Урок-фрагмент учебного пособия "For those who are interested in biology and medicine: human body"

UNIT I

What school-subject studies the human body? Have you taken this subject already? What have you learnt?

Why is it very important to know the structure of the human body and how it functions not only for those who are going to work in medicine but for each of us?

WHAT IS HUMAN BODY

The human body is a fascinating and complex living thing. Throughout our life, the body performs a lot of tasks, often without our conscious control.Everv day our heart beats about 100,000 times, and we do not even have to think about it! After we have completed the act of chewing and swallowing food the rest of our digestive system swings into action to extract the nutrients, and again we do not have to concentrate on doing it.

The human body starts life as single cell- an egg, produced by a female, fertilized by a single sperm, produced by a male. From this simple beginning all the variety of tissues and organ systems that make up our body develop: skeleton; muscles: respiratory system- the windpipe, lungs and diaphragm; circulatory system- the heart, blood and blood vessels; digestive system- the stomach, intestines, pancreas and liver; nervous system- the brain, spinal cord and nerves; the senses- eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin; and the reproductive system, that starts the whole process off again!

It is quite clear, that such a complex construction is bound to go wrong from time to time and very few of us can claim to be in perfect health. However, the healthier we are the better our body will be able to function. And there is always something we can do to improve matters. A good diet is a must- poor nutrition invariably leads to poor health. Raising our overall level of fitness by taking regular exercise will improve our ability to fight of any illness. At the same time it is also important to get sufficient rest since it is during these quiet periods that the body carries its running repairs. Too much alcohol will damage the liver, a vitally important organ that we cannot live without. And smoking, with the cocktail of carcinogens in cigarette smoke, is a bad idea at any time.

Such an amazing thing as human body deserves to be respected and looked after. If nothing else, it is the only one well have, it has to last us a lifetime and, and when it goes, we go too!

VOCABULARY

I. Skim through the text. Mark all the words unknown to you. Guess their meaning. Check the translation using a dictionary.

II. Write the correct word in the blanks:

1. Our digestive system extracts the nutrients.
2. A good ... is a must.
3. Our body performs a lot of various tasks, often without our ... control.
4. Too much alcohol will damage the ...
5. It's also important to have ... rest.
6. The human body starts life as a single ...
7. Every day our ... beats about 100,000 times.
8. We can raise our level of ... by exercise.
9. The systems of the ... are well coordinated.
10. All the variety of ... and organ systems develop.

III. Draw a line to connect the words that go together:

IV. Translate from English into Russian. Use a dictionary if necessary:

1. The human body can perform amazing acts of strength and grace.
2. The human body is made up of many parts.
3. The cell is the basic unit of any living thing.
4. The heart is a powerful pump.
5. The organs of the reproductive system enable men and women to have children.
6. The peripheral nervous system is made up of the nerves that connect the central nervous system with every part of the body.
7. The endocrine system consists of glands that regulate various body functions.
8. The chief organs of the urinary system are the two kidneys.
9. The most remarkable part of the human body is the brain.
10. No animal (no matter how smart) and no computer (no matter how powerful) can think like a man.

V. Translate from Russian into English:

1. Bce системы человека взаимосвязаны.
2. Co временем клетка развивается.
3. Мозг- одна из самых сложных частей человеческого организма.
4. Органы чувств - глаза, уши, нос и кожа.
5. Курение и алкоголь вредят нашему здоровью.
6. Важно достаточно отдыхать.
7. Эта сложная конструкция иногда дает сбой.
8. Чем лучше наше здоровье, тем лучше функционирует наш организм.
9. Физические упражнения помогают поддерживать хорошую форму.
10. Хорошая диета обязательна.

COMPREHENSION SKIMMING

I. Say if the first sentence of the text gives it's main idea?

II. Which happens first? Write 1 on the line that happens first. Write 2 on the line that happens then.

SCANNING FOR DETAILS

I. Circle T if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is false.

II. One word in each sentence is not correct. Find the word and cross it out. Write the correct word.

1. Every hour our heart beats about 100,000 times.
2. After the act of chewing and swallowing food our nervous system swings into action.
3. From this complicated beginning all our tissues and organ systems develop.
4. It's not important to look at the main parts of the body individually.
5. The systems of the poor body are coordinated with all the parts functioning together.
6. To see something we need our eyes and our ears.
7. This simple construction goes wrong from time to time.
8. All of us can claim to be in perfect health.
9. Poor nutrition leads to a perfect health.
10. Such a primitive thing as the human body deserves to be respected.

ACTIVITY

I. Answer the following questions. Add other facts known to you.

1. What living thing is our body?
2. How does the body perform most of its tasks?
3. What does the human body starts its life from?
4. What develops from this simple beginning?
5. How must we study the main parts of the body?
6. When is our body able to function better?
7. How can we improve matters?
8. What are health hazards?
9. What must our attitude towards our body be like?

II. Discuss with your classmates what people must do to achieve and maintain good health; what must they avoid. Work in pairs or groups.