The Reading / Listening - Blood Pressure - Level 0

The high blood pressure number has changed. It used to be 140 over 90. Doctors changed it to 130 over 80. This means the disease should be treated sooner. Blood pressure is your heart pushing blood around your body. If this pushing is too strong, it can lead to heart attacks. Normal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80.

Health problems can happen at 130 over 80. The new number is a warning to lower your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure must change their lifestyle. They should lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier food, avoid alcohol and salt, quit smoking, and avoid stress.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Blood Pressure - Level 1,  Blood Pressure - Level 2   or  Blood Pressure - Level 3

Sources
  • https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-adults-high-blood-pressure-guidelines.html
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-13/thirty-million-americans-just-got-high-blood-pressure
  • https://www.newsday.com/news/health/new-high-blood-pressure-systolic-guidelines-1.14967340


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. It used
  2. Doctors changed it
  3. the disease should
  4. pushing blood
  5. If this pushing is too
  6. it can lead to heart
  7. normal
  8. less than
  1. attacks
  2. be treated sooner
  3. 120 over 80
  4. to 130 over 80
  5. blood pressure
  6. to be 140 over 90
  7. strong
  8. around your body

Paragraph 2

  1. Health problems can happen
  2. The new number is
  3. lower your
  4. They should lose
  5. exercise
  6. eat healthier
  7. avoid alcohol
  8. avoid
  1. and salt
  2. blood pressure
  3. stress
  4. more
  5. a warning
  6. weight
  7. at 130 over 80
  8. food

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The high blood pressure (1) ___________________. It used to be 140 over 90. Doctors (2) ___________________ 130 over 80. This means the disease should (3) ___________________. Blood pressure is your heart pushing blood (4) ___________________. If this pushing (5) ___________________, it can lead to heart attacks. Normal blood pressure (6) ___________________ 120 over 80.

Health problems (7) ___________________ 130 over 80. The new number is a (8) ___________________ your blood pressure. (9) ___________________ blood pressure must change their lifestyle. They (10) ___________________, exercise more, (11) ___________________, avoid alcohol and salt, quit smoking, (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thehighbloodpressurenumberhaschanged,Itusedtobe140over90.D
octorschangeditto130over80.Thismeansthediseaseshouldbetreate
dsooner.Bloodpressureisyourheartpushingbloodaroundyourbody.If
thispushingistoostrong,itcanleadtoheartattacks.Normalbloodpress
ureislessthan120over80.Healthproblemscanhappenat130over80.T
henewnumberisawarningtoloweryourbloodpressure.Peoplewithhig
hbloodpressuremustchangetheirlifestyle.Theyshouldloseweight,ex
ercisemore,eathealthierfood,avoidalcoholandsalt,quitsmoking,and
avoidstress.

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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