Tag: Text

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The WHO warns that roughly one in six laboratory confirmed bacterial infections globally are now resistant to antibiotic treatments. From data collected between 2016 and 2023 across more than 100 countries, around 40 % of samples showed antibiotic resistance. It signals that investments in new antibiotics, better diagnostics and stronger stewardship of existing ones are becoming ever more critical.

Read the article to know why antibiotic resistance threatens to make common infections difficult or impossible to treat.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-27204988

Vocabulary Questions:

1. Explain what the term “post-antibiotic era” means. “Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era.” Use the term in a sentence.
2. What does “last-resort drug” mean? “One of them – carbapenem – is a so-called “last-resort” drug used to treat people with life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and infections in newborns, caused by the bacteria K.pneumoniae.” Use the term in a sentence.
3. What does “wake-up call” mean here, “Ultimately, WHO’s report should be a wake-up call to governments to introduce incentives for industry to develop new, affordable antibiotics that do not rely patents and high prices and are adapted to the needs of developing countries.” Use the phrase in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever heard of antibiotic resistance before? What do you think it means?
2. Why do you think some countries are experiencing higher levels of resistance than others?
3. Do you think people are aware of the proper way to use antibiotics? Why or why not?
4. How do you feel knowing that common infections may become harder to treat in the future?
5. What steps do you think individuals or governments can take to help solve this problem?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

This article discusses a 2025 update from the EAT-Lancet Commission, reporting that adopting a more plant-based, flexitarian diet could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths per year worldwide. The diet emphasizes whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, with limited animal products.

Read the article to know why the report also highlights that nearly half of the global population currently cannot afford a healthy diet so structural changes are needed to make this more accessible.

https://www.foodandwine.com/planetary-health-diet-eat-lancet-report-2025-11826819?

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “premature death” mean? “The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission reports that adopting a more flexitarian diet could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths annually and save trillions in healthcare expenses.” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “a sweeping study” mean? “In early October, The Lancet published the updated EAT-Lancet Commission, a report that builds on the highly popular 2019 EAT–Lancet Commission, a sweeping study that brought together scientists, nutrition experts, and environmental researchers from more than 30 countries in what they describe as the “most comprehensive global scientific evaluation of food systems to date.” ” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “prescriptive diet” mean? “And it’s really a diet that any culture, anywhere, can adapt to their tastes and local flavors. The Planetary Health Diet isn’t a restrictive or prescriptive diet.“ Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about the idea of a mostly plant-based diet to improve global health?
2. Would you be willing to eat less meat if it meant living a longer and healthier life?
3. What plant-based foods do you enjoy the most?
4. Do you think this kind of diet is affordable and realistic in your country?
5. How can governments or communities make healthy diets easier for people to follow?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Messy handwriting by doctors has caused worry and public discussion recently. When prescriptions or medical notes are hard to read, it can lead to serious problems like giving the wrong medicine, making mistakes in diagnosis, or slowing down treatment.

Let’s read the article to understand how Punjab and Haryana High Court responded to this issue.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0r88nrx70o

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “scrawl” mean? “The BBC has seen a copy of the judgement which includes the report and a two-page prescription which shows the doctor’s unreadable scrawl.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
2. What is the meaning of the phrase “roll out“? “Health authorities in the UK have admitted that “drug errors caused appalling levels of harm and deaths and added that roll out of electronic prescribing systems across more hospitals could reduce errors by 50%.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
3. What does “to bear fruit” mean in this context, “His campaign, seeking a complete ban on handwritten prescriptions, bore fruit when in 2016, the Medical Council of India ordered that “every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters”.? Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your insights of the court’s decision telling doctors to write legibly? Do you think the same should be done in your country?
2. Share your thoughts on this: “Legible medical prescription is a fundamental right as it can make a difference between life and death.“
3. How important is clarity in medical prescriptions?
4. What do you think about including handwriting lessons in the medical school curriculum and set a two-year timeline for rolling out digitised prescriptions?
5. Are the doctors in your country also notorious for bad handwriting? Talk about it.
6. Have you ever had any issues because of the doctor’s illegible handwriting on any of your prescriptions? Share about this instance.