100. Reading Skills Comprehension: Swimming Pools

Swimming Pools

Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them:

1. Swimming pools were once considered a luxury limited only to the rich. Today, thanks to plastics and plenty, the number in the millions. Few, of course, are of Olympic size where a swimmer can quickly do his laps and stay in shape. Most are above-ground, round mini-pools, the line for a cool-off and a frolic. But, health experts have come to realise that exercises created especially for such swimming pools can tone the muscles, strengthen the heart and pack the spirit of people of all ages and conditions. And these exercises aren’t restricted to small pools alone. Any type of pool, including a crowded municipal one, will do.

2. Designer of the principal popular exercises is C. Carson Conrad, Executive Director of the California Bureau of Health. Physicians approve of Conrad’s exercises for three reasons.

3. First, since water pressure, even on a non-moving body, stimulates the heart to pump blood throughout the body, an exercise in the water promotes thorough circulation still more effectively. Second, water exercise is rhythmic. And continuous, rhythmic exercises, authorities agree, are one of the best defences against circulatory ailments which might cause atherosclerosis, often the precursor of coronary attacks and strokes.

4. Third, water exercise can be enjoyed with benefit by both young and old, healthy and infirm swimmers, and in shallow water, non-swimmers. Dr Ira H. Wilson and Fred W. Kasch, a physician-and-physiologist team, assert that even persons with paraplegia, rheumatic heart, asthma, emphysema, victims of polio or strokes, or amputation can exercise in water and enjoy weightless movement. Arthritis moves easily underwater. Some physicians use hydro callisthenics for their cardiac patients.

5. At the University of Illinois, Prof. Richard H. Pohndori studied the effect of water exercise on a “typical” couple. He chose as subjects a man-and-wife team of physicians, 43 and 41 years old respectively, who had been sedentary for years. His program was simple: “Swim from one end of the pool to the other until you can swim 1000 yards a day. Swim every day for ten weeks.” Before they started, the couple took 151 physical tests. At the end of ten weeks, they were tested again: their pulse rate had dropped, their rate of breathing had dropped, their blood pressure had come down to normal, the cholesterol level in their blood had dropped 20 per cent. Further, more than half of the broken blood vessels disfiguring the woman’s thighs had vanished, her husband had improved in all his physical-fitness tests; he reduced the size of his heart, efficient. Both felt younger, more vigorous  making it more

Word-Meaning: Laps—circuits, Mini–small-sized, Frolic—merriment, Pacify—calm, Restricted-limited, mutates—rouses, Rhythmic — according to measured movement, Aliments—diseases, Atherosclerosis- a disease of the heart Precursor—that comes before,  Coronary—artery of the heart, Strokes—attacks, Infirm—weak, Physiologist—doctors/ scientists who study the body, Paraplegia- paralysis of the lower part of the body, Rheumatic—disease of joints Asthma—a disease of lungs, Emphysema—a disease of lungs, aide-raid  Arthritis— a disease of the joints, Hydrocalisthenics- water-treatment, Cardiac—of the heart, Sedentary—not active, Vessels- ducts, Disfiguring—spoiling the beauty or figure, Vanished—disappears, Efficient—competent, Vigorous—energetic, ware-Aitril

1. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each:

(i) Are swimming pools still considered a luxury limited only to the rich? Give a reasoned answer.

(ii) Who is the designer of the popular swimming exercises? What is the effect of water pressure on the body?

(iii) How can children and non-swimmers enjoy water exercises?

(iv) What was the effect of water exercises on the couple after 151 tests?

(v) How can water exercises be enjoyed by persons suffering from various diseases?

2. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following:

(i) Today, there are millions of swimming pools in our counting because of  ………….

(a) availability of space                       (b) inclination to exercises

(c) plastics                                           (d) spreading diseases

(ii) Rhythmic exercises are very beneficial in fighting ………….

(a)asthma                  (b) circulatory ailments

(c) polio                      (d) strokes

(iii) In para 1, the word which means ‘merrymaking’ is …………

(a)luxury                   (b) laps                (c) pacify             (d) frolic

(iv) The word in para 5 which means `sitting/deskbound’ is …………

(a) effect                   (b) sedentary    (c) exercise         (d) simple

(v) When one does exercise in water, one’s blood cholesterol level ………….

(a) goes up                (b) comes down

(c) remains the same    (d) none of these

Answers

1.(i) No, the swimming pools are not considered a luxury limited only to the rich alone. Thanks to plastics and plenty, there are millions of them. Even the masses can enjoy swimming there.

(ii) C. Carson Conrad is the designer of the popular swimming exercises. Water pressure stimulates the heart to pump blood. Water exercises improve blood circulation.

(iii) Water exercises can be enjoyed even by the children and non-swimmers in shallow water. They convey weightless movements which are useful for the people of all ages.

(iv) Their pulse rate dropped and so did their rate of breathing. Their blood pressure came down to normal and cholesterol dropped 20 per cent.

(v) Water exercises can be enjoyed not only by healthy but also persons suffering from various diseases. People suffering from heart diseases, asthma, polio, etc., can exercise in water. They can enjoy weightless movement and can move easily underwater.

2.(i)(c) plastics

(ii) (b) circulatory ailments

(iii) (d) frolic

(iv) (b) sedentary

(v) (b) comes down

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