New Hazards at the Office
Advanced - Vocabulary
the ARTICLE (for teachers)
New Hazards at the Office
Do you spend large amounts of time glued to your computer screen at the office? Does your daily exercise
consist of an occasional bathroom break and a brief walk for a coffee refill? A new study out of New Zealand
indicates that a "yes" to these questions may mean you have a higher risk of forming deadly blood clots than
most long-distance air travelers.
It's called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. It's also known colloquially as "economy class syndrome," because it
was first associated with long distance flights in which passengers, particularly those seated in economy class,
had little opportunity for movement. The absence of legroom in economy class, as well as the more crowded
conditions, means passengers are forced to sit for lengthy periods. DVT is a condition, then, in which a blood
clot forms in one of the veins of the leg or pelvis. The clot can break off and block a blood vessel in one of the
lungs, resulting in death.
Professor Richard Beasley, who headed the study, discovered that a large number of patients admitted to
hospitals with blood clots had been seated at work for hours and hours. For some, they had sat for periods
longer than all but the longest long-distance flights. It wasn't uncommon for people to report twelve to fourteen
hours of work at a stretch. But even employees who sit for three to four hours are at risk.
1.4% of people who report blood clots have recently traveled on a plane. Compare this to 34% who have just
come in from the office. The figures are alarming, and demonstrate the sedentary nature of the modern work
environment.
The study covered sixty-two patients aged 65 and younger.
Teacher's Notes:
* Underlined words in red typeface are the answers.
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New Hazards at the Office
Advanced - Vocabulary
the Article (for students)
Fill in the blank with the correct word.
colloquially
admitted
younger
death
headed
glued
consist
class
absence
stretch
indicates
deadly
compare
associated
sedentary
New Hazards at the Office
Do you spend large amounts of time (a. _______________) to your computer screen at the office? Does
your daily exercise (b. _______________) of an occasional bathroom break and a brief walk for a coffee
refill? A new study out of New Zealand (c. _______________) that a "yes" to these questions may mean
you have a higher risk of forming (d. _______________) blood clots than most long-distance air travelers.
It's called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. It's also known (e. _______________) as "economy
(f. _______________) syndrome," because it was first (g. _______________) with long distance flights in
which passengers, particularly those seated in economy class, had little opportunity for movement. The
(h. _______________) of legroom in economy class, as well as the more crowded conditions, means
passengers are forced to sit for lengthy periods. DVT is a condition, then, in which a blood clot forms in one
of the veins of the leg or pelvis. The clot can break off and block a blood vessel in one of the lungs,
resulting in (i. _______________).
Professor Richard Beasley, who (j. _______________) the study, discovered that a large number of
patients (k. _______________) to hospitals with blood clots had been seated at work for hours and hours.
For some, they had sat for periods longer than all but the longest long-distance flights. It wasn't uncommon
for people to report twelve to fourteen hours of work at a (l. _______________). But even employees who
sit for three to four hours are at risk.
1.4% of people who report blood clots have recently traveled on a plane. (m. _______________) this to
34% who have just come in from the office. The figures are alarming, and demonstrate the
(n. _______________) nature of the modern work environment.
The study covered sixty-two patients aged 65 and (o. _______________).
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New Hazards at the Office
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP ONE
Define: What does "sedentary" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples?
STEP TWO
Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. How long did it take to find all the
words?
absence
stretch
colloquially
indicates
admittance
glue
admitted
associated
stretching
consist
consist
sedentary
sedimentary
headed
glued
admit
abdicate
indirect
colloquialize admitted
glucose
inconsistent headed
colloquially
indicating
absinthe
colloquium
associating
headless
colloquial
consistent
association
stretch associated
glug
absentee
disassociate
stretcher sedimental
absences
sedentary
glued
gluily
consisted
indicative headlock scratch
colloquist
head
admitting
heading
colloquialism
admittedly
indicates
consisting
indicated
associate
absence
stretched
sedentation
sedentarily
STEP THREE
Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. Use a dictionary for any words you don't know, but be
sure to check your English-English dictionary, too.
absence
colloquially
admitted
consist
headed
stretch
indicates
associated
sedentary
glued
a. Do you spend large amounts of time (
b. Does your daily exercise (
c. A new study (
) of an occasional bathroom break?
) that you have a high risk of forming deadly blood clots.
d. Deep vein thrombosis is also known (
e. It was first (
f.
The (
) to your computer screen at the office?
) as "economy class syndrome."
) with long distance flights in which passengers had little opportunity for movement.
) of legroom in economy class means passengers are forced to sit for lengthy periods.
g. Professor Richard Beasley (
) the study.
h. A large number of patients (
) to hospitals with blood clots had been seated at work for hours.
i.
It wasn't uncommon for people to report twelve to fourteen hours of work at a (
j.
The figures demonstrate the (
).
) nature of the modern work environment
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New Hazards at the Office
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP FOUR
The Article: 1) Read the article, but don't worry about the missing words. 2) Fill in the blanks with today's
vocabulary, followed by all the other words. 3) Read the article again, and circle any unknown words/phrases. In
pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the words or phrases your circled. 4) Answer the questions to
check your comprehension.
a. Why is deep vein thrombosis also called "economy class syndrome?"
b. What is deep vein thrombosis?
c. What did Beasley discover about the people coming to the hospitals?
d. According to the article, of all the people with DVT, how many have recently flown in a plane?
e. Why do people at the office need to worry about DVT?
STEP FIVE
Role-play: Write down five vocabulary words from today's article that you want to use.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Now talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Every time you use a vocabulary word, place a check
next to it.
a. Did you like this article?
b. What kind of job do you have? Does it require that you sit for long periods of time?
c. Should employers be responsible for health/safety at work? If yes, what should they do about DVT?
d. Does deep vein thrombosis scare you enough that you would consider changing careers? Why/not?
Score yourself:
10 or more times: Fantastic! Be sure to review the words at home.
6-9 times:
Pretty good! You're on your way to acquiring today's vocabulary. Try writing your own
sentences at home for additional practice.
5 or less times:
Try harder next time! To acquire new vocabulary, you need to use the new words as much
as possible.
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