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Wendy Chen

MY HEAD STITCHES

When I was six years old, I was doing stepping exercises on the stairs with my friend. I was careless and fell down. My head hit the stairs and it started bleeding. My neighbor saw me losing a lot of blood and used his hand to stop the bleeding. My friend ran to my home and told my mother. Two minutes later my mother came with my neighbor and picked me up and took me to the clinic. The doctor gave me stitches. He didn’t give me any anesthetic. It was very painful. I was crying and flailing about. The doctor said, “Help me hold down her hands and feet.” I was still crying when they finished giving me stitches.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Wendy was doing stepping exercises in the gym. T F 2. She hit her head. T F 3. Her mother saw her fall. T F 4. The doctor gave her anesthetic. T F 5. She cried a lot. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever gotten anesthesia? 2. Do you like to exercise? 3. What kind of exercise do you like to do?

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Wen Zhi Chen One time I was cooking and I was careless. Just as I was holding up the carving knife, it suddenly slipped from my hand and at breakneck speed it stabbed my ankle. The scarlet blood as a fountain ran out. I was so scared. I was at a loss as to what to do. The blood ran on the floor. My wife in a loud voice said, “Use string and tie it up above the ankle.” I hurried up and took the string and tied it up, but the blood still came out. Instantly, I opened the first aid kit and took out some Chinese medicine and put it on the wound. The blood began to come out more slowly. Finally the bleeding stopped. After that, every time I use this carving knife I’m afraid and very careful. It was a good lesson at this cost. I don’t want to replay the past.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Wen Zhi cut himself while he was cooking. T F 2. He cut his hand. T F 3. His hand was bleeding. T F 4. He put some Chinese medicine on the cut. T F 5. He thought it was a good lesson. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Do you keep a first aid kit at home? 2. Are you careful with knives? 3. What’s a good lesson you’ve learned?

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Min Ling Huang

FOOD POISONING

Four years ago, my husband and I went back to China for his friend’s wedding. At night, when we were asleep, my husband felt uncomfortable. He felt cold and had a stomachache. I gave him hot water. After ten minutes, he had diarrhea. He was curled up in the bed and his face was white. I was scared and confused. I didn’t know what to do. I took him to see the doctor, but he didn’t want to go to the hospital. He took vitamin C and vitamin B, but he didn’t feel better. At about 7:00 am, we went to see a doctor. The doctor looked at my husband carefully and asked a lot of questions. The doctor told me not

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to worry: “If he takes the diarrhea medicine, he will get better.” We thanked the doctor. Then we went home. After that, I called his friend. Nobody else had food poisoning. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Min Ling and her husband went back to China for their wedding.

T F 2. Her husband got diarrhea. T F 3. Min Ling wasn’t scared. T F 4. Her husband took some vitamins and they made him feel better. T F 5. They went to see the doctor in the morning. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS 1. Have you ever been to China? 2. Have you ever had food poisoning? 3. Do you take vitamins?

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Yuki Kuang

SPECIAL NIGHT

One night two years ago, my son had a fever and threw up. He threw up many times. He was scared and cried. He took medicine but it didn’t work. I called a car service and we went to the emergency room. We waited in the emergency room for one hour. The doctor checked my son and asked me some questions. Then he told the nurse to give my son some medicine. “He will get better,” he said. After we went home, I felt sick because I was pregnant. My husband was worried. He gave me hot water to drink and held my arm and took me to bed. I didn’t take any medicine. After two hours, I didn’t feel better. When the doctor’s office opened, I went to see the doctor with my

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husband. The doctor said I had the flu. I stayed at home and slept and drank a lot of water. My husband stayed home and took care of me and my son for two days. I remember this day I felt very bad. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Two people got sick in this story. T F 2. Yuki took some medicine. T F 3. Yuki had a cold when she was pregnant. T F 4. She had the flu. T F 5. Her son took care of her. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever had the flu? 2. What should someone do if they have the flu? 3. Who takes care of you when you get sick?

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Raymond Lei

I WAS DRUNK

About ten years ago, on Chinese New Year’s Eve, I went out for dinner

with my friends. On that day, I was so glad that I drank a lot of alcohol.

First, I drank a lot of wine and then we went to another bar, and I drank

a lot of beer. At last, I was drunk. My friend had to drive me home. After

I got home, I went to bed, but I felt uncomfortable. I couldn’t fall asleep

all night. I felt cold and nauseated. I vomited a lot. In the middle of the

night, my family had to bring me to the hospital. The doctor gave me an

intravenous drip for three days. On the fourth day, I felt better and

didn’t vomit, so I came out of hospital. From that time on, I never drink

any alcohol.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Raymond went out to eat with his family on Christmas Eve. T F

2. He drank a lot of alcohol. T F 3. He drank beer and whiskey. T F 4. He walked home. T F 5. He threw up. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Do you drink alcohol? 2. Have you ever gotten drunk? 3. Do you celebrate Chinese New Year? How?

