1.3 Breathing

Exercise 1 Comparatives. This exercise gives you practice in describing what happens when we breathe in and breathe out. You have to think of a comparative word to complete each description. Look at Comparative and superlative adjectives in the English skills and support section for information about comparatives. Complete the sentences, using suitable comparative words. a Arun can push more water out of the bottle than Marcus, showing that the capacity of his lungs is .............................. than Marcus’s. b In general, the .......................... a person’s lungs, the less air they can breathe out in one breath. c When we breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes and makes the space inside the chest cavity ........................... . d When we are breathing out, the pressure in the chest cavity is .......................... SAMPLE than the pressure of the air outside the body. e When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and makes the pressure inside the chest cavity ........................... .

Exercise 2 Opposites

This exercise will help you to understand how we breathe in and out, and to use suitable words in your descriptions. Complete the sentences by writing a word or phrase that is the opposite of the one in bold. a Fill the bottle with water while it is the right way up, and then turn it ............................. ............................. . b The intercostal muscles contract when we breathe in, and ............................. when we breathe out. c When the volume in the chest cavity increases, the pressure ............................. . d The ribs move upwards when we breathe in, and ............................. when we breathe out. e In the syringe, the balloon defl ates when I push the plunger in and ............................. when I pull the plunger out. 10 20 30 40 50

rubber bung small hole syringe with end cut off balloon plunger SAMPLE 22