Reading B1 (think 2 Unit 10)

Read the article. Put the things it talks about in the correct order (1–8).

1 It’s not until we feel sick that we realise how lucky we are to have good health. But, imagine having an illness all your life, and not really understanding how it is to hear or see things. Most people have no idea how this would affect us.

2 Andrea Diaz, a young woman from the USA had had problems with her ears all her life. She had never been able to hear anything properly, including the voices of her family or boyfriend.

3 She went to the University of Mississippi hospital, to have an operation on her ears. As soon as the operation had finished, the doctors asked if Andrea could hear anything. She said she could, but everything sounded very strange.

4 She was then taken to meet her boyfriend, who had never been able to speak to her before. The first thing he said – and the first thing Andrea heard – was “Will you marry me?” Andrea immediately started to cry. She had never been so happy before.

5 Kathy Bleitz, from Canada, had been blind since a very young age. She had a disease which meant that her eyes and vision got worse and worse. When she was older, she became a mother.

6 When her baby was born, Kathy was given a pair of special new glasses, which helped blind people to see things. She saw her baby, and recognised his face “He has my mouth,” she said. She had never seen a baby before.

7 Not only that, but it was also the first time she was able to see her husband holding her baby. For Kathy, that was the happiest feeling of all – being able to see the two people she loved most.

8 The glasses that Kathy wore cannot help everyone who is blind, and are very expensive, costing around $15,000. But for some people, perhaps, being able to see your own baby for the first time is worth paying every penny.

Read the article again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1 It’s not until we feel sick that we realise how lucky we are to have good health. But, imagine having an illness all your life, and not really understanding how it is to hear or see things. Most people have no idea how this would affect us.

2 Andrea Diaz, a young woman from the USA had had problems with her ears all her life. She had never been able to hear anything properly, including the voices of her family or boyfriend.

3 She went to the University of Mississippi hospital, to have an operation on her ears. As soon as the operation had finished, the doctors asked if Andrea could hear anything. She said she could, but everything sounded very strange.

4 She was then taken to meet her boyfriend, who had never been able to speak to her before. The first thing he said – and the first thing Andrea heard – was “Will you marry me?” Andrea immediately started to cry. She had never been so happy before.

5 Kathy Bleitz, from Canada, had been blind since a very young age. She had a disease which meant that her eyes and vision got worse and worse. When she was older, she became a mother.

6 When her baby was born, Kathy was given a pair of special new glasses, which helped blind people to see things. She saw her baby, and recognised his face “He has my mouth,” she said. She had never seen a baby before.

7 Not only that, but it was also the first time she was able to see her husband holding her baby. For Kathy, that was the happiest feeling of all – being able to see the two people she loved most.

8 The glasses that Kathy wore cannot help everyone who is blind, and are very expensive, costing around $15,000. But for some people, perhaps, being able to see your own baby for the first time is worth paying every penny.

Most of us don’t know how lucky we are to have good health.

Read the article again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1 It’s not until we feel sick that we realise how lucky we are to have good health. But, imagine having an illness all your life, and not really understanding how it is to hear or see things. Most people have no idea how this would affect us.

2 Andrea Diaz, a young woman from the USA had had problems with her ears all her life. She had never been able to hear anything properly, including the voices of her family or boyfriend.

3 She went to the University of Mississippi hospital, to have an operation on her ears. As soon as the operation had finished, the doctors asked if Andrea could hear anything. She said she could, but everything sounded very strange.

4 She was then taken to meet her boyfriend, who had never been able to speak to her before. The first thing he said – and the first thing Andrea heard – was “Will you marry me?” Andrea immediately started to cry. She had never been so happy before.

5 Kathy Bleitz, from Canada, had been blind since a very young age. She had a disease which meant that her eyes and vision got worse and worse. When she was older, she became a mother.

6 When her baby was born, Kathy was given a pair of special new glasses, which helped blind people to see things. She saw her baby, and recognised his face “He has my mouth,” she said. She had never seen a baby before.

7 Not only that, but it was also the first time she was able to see her husband holding her baby. For Kathy, that was the happiest feeling of all – being able to see the two people she loved most.

8 The glasses that Kathy wore cannot help everyone who is blind, and are very expensive, costing around $15,000. But for some people, perhaps, being able to see your own baby for the first time is worth paying every penny.

Andrea Diaz lost the ability to hear when she was a teenager.