Vocabulary-in-context practice
Read the article about leg-lengthening surgery and choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
When Most of us think of stretching our legs, we think of for a 30 minute aerobics , but in China, leg stretching . Some people actually have their legs stretched by doctors to make them taller! Each leg has to be broken into eight pieces. Then steel rods are put in place to hold the bones together while they grow back. These special rods will be slowly stretched over several months to lengthen the leg. The process is slow and painful, and Wei Huang, it took nearly 18 months add 18 cm to her height.
Such surgeries cost more than most people can make in a year, but Wei Huang says she does not the cost, nor does she regret the and pain. She believes she will have more opportunities in life such as finding a good job and husband. Her parents paid for the operation and feel that this is an in their daughter's future.
The pressure to become taller comes, in part, from the new open society of China. Fashion magazines which were once in China are now available at newsstands everywhere. The images of the popular models girls into wanting to be taller.
There are also other pressures as well. Height is considered an important in the job market. Such is not in China. You can be turned down from a job for being fat, short, or simply too ugly. Some jobs such as foreign ministers and flight attendants, have height . Even law schools have height requirements for .
Height by does not come without a price. During these months, you can't walk around freely and there is a lot of pain. Wei Huang says she was in so much pain that she could not sleep at nights. But now that she is 8 cm taller, she says she would to recommend the to others. "Before the surgery no one paid attention to me," she said, "but now, they do."