The Flu
Vocabulary Preview

Directions: Read the following sentences. Circle the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to the italicized expression.

1.       The effects of cancer are debilitating.

a.       open for discussion

b.       make the body weak

c.       make the body strong

2.       AIDS results in a compromised immune system.

a.       lacking resistance to infection due to a lack of antibodies, etc.

b.       proving that you have done something wrong to someone else

c.       reaching an agreement with someone where you accept less than what you wanted

3.       The common cold can result in complications such as pneumonia.

a.       the knowledge that something is wrong or bad

b.       medicine that are prescribed by doctors to treat serious diseases

c.       medical problems or illnesses that happen while someone is already ill

4.       There was a flu epidemic in 1918. It affected millions of people throughout North America and Europe.

a.       the outside layer of people’s skin

b.       a large number of cases of an infectious disease occurring at the same time

c.       something that happens at the end of a serious of events during a year

5.       A cold is a milder illness than pneumonia.

a.       peaceful

b.       a type of fungus

c.       less serious

6.       Doctors thought the disease had been eliminated. However, without warning, there was an outbreak of the disease the next year.

a.       sudden appearance or start of a disease

b.       separation of something into smaller parts

c.       sudden end of a disease

7.       The vaccine covered me against the flu.

a.       to put something on top of something else

b.       to protect from something

c.       to spread over an area

8.       She stumbled and fell down because of lightheadedness.

a.       headache

b.       dizziness

c.       fever

Rapid Reading Warm-Up (30 seconds)

Directions: The exercise below will help you read faster by training your eyes to move from left to right more rapidly. You will have only 30 seconds to finish. You will probably not finish all 25 problems, but you are to work as quickly as you can. Be careful not to make any errors, so read rapidly but carefully. In this exercise, there are six words: one word to the left of the line and five to the right. Read the word on the left and then find it among the five words to the right.

Example

raft                     

rift

rate

raft

rote

reef

 

1.      fever

fervor

sever

feller

fever

fevers

2.      aches

ache

asks

oaks

askew

aches

3.      week

weak

wend

week

woke

weed

4.      debilitate

deliberate

delineate

debility

debilitates

debilitate

5.      variety

virility

variety

variant

variety

varies

6.      identified

identity

identifies

identities

identified

indemnified

7.      types

tapes

tripe

typos

types

tends

8.      cause

cause

cease

close

clause

clues

9.      main

mean

moan

main

mane

moon

10.  prevent

pretense

pretext

prevent

precede

protest

11.  based

bossed

beast

bussed

basin

based

12.  strains

strained

streams

strums

strain

strains

13.  three

there

three

their

tree

threat

14.  winter

wiser

water

wiser

winter

winters

15.  months

moths

mouths

months

myths

mints

16.  patient

patience

patients

potent

patent

patient

17.  take

task

tyke

type

take

taken

18.  protect

protect

protest

protects

pretense

promote

19.  when

wham

where

wren

whine

when

20.  people

pebble

peopled

people

peony

poplar

21.  older

odor

olden

olive

elder

older

22.  effect

effort

affect

effete

effect

effects

23.  virus

viruses

viral

virus

verve

vines

24.  often

offer

after

oaken

often

over

25.  likely

lackey

likely

lily

likes

liken

Directions: Read the article below.

The Flu

Every year, 10 percent to 20 percent of Americans get sick with the flu (influenza). For most people, the fever, exhaustion, and aches and pains of the flu can be debilitating for a week or two, but for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems the flu can be much more serious. An estimated 100,000 hospitalizations and about 20,000 deaths occur each year from the flu or its complications. A look at three aspects of the flu can help people understand this illness better.

Are There Different Types of Flu Viruses?

Influenza, or the flu, is a respiratory infection caused by a variety of flu viruses. The first flu virus was identified in the 1930's. Since then, scientists have classified flu viruses into types A, B, and C. Type A is the most common and usually causes the most serious epidemics. Type B outbreaks also can cause epidemics, but the disease it produces generally is milder than that caused by type A. Type C viruses, on the other hand, never have been connected with a large epidemic.

How Can People Keep from Getting the Flu?

