Watch the video about how to prevent colds and the flu and answer the questions. If you have options, more than one answer is possible.

1. What are the things you can do to prevent cold and flu?

2. Is a flu vaccine obligatory for all people?

3. Does it matter whether you have a cold or the flu? Why?

4. What is the treatment of the flu?

a) rest

b) antibiotics

c) plenty of fluids

d) flu vaccine

e) aspirin

5. What are the symptoms of the flu

a) high fever

b) severe headache

c) earache

d) sinus headache

e) sore muscles

f) chest pain

6. What causes colds and the flu: viruses or bacteria?

7. Can we give aspirin to a child or teenager? Why?

8. How long do colds and the flu last?

III. Reading

Before reading the text match the words in the first column with their synonyms in the second column

1) flu	a) fever
2) infectious	b) shot
3) spread	c) chills
4) be infected	d) contagious
5) pain	e) cure
6) high temperature	f) come down with
7) injection	g) send out
8) treat	h) influenza
9) the shivers	i) achiness

While reading. You are going to read an article how to avoid flu. Choose the most suitable heading from the list (1-4) to each part (A-D) of the article. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use.

1. What to Do When the Flu Bugs You?

2. Vaccine to the Rescue?

3. What Is the Difference Between the Flu and Cold?

4. How Do I Know if I Have the Flu?

5. How Is the Flu Spread?

Avoid Flu

Flu is the common name for influenza, a virus that attacks the respiratory system. These large-scale outbreaks are called epidemics. If they spread worldwide, they’re called pandemics.

A. The flu virusspreads through tiny droplets of respiratory fluid. This means that when infected people cough, sneeze, or even talk they may be sending out the virus to others. People who are carrying the virus can be contagious 1 to 4 days before their symptoms appear, so they can pass it on before they even know they’re sick. Don’t use the same towels or eating utensils as someone who has a flu, and don’t drink from the same glass, can, or bottle as anyone else – you never know who might be about to come down with a cold and is already spreading the virus.

B. Flu symptoms – like headache, fever, chills, muscle aches, and dry cough – appear anywhere from 1 to 4 days after you’ve been exposed to the virus. Your temperature can get as high as 40 degrees Celsius. You’ll probably feel achy and exhausted and you may lose your appetite. The fever and achiness usually disappear within 2 to 3 days, but then you may get a stuffy nose or a sore throat. The stuffy nose, sore throat and a feeling of tiredness may remain for a week or more.

C. Like all viruses, the viruses that cause colds have to run their course. When you get the flu the best way to take care of yourself is to rest in bed and drink lots of liquids like water and other noncaffeinated drinks. You should stay home from college until you are feeling better and your temperature has returned to normal. Whether you feel like sleeping around the clock or just taking things a bit easier, it’s a good idea to pay attention to what your body is telling you.

D. Each year, scientists develop a flu vaccine that consists of the flu viruses that are most likely to infect people that year. The vaccine shot contains killed flu viruses that won’t cause you to get the flu, but will cause your body to make antibodies to fight off infection if you encounter the live flu virus. Most doctors recommend annual flu vaccines for people over age 65, young children up to 2 years old, and people (including teens) with medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease, or sickle cell disease. The flu vaccine is usually given 4 to 6 weeks before flu season begins. Anyone allergic to eggs should not get a flu vaccine because the viruses for the vaccineare grown in chicken eggs. Antibiotics don’t work on viruses, they can’t cure the flu. Sometimes doctors can prescribe medicine to reduce the length of the illness.

Avoid aspirin or any products that contain aspirin because these put you at greater risk of developing Reye syndrome, a very serious illness that can lead to liver failure, which sometimes follows infection with the flu virus.

3. After reading. Think of different complications which may occur after the flu (such as pneumonia, bronchitis, otitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis). What are their symptoms? How can we prevent them? What should we do in case of developing one of them?

 

IV. Speaking Tasks

Communicative crossword

Sheet A

“What’s one across?” →across, ↓down

This crossword is not complete: you have only half the words. The other half are on sheet B (in Appendix). Check that you know the words in your crossword. Then work with a partner who has sheet B to complete the two crosswords. Follow these three rules:

1. Speak only in English.

2. Don’t say the word in the crossword.

3. Don’t show your crossword to your partner.

 

b

i

f

s

a

k

n

e

e

o

c

s

f

v

r

t

l

e

e

e

u

r

t

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r

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h

c

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d

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a

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a

b

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V. Grammar Check

Natural English conversation includes many phrasal verbs. These are verbs made up of two words: a verb and a preposition. Complete the sentences below using the phrasal verbs in the box. You will have to change the forms of some of the verbs to make the grammar of the sentence correct. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Phrasal verbs

break down = to start to cry and become upset bring up = to cough up material such as mucus from the lungs or throat cough up = to cough hard to expel a substance from the trachea drop off = to fall asleep get around = to move about get over = to become better after an illness or a shock give up = not to do something any more go down = to become smaller knock out = to hit someone so hard that he or she is no longer conscious look after = to take care of a person and attend to his or her needs pass out = to faint pick up = to catch a disease prop up = to support a person, e.g. with pillows take after = to be like one or other parent take off = to remove something, especially clothes

1. He got over his cold.

2. The nurses are ____________ her very well.

3. He must have _____________ the disease when he was travelling in Africa.

4. She often ____________ in front of the TV.

5. When we told her that her father was ill, she ______________.

6. She _____________ and cried as she described the symptoms to the doctor.

7. He _____________ his father.

8. The doctor asked him to ___________ his shirt.

9. He was _______________ mucus.

10. Since she had the accident she ______________ using crutches.

11. I was advised to _____________ smoking.

12. He was ____________ by a blow to the head.

13. The nurse _____________ the patient with pillows

14. The swelling has started to _______________.

15. She became worried when the girl started _______________ blood.

SELF-STUDY EXERCISES