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READING
l).- Instructions: Read the following text and answer the questions.
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
Three scientists based in the United States have won the two thousand nine Nobel Prize
for Physiology or Medicine. They are being honored for their work in the nineteen eighties
about the health of cells and the aging process.
The winners are Elizabeth Blackburn from the University of California, San Francisco; Jack
Szostak from Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and Carol Greider from Johns
Hopkins University in Maryland. They will share the one million four hundred thousand
dollar prize.
The scientists' work begins with telomeres. These are like protective coverings on the ends
of chromosomes. Elizabeth Blackburn compares them to the plastic tips on the ends of
shoelaces. She says without telomeres the chromosome and the genes it holds would come
apart.
Telomeres are necessary for a cell to divide. They also are involved in directing the
number of divisions.
Mizz Blackburn and Mister Szostak discovered the special system of genetic information in
the telomeres that protects the chromosomes from ruin. Later, Mizz Blackburn and Mizz
Greider discovered the substance in the body that builds telomeres. The scientists named
the enzyme telomerase.
Their research showed that cells age if telomeres are shortened. But, cell death is
delayed if a lot of the enzyme telomerase is produced.
Rune Toftgard is a Nobel Committee member from Sweden's Karolinska Institute. He says
the work of telomeres is important to the understanding of how genetic material is copied
and saved.
RUNE TOFTGARD: "All genes are encoded by DNA and the DNA is present in the
chromosomes in the cell nucleus and telomeres, they are the ends of the chromosomes
and they have an important function to protect the chromosomes and maintain the
integrity of the chromosomes."
The telomere research expanded scientific knowledge about diseases and led to possible
new treatments. For example, some research suggests that cancer cells use telomerase to
grow uncontrollably. Some scientists are studying whether drugs that block the enzyme
can help fight cancer.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. For more health
news, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Twitter and YouTube at VOA
Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.
ll) .- Read the text below and underline the verbs in past, in gerund and the verb to be in any
time.
Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell of Westminster, the hour bell of the Great Clock,
hanging in the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, the home of the Houses of
Parliament in the United Kingdom.
One theory holds that the bell was named "Big Ben" after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief
Commissioner of Works. Another theory suggests that at the time anything which was
heaviest of its kind was called "Big Ben" after the then-famous prizefighter Benjamin
Caunt, making it a natural name for the bell.
Big Ben is commonly taken to be the name of the clock tower itself, but this is incorrect -
the tower is simply known as The Clock Tower. Sometimes, the tower is referred to as St.
Stephen's Tower, but this title is not used by staff of the Palace of Westminster.
The bell weighs 13.8 tonnes (13 tons 10cwt 99lb), with a striking hammer weighing 203.2kg
(4cwt), and was originally tuned to E. There is delay of 5 seconds between strikes. It is a
common misconception that Big Ben is the heaviest bell in Britain. In fact, it is only the
third heaviest, the second heaviest being Great George found at Liverpool Cathedral (14
tons 15cwt 2qr 2lb) and the heaviest being Great Paul found at St Paul's Cathedral (16 tons
14cwt 2qt 19lb).
LISTENING
I'm not a ______ person And be the one who _____ all your
There's many ______ I wish I didn't do tears
But I continue learning _____ why I need you to hear
I never meant to __ ____ things to you
And so I have to____ ______ I go I've found a reason for me
That I ____ want you to know To change who I _____ to be
A reason to start over new
____ found a reason for me And the reason is you
To _____ who I used to be
A reason to start __ _____ And the reason is you [3x]
And the _____ is you
___ not a perfect person
___ sorry that I ___ you I never _____ to do those things to you
It's______ I must live with _______ And so I have to say before I go
And all the pain I put you through That I just want you to know
I wish that I could take it all away
VOCABULARY
l).- Write the name of each item.
ll).- Translate the following words to english then find the words in the letter soup.
a) Casa
b) Computadora k) Teléfono
c) Sol l) Maestra
d) Luna m) Mudar
e) Noche n) Cantar
f) Amigos o) Bailar
g) Familia p) Escribir
h) Estómago q) Cuento
i) Cabeza r) Reir
j) Jirafa s) Rio
a h j t h k h f f t b k o ñ s g j n b
c o m p u t e r r f u m l m t b o d f
x u a r h d s f r k n b t f b h b h t
c s b g m m i t e a c h e r p f g g v
f e d s s f m r t t n r b e d f u u i
v v g h s f f n d b b v l y j d n a u
y d t e y u n j b g g e k j u m y l y
c g v t j f n i g h e y j m n m d f t
r o u g j o u k j e f u u c k o l p d
l t h f o y u k u a f k d v j g y m o
s h y m y f k g j d a k j i r a y n f
r f l u f h k g d t r u z x h n m f b
e g i m y y n v b g i j d c o f a t g
a g m h u f n b r f g w r i t e s g b
o i a d r u g s d c d r g u k r d f t
e e f r i e n d s k f y b h j e x c r
a d d u j i u e t h b l d m o v e k u
y k f g k k s s d d l b g j r i f h n
t t s t o r y e v a e l y d c r h j g
t f k i o i o s i n g o v r d d f f b
d f j h o y r y s c r r r g e f h f b
g s j l p f b v c e s v s d s d g j j