Don't Want to Get Depressed? Drink coffee
Before you read/To help you think about the subject
Do you drink coffee?
Do you know about the good and bad things for drinking coffee?
Scientists have been making a lot of effort to how harmful coffee is to us, though no evidence yet. A latest study may be reassuring for coffee-lovers.
Women who drink caffeinated coffee are less likely to be depressed than those who don't. And the more they drink, the lower risk of developing depression, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers of the study tracked the health of over 50,000 women aged between 30 and 55 in 1996 for a decade and recorded their mental health and coffee intake periodically.
They find that women who drank two or three cups of coffee per day were 15 percent less likely than those who drank little or decaffeinated coffee to be depressed.
And for those who drank four or more cups, the risk of developing depression reduced by 20 percent.
The reason why coffee could protect from depression is not clear. But the scientists from Harvard University speculated that caffeine was the key player. More research is needed to show whether caffeine can ward off depression.
It might be that not-depressed people tended to be more activated and the habit of coffee drinking just fit in their lifestyle.
However, the depressed ones, who might suffer from sleeplessness, chose not to drink coffee because the caffeine might exacerbate it.
"There's no need to start drinking coffee," said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, the senior author of the study, "The message is that coffee is safe to drink, with no adverse effects. That's really all that can be said."
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
reassuring |
A |
1 |
To follow, record |
|
tracked |
B |
2 |
A guess or belief about something |
|
periodically |
C |
3 |
Someone/something important to help make something happen or some result |
|
speculated |
D |
4 |
Protect from |
|
key player |
E |
5 |
Something that keeps happening but sometimes, not all the time |
|
ward off |
F |
6 |
To make something bigger |
|
exacerbate |
G |
7 |
harmful |
|
adverse |
H |
8 |
To remove fear about doing something |
A=8, B=1, C=5, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=6, H=7
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
< 1. It is reassuring to know that the storm will not come here tomorrow.
n 2. I have been tracking the exchange rate changes between the Korean Won and the Chinese Yuan.
3. I periodically study Korean, but if I really want to be good, then I need to study everyday.
4. Buying and selling shares on the stock-market is speculative.
5. One of the key players in helping me to become a successful baseball player was my high school coach.
6. Some believe drinking green tea helps to ward off sickness.
7. If you are sick, then you should rest because being too busy could exacerbate your sickness.
8. Even though he had many troubles when he was young, he was able to overcome his adversity to become a great leader.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand their meaning and correct use. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. What reassurances do you need to give a bank when you loan money?
2. Describe something you like to track? For example, it could be a favorite sports team, an entertainer’s life and career, the life of somebody, a stock or share.
3. What is something you do periodically, but you could do more often?
4. What is one of the risks of speculating on the stock-market?
5. Describe someone who was a key player in the success of your country or company?
6. How do you ward off colds and other sicknesses?
7. What problems can drinking alcohol exacerbate?
8. Who is someone you like/admire because they overcame (succeeded) adversity?
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