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The Flu
简体
The Flu
流感

Learn English with this flu English lesson

Date: Jan 19 2021

Themes: Health

Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

Intro

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Sore throat. Aches. Sudden fever. Most of us have experienced the symptoms of this well-known disease: the flu. For many healthy people, having the flu may be nothing more than a temporary inconvenience. But for others, including children, the elderly, and those with health problems, getting the flu is no laughing matter. For people at risk, the flu can be deadly.

Because getting the flu can be so serious, health officials urge people to get vaccinated for the flu. These officials hope to prevent flu epidemics and pandemics. But not everybody feels comfortable getting vaccinated. Some people are afraid of how the vaccine might affect their health. Listen to Sara and Lily share their thoughts about the flu and the flu vaccine in this health English lesson.

咽喉疼痛、浑身酸痛、突然发烧。我们很多人都经历过这些症状,而这个疾病也众所周知,那就是流感。对许多身体健康的人而言,患上流感只不过会让自己暂时不适。但对于儿童、老年人和存在健康问题的其他人而言,患上流感却是件很严重的事。对于高危人群而言,流感可能是致命的。

鉴于患上流感后果如此严重,卫生官员呼吁人们接种流感疫苗。这些官员希望防止流感蔓延和流行。但并非所有人都能欣然接受接种疫苗。有些人担心疫苗可能会影响他们的健康。在本节以健康为话题的英语课上,听听萨拉和莉莉分享她们对流感和流感疫苗的看法。

Dialog

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Sara

Sara

Lily

Lily

Sara:  Lily, I have to tell you something which I probably shouldn’t even admit.

Lily:  What?

Sara:  I’ve never had the flu.

Lily:  Really?

Sara:  Never.

Lily:  Me neither. Come to think of it.

Sara:  We must be really lucky people.

Lily:  I think so. Because aren’t you always hearing about how people are getting the flu, or there’s an epidemic coming, or…

Sara:  I know, and everyone’s always freaking out about trying to get flu vaccines. And then I wonder if I should get one because maybe I’m tempting fate in some way or pressing my luck by not getting a vaccine, but then I don’t want to get a vaccine if I don’t need to. It’s this whole… It’s like this cycle.

Lily:  Yeah, exactly, and it happens every single year around this time, right? Do they have any medication besides the shot? Like, can you get stuff over the counter?

Sara:  Maybe you can take regular cold medicine. I don’t know if it helps. I’ve definitely been around people who’ve had the flu and they seem really miserable. They’re achy, right? Sometimes they’re nauseated and they’re throwing up.

Lily:  Fever.

Sara:  Fever. Yeah, it seems like a pretty terrible disease. Let’s just try to never get it, okay?

Lily:  I think that sounds like a plan.

 

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Discussion

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Sara and Lily have never gotten the flu. This is surprising because the flu is a common disease.

Sara is not sure if she should get a vaccine or not. Sara and Lily are not sure if there is other medicine that can help, but they are sure that the flu is a disease that they don’t want to get.

Have you ever had the flu? Has there ever been a flu epidemic where you live? Do you think that not getting the flu vaccine is tempting fate, or do you think that it isn’t good to get the flu vaccine if you are not sure if you need it?

 

Comments

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dreadslayer

Turkey

when i was elemantary school student.i had chickenpox.it was horrible.i thought i was dying.thanks to my mom she helped me and she helped me to get over this illness.i’m trying to be protective from all diseases.i can recommend these consume lots of vitamins and when you feel that you’re approached to flu,eat mixed of honey,lemon and blackpepper.it really works.anyway the weather getting nicer.i dont think nobody catch flu no longer .

05:55 PM Apr 13 2013 |

1 person likes this

DominikLi

DominikLi

China

No flu but always get cold,you know just simple cold,catch by wear a little and take  showers of cold water.especially when I was a young kid.As for the reason,I don’t know,maybe I’m lucky enough to always be away from flus,or may other reasons.

02:54 PM Apr 13 2013 |

1 person likes this

waiting_fou

China

When I was young, I always got vaccinated. Whether the vaccines did work, I really seldom got flu.


But now, I refuse to get vaccinated without reasons. So I am in sick now.


I think vaccines is vital for people.

07:55 AM Apr 13 2013 |

1 person likes this

sai10kuni16

Japan

I’ve never had the flu. I get vaccinated every year. My company’s health union offers free injection at my office once a year. And I have bought a air cleaner which blow out plazmacluster ion for my room. The plazmacluster ion kill virus. If you want to know about that, please look the explanation below;


http://www.sharp-pci.com/en/technology/index.html

03:17 AM Apr 13 2013 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

I don’t think the flu vaccine is quite the savior. Actually it is but I somehow after taking it the first year I was having as many flus as I didn’t have for any single year before. But after it was good. When I think flu vaccines are necessary- When you work in a hospital, at school. When I worked at school, I was always having a cold or flu several times a season. We had SARS, Swine flu when the vaccines where given for free. Well, there was quite a mass hysteria in the beginning.  A while later, some people calmed down, but the kids looked like all to be get a shot. I agree, vitamins, water, fruits, lots of not processed food and we can tempt fate, knock on the wood. :)


My nose gets red several times a day. Maybe it’s an attack of flu – sneeze, sneeze and the germs recede. Ah choo, thank you. That was a good one ;)

02:02 AM Apr 13 2013 |

alaebonito

alaebonito

Germany

i have always been getting ill just cauz of the flu , i get vaccinated every year but in every winter season i get the flu, so i’m pressing my luck again to be healthy, i just have to get warm all day

10:50 PM Apr 12 2013 |

haitham4vip

Egypt

hmmmmmmm


most come in winter


most of us suffer from it .

