Caffeine and alcohol potent mix for young - PAU inglés 2012 CyL

Mixing alcohol and caffeine is hardly a new concept, but a series of cases involving students and others who were taken to hospitals after drinking beverages that combine the two in a single large can has alarmed college and health officials around the country. The drinks are dangerous, doctors say, because the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol, keeping consumers from realizing just how intoxicated they are.

A brand called Four Loko, a fruit-flavored malt beverage that has an alcohol content of 12 percent and as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, has been particularly criticized after students who drank it this fall at Ramapo College in New Jersey ended up in emergency rooms, some with high levels of alcohol poisoning.

‘This is one of the most dangerous new alcohol mixtures I have ever seen,’ said an emergency room doctor at Lancaster General Hospital, who said he had treated more than a dozen teenagers and adults over the last three months who had been brought there after drinking Four Loko. ‘It's a recipe for disaster because your body's natural defense is to ge sleepy and not want to drink, but in this case you're tricking the body with the caffeine.’

FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS, ANSWER QUESTIONS A, B, C

A. Answer the following question using your own words (10 to 20 words)

Why are the drinks with caffeine and alcohol unsafe?

• This kind of drinks maskthe effects of alcohol by caffeine, that’s why they are dangerous.

B. Are the following statements true or false? Indicate the line(s) in the text supporting your choice.

B1. These drinks make it easy for drinkers to tell how drunk they are.

• FALSE: ... the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol, keeping consumers from realizing just how intoxicated they are. (lines 5 & 6)

B2. Drinking one of these beverages could be like drinking two cups of coffee.

• FALSE: ... a fruit-flavored malt beverage that has... as much caffeine as a cup of coffee... (lines 7 & 8)

B3. The high caffeine levels make it difficult for drinkers to realize they are tired.

• TRUE: ... your body's natural defense is to get sleepy and not want to drink, but in this case you're tricking the body with the caffeine. (lines 16-18)

C. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct.

This new alcohol mixture is…

• a) very healthy.
• b) a line of alcoholic energy drinks.
• c) a tea-flavored malt drink.

COMPLETE TASKS a, b, c, d ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN

a) Write a question for which the underlined words are the answer: 

Nine students have been hospitalized after mixing excessive amounts of Four Loko.

• How many students have been hospitalized after mixing excessive amounts of Four Loko?

b) Transform into reported speech: 

‘Caffeine will be removed from the drink recipe, though the creators believe it is safe.’ Begin with: Four Loko creators said that …

• Four Loko creators said that caffeine would be removed from the drink recipe, though they believed it was safe.

c) Combine into one sentence containing a relative clause: 

Four Loko has already been banned in several states. This beverage made young drinkers extremely ill.

• Four Loko, which made several young drinkers extremely ill, has already been banned in several states.

d) Complete: 

If she had drunk a lot of beer, …

• If she had drunk a lot of beer, she wouldn't have come back home.

VOCABULARY

Find one word in the text for each of the following meanings:

• a) a marketable name: brand (line 7)
• b) a list of ingredients and directions for making something: recipe (line 16)

Find synonyms in the text for each of the words below:

• c ) hides: masks (line 5)
• d) especially: particularly (line 9)
• e) somnolent: sleepy (line 17)

+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS