Dengue and Prevention - Comprehension IELTS 4

Dengue and Prevention

Dengue (pronounced DENgee) fever is a painful mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. These viruses are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.

An estimated 400 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with about 96 million resulting in illness.

Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever
Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include
* Sudden, high fever
* Severe headaches
* Pain behind the eyes
* Severe joint and muscle pain
* Fatigue
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
* Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)

Treatment for Dengue Fever
There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications.

Preventing Dengue Fever
The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by infected mosquitoes, particularly if you are living in or traveling to a tropical area. This involves protecting yourself and making efforts to keep the mosquito population down. In 2019, the FDA approved a vaccine called Dengvaxia to help prevent the disease from occurring in adolescents aged 9 to 16 who have already been infected by dengue. But, there currently is no vaccine to prevent the general population from contracting it.

To protect yourself:
Use mosquito repellents, even indoors.
When outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
When indoors, use air conditioning if available.
Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes. If sleeping areas are not screened or air conditioned, use mosquito nets.
If you have symptoms of dengue, speak to your doctor.

To reduce the mosquito population, get rid of places where mosquitoes can breed. These include old tires, cans, or flower pots that collect rain. Regularly change the water in outdoor bird baths and pets' water dishes.

If someone in your home gets dengue fever, be especially vigilant about efforts to protect yourself and other family members from mosquitoes. Mosquitoes that bite the infected family member could spread the infection to others in your home.

Reading Comprehension

Q1. How is Dengue caused by?
a. Mosquito bite
b. Dirty water
c. People infected by dengue
d. Dog bite

Q2. How many people are infected each year?
a. 96 million
b. 100 million
c. 400 million
d. 1 billion

Q3. How long do symptoms take to begin after infection?
a. 2 to 6 days
b. 1 to 3 days
c. 4 to 6 days 
d. 10 to 11 days

Q4. Which one of this is not a symptom of dengue?
a. Nausea
b. Pain in stomach
c. high fever
d. Severe headaches

Q.5 What is the treatment for Dengue Fever?
a. Drink plenty of fluids
b. Pain relievers
c. Vaccine
d. None of the above

Q6. When to consult a doctor immediately?
a. Feel worse in the first 24 hours
b. As soon as fever is felt
c. After feeling nausea
d. None of the above

Q7. How to prevent Dengue Fever?
a. Protect yourself
b. Pevent bites by infected mosquitoes
c. Drink plenty of fluids
d. None of the above

Q8. Where do mosquitoes not breed?
a. Old tires
b. Cans
c. Flower pots
d. Bed

Editable Worksheet for Teachers:

Click here to download above Reading Passage, MCQs and Answer Sheet;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H1Pg6TdCOuhaqeO_RHXi7_iUwOxv9LoK/view?usp=sharing

Reference:
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference#1

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Check For Cholesterol / Reading Comprehension For IELTS - 3

How to use your eyes to
Check For Cholesterol

(Reference: Reader’s Digest October 2014)

With a mirror, simply take a long, deep look into your eyes. Do you see whitish, grey/blue or yellow opaque circle around the outer edge of your iris? Or little yellow dots on your eyelids? If so, read on.

WHAT IT SHOWS High cholesterol can lead to heart attacks and strokes because it can deposits fat inside your blood vessels, causing them to block and fail. But it's not just arteries around your heart that are affected. Cholesterol can deposit anywhere in the body, meaning the tiny blood vessels of the eyes provide an excellent window to what's going on elsewhere.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR There are two important clues in your eyes that might mean you need to get a cholesterol. The first is called a "corneal arcus", an opaque of your eyes, around the edge of the iris. It's important to remember that this ring can also appear without high cholesterol, and it's more common in older people. But, especially if you are under 40, it can be a sign your cholesterol is high enough to trigger heart disease.

The second clue is the presence of small, yellow patches around the eyes, known as xanthelasmata.

THese are cholesterol deposits under the skin. They are painless - and not dangerous in themselves - but if you have them you may be at risk of hear disease or heart attack.

If it turns out your cholesterol levels are elevated, you are not alone. About one third of us have high cholesterol. The best way to get your level down is to eat healthily, stop smoking, exercise regularly and lose weight if necessary. If your doctor thinks your cholesterol is dangerously high, you need medication.

Reading Comprehension

Q1. What is the best way to stay away from heart disease?
a. Keep smoking.

b. Regular exercise and healthy food.

c. Become obese.

d. Eat junk food.

Q2. What is the propotion of high cholesterol in the world?

a. 2:10.

b. 1:3.

c. 7:3.

d. 2:1.

Q3. How many detectable clues are there in your eyes?

a. 4.

b. 9.

c. 2.

d. 1.

