Class 11 English Unit 6: You May Scoff.... by Emma Young

 

Unit 6: You May Scoff… by Emma Young

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQHdmlINJ3A

 Emma Young 

Reflection of the text

The writer talks about the way of taking diets and doing exercises, and the ways to stay slim in this article. Because we do not have self-discipline and determination in our health. Many factors put our weight on the body. According to David Allison from the University of Alabama, not only humans but also animals were becoming heavier. The writer suggests many ways of avoiding obesity in the human body, which are presented below:

Get Vaccinated

Nikhil Dhurandhar of the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana discovered that adenovirus-36 (AD-36) boosts both the number of fat cells in the body and the amount of fat inside these cells. He also found that obese people are nearly three times as likely as those of healthy weight to test positive for AD-36 antibodies, indicating current or past infection (Obesity, vol. 14, p. 1905). Another study reported that children with AD-36 antibodies weighed an average of 23 kilograms more than children without them (Paediatrics, vol. 126, p. 721).

Chill!

The extreme stress in the mind tends to make people lose weight. A study by Ranjita Sinha revealed that stress increases activity in the ventral striatum. Fiona Johnson and his colleagues from London think that warmed houses make them fatter (Obesity Review, vol. 12, p.543). Shivering burns energy, but you don’t need to be freezing for your body to chew through extra calories.

Watch the Packaging

Some plastic packaging and cans contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can filter into food and drinks, and evidence is starting to link some of these to expanding waistlines. Endocrine disrupters change the normal functioning of hormones. Many interfere with the functioning of the thyroid, which produces hormones that regulate metabolic rate.

Turn down the Lights

Randy Nelson and his team at Ohio State University in Columbus found that mice exposed to light at night weighed 10 percent more at the end of the eight-week study than mice that had experienced a standard light/dark cycle. Though they ate the same total number of calories and did the same amount of exercise (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 107, p.18664). The lights produced by LED bulbs at night disrupt the circadian system of the human body.

Move to the Country  

According to Xiaohua Xu, Ohio State University, air pollution plays a vital role in the current obesity epidemic. Xu kept mice in a fully polluted area for 6 hours a day, five days a week, and found that after 10 weeks, they had about 50 percent more abdominal fat than other mice. Therefore, moving to the country can be a way of maintaining our bodies.

Have a Lie-in

We need to take r rest during our work and proper sleep at night. It is said that little sleep could make us fat. A study by Simona Bo, University of Turin, Italy, showed that adults who sleep about 6.3 hours a night become obese who were compared to those who sleep about 7.2 hours to maintain their body weight.

Ways with Words

A.   Ten words in bold face in the text correspond to the definitions below. Match the definitions with the corresponding words. 

a.      In spite of what has just been said or referred to - Nevertheless

b.     a strong desire or impulse- Urge

c.   the ability to continue trying to do something, although it is very difficult- Determination

d.     to attract attention to or emphasise something important- Highlight

e.      arguing about things that are not important- Bickering

f.     not having things or conditions that are usually considered necessary- Deprivation 

g.     continue to exist- Persist

h.     soft loose flesh on a person's body- Flab

i.       to improve or increase something- Boost

j.       a limiting condition on something- Restriction

Now, make sentences of your own using the same words in bold type. 

a.      Nevertheless ( Conj.): He was tired; nevertheless, he went on walking.

b.     Urge (verb): He urged me to give up smoking.

c.      Determination (Noun): Determination was her motivation to stand up to the bully. 

d.     Highlight (verb): The teacher highlighted how students can be successful. 

e.      Bickering (noun): Their endless bickering may affect business. 

f.       Deprivation (noun): He is studying the effects of sleep deprivation. 

g.     Persist (Verb): If you persist with this behaviour, you will be punished. 

h.     Flab (Noun): Excessive flab causes heart disease, strokes, and cancers. 

i.       Boost (Verb): Regular exercise relieves stress and boosts the immune system.

j.       Restriction (Noun): Even this restriction was removed in 1990./Government schools don’t put any restriction on students.

B.    The words ‘restriction’ and ‘awareness’ are nouns with the suffixes ‘-ion’ and ‘-ness’. Make a list of as many words as you can that end in ‘-ion’ and ‘-ness’. 

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc8AgRPyFe8 

 

-ion	-ness	-ion	-ness
differentiation	closeness	experimentation	happiness
dissatisfaction	kindness	electrification	darkness
diversification	sadness	distribution	goodness
subscription	fitness	information	quietness
distinction	fitness	restoration	peacefulness
calculation	skilfulness	production	faithfulness
punctuation	loneliness	regulation	loveliness
revolution	sweetness	education	greatness
attention	highness	confusion	holiness
migration	vastness
narration	shyness

C.    Pronounce the words. The sound of the letter given on the left is silent.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUccn2K0fjw

a.      b: climb, dumb, doubt, comb, thumb, debt, lamb

b.     d: Wednesday, handsome, sandwich, handkerchief

c.      h: hour, honest, honour, heir, ghost, ghee, exhaust, exhibition

d.     k: know, knee, knowledge, knit, knife

e.      n: column, autumn, condemn, hymn, damn

f.       p: receipt, cupboard, pneumonia, psychology

Comprehension

A.   Write whether the following statements are True, False, or Not Given. 

a.      During the holidays, people eat and drink more than usual. True

b.     Getting too little exercise and eating too much are the reasons why people put on weight. True

c.     David Allison’s research involved studying rats under laboratory conditions. False

d.     You may need to go shopping for clothes if you come down with a cold. True

e.      Adenovirus-36 (AD-36) decreases the percentage of fat in the fat cells.
False

f.       Vaccination against infections could be used in the future to prevent obesity. True

g.     People under severe stress can experience breathing difficulties.
 Not Given

h.     A study indicates that mice that have never been on a diet choose fatty food when given a choice between high-calorie or low-calorie food products. False

i.   Rajita Sinha has been studying the connection between brain activity and behaviour. False

j.       Specific hormones regulate our appetite. TRUE

B.    Answer the following questions.

a.      In what sense are the holidays a time of excess? When can a person gain weight?

People eat more food and alcohol during holidays than at other times. Such overeating habits and underexercises habits put on weight.

b.      According to David Allison, which factor contributes to excess obesity?

According to David Allison, light exposure, viruses called Adenovirus 36, and epigenetics contribute to excess obesity.

c.      What, according to Dhurandhar, can be the way of preventing fatness?

According to Dhurandhar, vaccination against diseases is a good way of preventing fatness.

d.     What is the relationship between chill and obesity? How can saying ‘om’ help reduce fatness?

The ability to stay cool helps weight loss by burning calories, and the way of saying ‘Om’ helps to reduce fatness because it is a meditation technique that helps to cultivate an awareness of how our thoughts and behaviour can undermine our health.

e.      Why is it necessary to be careful while buying plastic-packaged fatty foods?

It is necessary to be careful while buying plastic-packaged foods to avoid ingesting endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may lead to weight gain.

f.       Why does Nelson suggest avoiding blue wavelengths of light at night?

Nelson suggests avoiding blue wavelengths of light at night because this light is known to be disruptive to the circadian system.

g.     How does breathing polluted air affect one’s fatness?

Breathing polluted air affects one’s fatness because the capacity of body to burn energy is disrupted if someone is exposed to polluted air.

h.     What is the link between sleep and weight?

A person who sleeps less than 7.2 hours a day has a higher chance of increasing their weight.

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