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EXAM PRACTICE Reading

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Steroids were first developed in America in [he 1930s, when ¡t was thought that their muscle-building properties might benefit patients with chronic degenerative

illnesses. However, steroids have had their greatest impact on the world of sport rather than medicine. In the 1950s, Olympic weightlifters began to notice that steroids could improve their strength. They also discovered that taking the drugs reduced fatigue, allowing them to train more intensiveiy. Other sportspeople soon copied. By 1983, steroids had become so endemic that nineteen athletes had to be disqualified í r o m that year's Olympic Games for doping offences.

Today, it is estimated that over 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 people have tried steroids in the UK alone. Disturbingly, a large number of users are 16- to 25-year-old males. Some of these

users want to develop their sporting prowess, while others simply hope to improve their appearance. According to Paul Downer, a spokesman for the charity Drugs are for Losers, 'We often talk about the pressure the media puts on girls lo look good, but boys are under pressure too. Many boys think that they need to have bulging muscles and a six-pack stomach in order to look impressive, but they maybe don't have the patience to work out at the gym. Instead, they inject themselves with steroids.'

Although it is ¡Ilegal to buy or sell steroids for non-medical use in the UK, people who take steroids often do not perceive themselves to be typical drug users,

perhaps because they associate steroids with health and fitness. In fact, steroids can have terrible side effects, ranging from hair loss and spots to liver tumours and heart attacks. Steroid abuse can also cause personality changes, with some users becoming highly paranoid or aggressive. According to Dr Holly Clarkson, 'the temptation to take steroids ¡s enormous, because the immediate rewards seem so desirable. But you might end up paying with your looks, your health, and even your life.'

1 Write 7"(True) or F(False) for the sentences. Give evidence for your answers from the text. (3 marks)

1 Steroids have caused problems at a major sporting event.

3 Choose three of the following words and underline them. Then write a synonym, a definition or an example sentence to show that you understand their meaning in the text. (3 marks)

aggressive copy disturbingly impact prowess

2 Some people think that they need to be well-built in order to be considered attractive.

3 It is completely against the law to buy steroids for any purpose in the UK.

2 Answer the questions about the text in your own words. (2 marks)

1 Why did scientists first develop steroids?

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drugs?

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4 Write a noun with the same root as 'improve' (paragraph B). (1 mark)

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5 Join the following sentences with the bold word. (1 mark)

He took steroids. But he didn't get any fitter. (despite)

fllllilliüll 24 Unit 2 Sport

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Education

Science is for geeks? A Are you an 'arts' person or a 'science' person? Do you prefer studying history and languages, or maths and chemistry? In UK secondary schools, it seems that most students prefer the arts. The most popular subjoct at A level is English, and more students choose to sit exams in media studies than physics. The splil widens still further at university, with applicants for arts courses greatly outnumbering the would-be scientists. As a result of the dip in demand, over ten per cent of UK undergraduate science courses have been withdrawn in the last five years. B At first. the unpopularity of the sciences seems surprising. as science graduales are often highly sought after by employers. Furthermore, a recent study has found that chemistry and physics graduates earn an average of fourteen per cent more in their lifetimes than students with arts degrees. However, perhaps the rewards of science do not sufficiently compénsate for its image. whieh is often perceived to be difficult, boring and 'geeky'. C Zahib Dar, a prof'essor of mathematics at Lincoln University, puts the blame firmly on the entertainment industry for this.

T m sick of all those snpposedly "f'unny" TV shows featuring geeky scientists with ghastly clothes and no social skills! We need to portray science more positiveiy in order to encourage students to take it up.' D But Dr Eloise Power, author of Science and Identity, believes that Professor Dar is wrong to critícize the media. 'Sure, there are negativo stereotypes around. But think about all the héroes and heroines in science fiction films, or the glamorous scientists in lab coats in CSI. Science isn't just for geeks - it can be cool as well!' E Dr Power thinks that the real problem ües with secondary schools for not making science interesting enough. 'Many students feel that science lessons are all about dry faets and pointless equations.' Instead, she believes students should be taught about more relevan!, contemporary subjeets, such as inobilo phone technology, or the ethics of human doning. T h e truth is that we can changa the world through science. But first we need scientists!'

READING

1 Read the text quickly. Then choose the best definition of the word 'geek' in the title.

A a person who is good at science but not 'cool' \7\ B a person who is unpleasant and rude but

good at science • C a scientist with a boring image and few skills •

2 Read the text again. Then answer the questions according to information in the text. Use your own words and write complete sentences.

1 What do we know about the popularity of physics at A level?

5 How does Dr Power feel that teachers could make a difference?

3 Complete the sentences according to the information in the text.

1 Professor Dar thinks that presenting science positiveiy

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2 Dr Power thinks that CSI and science fiction films

show us that science can alsc\pe'cool.

3 Dr Power thinks it is important to train more scientists

because '.

2 How have UK universities changed in the past five years?

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3 Why is it surprising that science is unpopular?

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4 Why is Professor Dar critical of the media?

4 Look at the bold words in the text. Then match 1-6 with the deftnitions A-F.

5 Find the words or phrases in the text which mean the opposite of the words 1 and 2.

1 increase (paragraph A)

2 exciting (paragraph E)

Unit 3 Education 25

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