11

Kitty Liang

A SPECIAL BOAT TRIP

When I was twenty-three years old, my mouth got swollen. It happened in the summer in Shanghai, China. My mother-in-law and my husband went to Shanghai to travel with me. When we went on a boat trip, I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful mountains. My husband looked at me and said, “Wife, your mouth is swollen. What happened?” Then I got scared; I didn’t know why. I quickly looked in the mirror. My mouth really got swollen. My mother-in-law said, “Maybe the air is dirty. Maybe you have allergies.” My husband hugged me and gave me a kiss and said, “Don’t worry. I’m here. We’ll go to buy medicine when the boat stops.” Then he gave me water to drink. Luckily, when the boat stopped, I felt better. Then we smiled. But I still don’t know why my mouth was swollen.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. This story took place in Taishan, China. T F 2. Kitty could see mountains from the boat. T F 3. Her head got swollen. T F 4. Her mother was with her on the boat. T F 5. She now knows why her mouth got swollen. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Do you have any allergies? 2. Do you like to take boat trips? 3. What beautiful natural places does your country have?

13

Kelly Liu

PEELING AN APPLE One night a long time ago in my country, I was alone at home. I wanted to eat an apple, so I went to the kitchen and found a knife. Then I used the knife to peel an apple because I don’t like to eat apple peels. Usually my mother did this for me. This was my first time using a knife to peel an apple. When I was peeling with the knife, my fingers immediately started bleeding. I was scared. I called my mother: “Mom, my fingers are bleeding! What do I do? ” My mom said, “You can go to the living room and find a band aid. Don’t worry. ” I felt the wound was deep. But after this, I never peel with a knife. I have a fear of knives.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Kelly was at home with her mother. T F 2. She wanted to eat an orange. T F 3. Her mother usually peeled apples for her. T F 4. It was her first time using a knife to peel an apple. T F 5. Kelly still peels apples with knives.

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever cut your hand? 2. What’s your favorite fruit? 3. What are you afraid of?

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Maria Marquez

UNTITLED When I was at my house with my two children and I was six months pregnant, I received a call from my husband that he had cut his hand with a coffee cup. Someone had broken a cup and had not wrapped it with paper and thrown it in the trash. My husband looked at his hand and there was a lot of blood. He tried to clean it but there was a lot of blood all over his arm. A worker from his job took him to the hospital. That night when my husband came home he had thirty-eight staples on his hand. Later we went to the hospital again to check his arm. They said he had an infection and he could lose his hand. My husband had to be in

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recovery for six months with therapy and wasn’t working for two years. I admire my husband because we went through a lot of stuff but he never gave up. He kept on going. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Maria was two months pregnant when this happened. T F 2. Her husband cut his hand on a glass. T F 3. Her husband was bleeding a lot. T F 4. He got eighty-three staples. T F 5. Maria admires her husband. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever been hurt at work? 2. Have you ever gotten an infection? 3. Who do you admire?

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Xiao Yan Rao

A BUMP ON MY DAUGHTER’S HEAD When my daughter was six years old, she took a shower at 7:30 pm. My husband and I heard a voice. It was my daughter crying. We ran to the bathroom and saw our daughter with her hands on her head. I asked, “What’s the matter?” She said she slipped and fell down. I saw a bump on my daughter’s head. I was afraid. I didn’t know what to do. My husband immediately checked my daughter’s head. It was swollen and painful. My husband carried my daughter to her bed. Then he went to the kitchen to get some liquid medicine. After my husband rubbed the liquid medicine on our daughter’s head, we took a taxi to the Chinatown hospital. We were in the emergency room. We waited for the doctor. We waited about twenty minutes.

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“What’s the matter?” the doctor asked. I said, “I don’t speak English.” The interpreter said, “What’s the matter?” I told him my daughter slipped and fell down in the bathroom. After that the doctor asked, “Did your daughter throw up at home?” I said, “No, she didn’t throw up.” Then they took my daughter for a check-up. We waited about half an hour. The interpreter said, “There is no problem. Just put some ice on her head when you get home.” I said thanks. Finally, we went home. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Xiao Yan was six years old in this story. T F 2. Her daughter fell in the bedroom. T F 3. There was a bump on her daughter’s arm. T F 4. They took her to a hospital in Chinatown. T F 5. Xiao Yan spoke to the doctor in English. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTION

1. Have you ever fallen in the bathroom? 2. Have you ever gotten a bump on your head? 3. How long did you wait the last time you went to see the doctor?

19

Julia Song

MY STORY

When I was nineteen years old, one day I was working at a factory. I went to the workshop. My co-worker was using an axe. Suddenly it missed and hit me on my head. It started bleeding. I was crying and I was in a lot of pain. My co-worker helped me; he called 119 immediately. After thirteen minutes, an ambulance came and took us to the hospital. In the emergency room, the doctor helped me. He washed the blood from my face, then the doctor used a special styptic powder and gave me stitches. After ten days, my head felt better. But there’s still a scar. Now I see it every day.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Julia worked at a factory when she was nineteen. T F 2. Her co-worker hit her with a hammer. T F 3. It hurt a lot. T F 4. The ambulance came after thirty minutes. T F 5. Her head felt better after nineteen days. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever worked at a factory? 2. What was your first job? 3. What or who do you see every day?

