Summarize the text “National Health Service”.

Practice the following dialogue. Try to make up your own one.

VISITING A DOCTOR

A. May I make an appointment with the doctor for this afternoon?

B. Are you our patient?

A. Yes, this will be my second visit.

B. All right, Sir. Will 4 p.m. suit you?

A. Yes, it will be fine.

B. Now give me your name and address, please.

A. Here is my card.

C. Step in, please. What are your complaints?

A. I’ve got a sore throat and a cough.

C. Are you running a temperature?

A. No, I am not. I have a splitting headache. I believe I am starting a cold. What do you recommend?

C. Let me examine you. I suggest that you take something for your headache and cough.

A. Will you write out a prescription?

C. By all means. You will have the prescription filled at the nearest chemist’s. You should stay in bed for a couple of days and take the medicine three times a day.

A. I’ll follow your advice. I nearly forgot to ask you…

C. Yes, what is it?

A. I need a vaccination certificate.

C. When were you vaccinated last?

A. I don’t remember… It was many years ago.

C. Then I’ll have to vaccinate you as soon as you recover.

A. All right.

C. I wish you a speedy recovery.

A. Thanks. Keep well. Good-bye.

C. Good bye.

Read the following text.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF HEALTH?

I am sure that health is a very important thing for all people. If you have good health you are in a good mood. I think it is necessary to take care of health.

I know a very useful proverb: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

First of all one must get up early, doing morning exercises. Usually I wash myself in the morning and in the evening with cold or warm water. I clean my teeth twice a day.

Everyone has one's rules about how to be in good health. To spend a lot of time in the open air is a very important fact for everybody. It is useful to go for a walk before going to bed. I think that we have to keep our flats clean. Every day I sweep up the room.

It is necessary to take care of our food eating high fiber food. We must eat fruit and vegetables. A good way to live well is dieting.

I believe that we have to eat low fat food and visit a swimming-pool in the evening.

Paying attention to health we have to go in for sports. It means that we must run and jump, play football and volleyball. In short we must be in some movement.

There are some facts which have influence on our health. First of all it is obesity and physical inactivity. We must not eat a lot, we can't eat much sugar and plenty of sweets.

Drinking much alcohol is not useful for our health. It is a terrible fact when we eat at night, don't follow a diet, use high-calorie foods and don't move a lot.

Smoking is not useful for our health too. If a person smokes a lot he (she) will be ill. To smoke is to live at the risk of one's life.

I suppose that it is necessary to go to bed till 11 o'clock and get up at 7 o'clock.

I am sure that our health is connected with our attack of nerves. I think that we must not be nervous.

WORDS:

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise – Кто рано ложится и рано встает – здоровье, богатство и ум наживет

Practice the following dialogues.

A VISIT TO A DOCTOR

– Well, what’s the matter with you, Mr. Walker?

– You’d better ask me what is not the matter with me, doctor. I seem to be suffering from all the illnesses imaginable: insomnia, headaches, backache, indigestion, constipation and pains in the stomach. To make things still worse, I’ve caught a cold, I’ve got a sore throat and I’m constantly sneezing and coughing. To crown it all, I had an accident the other day, hurt my right shoulder, leg and knee, and nearly broke my neck. If I take a long walk, I get short of breath. In fact, feel more dead than alive.

– I’m sorry to hear that. Anyhow, I hope things aren’t as bad as you imagine. Let me examine you. Your heart, chest and lungs seem to be all right. Now open your mouth and show me your tongue. Now breathe in deeply, through the nose… There doesn’t seem to be anything radically wrong with you, but it’s quite clear that you’re run down, and if you don’t take care of yourself, you may have a nervous breakdown and have to go to hospital. I advise you, first of all, to stop worrying. Take a long rest, have regular meals, keep to a diet of salads and fruit, and very little meat. Keep off alcohol. If possible, give up smoking, at least for a time. Have this tonic made up and take two table spoonfuls three times a day before meals. If you do this, I can promise you full recovery within two or three months.

– And if I don’t, doctor?

– Than you’d better make your will, if you haven’t yet done so.

– I see. Well, thank you, doctor. I shall have to think it over and decide which the lesser evil is: to follow your advice or prepare for a better world.

AT THE DENTIST’S

Nell: Hello, is that you, Bert? Nell is here. I’m so glad I’ve found you in.

Bert: Hello, Nell. How are things?

N.: Fine. Listen, Bert. I’m bursting with news. Just imaging: yesterday I had the first real patient of my own.

B.: You don’t say! Who was it?

N.: A nice old dear with a lot of teeth to be pulled out. It’s such wonderful practice for me!

B.: Are you quite sure that some of his teeth couldn’t be filled?

N.: None of them! I sent him to have his teeth X-rayed, so it’s all right.

B.: How did you manage to get such marvelous patient, I wonder?

N.: He came with a bad toothache. It had been bothering him for a day or two already.

B.: Were there no other dentists in the surgery?

N.: No, I was the only one. It was Sunday.

B.: Poor old thing! I hope you didn’t try to pull out all his teeth at once, did you?

N.: Don’t be silly. I just chose the easiest one to begin with.

B.: I see… And how did you get along?

N.: Wonderfully! I tested his blood pressure and gave him a couple of injections, though he said that my smile worked better than any injection.

B.: Oh… And he didn’t have heart attack after the tooth was taken out? It would have been natural for an old man.

N.: No, he just felt a bit sick and giddy. I gave him a tonic and told him to stay in bed for a while and take his temperature.

B.: Perhaps I’d better drop in and check his heart? I’m on sick leave now and can do it at any time.

N.: You needn’t. I’ll ring him up and in case he’s running a high temperature I’ll let you know. But I do hope he won’t. The day after tomorrow he’s coming again.

B.: Are you sure he’s not going to make an appointment with some other dentist?

N.: I don’t think he will. When he was leaving he said he looked forward to having all his teeth pulled out and he would keep them all as souvenirs to remember me by.

B.: Well, I wish you good luck. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye for now, Nell.

N.: Good-bye, Bert. I’ll let you know how things are going on.

13. Answer the questions:

1. What should you do if a) you feel feverish; b) you susceptible to drugs; c) your brother/sister is running high temperature; d) you have a very bad headache.

2. What should a doctor do to diagnose you? How can you arrange for a doctor’s visit to you?

3. Which do you prefer: to go to the local out-patient clinic or to send for a doctor?

4. What should you do with those prescriptions that the doctor has written out for you?

5. How long is your sick-leave?

6. What can you cure your running nose with?