Directions: Below are some words you will read in the
reading. Use your dictionary to find the meaning of any words you do not know.
|
armpit aspirate flea fleabite |
groin limbs lymph node rodents |
lymph node spleen sputum thigh |
Directions: The
exercise below has 25 problems that will help you read faster. You will have
only 30 seconds to finish. You will probably not finish all 25 problems, but
you are to work as quickly as you can. Be careful not to make any error, so
read rapidly but carefully. In this exercise, there are six words: one word to
the left of the line and five to the right. Read the word on the right and then
find it among the five words to the right. Once you have found it, circle it.
Example
|
raft |
rift |
rate |
raft |
rote |
reef |
|
1.
ask |
task |
sake |
ark |
ask |
ash |
|
2.
zip |
zap |
sap |
zag |
zig |
zip |
|
3.
grit |
girl |
grit |
grin |
grunt |
girt |
|
4.
date |
dote |
days |
date |
dime |
daze |
|
5.
gave |
give |
gain |
glove |
gave |
game |
|
6.
sock |
sack |
sick |
sock |
sake |
stock |
|
7.
kneads |
need |
knew |
knife |
needs |
kneads |
|
8.
itch |
etch |
itches |
hitch |
itch |
ache |
|
9.
dirt |
dirty |
dart |
dirt |
dire |
dare |
|
10.
final |
final |
fine |
fail |
fire |
flint |
|
11.
acquire |
require |
squire |
acquires |
acquire |
quota |
|
12.
slender |
lender |
singer |
sender |
sling |
slinder |
|
13.
peer |
jeer |
pear |
peer |
pare |
pore |
|
14.
mock |
mike |
mocha |
mock |
make |
muck |
|
15.
mite |
mutt |
mute |
mote |
mate |
mite |
|
16.
puma |
pump |
plume |
puma |
pumas |
paper |
|
17.
lump |
lamp |
lump |
limp |
lumen |
lumps |
|
18.
mouse |
mound |
muses |
moose |
moons |
mouse |
|
19.
marry |
merry |
marred |
moray |
marry |
merely |
|
20.
just |
joust |
justly |
jute |
jail |
just |
|
21.
melon |
lemon |
mile |
melon |
meal |
mail |
|
22.
scent |
scant |
scene |
cents |
scare |
scent |
|
23.
prize |
prays |
prose |
prime |
prize |
pride |
|
24.
ware |
wire |
wave |
wife |
ware |
wore |
|
25.
most |
mist |
mast |
must |
mint |
most |
Directions: Read the topic sentence for
paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 and note bolded words. Then, scan the questions that
follow the text below. You have three minutes to do this. Next, read as quickly
as you can for one minute. Circle the last word you read when the time is up.
Directions: Read as quickly as you can
for three minutes. Circle the last word you read when the time is up.
Directions: Read as quickly as you can for three minutes. Circle the last word you read when the time is up.
Directions:
Read as
quickly as you can for three minutes. Circle the last word you read when the
time is up.
|
Line No. |
Word Count |
||
|
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 |
Bubonic plague, a highly contagious and
oftentimes deadly disease, causes painful swollen lymph nodes in its victims.
This disease received its name due to this symptom. Swelling of these nodes
usually occurs first in the groin area, or bubon in Latin. Because of
the disease’s widespread fatality throughout history, it became associated
with the word “plague.” During the 14th century, it gained its
second name, the Black Death, because the dried blood under the skin of its
victims turns black. Three aspects of bubonic plague are useful for
describing this disease. Caused by an infection from the bacterium Yersina
pestis, bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas infected with the
bacterium. Y. pestis is carried by rodents, primarily rats. While the
oriental rat flea is the most deadly carrier of plague, more than 99 other
species of fleas also transmit the disease.
Bubonic plague is normally enzootic, which means present in an animal
population but occurring in a small number of cases. However, under certain
conditions, plague reaches an epizootic scale, meaning it affects many
animals in any region at the same time. When the disease reaches an epizootic
scale, large numbers of rodents die out. Thus, the infected fleas are forced
to find other sources of blood. Consequently, Y. pestis is primarily
transmitted to humans by fleabites. However, another source of transmission
is exposure to plague infected tissues. Once the bacterium enters the bloodstream,
symptoms of the disease begin after an incubation period of approximately 2-8
days. Y. pestis travels via the bloodstream to the liver, kidneys, lungs,
spleen, and brain. Consequently, some of the early symptoms of the disease
include shivering, vomiting, and headache. Other symptoms are intolerance
to light, pain in the back and the limbs, and a white coating on the tongue.
