TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Eleanor Nelsen: Why do people have seasonal allergies?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Ah, spring. Grass growing, flowers blooming, trees growing new leaves, but if you get allergies, this explosion of new life probably inspires more dared than joy. Step outside, and within minutes, you're szneenig and congested. Your nose is running, your eyes are swollen and watery, your throat is itchy. For you and millions of others, it's seasonal allergy time. So what's behind this onslaught of mucus? The answer lies within you. It's your immune system. Seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, are a hrietnisvseype immune response to something that's not actually hrufmal. Pollen from trees and grass, and mold serpos from tiny fungi find their way into your mucous membranes and your body attacks these innocuous teealrrvs the same way it would infectious bacteria. The immune system has a memory. When a foreign substance gets tagged as threatening, white blood cells produce customized antibodies that will recognize the ofeefndr the next time around. They then promptly rrieuct the body's defense team. But sometimes, the immune system accidentally denraicsmtiis against harmless substances, like pollen. When it wafts in again, antibodies on the scarufe of white blood cells rzciegnoe it and latch on. This triggers the cell to release inflammatory chemicals, like histamine, which stimulate nerve cells, and cause blood vlesess in the mucous mnebaemrs to swell and leak fluid. In other words, iechistns, sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose. Allergies usually, but not always, show up for the first time during childhood. But why do some people get allergies and others don't? airgelels tend to run in families, so genetics may be one culprit. In fact, errors in a gene that helps ratuglee the immune system are associated with higher rates of allergies. The environment you grow up in matters, too. Being exposed to an allergen as a baby makes you less likely to actually develop an algerly to it. People who grow up on fmras, in big families, and in the developing world also tend to have fewer allergies, although there are plenty of exceptions, partly thanks to genetics. One theory is that as children, they encounter more of the miorbces and parasites that co-evolved with traditional hunter-gatherer societies. cleald the hygiene hypothesis, the idea is that when the immune sestym isn't exposed to the familiar cast of microbes, it'll keep itself busy mounting defenses against harmless sscnebatus, like pollen. Another theory is that an immune system toughened up by a barrage of pathogens is less likely to overreact to allergens. Pollen is a common offender, just because we encounter so much of it, but there's a long list of substances: dust, anamil dander, insect vneom, medications, certain fdoos, that can send your immune system into overdrive. Some of these reactions can be scary. An allergy can develop into full-blown ainapxahyls, which typically brings on severe swelling, shortness of breath, and very low blood pressure. It can be deadly. The body can even have an allergic reaction to itself causing auto-immune disorders, like multiple sclerosis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. But even non-life tnehtnaeirg allergy symptoms can make you miserable, so what can you do about it? Medications can help reduce the symptoms. The most coommn ones keep histamines from binding to your cells. These antihistamines stop the inflammation response. Steroids can help dial down the immune system. Another more permanent option is immunotherapy. Deliberate, controlled exuposre to gradually irnsecnaig anomuts of an allergen can teach the immnue system that it isn't dangerous after all. And if you're really adventurous, there's a less traditional option: intestinal parasites. When hookworms sink their teeth into the itnitnseal wall, they secrete chemicals that blunt the immune system. Some studies suggest that hookworms can taret allergies, which may be another reason allergies are more common in industrialized countries where howomroks are few and far between. Of course, you can always just wait your seasonal allergies out. The spring pollen onglushat dedilnws by mid-summer, just in time for rgeewad season.

