Longevity: refusing to be invisible

The life expectancy is the amount of year you are suppose to life, this numbers are specific for men and women and it always depend on the country that you live. For me the meaning of longevity is when you pass this average of year that you were suppose to lives. To have a longer life and with good health there are some thing that we can do. For example: have a healthy diet, practice some sports or regular exercise, reduce the amount of stress, and avoid smoking. Some of the seniors that live in our modern society are invisible; because of the lack of values that is taking place now. 

Some of them refuse to be invisible. They join to clubs of senior citizens of their communities, or to different  organizations. They like to feel valued and that they are active in the society. They also like to have fun and socialize with other of the same age, to exchange its life stories. 

It is essential to treat them well, because they people equal to us they deserve respect, time, attention and patience. All of them gave us their time, attention, and patience in some moment of their life why don’t give them this back at least. But all this depends on the family where the elder come from, and the values that they have. In some cases not all the custom is to send them to a nursing home where they don’t have to worry for them. In other cases the custom is to keep them in the house and take care of them, that I thing is better, because they don’t feel like thrown away by their families. 

Glossary

ü    Assisted living facility: a system of housing and limited care that is designed for senior citizens who need some assistance with daily activities but do not require care in a nursing home

ü  Bitterness: showing or caused by strong unrelenting hostility or resentment
ü  Bold: courageous, confident, and fearless; ready to take risks
ü  Brag: boastful talk or behavior, or an instance of this
ü  Bunch of: a number of things growing, fastened, or grouped together:
ü  Chapter: an episode or period in a life, history
ü  Ensemble:  all the parts of something considered together and in relation to the whole
ü  Face:  to meet or be confronted by
ü  Flamboyant: rich or brilliant in color; resplendent
ü  Go in for: to enjoy a particular thing or activity
ü  Gorgeous: strikingly beautiful or magnificent
ü  Mourning: the act or feelings of one who mourns; grief
ü  Nurturing: the act or process of promoting the development of a child
ü  Pass away: die
ü  Physician: a person legally qualified to practice medicine, specially one specializing in areas of treatment other than surgery; doctor of medicine
ü  Self-improvement: the improvement of one's status, position, education, by one's own efforts
ü  Senior: older in years
ü  Sit on the sidelines:  means that you're not part of whatever is going on.
ü  Solidarity: unity of interests, sympathies, etc, as among members of the same class
ü  The ripe old age: An age advanced in years,
ü  Widow: a woman who has survived her husband,  one who has not remarried

Grammar

Tag questions

They are two types:

Question type:

•   Uses rising intonation
•  Ask for information or seek to confirm it.

Comment type:

•    Make as a comment
•    Is used when the questioner assume the listener agrees.
•    Uses falling intonation.

Tag questions have two parts: a statement and the tag, an added question.

Bibliography

Ferre, T., & Sanabria, K. (2009). overload informtion. In T. Ferre, & K. Sanabria, north star 4 (pp. 83-102). USA: Pearson Longman.

word reference. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/Underlying

Animal intelligence

All the animals have a degree of intelligence, but some of them developed it more than others. The meaning of intelligence for an animal is the way they adapt to the environment in where they life and how they use its abilities to survive. To check the animal intelligence they do some research and analyzed the reactions that they have in different contexts.  Some of these tests are made in laboratories other are just an analysis of their behavior in the natural environment. It doesn’t exist a specific professional for this type of studies, every professional whose career is related with animal can make it.

One of the most intelligent animal is the dolphin. This animal has big brain in relation with their body. They have a language that they use to communicate between them, they are very social animals. And other intelligent animal is the elephant. They lives in complex societies and have a language too. They learn from experience how to solve problems. This two animals have the ability to recognized them self when they look at a mirror, this is a sign of intelligence because not all the animals can do it.   

With these two examples we can see that animals are intelligent too. Some of them have impressed the scientist with their abilities. If we want to understand the animal intelligent we have to observe them in their environment. I think that we can see this in our own pets, like dog and cat. This animal are very smart even if they are trained or not.  

