UNIT5. GOING TO THE DOCTOR

  INTRODUCTORY TEXT

· Everyone in Great Britain can have free medical treatment under the National Health Service (the NHS) and in general people don’t have to pay for medical treatment. Every person is registered with a doctor in their local area, known as a GP (general practitioner). People who are on the GP’s list may make an appointment to see the doctor. Sometimes they have to pay part of the cost of medicines the doctor prescribes. The GP makes an appointment for the patient to see a specialist at a hospital. Some people prefer to have private health insurance which means that they can be treated privately. Urgent medical treatment and ambulances in Great Britain are free. 

· Health care in the United States is known to be very expensive. Most people have health insurance through their place of employment, or they buy it on their own. There are two federal programmes – Medicaid (a system by which the government helps to pay the medical costs of people on incomes) and Medicare (a system providing nearly free treatment for the elderly). Medicaid for the poor varies from one state to another. Most Americans prefer to get private health insurance to pay their medical bills. But this insurance covers less than 40 per cent of medical costs. A lot of Americans go to the doctor once a year for a checkup. In addition, they go to the dentist for a routine checkup every six months. Many Americans have a complete physical examination once a year. Acting a complete physical examination, doctors check the patient’s pulse and blood pressure. The patient may also have blood tests and a chest X-ray. Many doctors in the US have private practice.

·    Thirty million Americans are handicapped. Some are blind or deaf, some cannot walk or talk, some are mentally retarded, and others are disabled in some other way. These handicapped Americans don’t want to be cared for. They want to be independent and care for themselves. They are now demanding changes that will allow them to be more independent.

· According to the American Heart Association, cigarette smoking, a high-fat diet and obesity head the list of unhealthy habits that lead to heart diseases.  

· One out of every ten Americans exercises every day to stay in good physical condition. This fitness craze (interest in exercising and eating healthy foods) is popular all across the country. However, a recent study showed that more than 31 per cent of men and almost 27 per cent of US women are overweight – more than 20 per cent over their ideal body weight.

· Many people in Great Britain and the USA now eat a lot of low-fat food and more fibre. Fat is thought to be the cause of diseases. Besides, people believe that they should exercise more so as not to be fat. Some people have started counting the calories they eat every day (a calorie is the energy value of food) so that they can try to take in less food and lose weight. This is called a calorie-controlled diet. Special food with fewer calories for people who want to keep fit is produced now in these countries.

· In Great Britain and the USA Fahrenheit thermometer is used to take a temperature. The normal temperature on a Fahrenheit thermometer is 98.6.

· Life expectancy in Great Britain and the USA is quite high. The average age for men is 72 and for women 76.

Answer the following questions.

1. What do the abbreviations NHS and GP stand for?

2. What is private health insurance?

3. Do people in Great Britain have to pay for urgent medical treatment and ambulance?

4. What are Medicaid and Medicare? What kind of treatment do these systems provide?

5. What is a complete physical examination?

6. What food is thought to be the cause of many diseases? 

7. What is a fitness craze? What is a calorie-controlled diet?

8. What kind of thermometer is used in Great Britain and the USA?

9. Do people in Great Britain and the USA live to great ages? What is life expectancy there?  

PART 1

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

Additional Vocabulary: to be handicapped; to be mentally retarded; to be overweight; to be treated privately; to call (in) an ambulance; to ease the pain; to go to the chemist’s to have the prescription made up; to have a sore throat, eye, finger, etc; to have long/short/good/ poor sight; to relieve headaches, etc; to stay in good physical condition / to keep fit; to write out a prescription.

disabled people; emergency department; health insurance; healthy appetite; heredity; life expectancy; medical history; mental hospital; remedy;  urgent medical treatment; a ward.

 Mind the preposition: to be allergic to smth; to be in pain; to be on a diet; to be on sick-leave; to be registered with a doctor; to cure smb of some disease; to die of some disease; to get / fall ill with flu; to operate on smb (for) smth; to prescribe medicine for one’s headache, etc; to recover from an illness; to rub oil, ointment, etc on the chest, etc; to shiver with cold; to treat smb for an illness; to treat smb with herbs.

Colloquial  expressions meaning ‘slightly ill’

1. to be off colour -  E.g. He’d been off colour for a few days, but his heart attack came as a complete surprise.

2. to be run down - E.g. She’s run down because she’s been working too hard, worrying too much, not eating enough. She definitely needs a short rest.

3. to be under the weather - E.g. He seems to be under the weather.

4. not to feel / be yourself - E.g. I don’t feel myself. It makes me so tired and upset.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE