Nome: Turma:

Professora Joyce Mendes Martins Data:

Reading and comprehension

Alternative Medicine
Modern science has found answers for many of the world’s problems but a lot of people these days prefer to
use alternative medicine instead of drugs to help cure their illnesses. Many alternative therapies which come from
Eastern cultures such as China and India are thousands of years old. There are various types – some include actual
medicines and others use physical or mental techniques.
Homeopathic medicine is based on the belief that “like cures like”. It uses small, highly-diluted quantities of
natural substances – which would harm the patient if given in higher quantities. Instead, in these small quantities,
it cures by stimulating the body’s defense systems. Other therapies use substances found in nature, such as herbs,
foods, and vitamins but some of them are still unproven – for example, using shark cartilage to treat cancer.
Lots of people prefer aromatherapy, which means using the smells from all sorts of different natural products
to create a healthy and healing atmosphere. They say it is extremely relaxing, like massage. Other do yoga, which
they say is very good for them because it reduces stress and allows the body to heal itself.
There are therapies, like Chi Kung, that involve the use of energy fields but the existence of such fields isn’t
accepted as a scientific fact. Chi Kung and Tai Chi are part of traditional Chinese medicine that combines
movement, meditation, and breathing exercises to help the flow of chi – the vital energy in the body. Acupuncture
is also from East and is the practice of releasing energy around the body by using tiny needles in one of five
hundred special points on the skin.

1. Read the text and match the headings to their paragraphs.

a) Nature’s cures _______ c) Moving energy makes you better ______
b) Old answers for new problems ________ d) Relaxing is healing _______

2. Answer the questions in English:

a) Where do many alternatives medicines come from? ___________________________________________
b) Are these medicines very modern? ________________________________________________________
c) What kind of natural substances are used? __________________________________________________
d) What is aromatherapy? _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
e) Why do some people think yoga is good for them? ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
f) Is the idea of energy fields accepted all over the world? ________________________________________
g) What kind of exercise do you do in Chi Kung? ______________________________________________

3. Take from the text and write 15 words that are cognates (cognatos = palavras em Inglês que parecem com
o Português):
a) _____________________ f) ________________________ k) _______________________
b) _____________________ g) ________________________ l) _______________________
c) _____________________ h) ________________________ m) _______________________
d) _____________________ i) ________________________ n) _______________________
e) _____________________ j) ________________________ o) _______________________