4 Read the text about immunodeficiency on the previous page and complete the sentences to make a summary.
A healthy immune system is able to identify
infectious agents such as 1 ...................................... ,
2 ...................................... ,3 ...................................... or
4 ...................................... A defective immune system is
una bi e to 5 ...................................... and attacks
6 . ..................................... and 7 ...................................... .
In severe cases of immunodeficiency, the lack of
an 8 ...................................... means that toxic waste
9 ...................................... inside the 10 ..................................... .
and destroys them.
5 Read the text about congenita/syndromes on the previous page and decide if the following statements are true {T) or false {F).
Correct the false ones.
1. A congenital anomaly originates in the foetus. ☐ T ☐ F
2. A congenital syndrome develops into a malformation. ☐ T ☐ F
3. A congenital syndrome can be inherited from one parent only. ☐ T ☐ F
4. In an inherited congenital syndrome, defective genes are transmitted from mother to child. ☐ T ☐ F
5. A chromosomal abnormality can imply either missing or extra chromosomes. ☐ T ☐ F
6. In functional congenital syndromes, the organs may seem normal. ☐ T ☐ F
6 Asthma, hay fever and diabetes are common immunodeficiency diseases. Put the following words in the right box.
blood • cough • low-carbohydrates diet • lungs • nose • shortness of breath • sneezing • watery eyes
| Asthma | |
| Hayfever | |
| Diabetes |
7 Listen and complete the following text.
What is asthma? What causes asthma?
Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that
carry 1 ...................................... to and from your lungs.
People who suffer from this 2 ..................................... .
condition are said to be asthmatic.
The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are
3 ...................................... or inflamed.This swelling or
inflammation makes the airways extremely
sensitive to 4 ...................................... and increases your
susceptibility to an allergie reaction.
As inflammation causes the airways to become
5 ...................................... , less air can pass through them,
both to and from the lungs. Symptoms of the
narrowing include wheezing,a hissing sound
while breathing,6 ...................................... tightness,
breathing problems,and coughing.
Asthmatics usually experience these
7 ...................................... most frequently during the
night and the early morning.
8 Read the following sentence, then look at the third illustration on the previous page and answer the questions.
In a normai heart, oxygenated blood flows in the left ventric/e (red), while deoxygenated b/ood flows in the right ventric/e (blue).
1. What happened to the heart in the picture on the
right?
2. What is the consequence?
3. Why is it called ventricular septal defect?
GLOSSARY
bowels: viscere, budella
due to: *dovuto a *
to inherit: ereditare
to involve: comportare
missing: mancante
to result in: causare
to seek: cercare
toxic waste: scorie nocive