back all the weight and sometimes more!

Interviewer   So what works?

Doctor   Basically, two things. First, you have to eat less, you know, especially foods with fat and sugar. But don’t cut out fat and sugar completely. You need a little of those things.

Interviewer   Okay, less fat and sugar.

Doctor   And less food in general. Many people eat much more food than they really need. So be careful about the types of food and the quantity of food you are eating.

Interviewer   Sure. What else?

Doctor   The very best way to lose weight is to take up exercise. Exercise burns calories and makes you lose weight. It’s almost impossible to lose weight if you don’t exercise.

Interviewer   Oh … I hate exercise!

Doctor   Ah yes, a bad back! Unfortunately, I get a lot of people coming in with this problem, and in many cases they are surprised at the advice I give, because, you know, medical opinion has changed quite a bit in the last ten or twenty years.

Interviewer   Really?

Doctor   Yes, in the past we recommended bed rest, but of course now, we know that is really the worst thing to do. If you stay in bed, your back problem can get worse, not better.

Interviewer   Oh, it’s not good to rest?

Doctor   Well no, not really, because the muscles become weak, you see?

Interviewer   Yes, I see. So a person with back pain should exercise?

Doctor   Yes, exercise is very good for your back. Really the best solution is regular, gentle exercise. That will help make your muscles strong.

Interviewer   Gentle exercise?

Doctor   Yes, that’s very important. If the exercise is very strenuous you can make the problem worse and really cause some damage to yourself. Do regular, light exercise like walking or riding a bicycle. And the best exercise for your back is swimming.

1 d   2 a   3 e   4 c   5 b

1

A   Good morning, Mr. James. What’s the matter with you?

B   Well, doctor, I went on vacation and the weather was beautiful. I spent a lot of time lying on the beach. I didn’t wear enough lotion and now I’m very red all over my body and my skin hurts …

A   Ah, you have …

2

A   Morning, Ms. Allen. What’s the problem?

B   My head hurts and it feels really heavy. I keep sneezing and coughing and my throat really hurts.

A   Ah, you have …

3

A   Afternoon, Mr. Johnson, how can I help you?

B   Well, you see, last night was a friend’s birthday and we went out to celebrate. There was lots of champagne. Anyway, today my head feels awful. I’ve got a really bad headache and I feel a little sick.

A   Well, you obviously have …

4

A   It’s one of the back ones, right at the back of my mouth. Every time I eat something, I have this awful pain.

B   Ah, you have …

5

A   Hello, Mr. Smith, how are you feeling today?

B   Well, doctor … it’s the left one now. Every time I move my head, it hurts. I can’t hear anything very well.

A   Have you been listening to anything loud? Like music?

B   Eh? Sorry?

A   I said, oh it doesn’t matter. You obviously have …

1   The first thing you should do is get the correct vaccinations.

2   You should check what immunizations Asian countries require.

3   You should make sure you do some exercise while you’re on the plane.

4   You shouldn’t drink any alcohol.

5   You should probably take some aspirin with you.

6   You shouldn’t eat anything that hasn’t been washed thoroughly.

7   You should take plenty of suntan lotion.

A   Good morning, Mrs. Jenkins. How can I help you?

B   Good morning, Dr. Wright, I’m going to Asia and I’d like some advice about what I can do while I’m there to avoid getting sick.

A   Well, the first thing you should do is to get the correct vaccinations. You should check what immunizations Asian countries require. Here’s a leaflet – this should help.

B   Thanks.

A   Also, if you’re flying long distances, you should make sure you do some exercise while you’re on the plane. It’s not good to sit for long hours doing nothing. You shouldn’t drink any alcohol either because this will make you dehydrated. And remember that most of the air you breathe in a plane is recycled. You could catch a cold from another passenger, so you should probably take some aspirin with you.

B   Oh, I didn’t know that, thanks.

A   Stomach problems are common for new visitors to Asia, so you shouldn’t eat anything that hasn’t been washed thoroughly. Always wear a hat in the sun and you should take plenty of suntan lotion with you so you don’t get sunburned.

B   Thanks, doctor.

A   No problem, and have a good vacation!