Eventually, the lymph nodes begin to swell, resulting in boboes (hard lumps)
appearing on the inner thigh, neck, and armpit. Then, the dried blood under
the surface of the skin turns black. If untreated, the disease can result in
death. In fact, approximately 75 percent of persons who do not receive
treatment early on die. In view of the high
mortality rate for untreated cases, rapid diagnosis is essential in
preventing the spread of bubonic plague. Several tests exist for this
purpose. One test confirms the presence of hemagglutination antibodies. Another
is testing for gram-negative bacilli or coccobacilli. This test uses a Gram
stain of sputum or blood. A third method tests cultures of sputum, blood, or
lymph node aspirate for Y. pestis. However, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these tests are not available at
most medical facilities. An additional problem is related to time because
usually several days to weeks pass after onset of the disease before
antibodies develop. In conclusion, bubonic
plague can be described according to its transmission, symptoms, and
diagnosis. It is an enzootic
infection transmitted by infected fleas. Fleas commonly transmit the disease
by biting their victims. After a short incubation period, humans exhibit
symptoms ranging from headache to swelling of the lymph glands. Although
rapid detection tests exist for diagnosis of plague, their
availability is limited. Therefore, perhaps more emphasis should be placed on
prevention rather than treatment of bubonic plague. |
50 116 156 208 252 303 350 411 449 506 538 |
|
Directions:
Answer the following questions by
circling the best answer.
1.
What
would be a good title for this reading?
a.
The
Black Death
b.
The
Cause and Effects of Bubonic Plague
c.
Bubonic
Plague: Its Transmission, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
2.
Bubonic
plague is caused by _____.
a.
fleas
b.
Y. pestis
c.
rats
3.
Humans
are usually infected during _____ periods of time.
a.
epizootic
b.
enzootic
c.
episodic
4.
A
common means of transmission is a _____.
a.
bubon
b.
rat
c.
fleabite
5.
The
bacterium first enters the _____.
a.
liver
b.
bloodstream
c.
infected
tissues
6.
Symptoms
of the disease usually begin in _____.
a.
2-8
days after infection
b.
2-8
days after incubation
c.
2-8
days after diagnosis
7.
Early
symptoms of bubonic plague include _____.
a.
shivering
and boboes
b.
vomiting
and intolerance to light
c.
both
a and b
8.
Diagnosis
for bubonic plague tests _____.
a.
fleabites
b.
lymph
nodes
c.
sputum
9.
The
reading discussed _____ type(s) of tests used for diagnosing bubonic plague.
a.
1
b.
2
c.
3
10.
Diagnosing
bubonic plague is difficult because _____.
a.
lack
of widespread availability
b.
time
between onset of the disease and development of antibodies
c.
both
a and b
11.
Based
on the reading, you can infer that _____.
a.
bubonic
plague is very dangerous disease for humans and animals
b.
more
money should be spent on making tests available in all hospitals
c.
killing
the rat population is more effective than developing new tests
12.
On
line 15, “it” refers to _____.
a.
population
b.
plague
c.
scale
13.
On
line 33, “another” refers to _____.
a.
purpose
b.
test
c.
presence
14.
On
line 40, “it” refers to _____.
a.
plague
b.
transmission
c.
diagnosis
15.
On
line 5, “plague” means _____.
a.
an
attack of a disease that causes death and spreads quickly to many people
b.
an
attack of a disease that occurred many years ago and was caused by fleas
c.
an
attack of a disease that results in painful swollen lymph nodes in its victims
16.
On
line 5, “gained” means _____.
a.
increased
or expanded
b.
profited
or netted
c.
got
or acquired
17.
On
line 24, “intolerance” means _____.
a.
inability
to stand or endure
b.
inability
to understand or comprehend
c.
inability
to be fair or unprejudiced
18.
On
line 43, “detection” means _____.
a.
infection
b.
discovery
c.
investigator