Would You Rob a Bank to Pay for your Sickness?
Before you read
What do you know about the U.S. health care system?
If you couldn’t get good health care, what would you do?
Do you think that people who steal are always wrong?
Perhaps you’ve seen the news over the past two years about the health system problems in the U.S. Perhaps you’ve heard the plans by the Obama administration to overhaul the health system so that nobody misses out on healthcare. Well, this week, I heard an interesting and strange story that made me sit up and take notice.
A 59 year old man had lost his job as a Coca-Cola delivery driver. He tried to get another job, but found that it was hard to find work, so he took a job working in a convenience store. However, he found that his body was not up for it and various pains in his body caused him intolerable pain. He couldn’t afford medical care and in his words, “I hit a brick wall.”
He could see no way out of his problem; his problem of course being his need for medical care. So he hatched a plan to rob a bank for $1. The idea was that he would be arrested and taken to jail. Now that he is in jail, he is seeing doctors for his various problems and getting the medical attention he needs. Do you think he was really in a catch 22 situation?
Guessing Meaning From Context
Now, match the letters of the phrasal verbs/words with the closest numbered meaning in the right column. The meanings here are based on the way the words are used in this writing. The answers are at the bottom.
|
overhaul |
A |
1 |
Lose a chance or opportunity |
|
Miss out |
B |
2 |
Something that stops you from succeeding. A complete stop. |
|
sit up and take notice |
C |
3 |
Ability to escape somewhere. Able to exit somewhere or something. |
|
was not up for something |
D |
4 |
Not able to do something, not interested in doing, not possible to do it. |
|
hit a brick wall |
E |
5 |
Create some way to achieve a goal. Invent a way to achieve something. |
|
way out |
F |
6 |
Totally change something. Redo |
|
hatched a plan |
G |
7 |
A situation when you have 2 choices, but both choices will end in bad results. |
|
catch 22 situation |
H |
8 |
Something surprises you so you watch or look with total concentration |
A=6, B=1, C=8, D=4, E=2, F=3, G=5, H=7
Some example sentences using the new words/phrases
1. Most Koreans agree that we need to overhaul the education system in Korea.
2. Because I was too slow, I missed out on the cheap air ticket.
3. My wife said that she was going to have a baby, and that really made me sit up and take notice.
4. One time my boss asked me to design the best smart phone in the world, but I was really not up for it. And when it came to thinking of how to make it better, my mind really hit a brick wall.
5. It seems there is no way out for finding a solution to the problems with North Korea.
6. I needed more money for my education and I didn’t have enough, so I hatched a plan to get a second part time job.
7. You need to finish something before tomorrow, but you promised your mother you would take her to dinner tonight. This is a real catch 22 situation.
Some Questions to help you use the new words/phrases
1. Have you ever had to overhaul some work you had done before?
2. Tell about a time you really wanted something, but missed out.
3. What news event recently made you sit up and take notice?
4. Tell about something you were expected to do, but you felt that you were not up for it.
5. Was there a time when you had to write or do something, but your mind hit a brick wall? (you could not think of what to do).
6. Imagine you have to go out drinking with coworkers or friends, but your husband/wife boy/girlfriend will be angry if you miss your anniversary. Can you hatch a plan to see a way out of this problem?
7. Describe a catch 22 situation you have been in.
ECK Education