Flu Vaccine
The main way to keep from getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. The immune system takes time to respond to the flu vaccine. Therefore, people should get vaccinated six to eight weeks before flu season begins. This prevents them from getting infected or reduces the severity of flu if they do get it. They must get the vaccine every year because it changes. Scientists make a different vaccine every year because the strains of flu viruses change from year to year. Nine to 10 months before the flu season begins, they prepare a new vaccine made from inactivated (killed) flu viruses. Because the viruses are killed, they cannot cause infections. The vaccine preparation is based on the strains of the flu viruses that are in circulation at the time. It includes those A and B viruses expected to circulate the following winter.

Medicine for Prevention

Although the flu vaccine is the best way to prevent getting the flu, three antiviral medicines also are available by prescription that will help prevent flu infection:  Tamiflu® (oseltamivir), Flumadine® (rimantadine), and Symmetrel® (amantadine). The decision of which medicine to prescribe is based on patients’ ages. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tamiflu® for use in adults and adolescents 13 years and older. Rimantadine and amantadine have been approved for use by adults and children who are one year of age and older.

These medicines help prevent the flu if people take them for at least two weeks during the outbreak of flu in their community. They may use either rimantadine or amantadine immediately following flu vaccination during a flu epidemic to protect them during the two- to four-week period before antibodies (proteins from the immune system that protect people from the flu virus) develop or when a flu epidemic is caused by virus strains other than those covered by the vaccine.

What Is the Treatment for the Flu?

If people do get the flu, they may want to take medicine to treat it. Their doctor may prescribe one of four available antiviral medicines based on the type of virus infection. Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) helps adults 18 years and older and Relenza® (zanamivir) helps adults and children seven years and older who have an uncomplicated flu infection and who have had symptoms for no more than two days. FDA recently approved Tamiflu® for use in children one year of age and older who have had symptoms for no more than two days. Both treat influenza type A and type B infections. Flumadine® (rimantadine) helps adults who have influenza type A virus infections. It has no effect on influenza type B virus infections. Symmetrel® (amantadine) can be taken by adults and children who are one year of age and older to prevent and treat type A or type B influenza virus infections. Amantadine, however, is more likely to cause side effects such as lightheadedness and inability to sleep more often than is rimantadine.

“The Flu” by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/newsroom/focuson/flu00/flupic.htm

Reprinted with permission.
Reading Questions

Directions: Answer the following questions by circling the best answer.

1.       What is the central idea of the article?

a.       Twenty percent of Americans suffer from the flu.

b.       The flu can be treated and prevented.

c.       The flu can be defined according to cause, treatment, and prevention.

2.       What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

a.       Flu viruses cause epidemics.

b.       Three virus types cause the flu.

c.       Type A is the most common and the most serious.

3.       What is the main idea of the section “How Can People Keep from Getting the Flu?”

a.       The main way to prevent the flu is to be vaccinated.

b.       Strains of flu viruses change from year to year.

c.       Flu vaccines are made 9-10 months before each flu season beings.

4.       What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

a.       Doctors should prescribe oseltamivir only for people at least 18 years old.

b.       If people have the flu, they should always ask their doctors to prescribe a medicine.

c.       Four specific medicines are usually prescribed for treatment of the flu.

5.       The word “elderly” in the first paragraph means _____.

a.       people who are wiser than the average person

b.       people who are not the average American

c.       people who are older than the average person

6.       The word “connected” in the second paragraph means _____.

a.       infected

b.       associated

c.       treated

7.       The word “circulate” in the third paragraph means _____.

a.       to be transmitted

b.       to be a circle

c.       to be ventilated

8.       The word “adolescents” in the fourth paragraph means _____.

a.       people who are approximately 3-5 years old

b.       people who are approximately 13-19 years old

c.       people who are approximately 25-30 years old

9.        “Who” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

a.       adults

b.       children

c.       flu victims

10.    “It” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

a.       rimantadine

b.       influenza

c.       influenza type A virus

Directions: Referring back to the article “The Flu,” write an outline that contains its thesis, main points, and major supports.

Now, compare your outline with the model outline.

Using your outline for “The Flu,” write a one-paragraph summary of the article. Be sure to edit your paragraph for grammar and mechanics.

Now, compare your summary with the model summary.