Q4. High cholesterol can lead to?

a. Fever.

b. Heart attack.

c. Cough.

d. Cancer.

Q5. Corneal arcus is common in?

a. Childhood.

b. Young age.

c. Old age.

d. None of the above.

Q6. The yellow patches around your eyes are also known as?

a. Thalassemia.
b. Xanthelasmata.

c. Cholesterol.

d. Ribbon.

Q7. Under 40, the corneal arcus visibility in your eyes is a sign of?

a. Heart stroke.
b. Heart disease.

c. Malaria.

d. Headache.

Q8. What is corneal arcis?

a. Name of an exercise.

b. Fake goodnight stay.

c. An opaque ring on left eye only.

d. An opaque ring around the edge of the iris.

Q9. What deposits fat into your blood vessels?

a. Low cholesterol.

b. Eyelid.

c. High cholesterol.

d. Hands.

Q10. Which color clots should you look into your inner eyelids?
a. Red.

b. Green.

c. Yellow.

d. Pink.

Editable Worksheet for Teachers:
Click here to download above Reading Passage, MCQs and Answer Sheet;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xyRSxkgo3ShtkH3ox06RpP11bOdtluB-/view?usp=sharing

(MCQs prepared by Mahrukh Fatima)

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Short Motivational Story - Value

Value Yourself

A speaker started off his seminar by showing a $20 to the public. He asked the people “who wants this?” There was no surprise to see that all of them lifted their hands. He offered to give the money to one of them but insisted that he will do something to it.

He crumpled the paper money and showed it again to the crowd and repeated the question. Still, everyone raised the hands. He then put the money into the ground and stepped on it and then raised it again and offered it to the public.

The people gathered there still showed interest to take that money despite seeing how dirty the note was. He told the public” No matter what I did to this money, you all still wanted this.

You all went in favor of my offer just because the value of the money never decreased despite what all I did to it. Similarly, value yourself despite the painful conditions or failures”

Moral: Believe in yourself irrespective of the failures or obstacles in life.

Make a Summary of the Story.

Reference:
https://www.edsys.in/motivational-stories-for-students/

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Short Motivational Story and Vocabulary

Laziness Won’t Get You Anywhere

In ancient times, a king had his men place a boulder on a roadway. He then hid in the bushes, and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers passed by and simply walked around it.

Many people blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone removed.

One day, a peasant came along carrying vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the way. After much pushing and straining, he finally managed.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and note from the King explain that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the road.”

New Words and Meaning

Words	Meaning	Hindlish
Anncient times	Time that existed a very long time ago	Boht wakht pehle
Peasant	Agricultural labour	Kisaan
Merchants	Trader	Tajir
Courtier	Adviser to the king	Darbari
Blame	Accuse of	Ilzam lagana
Strain	Push forcibly	Zor lga kar khenchna
Boulder	Large rock	Bhari pathar

Reference:
http://www.Spiritual-Short-Stories.com

Editable Worksheet for Teachers:

Click here to download above story and words meaning;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VAdVx633wwXgJGasm45gz684TjNVlPVB/view?usp=sharing

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Conquer That Clutter / Comprehension For IELTS - 2

For Reading Comprehension For IELTS - 1, Click here

Conquer That Clutter

(Reference: Reader’s Digest September 2014 )

Overwhelmed by the mess? We asked  some professional house organizers for tips to bring order into our lives.

When you are organizing, you should sort everything into five piles: move to another room, donate, give to a specific person, throw away, and , finally, the “marinating” pile. Pack up the marinating items, and label the box with a date that’s six months to a year later. If you never open the box before that date, you can safely discard those items.

Don’t rush. It will always take us at least five times longer to sort through a box of personal papers than we think it will.

Create rules about what you are keeping and what you are discarding. For example, you can decide to give away any clothing that’s not between size X and size Y, that’s stained, or that needs to be repaired.

Avoid lids … on laundry baskets, bins and other containers. They just make it harder to put things away.

Remove the clutter, don’t try and create more storage place. When we think we’re disorganized we often run out and buy containers or hooks. We come home and try to use them, and they are not the right type or size.
Golden rule: sort your stuff first.

Too much paper. Some of us are seriously scared to get rid of it. Remember, 80% of the paper we get we don’t need to keep. So it’s imperative to keep weeding out every single day, whether that’s megazines, brochures, mail or receipts.


Don’t postpone things that only take a few minutes. Put things away as soon as you are done with them.

Reading Comprehension

Q1. How many piles of stiff should you sort while organizing?
a. 8.
b. 9.
c. 5.
d. 2.

Q2. What if you never open the box before that labeled date?
a. You can safely discard those items.
b. Label again.
c. Reuse them.
d. Take off the label.

