3 . This is Your Dream Dance

With growing evidence that dancing helps boost brain health and manage symptoms of neurocognitive (神经认知的) and movement disorders, accessible dance programmes and movement therapists are helping improve the lives of millions.     1    .

There’s actually a lot more happening inside the brain when trying to follow even the simplest choreography (舞蹈编排). “In dance class, we have to learn patterns, and remember sequences,” says David Leventhal, a programme director. The effect extends beyond the dance class to the real world.     2    .

In addition to the physical and neurological benefits, dance can also help people living with disease make out what their bodies can and can’t do. Rather than trying to control, or “fix” our body, dance is about developing greater body awareness and moving at our capacity, regardless of physical or cognitive difference.

    4    . Dancing with others not only makes people feel less different in their abilities when dealing with neurological and movement disorders, it also helps to combat the loneliness and social isolation of living with a chronic illness.

Still, researchers say they’re only scratching the surface of understanding how dance can be used therapeutically.     5    . Researchers are also trying to find out the most effective types of dance movements and the optimal length and frequency of classes.

5 . A cure for the future in the past?

For over fifty years, the people of Britain have relied on the welfare state to make sure they have adequate health services. But now the National Health Service is sick. Government _____ and underfunding are forcing hospitals to close, and waiting lists for treatment are getting longer. Under such circumstances, it is no surprise that more people are turning to private (but expensive) healthcare.

For some, however, there are _____. They are turning their back on modern pills, tablets and resorting to other conventional medicine. It seems paradoxical, but in an age of microchips and high technology, traditional medicine, the old-fashioned cures that our grandparents relied on, is making a _____.

Consider these case studies:

Maude is 76 years old and has been suffering from arthritis for almost ten years. “The pain in my joints was almost _____, and my doctor referred me to a surgeon at the London Hospital. I was told that I needed _____, but would need to wait for at least two years before I could have the operation. In _____, I started having massage sessions. To my surprise, these were very therapeutic, and while they didn’t cure the disorder, they did _____ it to some extent”.

Ron is 46. His high-powered city job was _____ for a series of stress-related illnesses, and the drugs he took didn’t work well on the nervous strain. “I read about _____ which involve the whole person rather than the individual symptoms, but I had always doubted about such kind of medicine for all diseases. However, my friend _____ a dietician who told me that part of my problem was diet-related. Basically, the food I was eating was _____ to my disorder. She gave me a list of foods that would provide the right vitamins and minerals to keep me in good health. At the same time, she advocated a more _____ lifestyle-running, swimming, that kind of thing. I’ m a bit of a couch potato, and this kind of lifestyle I had lived was _____ the problem. Now I feel great!”

So is there still a place in our lives for modern medicine? While it is true that some infections and viruses may be _____ by turning to traditional medicine, more serious illnesses such as cancer need more extreme measures. We do need our health service at these times, and we shouldn’t stop _____ in its future. But we mustn’t forget that for some common illnesses, the cure may lie in the past.

9 . I was shocked to see my baby Dani with a cleft(唇裂) at his birth. After the delivery, I wasn’t _______ to see my baby. All I could do was to ask for information about Dani. Dani had his surgery on the seventh day! It was a terrible experience. I buried myself in great _______.

Things _______ when I met Dr. Anastassov, who brought Smile Train—sponsored cleft care to Bulgaria. Dr. Anastassov was my _______ from the moment we met. He helped me build the confidence in Dani’s _______. At six, Dani finished his speech therapy(矫治) and could speak as _______ as everyone else.

Dani wanted to be a _______. When he began his formal training, the medical exam was very _______ for him. They knew he was different, even if they couldn’t immediately tell how. So they worked him harder than the others. But Dani showed great _______ and passed. He is now ________ his dream as a pilot!

Being Dani’s mother is a(n) ________. He has been so successful because we ________ him to understand that people with clefts should not be ________, because they can do anything.

Now I ________ Smile Train to help those like my son. I ________ my experience with them. I’m happy to work here and make change for the better every day.