The Reading / Listening - Blood Pressure - Level 4

High blood pressure is the leading preventable cause of heart disease. It affects 1.3 billion people. Researchers say daily meditation for 45 minutes can reduce blood pressure. They said "body and mind" goals should be adopted together with standard advice, like less salt, limiting alcohol, and regular exercise. The researchers said meditating sounds "fluffy," but evidence shows it really reduces the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system.

High blood pressure is known as a "silent killer" because we rarely see symptoms. It increases the risk of heart failure and stroke. It kills 10 million people annually. Nearly 30 percent of people worldwide have it. A researcher said we need to "take a step back and…just relax". The American Heart Association also says meditating can lower blood pressure. It says many studies show that "quieting the brain" benefits the cardiovascular system.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Blood Pressure - Level 5 or  Blood Pressure - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/health-66807432
  • https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-and-a-relaxation-technique-to-lower-blood-pressure
  • https://nypost.com/2023/09/15/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure-without-medication-experts/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the leading preventable cause
  2. daily
  3. body and
  4. together with standard
  5. less
  6. regular
  7. meditating sounds
  8. it really reduces the
  1. "fluffy"
  2. mind goals
  3. exercise
  4. effects of stress
  5. of heart disease
  6. salt
  7. meditation
  8. advice

Paragraph 2

  1. High blood pressure is known as
  2. we rarely
  3. It increases the risk of heart failure
  4. Nearly 30 percent of people
  5. we need to take a step back
  6. meditating can lower
  7. It says many studies show
  8. the cardiovascular
  1. worldwide have it
  2. system
  3. and just relax
  4. and stroke
  5. a "silent killer"
  6. that
  7. see symptoms
  8. blood pressure

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

High blood pressure (1) ___________________ preventable cause of heart disease. It affects 1.3 billion people. Researchers (2) ___________________ for 45 minutes can reduce blood pressure. They said "(3) ___________________" goals should be adopted together with standard advice, (4) ___________________, limiting alcohol, and regular exercise. The researchers said meditating (5) ________________ evidence shows it really reduces the (6) ___________________ on the cardiovascular system.

High blood pressure is known as (7) ___________________ because we rarely see symptoms. It increases the risk of heart (8) ___________________. It kills 10 million people annually. Nearly 30 percent of people (9) ___________________. A researcher said we need to "take a step back (10) ___________________". The American Heart Association also says meditating (11) ___________________ pressure. It says many studies show that "(12) ___________________" benefits the cardiovascular system.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Highbloodpressureistheleadingpreventablecauseofheartdisease.Ita
ffects1.3billionpeople.Researcherssaydailymeditationfor45minutes
canreducebloodpressure.Theysaid"bodyandmind"goalsshouldbead
optedtogetherwithstandardadvice,likelesssalt,limitingalcohol,andr
egularexercise.Theresearcherssaidmeditatingsounds"fluffy,"butevi
denceshowsitreallyreducestheeffectsofstressonthecardiovasculars
ystem.Highbloodpressureisknownasa"silentkiller"becausewerarely
seesymptoms.Itincreasestheriskofheartfailureandstroke.Itkills10m
illionpeopleannually.Nearly30percentofpeopleworldwidehaveit.Are
searchersaidweneedto"takeastepbackand…justrelax".TheAmerican
HeartAssociationalsosaysmeditatingcanlowerbloodpressure.Itsays
manystudiesshowthat"quietingthebrain"benefitsthecardiovascular
system.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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