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Common Cold

Date: Jul 18 2008

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.

Modern medicine can do a lot of things. It can keep you from getting the many illnesses and straighten your teeth. It can even bring people back from the dead in certain circumstances!

But one thing it can’t do is prevent the common cold. Getting colds is one of the most annoying parts of life. You’re not so sick that you can’t work but you’re sick enough that you feel really bad.

The trick to beating a cold is to notice it as soon as you can and start taking it easy. Listen to Marni and Amanda talk about how they can tell they’re getting colds.

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.

Marni

Amanda

Marni: Oh God! Amanda!

Amanda: What is up with you?

Marni: I’m totally getting a cold.

Amanda: You know what? I think I am too.

Marni: It’s going around, I guess.

Amanda: What are your first symptoms?

Marni: You know how I know? It’s right in here, it’s right in the nose. A little hazy feeling right in my sinus area. It feels like it’s behind your eyes and in your nose.

Amanda: OK for me, sore throat…

Marni: Scratchy throat, yeah.

Amanda: ...and, this might sound weird, a different taste in my mouth. It’s not a bad taste, it’s just a different taste. Something’s going on with the saliva.

Marni: And then if it’s full on, you can’t even taste anything. That is the worst!

Amanda: The worst part about the cold is that there’s nothing you do about it.

Marni: Well…

Amanda: I think.

Marni: I’m a believer in, like, at first symptoms, trying to stave it off with echineacha and vitamin C. I’ve got a little cocktail that I make and sometimes it works but sometimes it’s just like, bam.

Amanda: So do you think that when you take it up front, it actually wards it off or it just shortens the duration. Like, you’re gonna get a cold.

Marni: Well, yeah, you’re gonna get colds, but I think if I catch it right in the beginning, I’ve been able to ward them off at times. But then, sometimes, no dice.

Amanda: I always get a cold right before a vacation. Every flippin’ time.

Marni: I do too. I’m a like a little kid. I get so excited to go somewhere it’s like, “Oh, no, you’re gonna sick instead.”

Amanda: I don’t know if it’s the excitement for me as much as I’m stressed out about the work I’m gonna miss so my body falls apart.

Marni: That’s not my problem.

Amanda: No, not so much?

Marni: I think it’s like a little kid. Like you’re so excited for your birthday party you just get sick. I get excited. I’m going somewhere. And then I just get sick.

Amanda: And there’s nothing worse than being sick on a vacation in a sunny place.

Marni: Yeah. Well, but the sun is good. Sun therapy. Vitamin D is good.

Amanda: I guess. There’s a silver lining, right?

Marni: Yeah but, God, I just hate feeling sick. So I’m gonna go home, take some vitamin C.

Amanda: Can I have some? Can I score some?

Marni: Yeah, come over.

Amanda: Thank you.

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Discussion

Both Marni and Amanda are getting sick. Marni can tell because of a funny feeling she gets behind her eyes. Amanda’s throat hurts and her mouth tastes weird.

Whenever Marni thinks she’s getting sick, she starts taking vitamin C and echinachea. It makes the cold not last as long, and sometimes she never gets sick at all.

Amanda always gets sick before she leaves town because she gets stressed out about how much work she’ll miss. Marni says she gets so excited for trips that she just gets sick.

When’s the last time you caught a cold? How could you tell you were getting it? Did you do anything to make it shorter or did you just wait it out?

Comments

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Staisy

Russian Federation

I had to read this text twice to understand everything as it was a bit difficult for me at first.

The last time I got a cold about two weeks ago, on my way for a work, when entered into a cool and air conditionered office room after being on outside heat for some time.

When caught a cold I always try to get it shorter by drinking very hot milk with honey, it is our traditional medicine in such cases, and if it does not work, I have to stave it off with pills.

This time I could manage it very quickly and my weekend plans were not ruined becouse of me being sick. That was so much good for me.

masterblaster

Peru

when i got a cold in my twenties I used to stay at home for a week. no studies no work. but now is different.

shadows goldsmith

Syrian Arab Republic

hyeeee how are you doing?

whoops the wintertime is almost come so we will ready to resist the attack of flu

Keep your silf healthy

good luck

shadows goldsmith

Syrian Arab Republic

I hope you will healthy
cold stop
HmHm

anzho

Gibraltar

I get cold especialy in winter when its cold and everything is frozen out,I hate to have a cold,Im weak and tired and i can do nothing. when i catch cold i drink a lot of tea with lemon and honey its realy good i advise u

shadows goldsmith

Syrian Arab Republic

OOHH Sorry but I have a Flu I should take a injection

195854255

United States

Cold goes around in Spring. It makes people feel so bad. You cannot breath freely and you feel dizzy,feel like eating nithing and sleepy.

cobe_dethuong76995

Viet Nam

when I alway at home, just sit down on the chair, then I ‘ll getting sick. But when I change, I walk every morning, work out and play sport. Everything is changing, I don’t get sick easy anymore

Cookiez

Morocco

i’m sick :(

montblanc

Italy

Usually I get cold during the winter and I ahte it, because you feel nervous and tired, so I drink plenty of tea and vitamin helps me a lot to get some rest and within few days I recover from it.

rainqq

Taiwan

cold can lead a small or big problem ,so take care seriously

jfgarnica

Colombia

I sending to you the first lesson for tomorrow´s 11´s grade class, so please check and let me know if your are able to speak at class.

Thanks

Juan Garnica

Casa Bolivar

The Jasmine

Syrian Arab Republic

It’s going around …common cold

The Jasmine

Syrian Arab Republic

Oh God it's a bad cold …for my bad luck i've got cold now & it's my summer holiday mmm can u imagine ..i take vitamin c & drink a lot of water & hot tea& the most important to take some rest & relax …oh God …Cold in summer

swallow_

Ukraine

A cold in the head is the most inoffensive thing, which can happens with us

fatflower

China

i have got terrible sensitive rhinitis for more than 15 years!I suffered deadly torture from it.

No matter the medicine or some special therapy are used,nothing affect on me.

It's alike the comman cold,but not real.nearly 20days i suffered it in every month.

anna zhanghp

China

of course it is trouble thing in cold .but it can kill the virus of body. if you have a fever among cold . maybe this is good thing for body.

amogh

India

I have suffered so much from colds – every month for at least a week – that i really feel missing it these days. I was super sensitive to cold things like ice water, ice cream and i could even not think about them. I tried Alopathy, Homeopathy, everything but all in vain. Since last 2 months i have started drinking ice cold water and its disappeared!!!!!!!!