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Sandra Tang

EMERGENCY ROOM

Four months ago, I was working in the morning and I ate some bread. Later I felt my stomach hurt. I went to the bathroom three times. But it still hurt. I was sweating and I stopped working. I wanted to see my family doctor. I called the doctor’s office, but they told me I needed to wait a long time. I felt terrible. The pain was strong. I went to the Elmhurst hospital emergency room. I waited about forty minutes. I saw a nurse and I told her how I felt. She checked my body and asked me some questions. I lay on the bed and waited for the doctor. The doctor came and checked my body again. She told me I had a bad stomachache and gave me some medicine. Ten minutes later, a worker gave me bread, juice and medicine. I took the medicine and had

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a rest on the bed. I told my doctor I felt better. She agreed me to let me go. I thought I ate something wrong, but I wasn’t sure. This was the first time I went to the emergency room in New York. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. This story happened four years ago. T F 2. She was at home when her stomach started hurting. T F 3. She went to the doctor’s office. T F 4. The nurse and the doctor were both female. T F 5. Sandra has never been to an emergency room in New York.

T F CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever left work because you felt sick? 2. Have you ever gone to the emergency room in New York? 3. What do you do when you have a stomachache?

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Mei Yee Wong

AT THE BEACH

When I was twelve years old, I had a bad accident. It happened in Hong Kong, during the summer. I liked to swim at Deep Water Bay Beach. My friends and I went to the beach. I saw the water was very clean and a lot of birds were in the sky. We felt happy, and we were running on the beach. I put my feet in the water and it was cold. Suddenly, I felt my right foot was painful. It was bleeding, and I went to the hospital right away. My friend and I waited in the emergency room. The doctor said that I stepped on a shell. I needed surgery. I was afraid. After surgery he gave me two inches of stitches.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Mei Yee can’t swim. T F 2. She went to the beach with her family. T F 3. Many birds were flying around. T F 4. She cut her left foot. T F 5. The nurse said she stepped on a shell. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever had a bad accident? 2. Have you ever been to Hong Kong? 3. Do you like to go to the beach? Why or why not?

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Ming Duan Wu

ABOUT MY YOUNGER BROTHER

At noon one day two years ago, my younger brother fainted in the bathroom. I was scared. I called my younger cousin. She lived in the same building. At that time, I was eight months pregnant. She came to my apartment and she called 911 immediately. After twenty minutes, an ambulance came. They took us to the hospital. In the emergency room, the doctor looked at my younger brother carefully and asked me lots of questions. After that they ran some tests, like a blood test and an X-ray. I was worried. Then the doctor told my younger brother that his stomach was bleeding. He needed an operation. After surgery, my younger brother stayed in the hospital for two weeks. Then he went home.

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This thing made me appreciate my younger cousin. She is a very good interpreter and let me know the importance of English. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Ming Duan’s brother fainted in the bathroom at 12 am. T F 2. Ming Duan called her cousin for help. T F 3. Her cousin is female. T F 4. Her brother’s stomach was bleeding. T F 5. Ming Duan’s cousin helped her understand the importance of

English. T F CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. How many cousins do you have? 2. Have you ever called 911? 3. Do you think it’s important to learn English? Why or why not?

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Yang Feng Zheng

MY SCARRED THUMB

In the summer in China, when I was a young girl (I can’t remember which year) I was at home eating a meal with my family. I always washed the dishes. In my home the dishes and bowls were fragile. One day, I was washing a bowl and I didn’t know a crack was in the bowl. The bowl broke and cut my thumb and it started bleeding. I sat down in a chair. My eyes went black. Then I didn’t feel anything and fell to the floor. My mother helped me into bed and put a bandage on my hand. I got some rest and I felt better. After a couple of days, my thumb was good. Now my thumb is scarred.

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TRUE OR FALSE?

1. This happened when Yang Feng was seven. T F 2. She never washed the dishes. T F 3. She cut her thumb on a broken bowl. T F 4. She fainted. T F 5. She still has a scar. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Do you like to wash the dishes? 2. Who usually does the housework in your family? 3. What other kinds of things are fragile?

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Dan Dan Zhou

BAD STOMACH

When I was sixteen years old, I was in class in China. About twenty minutes after the class started, I suddenly felt nauseated. Then I threw up. My classmates asked me, “What’s the matter?” I said, “My stomach feels bad.” I threw up again. When I stopped throwing up, my face was white. My teacher and classmates were worried about me. Then my classmates carried me home. My grandmother took me to the hospital. The doctor asked me, “What’s the matter?” “My stomach feels terrible. I threw up,” I said. First he checked my temperature. After ten minutes, he said, “You are below normal temperature.” Next he gave me an injection. Then I took

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some medicine. Then the doctor told me not to eat spicy food. Noodles were best for me. I went home and took medicine, then slept for a few hours. I felt better. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Dan Dan vomited at school. T F 2. She threw up twice. T F 3. Her face was purple. T F 4. Her classmates weren’t worried. T F 5. The doctor said her temperature was too low. T F

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1. Do you like to eat spicy food? 2. Do you like noodles? 3. What worries you?