Inside Listening and Speaking 4

Midterm Assessment

AUDIO SCRIPT

[Passage 1 – F1: Female Lecturer]

F1: OK. Are we all ready to get started? . . . You remember we were talking about
sports injuries in our last class. For example, sprains, dislocations, head injuries, and
broken bones. Today I want to review some basics regarding broken bones. I
suppose bone is the most amazing tissue in the body.

Why do bones break? Actually, especially when we are younger, bones can take a lot
of stress. Think of them as branches on young trees. They seem solid, but they’re
flexible. But even so, just like branches, in certain conditions, or under a certain
amount of pressure, they can snap. Most bones are broken in trips or falls of some
kind, although many are also broken in impact, for example, in car accidents. And of
course, in sports we have trips and falls, and also impact. So it’s not surprising that
athletes suffer many broken bones.

OK. So the bone breaks. The breaks, of course, are called fractures. There are several
types of fractures.

“Hairline fracture” is the term that signifies a small fracture. I suppose we refer to
them as hairline fractures because hair is thin, and the fracture is thin. It’s not so
serious. But of course not all fractures are hairline fractures.

Doctors see patients with bones broken in two or three or more places, as well as
patients with bones that are crushed. Let’s look at the names for some of these types
of fractures. A single fracture is when a bone is broken in one place. It is also
considered a complete fracture if the bone is broken in two pieces. A greenstick
fracture, on the other hand, is characterized by a break that is on one side of the
bone only – it doesn’t go all the way through. A comminuted fracture is when the
bone is broken in two or more places or crushed. And of course an open fracture is
where you have the bone sticking through the skin. Finally, a type that really only
occurs in children, is a bowing fracture. Like a bow, the bone bends, but it doesn’t
break.

Let’s move on to pain. Sometimes the pain people experience with fractures is
terrible, but there are also times when people don’t even realize they’ve broken
bones. However, even a minor break can often be a shock to the body. Because of the
shock, some people don’t feel the pain right away. But others get dizzy, nauseous,
chilly, and so on.

Some people think that a good way to test whether a bone is broken is to try to
move it. That’s a bad idea. It will hurt! And can break the bone further, or in the case
of a bone that is broken all the way through, it can push the two pieces further out of
place. For the same reasons, you should not move a person who may have broken a

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bone. It’s best to call for medical help to arrive. I’m talking now about non-sports
injuries, injuries we might encounter in our normal lives. Call 911 and wait until
help arrives. The only thing you can do in the meantime is make the person as
comfortable as possible.

The bone will start its own healing process very soon. It will begin to produce tiny
blood vessels and blood cells near the break. In fact, even after the doctor
intervenes, the bone will mostly work to heal itself. A cast will help, but the blood
vessels and cells very quickly cover both ends of the bone – the broken surface area.
They close the break, and the bone continues to rebuild.

So why do you need the doctor? Well, first of all, a doctor is almost always needed to
reset the bone. This is not something an untrained person can do for someone else,
and it’s certainly not something we should try to do for ourselves. A broken bone
has usually been jarred out of place, at least a little. To heal properly, it needs to be
set back the way it was. The doctor will almost always take X-rays to see how the
bone might need to be moved in order to be back in the correct position. Along with
this, a pin may be needed. If the fracture is in several places, or if the bone has been
crushed, pins will need to be placed in the bone. They’re usually metal, and usually a
person has to go under general anesthesia so that they are asleep and don’t feel this
operation. The pins will be removed when the bone has healed.

Whether or not pins are used, the norm is to use a cast to prevent the bone from
being pushed or knocked out of its place while it is healing. The standard cast is
made of bandages and plaster. But now there are also fiberglass and plastic casts,
some quite fashionable! And there are waterproof casts, as well.

The cast is usually on for a month or two.

Prevention is not always possible, of course. There are sports injuries, and auto
accidents. But it helps to have strong bones. Vitamin D and calcium are helpful in
building and maintaining bone density and strength. And so is exercise. My bones
probably aren’t in as great shape as they should be!

Most of this isn’t new, so I’m going to go on to sprains and dislocations. Hold your
questions until the end of class and I’ll take them then.