Glossary

•           Ape: any of various primates.
•           Categorize: to place in a category; classify.
•            Cognition: the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired, including perception, intuition, and reasoning.
•           Context: the conditions and circumstances that is relevant to an event, fact.
•         Deceive:  to mislead by deliberate misrepresentation or lies.
•       Endangered: in danger: used specially of animals in danger of extinction.
•         Figure out: to understand.
•         Hazard: exposure or vulnerability to injury, loss, evil.
•         Intriguing: to make interested or curious.
•         Manipulate: to handle or use, specially with some skill, in a process or action.
•         Nuisance: a person or thing that causes annoyance or bother.
•         Prevailing: generally accepted; widespread.
•         Research: systematic investigation to establish facts or principles or to collect information on a subject.
•         Rote memorization: memorization by repetition.
•         Socialized: to behave in a friendly or sociable manner.
•         Spontaneous: occurring, produced, or performed through natural processes without external influence.
•         Superior: greater in quality, quantity.
•          Unethical: not ethical; improper.
•          Vocalize:  To produce with the voice.
• 
  

Grammar

Reported speech

Reports what a speaker said without using his or her exacts words.

Use words like said, told, indicated, mentioned, reported, etc, to show that you are reporting information that someone else said.

When you are reporting what a speaker or article said, “Backshift” the verb in the indirect speech statement.

 

Bibliography

Ferre, T., & Sanabria, K. (2009). overload informtion. In T. Ferre, & K. Sanabria, north star 4 (pp. 63-82). USA: Pearson Longman.

word reference. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/Underlying

Sleeping disorders

The important of a good sleep is that your body rests and gets the energy for the next day. It also promotes our physical and emotional health. When we don’t get enough hours of sleep our body start feeling tired, we are more susceptible to mood swings and we reduce the ability to handle stress. The meaning of sleep disorders by (Medicine, 2013) is:  problems with sleeping, including trouble falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at the wrong times, too much sleep, or abnormal behaviors during sleep. Some effects of a bad sleep can be:

1.  Decreased optimism and sociability.  Whether it’s the effort we have to put into staying awake or other factors, sleep deprivation makes us less hopeful and less friendly. (CHRISTY MATTA, 2013)

2.  Increased resting blood pressure.  Several studies have found that sleep deprivation leads to increased blood pressure (Fujikawa et al., 2009) and even half a night of sleep loss has been reported to increase blood pressure in people with hypertension or pre-hypertension (Lusardi et al., 1996).

3. Increased food consumption and appetite.  Research indicates that acute sleep loss enhances pleasure response processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food (Benedict et al., 2012).  The researchers raise the question of whether chronic sleep deprivation is linked to rising levels of obesity.

4.  Increased risk of cardiac morbidity.  A number of factors can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks, and sleep deprivation is one of them.  During experimental sleep deprivation of healthy participants, increases in inflammation associated with the future development of cardiovascular disease occurred. (CHRISTY MATTA, 2013)

How to prevent it sleep problems:

• Try to go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. (Chanin, 2012)
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can keep you from falling asleep. Alcohol can cause waking in the night and interferes with sleep quality. (Chanin, 2012)
• Get regular exercise. (Chanin, 2012)
• Don't eat a heavy meal late in the day. (Chanin, 2012)
• Make your bedroom comfortable. Be sure that it is dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold. (Chanin, 2012)
• If you can't fall asleep and don't feel drowsy, get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy. (Chanin, 2012)
• If you have trouble lying awake worrying about things, try making a to-do list before you go to bed. This may help you to avoid focusing on those worries overnight. (Chanin, 2012) 