Q3. It will always take us at least _______ times longer to sort through.
a. 5.
b. 4.
c. 3.
d. None of the above.

Q4. Which one is the golden rule?
a. Buy hooks and containers first.
b. Never put the garbage away.
c. Sort your stuff first.
d. None of the above.

Q5. Which of the following is not a part of the given passage?
a. 80% of the papers we don’t need to keep.
b. Put things away as soon as you are done.
c. Don’t decide to give away anything.
d. None of the above.

Q6. Which item(s) can you safely discard?
a. Box you never open.
b. Things you use in your bathroom.
c. All marinating items.
d. None of the above.

Q7. What are the suitable synonyms for rush?

Q8. Why should you avoid lids on laundry baskets and bins?
a. Makes life easier.
b. Makes it harder to put things away.
c. It causes bedbugs.
d. None of the above.

Q9. What do we usually do when we think we are disorganized?
a. Buy containers and hooks.
b. We throw everything away.
c. Play with clutter.
d. Spread the mess.

Q10. What shouldn’t we postpone?
a. That takes more space.
b. That only takes a few minutes.
c. Sleeping hours.
d. Work life balance.

Editable Worksheet for Teachers:
Click here to download above Reading Passage, MCQs and Answer Sheet;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u85GUAoiMb0RTYo0UtbYR5edbxXpRrsb/view?usp=sharing

(MCQs prepared by Mahrukh Fatima)

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Beat Stage Fright / Reading Comprehension For IELTS - 1

Beat Stage Fright

(Reference: Reader’s Digest September 2014 (From TED.com))

When musician Joe Kowan realizes his biggest fear is stopping him from doing what he wants to do most, he decides it’s time to take a deep breath and step towards the microphone.

I have stage fright. I have always had stage fright. And it didn’t even matter until I was 27. That’s when I started writing songs, and even then I only played them for myself. Just knowing my roommates were in the same house made me uncomfortable.

But after a couple of years, just writing songs were not enough. I had all these stories and ideas, and I wanted to share them with people, but physiologically, I couldn’t do it. I had this irrational fear. But the more I wrote, and the more I practiced, the more I wanted to perform.

So on the week of my 30th birthday, I decided am going to go to a local open mic to put my fear behind me. There are 20 people here. And they all look angry. But I take a deep breath, and I sign up to play, and I feel pretty good.

Pretty good, until about 10 minutes before my turn, when my whole body rebels, and a wave of anxiety washes over me. Now, when you experience fear, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in. So you have a rush of adrenaline, your heart rate increases, your breathing gets faster. Next, your non-essential systems start to shut down, like digestion. So your mouth gets dry, and blood is routed away from your extremities, so your fingers don’t work anymore. Your pupils dilate, your muscles contract. That condition is not conducive to performing folk music.

Your nervous system is an idiot. Two hundred thousand years of human evolution, and it still can’t tell the difference between a sabre-tooth tiger and 20 folksingers on a Tuesday night open mic.

So then it is my turn, and somehow, I get myself onto the stage., I start my song, I open my mouth to sing the first line, and this completely horrible vibrato – you know, when your voice wavers – comes streming out. This is not the good kind of vibrato, like an opera singer has. This is my whole body just convulsing with fear. It’s a nightmare. I am embarrassed. The audience is clearly uncomfortable.

It is so bad. But that is my first real experience as a solo singer-songwriter. And something good does happen – I have the tiniest little glimpse of that audience connection that I was hoping for. And I want more.

That night I promise myself: I will go back every week until I am not nervous anymore. And I do. I go back every single week, and it doesn’t get any better. I can’t shake it.

And that’s when I have an epiphany. All I have to do is write a song that exploits my nervousness, that only seems authentic when I have stage fright, and the more nervous I am, the better song will be. Easy. So I start writing a song about having stage fright. First,’fessing up to the problem, the physical manifestations, how I feel, how the listener might feel. And then accounting for things like my shaky voice, and I know I will be singing a half-octave higher than normal because I am nervous. By having a song that explains what is happening to me, while it is happening, it gives the audience permission to think about it. They don’t have to feel bad for me because I am nervous, they can experience it with me.

By embracing and exploiting my problem. I am able to take something that is blocking my progress, and turn it into something that is essential for my success. And having the stage fright song lets me get past that biggest issue right in the beginning of a performance. Then I can move on and play the rest of my songs with just a little bit more ease. Eventually , over time, I didn’t have to play the stage fright song at all. Except for when I am really nervous, like now.
Will it be OK if I play the stage fright song for you?
Can I have a sip of water?
Thank you.

Reading Comprehension

Q1. At which age did Joe Kowan start writing songs?

a. 13.

b. 10.

c. 27.

d. 38.

