Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
You probably don’t like to think about it very often, but germs are everywhere. Any time you go out into a public space, you run the risk of interacting with something that could make you sick. The sickness could be as harmless as a common cold, or it could be something as serious as the avian flu.
Because of all these germs out there, some people worry about them a lot. They wash their hands obsessively, wear face masks, and carry hand sanitizer wherever they go. Other people try to be more relaxed. They try to stay healthy, but realize that there is no way of avoiding germs completely. Find out whether Marni or Lily is more afraid of germs in this health English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Lily: I’ve gotten to be really afraid of germs.
Marni: Oh, really?
Lily: I wash my hands all the time.
Marni: Hmm. Are you one of those people that uses hand sanitizer obsessively, when you can’t wash your hands?
Lily: Yeah. I’ve gotten to that point. I carry around anti-bacterial stuff in my purse. Some people would call me germophobic, but I think, you know, I’m being perfectly reasonable about this.
Marni: Well yeah, there’s a lot of contagious things out there. I mean, the flu is really bad this year, but are you now taking it to the level where you’re wearing masks on public transportation, per se?
Lily: Not yet. I would only do that if I heard about something on the news that was kind of scary.
Marni: But you would do that.
Lily: I want to be protected, right?
Marni: OK, alright.
Lily: I have a very weak immune system.
Marni: OK. Are there things that you do to help your immune system? Or are you just so freaked out by germs that you just…
Lily: I take Vitamin C every day. I drink a lot of orange juice, antioxidants, and so forth. Stay away from anybody who’s contagious.
Marni: Well, those are all perfectly good things to do. I just think, you know, life is too short. You can’t just be worried about getting sick all the time that you just obsess over washing your hands and using hand sanitizer all the time, but… to each his own.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Marni and Lily have some differences when it comes to germs. Lily has a weak immune system, and is very afraid of getting sick. She washes her hands all the time, and uses hand sanitizer. She also takes vitamins, drinks juice, and stays away from sick people. She’s really afraid of germs.
Marni, on the other hand, thinks that Lily is taking things a bit too far. She knows the flu is bad, and that germs can be dangerous, but she thinks that worrying too much about germs can distract you from living your life.
Given their different responses to germs, it will be interesting to see whether Marni or Lily gets sick more this season!
How do you feel about germs? Do you spend a lot of time making sure you don’t get sick, or are you less worried about it? What do you think is the best way to avoid germs?
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