Glossary

•   Aggressive:  Inclined to behave in an actively hostile fashion.
•   Alert: able to think clearly.
• Amused:  to keep pleasantly occupied; entertain; divert.
• Blinking: closing and opening the eyes quickly.
• Captivating: very interesting.
• Chronically: continuing for a long time; constantly recurring.
• Confused: feeling or exhibiting an inability to understand; bewildered; perplexed.
• Dim: badly illuminated.
• Droop: to lose courage; become dejected.
• Enthusiastic: filled with or motivated by enthusiasm; fanatical; keen.
• Hormones: chemical substances in the body.
• Irritable: easily and quickly annoyed.
• Naps: to sleep for a short while.
• Out of sync: a completely different schedule.
• Playful: full of high spirits and fun.
• Respectful: full of, showing, or giving respect.
•  Shocked: to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise.
• Snore: to breathe through the mouth and nose while asleep with snorting sounds caused by vibrations of the soft palate.
• Subtle: not immediately obvious or comprehensible.
• Surge:  a boost, increase.
• Unhappy: not joyful; sad or depressed.
• Waves of sleepiness: strong feeling of fatigue, tiredness.

Grammar

Present unreal conditionals

This sentence has two clauses: the if-clause, which states the condition, and the result clause, which state the result. Use the present unreal conditionals to talk about something that is impossible, untrue, or imagined.

Use would + base form of the verb in the main clause to describe a definite result; and 

might or could to describe a possible result.

Bibliography

Ferre, T., & Sanabria, K. (2009). overload informtion. In T. Ferre, & K. Sanabria, north star 4 (pp. 41-62). USA: Pearson Longman.

word reference. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/Underlying

Fujikawa T., Tochikubo O., Kura N., & Umemura S. (2009). Factors related to elevated 24-h blood pressure in young adults. Clinical and Experimental Hypertension, 31(8), 705-712.

Lusardi P., Mugellini A., Preti P., Zoppi A., Derosa G., Fogari R. Effects of a restricted sleep regimen on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in normotensive subjects. Am J Hypertension. 1996;9:503–5.

Benedict C., Brooks S. J., O’Daly O. G., Almèn M. S., Morell A., Åberg K., … & Schiöth H. B. (2012). Acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain’s response to hedonic food stimuli: an fMRI study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 97(3), E443-E447.

CHRISTY MATTA, M. (2013, july 20). Psych Central. Retrieved from 8 Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Health: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/02/13/8-effects-of-sleep-deprivation-on-your-health/

Medicine, U. N. (2013, march 22). MedlinePlus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000800.htm

Chanin, L. R. (2012, July 28). WebMD: Better information. Better health. Retrieved from Sleep Disorders Health Center: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/preventing-sleep-problems

The Achilles Heel

As Achilles has his weak point, the heel, we all have a weak point in our life. This can be for example familiar, physical, health troubles or emotional challenges.  To confront these obstacles first we have to recognize what are our weaknesses.  After recognizing it, we have to start thinking positive and  try to find a solution to it. Because if we don’t accept that we have to learn how to life with it and we just think that we cannot find a solution our life will be very difficult.

For example the physical challenges that a sportsman can have. If a professional runner suffer a health problem and loses its leg, he can see this like the end of his carrier or try to find a solution to this problem.  The situation will be difficult but everything depends on how you think and if you want to achieve the goals you have planned for your life. Other important thing is that you don’t give up just because what people tell you, because they don’t really know how much you can do.

In conclusion our weaknesses are proofs that life put us. We have to fight against them and win. Sometimes this fight is not easy so we can get in a group with our same problems and try to share our ideas, this can help us see that we are not alone in this fight. Also it give as inspiration and motivation to keep fighting. Our daily life is full of challenges and our weakness makes them difficult but we have to keep going and don’t give up by anything. 

Glossary

§      Challenging: to invite or summon (someone to do something, especially to take part in a contest)

§       Collapsed: fell down suddenly.

§      Courageous: possessing or expressing courage

§       Crushed: pressed something so hard it broke.

§      Crutches: a long staff of wood or metal having a rest for the armpit, for supporting the weight of the body

§      Determined: of unwavering mind; resolute; firm

§      Empowerment: the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization

§      In store for: planned for

§      Judging: to appraise (something) critically

§      Landscape: an extensive area of land regarded as being visually distinct

§      Limitations: something that limits a quality or achievement

§      Overcome: to get the better of in a conflict

§      Peak: the pointed summit of a mountain

§      Proof: any evidence that establishes or helps to establish the truth, validity, quality, of something

§      Recognition: the act of recognizing or fact of being recognized

§      Revelation: the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, especially  something true

§      Scars: any mark left on the skin or other tissue following the healing of a wound

§      Scattered: to separate and move or cause to separate and move in various directions; disperse

§      Soared: flew very high or fast.

