Reading Challenge 8

MIDDLE EAST

roughly: in a rough manner, with harshness or violence

farmers: a person who pays a fixed sum for some privilege or source of income

bullets: a round or elongated missile to be fired from a firearm

encircled: to form a circle around

Reading Challenge 7

GREEN SAHARA

Swallowed: pass food down throat

Drop into: enter less active state of consciousness

Beneath: underneath

Treasure: jewels and precious objects

Axis: line around which object rotates

Wobble: move side to side

Blast: explosion

Reading Challenge 6

ANIMALS THINKING

orless: a quality of something that stimulates the olfactory
surreptitiously: done, made, or acquired by stealth out
conceited: having or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself

ape: one of the larger tailless or short-tailed Old World formsod

Reading Challenge 5

VOLCANOLOGY

Scary : frightening
Ejected: push something out with force
Ash: remains of fire
Scatter: throw things around
Lungs: respiratory organ
Obsidian: jet black volcanic glass
Shrouded: to cut off from view
Roughly: in a rough manner
Heartwarming: inspiring sympathetic feeling

Reading Challenge 4

MEDICINE

relief: a payment made by a male feudal tenant to his lord on succeeding to an inherited estate
distress: seizure and detention of the goods of another as pledge or to obtain satisfaction of a claim by the sale of the goods seized
placebo: prescription without physical effect / something prescribed for a patient that contains no medicine.
drop: the quantity of fluid that falls in one spherical mass

Reading Challenge 3

THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE

Afraid: filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
Struggled: to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition
Blemish: to spoil by a flaw
Sponsor: one who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing
Peer: one that is of equal standing with another

Reading Challenge 2

ENVIRONMENT: AFFECTED?


Prey: animal hunted by other animals
Thriving: grow well
Instead: in place of something
Prowl: act of roaming
Wolves: any of several large predatory canids
Elk: soft tanned rugged leather
Beavers: either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family
Suddenly: happening or coming unexpectedly

Reading challenge 1

A VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY

Gained: acquire something.
Momentum: capacity for progressive development
Spread: open something to fullest extent
Threshold: starting point
Rise: stand up
Worldwide: relating to whole world
Turnout: attendance / number of voters
Argue: express disagreement / give reasons for something
Tackling: confront somebody
Length: distance from end to end

PROBLEM-SOLUTION ESSAY

ALCOHOLISM AND ITS EFFECTS ON LIFE

Nowadays, alcoholism is a very common problem in all countries but that this particularly affected the young population, although this problem also is reflected in people over age. Currently there are different organizations and foundations that look for to combat this problem and all the consequences that this has. Try to analyze some effects of alcoholism and so find solutions to these effects.

First we need to know that alcoholism is an addiction such as drugs, in this case the alcohol drink consumption and this way often leads to loss of control, the physical and dependence the syndrome of abstinence. El main effect is that alcoholism is a health, and that can be reached in many cases of death due to diseases such as type of liver diseases or accidents or suicides, on the other hand, another effect is the change in behavior that have a social impact, for example the loss of work, financial problems, family members and cases of young people are problems in schools, and ultimately the impact of mental health can have and is reflected for instance in psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and constant depression and these effects lead to the person to have panic disorders.

The solutions we have today are treatments for this problem where there are different programs that address each of the impact this problem in the person but most treatments are focused on helping people stay the consumption of alcohol, followed up with life training and social support in order to help them resist a return to alcohol use. Because alcoholism involves many factors that encourage a person to continue drinking, they must all be addressed in order to avoid a relapse. An example of this kind of treatment is detoxification followed by a combination of supportive therapy, attendance at self-help groups, and ongoing development of coping mechanisms. The treatment community for alcoholism typically supports an abstinence-based zero tolerance approach; however, there are some who promote a harm-reduction.

For these reasons it is important that especially young people aware of this problem and the serious and dangerous effects of alcohol, and that today if there are treatments to help get out of this problem and reduce the impact on the lives of the individual.

Natalia Rivera C

WORLD PROBLEM

ALCOHOLISM

Is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite the health problems and negative social consequences it causes. Medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. Alcoholism, also referred to as dipsomania in the 19th and early 20th centuries, may also refer to a preoccupation with or compulsion toward the consumption of alcohol and/or an impaired ability to recognize the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Although not all of these definitions specify current and on-going use of alcohol as a qualifier, some do, as well as remarking on the long-term effects of consistent, heavy alcohol use, including dependence and symptoms of withdrawal.

While the ingestion of alcohol is, by definition, necessary to develop alcoholism, the use of alcohol does not predict the development of alcoholism. The quantity, frequency and regularity of alcohol consumption required to develop alcoholism varies greatly from person to person. In addition, although the biological mechanisms underpinning alcoholism are uncertain, some risk factors, including social environment, emotional health and genetic predisposition, have been identified.

Effects

The primary effect of alcoholism is to encourage the sufferer to drink at times and in amounts that are damaging to physical health. The secondary damage caused by an inability to control one's drinking manifests in many ways. Alcoholism also has a significant social costs to both the alcoholic and their family and friends. Alcoholics have a very high suicide rate with studies showing between 8% and 21% of alcoholics commit suicide. Alcoholism also has a significant adverse impact on mental health. The risk of suicide among alcoholics has been determined to be 5080 times that of the general public.

· Physical health effects
It is common for a person suffering from alcoholism to drink well after physical health effects start to manifest. The physical health effects associated with alcohol consumption may include cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, epilepsy, polyneuropathy, alcoholic dementia, heart disease, increased chance of cancer, nutritional deficiencies, sexual dysfunction, and death from many sources.

· Mental health effects
Long term misuse of alcohol can cause a wide range of mental health effects. Alcohol misuse is not only toxic to the body but also to brain function and thus psychological well being can be adversely affected by the long-term effects of alcohol misuse. Psychiatric disorders are common in alcoholics, especially anxiety and depression disorders, with as many as 25% of alcoholics presenting with severe psychiatric disturbances. Typically these psychiatric symptoms caused by alcohol misuse initially worsen during alcohol withdrawal but with abstinence these psychiatric symptoms typically gradually improve or disappear altogether. Panic disorder can develop as a direct result of long term alcohol misuse. Panic disorder can also worsen or occur as part of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Chronic alcohol misuse can cause panic disorder to develop or worsen an underlying panic disorder via distortion of the neurochemical system in the brain.

· Social effects
The social problems arising from alcoholism can be significant. Being drunk or hung over during work hours can result in loss of employment, which can lead to financial problems including the loss of living quarters. Drinking at inappropriate times, and behavior caused by reduced judgment, can lead to legal consequences, such as criminal charges for drunk driving or public disorder, or civil penalties for tortious behavior. An alcoholic's behavior and mental impairment while drunk can profoundly impact surrounding family and friends, possibly leading to marital conflict and divorce, or contributing to domestic violence. This can contribute to lasting damage to the emotional development of the alcoholic's children, even after they reach adulthood. The alcoholic could suffer from loss of respect from others who may see the problem as self-inflicted and easily avoided.

Treatments

Treatments for alcoholism are quite varied because there are multiple perspectives for the condition itself. Those who approach alcoholism as a medical condition or disease recommend differing treatments than, for instance, those who approach the condition as one of social choice.

Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism