Telling people to avoid all sunshine is very dim

The latest guidelines that all tanning must be avoided is the latest fanatical health advice to undermine the credibility of its authors.

For millennia, men and women have existed on the Earth courtesy of the life-giving properties of our neighbourhood star without needing to be told that too much sun is bad for them. In recent years, advice about covering up, wearing a hat and applying sunscreen has become commonplace, partly as a result of an increase in skin cancers linked to sunburn.

These have become increasingly prevalent as more people travel overseas to climates where they are unused to the intensity of the sun. A friendly reminder of the dangers of excessive exposure seems perfectly reasonable in such cases. But what are we to make of the latest public guidance from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence? It has decreed that no sun tan is safe and that whenever anyone ventures outside on a sunny day they should apply eight teaspoons of suntan lotion.

As with the recent report from the Chief Medical Officer recommending that the only safe level of alcohol consumption is abstinence, people will simply not take seriously advice that they know to be preposterous and which defies common sense. We are not allowed any “escape to the sun” apparently.

In this high latitude country the prospect of even seeing the sun, let alone being burned by it, is remote. People need sunshine to produce Vitamin D, without which they can develop rickets (which is on the rise in this country). More dangerously still, this sort of alarmist health nonsense will encourage people to close their ears to level-headed and practical counsel that really should be heeded.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. The idea of protecting yourself from the sun is as old as mankind.

b. People who spend time in very sunny places should be careful and use sunscreen.

c. Everybody will follow the latest recommendations concerning suntan.

d. Some health problems caused by a lack of Vitamin D are increasing.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. What is the latest advice from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence?

b. How will people react to the advice?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

 a. weaken (par.1)                   b. usual  (par.2)                              c. take the risk (par.3)

d. challenge (par.4)                e. sensible (par.5)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a.     People need sunshine to produce Vitamin D, without which they can develop rickets.

Sunshine ……………………………………

b.    The number of skin cancers linked to sunburn has increased, so we must protect our skin from the sun.

If the number ……………………………...          

c.     “At this time, doctors aren’t sure what the optimal level of vitamin D is. A lot of research is being done in this area.”

The expert said that …………………………..

            
Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

What would your ideal holiday destination be?