Lifestyles and Health Unit 26 Are You Afraid of Going Bald? 

A re You Afraid of Going Bald?

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Are you afraid of going bald? Hair loss might be the greatest nightmare that can happen to both men and women. Accordingly, across the globe, $3.5 billion is spent on baldness treatments every year. 1. Interestingly, the attempt to cope with baldness actually dates back to thousands of years ago.

To cure baldness, a 5,000-year-old Egyptian recipe suggested rubbing fats from hippos, crocodiles, snakes and other animals on the scalp, while the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates believed the best cure for baldness was pigeon poop mixed with herbs. During the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar employed a variety of methods to hide his thinning hair. In addition to the laurel wreath that he wore, he first grew his hair long in the back, and then combed it forward over his bald area. 2. One company actually invented a “vacuum helmet” which people could wear to “pump their hair out.”

Presumptions of what causes hair loss have also varied to a great extent. Aristotle thought it was caused by sex. Later theories included “dryness of the brain,” which was a consequence of air pollution or, funnily, the wrong haircut. 3. Barbers and medical journals leapt into action, announcing that combs should be boiled regularly and

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25 that under no circumstances should members of bald families share combs. Nowadays, the cause of baldness is known to be genetic as well as physiological― resulting from a chemical called “dihydrotestosterone (DHT)”

According to a study, while the bald men are not considered as physically attractive as the other men, one category of scores was far higher. 4. So, if you happen to have thinning hair, look on the bright side― being bald is probably not all bad.

AFrom expensive creams, shampoos, wigs, to surgery, people exert themselves to prevent baldness.

BBack in 1897, a wave of panic swept the globe after a French scientist claimed he had discovered the true culprit: a microbe.

CThen in the early 1800s, hundreds of so-called “hair loss solutions” showed up.

DThe men were consistently rated as more intelligent, influential, knowledgeable, and well-educated ― traits collectively known as social maturity.

Words and Idioms

1. bald [bGld] adj. 禿頭的（baldness n. 禿頭）

Albert is worried about going bald as his father and uncles have all suffered baldness. 2. accordingly [E `kGrdINlI] adv. 因此

Smoking is harmful to health. Accordingly, teenagers are not allowed to smoke. 3. physician [fI

` zISEn] n. 內科醫師

The physician suggested the patient consume less fried food to stay healthy. 4. herb [hQb] n. 藥草

The garden is planted with a kind of herb that can effectively treat burns. 5. employ [Im

` plGI] v. 1使用；利用 2僱用

Nowadays, many teachers in Taiwan employ technology in the classroom. 6. presumption [prI

` zOmpSEn] n. 推測；假定

Ted held the presumption that Mina was in love with him from the way she looked at him.

7. circumstance [` sQkEmcstAns] n. 情形；情況（常用複數）

I can’t give you a definite answer until I learn about all the circumstances.

8. consistently [kEn ` sIstEntlI] adv. 始終如一地；一貫地

Linda has consistently showed a great interest in becoming a teacher. 9. collectively [kE `lHktIvlI] adv. 共同地

The government and citizens should work collectively to reduce plastic pollution. 10. maturity [mE

`tjUrEtI] n. 成熟

Many girls are attracted to Elvin because of his maturity and sophistication. 11. exert oneself (to V.) ph. 盡全力（去做⋯）

Despite losing the game, all of the players have already exerted themselves. 12. to a great extent ph. 很大的程度而言；非常；顯著地

Ms. Chang’s words of encouragement have inspired me to a great extent.

Words for Recognition

★ wig n. 假髮 ★ scalp n. 頭皮 ★ Hippocrates n. 希波克拉底（醫學之父） ★ Julius Caesar n. 凱薩大帝 ★ laurel wreath n. 桂冠 ★ Aristotle n. 亞里斯多德 ★ culprit n. 元凶 ★ physiological adj. 生理的 ★ leap into action n. 採取行動（leap / leapt / leapt） ★ dihydrotestosterone n. 二氫睪固酮

Vocabulary Exercises

I. Words in Context: Fill in each blank with a word or an idiom from the box. Change the word form if necessary.

accordingly physician consistently bald presumption to a great extent circumstance maturity collectively herb employ exert oneself

1. Bob stayed calm and dealt with the problem with and wisdom. 2. Individually, people have little power, but they can be more influential. 3. In Chinese medicine, are used to treat patients of different symptoms. 4. To win the debate contest,Albert and his teammates , spending the whole weekend studying the issue in discussion. 5. There is no reliable scientific evidence to support the that humans are born evil. 6. My parents always tell me that under no am I allowed to steal and cheat. 7. Over the years, Hank has dedicated himself to charity, making monthly donations to Greenpeace, for example. 8. The earthquake damaged the building seriously. , no one dared to live in it.

II. Cloze Test: Choose the correct answer to each question.

Are you afraid of going bald? Hair loss might be the greatest nightmare that can happen to both men and women. Accordingly, across the globe, $3.5 billion is spent on baldness treatments every year. From expensive creams, shampoos, wigs, to surgery, people 1. themselves to prevent baldness. Interestingly, the attempt to cope with baldness actually 2. back to thousands of years ago.

To cure baldness, a 5,000-year-old Egyptian 3. suggested rubbing fats from hippos, crocodiles, snakes and other animals on the scalp, while the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates believed the best cure for baldness was pigeon poop mixed with herbs. During the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar 4. a variety of methods to hide his thinning hair. In addition to the laurel wreath that he wore, he first grew his hair long in the back, and then combed it forward over his bald area. 5. , in the early 1800s, hundreds of so-called “hair loss solutions” showed up. One company actually invented a “ vacuum helmet” which people could wear to “pump their hair out. ” 1. Aexert Bhighlight Centertain Dliberate 2. Adates Btraces Csends Dtracks 3. Atrigger Bcompliment Csponsor Drecipe 4. Aprogressed Bcontaminated Cemployed Dparticipated 5. AOtherwise BThen CHowever DInstead