Unlocking Word
Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in
today’s article.
1. digestive
(adj.) [dih-jes-tiv or dahy-] – relating to or helping in breaking down ingested food or digestion
Example: The stomach is part of the digestive system.
2. dread
(v.) [dred] – to be unwilling to do or experience something
Example: He dreads being the only one to clean up after the big party.
3. tantrum
(n.) [tan-truhm] – a sudden burst of bad temper, rage, or frustration, often childish
Example: The child cried and threw a tantrum because her father refused to
buy her toys.
4. kinetic
(adj.) [ki-net-ik] – characterized by movement
Example: Running and dancing are kinetic activities.
5.
endure (v.) [en-door or en-dyoor] – to go through an experience with patience and tolerance
Example: We had to endure watching the very boring movie.
Article
Read the text below.
Computer games designed in the UK make breathing
therapy entertaining for children who suffer with cystic fibrosis, a disease
that fills the lungs and digestive system
with mucus.
This idea comes from Dr. David Day whose
4-year-old daughter, Alicia, suffers from cystic fibrosis, along with around
9,000 people in United Kingdom. The said breathing therapy for the disease
requires Alicia to breathe into a tube daily for around 10 minutes, an
activity she and her father both dread.
Alicia would often throw extreme tantrums
whenever her father would sit her down to do the treatment.
To find a solution to this problem, Dr. Day
sought the help of his colleagues at the University of Derby's School of
Mathematics and Computing. Inspired by the technology used in kinetic game consoles like Wii, he
and his colleagues developed games that could help Alicia endure her treatment. The games use
devices that connect the breathing tubes to the computer so that characters
and shapes on screen can be controlled by exhaling at a certain pressure.
The games turned Alicia's breathing therapy into
something more fun. It also took some stress away from her father, Dr. Day.
Aside from Alicia's favorite flower game, there are also games involving
pirate ships and flying dragons.
Dr. Day hopes to secure more funding to develop
the games and eventually have a version available for sale so that other
parents and children can benefit from it too.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
Why
do you think it is difficult to do medical treatment on children?
·
Can
you think of other ways to make medical treatments less stressful and more fun
for children?
Discussion
B
·
What
do you think are the advantages of using entertaining technology in medical
therapy?
·
Have
you (or someone you know) experienced going through therapy with the aid of
technology? How was it?
