Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
In 1960, Americans spent 10% of their healthcare dollar on medicines. Most of the money came from their own pockets, and was spent on drugs that largely treated infections, heart disease, arthritis and depression. Beyond that, there was little that science could offer. Today, the range of diseases for which medical research has some partial treatment is vast. Despite this, and the double digit increase in drug spending - 75%-90% of which is paid for by insurance companies - prescription drugs now account for 9% of total health expenditures.
Similarly, claims by insurers and corporations - that drug costs are driving insurance costs up in general - are overstated. According to health analyst J.D. Kleinke, since pharmacy costs represent only 9% of all spending, even increases of 20% could not be responsible for insurance premium increases of 10%-15% over the last two years: Premiums have been increasing far out of proportion to increasing total medical costs over the past three years.
The fact is we should spend more on newer, more expensive medicines because they are worth the investment. Medical innovation creates what Harvard economist David Cutler calls health capital — the ability of people to stay well early and consistently throughout their lives, and remain that way at an increasingly older age. In fact, under the most conservative assumption, the U.S would have needed only about 30% of the improvement in medical progress over the period in time. In the case of congestive heart failure, Mr. Cutler found that increased consumption of new and more expensive drugs and other innovative technologies generated longer life, more productivity and lower health costs that offset the cost of their development and consumption.
Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE
Keeping fit and healthy may seem difficult, but there are few-easy-follow guidelines. Firstly, a balanced diet is absolutely essential. This means selecting food that is ___(6)___ in salt and sugar.
Experts recommend reducing the amount of fat in your diet as too much can lead to heart problems. They also suggest increasing ___(7)___ of high fiber food we eat. This comes in the form of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole meal bread and pasta. As well as being packed ___(8)___ vitamins and minerals, they are delicious, too. Secondly, it’s important to fit exercise into your daily routine. This can be done by simply walking as much as possible and climbing stairs instead of ___(9)___ the lift. Finally, staying relaxed is important for good health. Too much stress can lead to a variety of illnesses, from headaches to high blood pressure. ___(10)___ possible, do things you enjoy and treat yourself occasionally. So the message is simple - enjoy yourself but learn to respect your body too. It’s all a question of getting the balance right.
Choose the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges.
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
We need calories or ___(21)___ to do things every day. For example, when we walk to school or ___(22)___ a bike to school we spend a certain amount of ___(23)___ and even when we sleep, we also use them. But how many calories should we ___(24)___ a day to stay in shape? It’s difficult ___(25)___ us to calculate. If people want to keep ___(26)___, they should remember that everyone should have between 1600 and 2500 calories a day.
We get calories ___(27)___ the food we eat. If we eat too much food and don’t take part ___(28)___ any activities, we can get fat quickly. So besides studying, we should do some ___(29)___, play sports or do the housework, such as cleaning the floor, cooking etc. Otherwise, we don’t eat enough, we will be ___(30)___ and weak.
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Highest Life Expectancy in The World
Longevity hot spots are located in regions of different countries where people commonly lead ___(31)___ lives past the age of 100. A blue zone is considered to be a "longevity oasis" and the people who live there are believed to have the longest life expectancy on Earth. The longest living women were found in Okinawa, Japan. Another blue zone was discovered in the mountains of Sardinia, Italy where even men reach the age of 100 at an amazing rate, another was ___(32)___ on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica in 2007. Only one of the blue zones is located in the United States. It was found when researchers who were staying in Loma Linda, California discovered they suffered from ___(33)___ of the diseases that commonly kill people in other parts of the United States and throughout the developed world. The final blue zone was found on an expedition to the island of Ikaria, Greece where they have 50% lower rates of heart disease, 20% less cancer, and ___(34)___ zero dementia - loss of memory. What's their secret formula for ___(35)___ another 10 healthy years? Scientists focused on these longevity hot spots to answer that question and found that while it helps to have good genes, that's less than 30% of the equation. If you adopt the right ___(36)___ , they concluded the other 70% can be up to us. Other ___(37)___ the people living in the blue zones have in common include less stress and more ___(38)___ , strong ___(39)___ on family, a fresh natural plant based diet, very little red meat and daily exercise. Leading their lives with a sense of ___(40)___ was a big factor. It insures they look forward to getting up in the morning.
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is a healthy lifestyle. One of the benefits of yoga5 is that you can choose a yoga style that is suitable for your lifestyle, such as hot yoga, power yoga, relaxation yoga, etc. If you are a yoga beginner, Hatha Yoga, which focuses on basic postures at a comfortable pace, would be great for you. If you want to increase strength through using more of your own body's resistance, Power Yoga may be right for you. Whether you prefer you're at home, in a private session, watching a DVD or at a studio or gym, there are a huge variety of options available to suit your goals and needs. Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won't be able to touch your toes. But if you stick with it, you'll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. Each of the yoga poses is built to reinforce the muscles around the spine, the very center of your body, which is the core from which everything else operates.
When the core is working properly, posture is improved, thus alleviating back, shoulder, and neck pain. Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls in elderly people. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just went to the gym and lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility. Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Many studies found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to greater levels of happiness and better immune function.
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Life expectancy is the period of time that a person can expect to live. Life expectancy varies greatly between genders and cultures. It used to be that women had a lower life expectancy than men (1 in every 4 women died in childbirth), but now they live an average of four to five years longer than men. Life expectancy has been increasing rapidly over the last centuries. With the advent of such modern miracles as sewers, medicine and a greater understanding of how diseases are spread, our life expectancy has increased by 25-30 years.
In developing countries like Swaziland, where there is a high HIV/ AIDS rate, life expectancy is as low as 32.6 years. In developed countries like Australia, life expectancy rates are as high as 81 years. There are an increasing number of factors which can cancel out the disadvantages you have. The one that we are looking at now is how your career can affect your life expectancy. Choosing the wrong career can result in a shorter life!
If you want your career to positively influence your life expectancy, you have to be made of money. That's right. Rich people in wealthy areas of England and France live 10 years longer than the people in poorer areas. Having a successful career has its drawbacks, too if the result of hard work is stress.
Stress can lead to a number of psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, tension and aggression. These conditions may result in a lack of concentration and an increase in serious injuries at work. They can also lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks which seriously affect life expectancy.
If you are worried that your job might decrease your life expectancy, you probably need to avoid careers on "dangerous jobs" list such as timber cutters, pilots, construction workers, roofer, truck drivers.
So if you don't want to kick the bucket at an early age, choose a career in something other than timber cutting, but above all, remember to relax.
From Pre-Essence Reading by Rachel Lee, Longman