Open Cloze

Ah, spring. Grass growing, flowers blooming, trees growing new leaves, but if you get allergies, this explosion of new life probably inspires more _____ than joy. Step outside, and within minutes, you're ________ and congested. Your nose is running, your eyes are swollen and watery, your throat is itchy. For you and millions of others, it's seasonal allergy time. So what's behind this onslaught of mucus? The answer lies within you. It's your immune system. Seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, are a ______________ immune response to something that's not actually _______. Pollen from trees and grass, and mold ______ from tiny fungi find their way into your mucous membranes and your body attacks these innocuous _________ the same way it would infectious bacteria. The immune system has a memory. When a foreign substance gets tagged as threatening, white blood cells produce customized antibodies that will recognize the ________ the next time around. They then promptly _______ the body's defense team. But sometimes, the immune system accidentally _____________ against harmless substances, like pollen. When it wafts in again, antibodies on the _______ of white blood cells _________ it and latch on. This triggers the cell to release inflammatory chemicals, like histamine, which stimulate nerve cells, and cause blood _______ in the mucous _________ to swell and leak fluid. In other words, _________, sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose. Allergies usually, but not always, show up for the first time during childhood. But why do some people get allergies and others don't? _________ tend to run in families, so genetics may be one culprit. In fact, errors in a gene that helps ________ the immune system are associated with higher rates of allergies. The environment you grow up in matters, too. Being exposed to an allergen as a baby makes you less likely to actually develop an _______ to it. People who grow up on _____, in big families, and in the developing world also tend to have fewer allergies, although there are plenty of exceptions, partly thanks to genetics. One theory is that as children, they encounter more of the ________ and parasites that co-evolved with traditional hunter-gatherer societies. ______ the hygiene hypothesis, the idea is that when the immune ______ isn't exposed to the familiar cast of microbes, it'll keep itself busy mounting defenses against harmless __________, like pollen. Another theory is that an immune system toughened up by a barrage of pathogens is less likely to overreact to allergens. Pollen is a common offender, just because we encounter so much of it, but there's a long list of substances: dust, ______ dander, insect _____, medications, certain _____, that can send your immune system into overdrive. Some of these reactions can be scary. An allergy can develop into full-blown ___________, which typically brings on severe swelling, shortness of breath, and very low blood pressure. It can be deadly. The body can even have an allergic reaction to itself causing auto-immune disorders, like multiple sclerosis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. But even non-life ___________ allergy symptoms can make you miserable, so what can you do about it? Medications can help reduce the symptoms. The most ______ ones keep histamines from binding to your cells. These antihistamines stop the inflammation response. Steroids can help dial down the immune system. Another more permanent option is immunotherapy. Deliberate, controlled ________ to gradually __________ _______ of an allergen can teach the ______ system that it isn't dangerous after all. And if you're really adventurous, there's a less traditional option: intestinal parasites. When hookworms sink their teeth into the __________ wall, they secrete chemicals that blunt the immune system. Some studies suggest that hookworms can _____ allergies, which may be another reason allergies are more common in industrialized countries where _________ are few and far between. Of course, you can always just wait your seasonal allergies out. The spring pollen _________ ________ by mid-summer, just in time for _______ season.

Solution

ragweed
allergy
itchiness
exposure
foods
offender
recognize
amounts
allergies
hypersensitive
threatening
called
animal
increasing
sneezing
dwindles
venom
membranes
hookworms
common
surface
onslaught
treat
intestinal
spores
immune
discriminates
system
regulate
farms
substances
vessels
recruit
anaphylaxis
travelers
microbes
dread
harmful