[Passage 2 – F1: Female Host; M1: Male Movie Critic; F2: Female Movie Critic]

F1: Hey there, listeners! Welcome back to another session of Movie Magic. Our
reviewers are here and ready to let you know what they think of the recent film
“The Golden Dream.” Once more, let’s welcome Freddie and Maya. Take it away, you
two. What comments do you have about this film?

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M1: Well, first of all, as I’ve told you time and time again on this show, I don’t like to
be called a “reviewer.” “Reviewer” these days can signify someone who is paid by a
website or radio or TV show or company to say good things. I know there are
reviews that aren’t so commercially biased, but it’s a muddy area. So I prefer the
term “critic.”

F1: OK, Mr. Critic. What did you think of the film?

M1: Well, it is undoubtedly going to be a classic. I think Ray Rodriguez has reached a
new level of performance in this film. His portrayal of his character, Lewis, left me
without tissues by the end of the show. He captured all the hope, disillusionment,
and triumph that we all hold deep within our own spirits. He is one of those
characters you can relate to, you know? He’s like someone you remember from your
childhood, from your old neighborhood. His flashbacks to the dream of being a
successful painter, despite his parents’ ridicule, despite the discouragement of his
teachers, and despite his lack of resources was just so touching –

F2: I agree. There was such emotional depth to his performance. And you’re
absolutely right – he made me think of not only people I’ve known, but also myself,
and my early dreams. You know, he’s a hero to us because so many of us let our
dreams die.

M1: Yeah, that’s exactly it. I think my tears were the result of his heroism. I mean,
what persistence.

F1: So what did you think of the script, the actual story?

M1: Well, it was good, but I think he really brought the story to life.

F1: For those of us who don’t know, what, in brief, is the plot?

M1: Well, this kid, Lewis, has a really terrible home life. Mean father, mother
working three jobs, a brother who has several problems. And he escapes by
drawing. He loves art class. He has a neighbor he visits, and this neighbor notices
his talent, and makes him an easel and buys him some paints. So Lewis goes over
there every day after school and paints these incredible abstract landscapes.

F2: And what maybe can be defined as “universescapes.” I mean those incredible
paintings of space, as he imagines it.

M1: Yep. Anyway, his father finds out, and becomes angry with the neighbor, and
Lewis is not allowed to go there anymore. Lewis takes his paintings to school, folds
them, and keeps them in his desk.

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Then one day his teacher finds them and asks Lewis who painted them. She doesn’t
believe him when he says he did and calmly rips up the paintings.

F2: Weren’t you ready to scream at her? She was such a robot. So cold and
mechanical.

M1: And he goes on to middle school, and he’s all set to enter a state-wide
competition, but he can’t afford the entry fee. He tells his teacher, who ridicules him.
She tells him someone from his social class should focus on something that might
earn him a living.

So, he gets a job painting lines on highways. He sits on the back of a truck and
operates small machinery to paint lines where they can’t be mechanically painted.
He doesn’t seem to mind, and he likes the guys he works with. But then we see that
after work, he’s creating these masterpieces. He hides his work, and his studio is in
the basement. These are the first scenes where Rodriguez comes in.

F2: I love the camera work in that basement scene, and the lighting . . .

F1: So, does he finally get discovered?

F2: Yes, and just when you think it’s over, that’s when the real conflict hits. He has
an opening show that’s a great success. He attracts financial backers and he has
some commissions for new work. . .

F1: "Commissions" refers to money that is contracted for work in the future, right?

M1: Right. But during what’s supposed to be the last week of his road-painting job,
as he’s sitting on the open back of the truck, painting a line, he’s hit by a speeding
SUV, and his right arm is almost completely crushed. Bone smashed, nerves
damaged, and muscles injured.

F1: So he can’t paint?

F2: That’s right. And although nothing is said about that directly – that is to say,
there’s no dialogue about it – the music captures the huge anger and grief of this
scene.

M1: And along with the music, I think the lighting is brilliantly used to show the
harsh grief of the scene.

F1: OK. I’m going to cut you off here so we can take a short break . . .

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