full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Anees Bahji: Can steroids save your life?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Steroids: they’re infamous for their use in sports. But they’re also found in inhalers, creams to treat poison ivy and eczema, and shots to ease inflammation. The steroids in these medicines aren’t the same as the ones used to build muscle. In fact, they’re all based on yet another steroid— one our body produces naturally, and we can’t live without.

Taking a step back, the reason there are so many different steroids is because the term rrfees to substances with a shared molecular structure, rather than shared effects on the body. srtoieds can be naturally occurring or synthetic, but what all steroids have in common is a macuelolr structure that consists of a base of four rings made of 17 carbon amtos arranged in three hexagons and one peoangtn. A mluolece must contain this exact arrangement to be a steroid, though most also have side chains— aidtdinoal atoms that can dramatically ipcmat the molecule’s function. Steroids get their name from the fatty molecule csohrelteol. In fact, our bodies make steroids out of cholesterol.

Open Cloze


Steroids: they’re infamous for their use in sports. But they’re also found in inhalers, creams to treat poison ivy and eczema, and shots to ease inflammation. The steroids in these medicines aren’t the same as the ones used to build muscle. In fact, they’re all based on yet another steroid— one our body produces naturally, and we can’t live without.

Taking a step back, the reason there are so many different steroids is because the term ______ to substances with a shared molecular structure, rather than shared effects on the body. ________ can be naturally occurring or synthetic, but what all steroids have in common is a _________ structure that consists of a base of four rings made of 17 carbon _____ arranged in three hexagons and one ________. A ________ must contain this exact arrangement to be a steroid, though most also have side chains— __________ atoms that can dramatically ______ the molecule’s function. Steroids get their name from the fatty molecule ___________. In fact, our bodies make steroids out of cholesterol.

Solution


  1. molecular
  2. pentagon
  3. additional
  4. cholesterol
  5. molecule
  6. steroids
  7. refers
  8. impact
  9. atoms

Original Text


Steroids: they’re infamous for their use in sports. But they’re also found in inhalers, creams to treat poison ivy and eczema, and shots to ease inflammation. The steroids in these medicines aren’t the same as the ones used to build muscle. In fact, they’re all based on yet another steroid— one our body produces naturally, and we can’t live without.

Taking a step back, the reason there are so many different steroids is because the term refers to substances with a shared molecular structure, rather than shared effects on the body. Steroids can be naturally occurring or synthetic, but what all steroids have in common is a molecular structure that consists of a base of four rings made of 17 carbon atoms arranged in three hexagons and one pentagon. A molecule must contain this exact arrangement to be a steroid, though most also have side chains— additional atoms that can dramatically impact the molecule’s function. Steroids get their name from the fatty molecule cholesterol. In fact, our bodies make steroids out of cholesterol.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
immune system 4
adrenal glands 3
poison ivy 2
naturally occurring 2
gene expression 2
pituitary gland 2
cortisol suppresses 2
immune response 2


Important Words


  1. additional
  2. arranged
  3. arrangement
  4. atoms
  5. base
  6. based
  7. bodies
  8. body
  9. build
  10. carbon
  11. cholesterol
  12. common
  13. consists
  14. creams
  15. dramatically
  16. ease
  17. eczema
  18. effects
  19. exact
  20. fact
  21. fatty
  22. function
  23. hexagons
  24. impact
  25. infamous
  26. inflammation
  27. inhalers
  28. ivy
  29. live
  30. medicines
  31. molecular
  32. molecule
  33. muscle
  34. naturally
  35. occurring
  36. pentagon
  37. poison
  38. produces
  39. reason
  40. refers
  41. rings
  42. shared
  43. shots
  44. side
  45. sports
  46. step
  47. steroid
  48. steroids
  49. structure
  50. substances
  51. synthetic
  52. term
  53. treat