5th box -Flashcards

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1. lesson 5

Weight-watchers Judging from the popularity of books on dieting, one would think an epidemic of obesity is sweeping the nation. Although being fat is not contagious, it is a condition not to be sneered at since it affects one-fourth of all Americans. Without magnifying the problem, professionals concerned with the nation's health, from chiropractors to medical specialists, agree that being overweight is a major obstacle to good health. They point out that people will readily see the need to ventilate their homes for fresh air to get rid of vermin that may cause disease, but they jeopardize their health by eating the wrong foods or the wrong amount of foods. Coincidentally, a recent survey of employment agencies showed that obesity has a negative effect on a person's chances of landing a job. While the job-seeker is asking about salary and pensions, the employer is thinking about the worker's healthand weight is a vital consideration when it comes to injuries, disease, and absenteeism. Some municipal jobs, in fact, do require an applicant to be within normal weight range, and one New York bank insists on an oral understanding that applicants will take off excess weight. As the Wall Street journal put it, "Fat people often find slim pickings in the job market."
A Course for Parents A course entitled "The Responsibilities of Parenthood" sounds as if it should be offered to students who are immediate candidates for parenthood. Not according to Dr. Lee Salk, who feels that teaching children about parenthood should precede the adolescent years. Dr. Salk, of the New York Hospital, teaches a volunteer coeducational class of junior high school youngsters what it means to be a parent. He does not lecture or present radical views. Rather, he conducts spontaneous discussions by encouraging students to imagine that they are parents and asking them such questions as "What would you do if you found your child smoking?" or "How would you prepare your child for the first day of school?" The lessons skim over such topics as the need to vaccinate children against diseases or to teach them not to be untidy or to use utensils properly. The class is more concerned with preparing students emotionally to become better parents some day and with making children sensitive to the responsibilities of parenthood. The class members often express temperate and mature views. One girl said she would not approve of having a nurse bring up her child. Another felt that money earned through baby-sitting or other jobs should be shared with parents. When asked how his students rate, Dr. Salk retained a hopeful outlook. "They are ready for this information," he declared. "I think they'll be honest parents."
Handling Poisonous Snakes "How do the Indian snake charmers handle those live poisonous reptiles without being poisoned? Visitors to the Hopi Indians rarely leave the reservation without asking. Because Indians forbid any white person from taking part in such a ceremony, scientists could come to one logical answer: before the Indians exhibit the snakes, they proceed to remove the fangs. Yet some scientists verify the fact that all the snakes have fangs. They have a different theory. The Indians take an important precaution: they extract most of the poison prior to the snake dance. Now the Indian can embrace the snake without being poisoned. He will appear valiant because he knows that the snake has only a partial supply of its deadly poison."
---Shape Up at Shaker-- Each summer at the Shaker Work Group, a special school in rural Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where teenagers learn by working, it has been a tradition to have the teenagers take on the burden of setting their own rules and living by them. Although there are some adults on the campus, teenagers are a majority. One summer the group assembled to explore the topic of lights-out time. There was little debate until 10:30 P.M. was suggested. Why? Everyone at the Shaker Work Group works a minimum* of several hours each morning on one project and several hours each afternoon on another. Since everyone has to get up early, no one wanted to stay up later at night anyway. Few teenagers at the Shaker Work Group try to evade the rules. When one does, the entire group meets to probe the reasons for the "villain's"* actions. Their aim is to reform the rule breaker. However, at Shaker Village, the theory* is that teenagers who are busy working will have no time to break rules.

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