Integrated Listening and Reading — 13
Read the text about Asthma (you have 7 minutes to read), then listen to the talk on the same topic. You will notice that some ideas coincide and some differ in the two materials. Answer questions 1–10 by choosing A if the idea is expressed in both materials, B if it can be found only in the reading text, C if it can be found only in the audio, and D if neither of the materials expresses the idea.
An asthma attack can be a terrifying experience. It can feel as if someone is sitting on your chest or there’s a cloud in your lungs. You struggle to draw in a full breath. Your chest tightens. Your breathing quickens. It feels, as one asthma sufferer put it, “like you’re drowning in air.”
Asthma is an inflammation and obstruction of the bronchial tubes — the passages that allow air to enter and leave the lungs. During an asthma attack, the muscles that surround the bronchial tubes constrict, narrowing the air passages and making it extremely difficult to breathe. Other common symptoms are wheezing and a rattling sound in the chest.
The duration of an attack can vary, depending on what caused it and how long the airways have been inflamed. Mild episodes may last only a few minutes; more severe ones can last from hours to days. Mild attacks can resolve spontaneously or may require medication, typically a quick-acting inhaler. More severe asthma attacks can be shortened with appropriate treatment.
An asthma attack can be triggered by exposure to an allergen, such as tree, grass or weed pollen, dust mites, cockroaches or animal dander. Other common triggers are irritants in the air, such as smoke or chemical fumes, and strong odors, such as perfume.
Certain illnesses — particularly the flu, sinusitis or an upper respiratory infection — may also trigger an asthma attack, as can strenuous exercise, extreme weather conditions and strong emotions that change normal breathing patterns.
1. Asthma attacks can be caused by an illness, as well as by external irritants.
A
B
C
D
2. Immediate causes of asthma are not evident.
A
B
C
D
3. There is an opinion that narrowed airways might be not only the result, but also a fundamental cause of asthma.
A
B
C
D
4. Bronchial function is disrupted during an asthma attack.
A
B
C
D
5. The term "remodeling" describes asthmatics' airways which do not function properly.
A
B
C
D
6. Genetic factors are solely responsible for remodeling.
A
B
C
D
7. Asthma attacks are dangerous and can cause death if not treated.
A
B
C
D
8. Difficulty to breathe is not the only symptom of an asthma attack.
A
B
C
D
9. During an asthma attack the airways are narrowed.
A
B
C
D
10. Some asthma attacks can pass on their own, without being medically treated.
A
B
C
D