§      Tough: strong or resilient; durable

Grammar:

Gerunds

To form a gerund, add –ing to base form of the verb.

Use the gerund after a preposition, such as for, in, of, and about.

 

Infinitives

To form the infinitive, use to and the base form of the verb.

Use the infinitive after certain verbs, including agree, decide, expect, hope, learn, manage, need, try, and want. 

Bibliography

Ferre, T., & Sanabria, K. (2009). overload informtion. In T. Ferre, & K. Sanabria, north star 4 (pp. 21-40). USA: Pearson Longman.

word reference. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/Underlying

Information overload

Every day we are surrounded by mass media that give as some times newsworthy information or inconsequential news. This information can cause some problems in our lives, because the perspective that we have off something or someone could be changed by the media. This type of influence, that the media has, is since they can manipulate  the information to make as think that something is for example a good product, a good person for the post of Mayor of the city, or if is not. When we are overloaded whit information our ideas are not clear for this reason is that we have too many of them in our mind and we can’t process it all. This ideas, information or news can appear in our daily life in different ways.

With the television we can watch the news of or country or of all over the world as the same whit the different sports, if we have the connection to international channels. But if we don’t at least can stay informed about what is taking places in our country. Between the different channels and the variety of programs that we can find documentaries, movies and some popular stories that could gave as information about different topics. The radio is another mass media, more accessible to some of us. We can hear what is happening in the artist “world” and also about things that are taking place somewhere in or out of the country. 

The people that like reading can get the information from the newspapers and magazines. This information is always about what is taking place in the country of in the world. If they really like to read different types of newspapers or magazines, you will have to be careful if you don’t choose the important ideas you will have a lot of repetitive ideas. We can also read books of our interest this could help as learn more about the specific topic and with this new knowledge get a clear idea of what we are trying to understand. Sometimes we don’t like reading but in this moment of high develop technology in which we can get the information that we need or want.

In these days with computer and internet we have almost free access to all types of information. We can get to it just by searching or looking at different social networks as facebook, twitter, YouTube, instagram…. With internet we also can stay in contact with our relatives by email, Skype or the other social networks. All the ideas and information that we can find there can help as see the thinks from another perspective. With the intelligent cell phones we can have a direct access to all this in an easier way.

 Glossary

• Barrage: an overwhelming and continuous delivery of something, as words, questions, or punches.
• Bias: mental tendency or inclination, especially an irrational preference or prejudice.
• Catch the news: To become cognizant or aware of suddenly.
• Coverage: the amount and quality of reporting or analysis given to a particular subject or event.
• Daily: of or occurring every day or every weekday.
• Despair: a person or thing that causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope.
• Disengage from: lose interest in something.
• Distract: to draw the attention of (a person) away from something.
• Evading: to get away from or avoid.
• Immobilized: to make or become immobile.
• Inconsequential: not following logically as a consequence.
• Intake: consumption.
• Lethal: able to cause or causing death.
• Makes a connection:  to bring into being by shaping, changing, or combining materials, ideas.
• Newsworthy: sufficiently interesting to be reported in a news bulletin.
• Perspective: the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it.
• Regardless of:  in spite of everything; disregarding drawbacks.
• Remedies: any drug or agent that cures a disease or controls its symptoms.
• Repetitive: characterized by or given to unnecessary repetition.
• Underlying: fundamental, basic.

Grammar

Passive voice

To form the passive, use the correct form of be + the past participle. If the agent of the action is known and important, use by + the agent.

Bibliography

Ferre, T., & Sanabria, K. (2009). overload informtion. In T. Ferre, & K. Sanabria, north star 4 (pp. 1-20). USA: Pearson Longman.

word reference. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/Underlying