Original Text

Ah, spring. Grass growing, flowers blooming, trees growing new leaves, but if you get allergies, this explosion of new life probably inspires more dread than joy. Step outside, and within minutes, you're sneezing and congested. Your nose is running, your eyes are swollen and watery, your throat is itchy. For you and millions of others, it's seasonal allergy time. So what's behind this onslaught of mucus? The answer lies within you. It's your immune system. Seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, are a hypersensitive immune response to something that's not actually harmful. Pollen from trees and grass, and mold spores from tiny fungi find their way into your mucous membranes and your body attacks these innocuous travelers the same way it would infectious bacteria. The immune system has a memory. When a foreign substance gets tagged as threatening, white blood cells produce customized antibodies that will recognize the offender the next time around. They then promptly recruit the body's defense team. But sometimes, the immune system accidentally discriminates against harmless substances, like pollen. When it wafts in again, antibodies on the surface of white blood cells recognize it and latch on. This triggers the cell to release inflammatory chemicals, like histamine, which stimulate nerve cells, and cause blood vessels in the mucous membranes to swell and leak fluid. In other words, itchiness, sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose. Allergies usually, but not always, show up for the first time during childhood. But why do some people get allergies and others don't? Allergies tend to run in families, so genetics may be one culprit. In fact, errors in a gene that helps regulate the immune system are associated with higher rates of allergies. The environment you grow up in matters, too. Being exposed to an allergen as a baby makes you less likely to actually develop an allergy to it. People who grow up on farms, in big families, and in the developing world also tend to have fewer allergies, although there are plenty of exceptions, partly thanks to genetics. One theory is that as children, they encounter more of the microbes and parasites that co-evolved with traditional hunter-gatherer societies. Called the hygiene hypothesis, the idea is that when the immune system isn't exposed to the familiar cast of microbes, it'll keep itself busy mounting defenses against harmless substances, like pollen. Another theory is that an immune system toughened up by a barrage of pathogens is less likely to overreact to allergens. Pollen is a common offender, just because we encounter so much of it, but there's a long list of substances: dust, animal dander, insect venom, medications, certain foods, that can send your immune system into overdrive. Some of these reactions can be scary. An allergy can develop into full-blown anaphylaxis, which typically brings on severe swelling, shortness of breath, and very low blood pressure. It can be deadly. The body can even have an allergic reaction to itself causing auto-immune disorders, like multiple sclerosis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. But even non-life threatening allergy symptoms can make you miserable, so what can you do about it? Medications can help reduce the symptoms. The most common ones keep histamines from binding to your cells. These antihistamines stop the inflammation response. Steroids can help dial down the immune system. Another more permanent option is immunotherapy. Deliberate, controlled exposure to gradually increasing amounts of an allergen can teach the immune system that it isn't dangerous after all. And if you're really adventurous, there's a less traditional option: intestinal parasites. When hookworms sink their teeth into the intestinal wall, they secrete chemicals that blunt the immune system. Some studies suggest that hookworms can treat allergies, which may be another reason allergies are more common in industrialized countries where hookworms are few and far between. Of course, you can always just wait your seasonal allergies out. The spring pollen onslaught dwindles by mid-summer, just in time for ragweed season.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
immune system	10
mucous membranes	2
white blood	2
blood cells	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
white blood cells	2

Important Words

accidentally
adventurous
ah
allergen
allergens
allergic
allergies
allergy
amounts
anaphylaxis
animal
answer
antibodies
antihistamines
attacks
baby
bacteria
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big
binding
blood
blooming
blunt
body
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cast
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dander
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deadly
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deliberate
develop
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dial
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dread
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encounter
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errors
exceptions
explosion
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eyes
fact
familiar
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farms
fever
find
flowers
fluid
foods
foreign
fungi
gene
genetics
gradually
grass
grow
growing
harmful
harmless
hay
helps
higher
histamine
histamines
hookworms
hygiene
hypersensitive
hypothesis
idea
immune
immunotherapy
increasing
industrialized
infectious
inflammation
inflammatory
innocuous
insect
inspires
intestinal
itchiness
itchy
joy
latch
leak
leaves
lies
life
list
long
lupus
matters
medications
membranes
memory
microbes
millions
minutes
miserable
mold
mounting
mucous
mucus
multiple
nerve
nose
offender
onslaught
option
overdrive
overreact
parasites
partly
pathogens
people
permanent
plenty
pollen
pressure
produce
promptly
ragweed
rates
reaction
reactions
reason
recognize
recruit
reduce
regulate
release
response
rhinitis
run
running
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scary
sclerosis
season
seasonal
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send
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spring
step
steroids
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stop
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wall
watery
white
words
world