Is there anything more important than health? I don't think so. "Health is the greatest wealth," wise people say. You can't be good at your studies or work well when you are ill. If you have a headache, heartache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a sore throat or a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold in your head, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should consult a doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will prescribe some treatment, pills, tablets or some other medicine which we can buy at the chemist's. He will recommend you to stay in bed for some time, because there might be serious complications. The only thing you have to do is to follow his recommendations. Speaking about doctors' recommendations, I can't help telling you one funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He complained of weakness, insomnia, memory loss and serious problems with his heart, lungs and liver. The doctor examined the patient and said that no medicine could cure his desease. Do you want to know what the doctor's advice was? He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor recommended him to follow the rule: "Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is." The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn't smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor's office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man. "But you know, doctor," he said, "it's not easy to begin smoking at my age."
Vocabulary health [helG] здоровье wealth [we!6] богатство wise [waiz] мудрый to be good at studies хорошо учиться headache ['hedeik] головная боль heartache ['ha:teik] боль в сердце toothache ['tu:Oeik] зубная боль backache ['bsekeikj боль в спине или в пояснице earache f'iareik] боль в ухе bad pain сильная боль stomach ['st/unak] желудок; живот to complain [kam'plein] of жаловаться на sore throat [.so: 'Graut] боль в горле cough [kof] кашель to run a high temperature ['tempritfa] иметь высокую температуру bad cold in one's head сильная простуда to suffer ['SAfa] from страдать от blood pressure ['blAd ,preja] кровяное давление to consult [kan'sAlt] a doctor обратиться к врачу to examine [ig'zaemin] осмотреть to feel one's pulse [рл!з] проверить пульс to test one's blood pressure измерить кровяное давление to take one's temperature измерить температуру to sound one's heart and lungs [IAQZ] прослушать сердце и легкие to test one's eyes проверить зрение to check one's teeth проверить зубы to have one's chest X-rayed ['eksreidj сделать рентген грудной клетки to prescribe [pri'skraib] прописать (лечение), выписать (рецепт) treatment ['trhtmantj лечение pill пилюля tablet ['taeblit] таблетка medicine ['medsan] лекарство at the chemist's ['kemistsj в аптеке complication [jompli'keijn] осложнение to follow one's recommendations следовать рекомендациям I can't help telling я не могу не рассказать weakness ['wi:knis] слабость insomnia [irrsomnia] бессоница memory loss потеря памяти liver [live] печень patient ['peifantj пациент to cure [kjua] излечивать desease [di'zhz] болезнь quiet f'kwaiat] тихий, спокойный to have a good rest хорошо отдохнуть to take long walks много ходить пешком rule [ru:l] правило Eat at pleasure ['р!езэ], drink with measure ['meja] and enjoy life as it is. Ешьте вволю, пейте в меру и наслаждайтесь жизнью. to be well хорошо себя чувствовать to smoke [smauk] курить cheerful ['tfiaful] бодрый at my age [eid3] в моем возрвсте
Questions 1. Do you agree with the saying "Health is the greatest wealth"? 2. The doctor recommended his patient to follow the rule: "Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is." What do you think of this piece of advice? 3. When were you last ill? What did you complain of? 4. Did you see the doctor? 5. Did you have to stay in bed? 6. What treatment did the doctor prescribe? 7. How long did it take you to get well? 8. Have you ever had complications after a disease? Which did you take harder, the disease itself or the complications after it? 9. What do you usually do when you have a headache? 10. How often do you go to the dentist to check your teeth? 11. How long does it usually take you to recover from cold? 12. Have you ever been operated on? Was it serious?