Q2. What makes Joe uncomfortable in his house?

a. He is alone.

b. His heart rate increases inside his house.

c. His roommates were in the same house.

d. None of the above.

Q3. How did Joe initially put his fear behind?

a. to go to a local open mic.

b. To scream alone all day .

c. To walk out and sing all way.

d. To start his own sudio.

Q4. What kicks in when Joe fear experience?

a. Sympathetic nervous system.

b. A nightmare.

c. A tornado.

d. Happiness.

Q5. When did Joe start convulsing fear?

a. On his turn on to the stage.

b. While writing the songs.

c. While talking to others.

d. None of the above.

Q6. What promise did Joe make after his first performance?

a. I will go back every week.

b. I will never face the audience.

c. I will only perform in front of roommates.

d. I will stay angry on the stage.

Q7. What gives the audience permission to think about it.

a. A short break.

b. A long pause.

c. By the song which explains what is happening.

d. His shaky hands and voice.

Q8. What kind of irrational fear did Joe have?

a. I am strong enough.

b. I couldn’t do it.

c. I can’t sing aloud.

d. I am not a singer at all.

Q9. How many people in audience did he face during first performance?

a. 20.

b. 80.

c. 100.

d. 30.

Q10. What happened during the last 10 minutes?

a. He fainted.

b. He quit to perform.

c. He moved away from the stage.

d. His whole body rebelled.

Editable Worksheet for Teachers:
Click here to download above Reading Passage, MCQs and Answer Sheet;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MsjAcejiAf1JclmAf5x2YG6bHokCgqs7/view?usp=sharing

(MCQs prepared by Mahrukh Fatima)

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5 Best Resources for ESL Teachers

Teachers are always looking for new new ideas and for that they love having found resources. Here we go with 5 sites for free resources for English teachers.

1. Cambridge Webinars for Teachers
Cambridge English webinars is a great way for teachers to stay up to date with the latest developments. The webinars provide you with invaluable information about Cambridge exams, and cover a wide spectrum of subjects, including effective teaching methods, tips to improve student engagement and online professional development to help you develop your career. Sign up!

2. IELTS Podcast
IELTSPodcast not only have some great tutorials about the IELTS writing section but an extensive vocabulary guide.

3. BBC Teaching English
BBC Teaching English offers a lot of resources, including many that focus on teacher development. Access an ELT research database, read research papers on teaching English.

4. Youtube
There are myriad of vidoes related to English available on this site. Many teachers and instructor run a channel where lots of ideas can be extracted to use in the class.

5. Pearson English Resource
Looking for some new materials to use in the classroom? Choose from a wide range of topics and access free classroom activities, worksheets and lesson plans to keep your students fully engaged.

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How to Write A Book Review

What is a book review?
It is a form of criticism in which a book is merely described or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.

How To Write A Book Review:
1. State essential information, like title, author, kind of book.
2. Introduce any review by a summary of the book. Keep it simple and short.
3. Break down the summary. Show the most important aspect of the book.
3. Don't retell the entire story.
4. Decide what the author tried to show.
5. Point out the strengths and weaknesses.
6. Discuss the style of writing and cohesion, clarity, and use of precise words.
7. You may challenge the opinions and explain why you disagree with them.
8. Analyze whether the book suited its intended audience.
9. It should be between 50 to 1500 words.
10. Find similar books and make comparison.
11. Rate the book “out of five/ten” route.

Remember that the way to create a book review depends on the genre. Different genres mean different ways adopted to present it. Fiction and Non-fiction books are reviewed differently.
For an idea, read real book reviews, Visit Here 

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News Article vs Newsletter vs Feature Articles

What are confused words? Click here to read.

News Article:
A news article discusses current or recent news. It contains photographs, accounts, statistics, interviews etc on particular topic, etc. It provides answers to the questions like who, what, when, where, why and how.

Newsletter:
A newsletter is printed report containing information of the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to people who are interested in. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of interest to its recipients.

Feature Article:

Feature article is longer and more in depth than regular news articles. It covers one subject from multiple angles. It is generally the story in newspapers and magazines other than straight news stories, editorials, or advertising. In addition, It attempts to involve the reader emotionally.

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Random Vocabulary 62

What is the vocabulary? and why is it important. Click here to read it.

Words	Meaning	Hindlish
Pick a quarrel	Start a fight	Larna
Pare nails	Remove the edges	Nakhun kaatna
Pilfer	Steal (small things)	Choti chizen chori krna
Skyrocket	Increase very rapidly	Taizi se barhna
Sluggard	Lazy	Sust
Curse	Cause of harm	Lanat
Greed	Selfish desire	Laalch
Cowardice	Lack of bravery	Buzdali
Be fair	Remain honest	Emaandar raho

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