10:49 PM Apr 12 2013 |

masoudhsn

masoudhsn

Canada

The flu is one of the most common disease in any community. It has different varieities, I mean, different types. Many people don’t have any life-threatening symptom that they get over it without any problem. Some fell achy for a few days or sometimes a few weeks which are perilous for them especially when it becomes epidemic in those areas. In this situation, it is the best to get flu vaccine because if you deny, you are tempting fate by that and pressing your luck which is harmful for you and your family’s health. Getting the flu for elderly and kids is an essential option for reducing of scattering of the flu in any community. Without these concern, this disease will be Pandemeic which happened a few times in different countries.

09:34 PM Apr 12 2013 |

DarknessLight

Germany

Oh yes I had, and we actually had a flu epidemic here recently. Well, I don’t think flu vaccines are THAT important, because, you know, the flu is not a big deal, it just lasts for a couple of days and it’s at its worst on the first day and then you start to feel much better the next day (I don’t know if that’s always the case, but that’s what happened to me and my friends). Plus, I don’t approve of vaccines in general, unless the disease was dangerous and inevitable.

MESS

MESS

Turkey

Sore throat, coughing, sneezing, blocked nose, bad voice, headache, aches all over the body, sleepless nights, feeling weak and not up for anything because of the weakness, and what is worse, envying the people around you who are strong, able to move around healthily and go about daily routines at complete ease.


Above is what defines me and my health best so far. :)


I have been suffering from the flu for more than a week now and it is not like it will go away easily this time but I am a strong warrior and resolved to beat it and win in a few days. :)

04:13 PM Apr 12 2013 |

Tiramisu99

Tiramisu99

China

Luckly,I never get a terrible flu,i think get the flu vaccine is necessary,especially for the people who are in poor health.

02:43 PM Apr 12 2013 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Referring to today’s photo .I give 10 points to anyone that points to the family member who’s feigning ilness :D


Ah Choo! (sniff, sniff ) Ah Choo!! : )


 I get mixed sentiments whenever spring rolls in. It’s the period of the year I’m keen to slip into my summer clothes, dust off my bicycle and ride it aimlessly down the leave- blanketed and tree-lined winding paths in my neighborhood. Yeah, I can see it all around me, spring has finally arrived and everyone is in ecstasy and have a (no pun intended) spring in their steps, a piccolo in their whistling and are wishing each other a good day. Everyone is neighborly all of the sudden, the trees are flamboyant and the birds they host sure couldn’t chirp any louder.  I pause now… so that you all can bask in this dreamy landscape I just painted… can you feel it? The warmth of the sun soaring through you, the light breeze brushing your cheeks :) …how do you like that tooting bird your feeding in your palm, cute isn’t it?  ….  What? It flew off you say?-but why, did you sneeze and scared it off? I know. It is spring season and besides the post-card sceneries, it also brings along all kind of pesky infections, from allergies to influenza, this part, is a real ordeal, and it usually don’t take long into spring for those viruses to kick in.


     Just yesterday, I started to feel like I was coming down with something; my eyes were bloodshot and stinging, my throat felt scratchy and I had the sniffles.  I knew it was a matter of time before I, like a score of other people, contract an allergy of some sort. But unlike many, it’s not the prospect of catching  the flu that’s worrying me, it’s knowing that I’m prone to having an asthma attack. As preventive measures  I keep my inhaler handy, I increase my intake of vitamin C  to strengthen my immune system and I drink more water than I normally would to flush out the spray of germs that I have been swallowing from the sneezing people on the bus : )-and I keep my hands off my face.  I personally don’t believe in magic pills, or magic syringes anymore, they’d never succeeded in preventing me from falling sick, so I don’t spend my money on them. Also, I heard so many tales about some of the side effects people might get after being injected with vaccines, that’d I’d rather get a mild allergy and  sport a clown nose as Peyman mentioned : ). People react differently to vaccine and it’s always recommended that you consult a physician before giving it a shot : )


Happy Spring everyone! : )

 julito

julito

Argentina

There is a lot of controversy about flu vaccines .  At my age ,public health authorities  recommend  that we should get the flu shot. To tell the truth, I have so far  avoided the vaccine, I am not quite sure if it is  necessary. As for   ” Flu vaccines for children ”, if you google it , you will come to know that it may have serious  side-effects , damaging for life our children.

naira71

naira71

Azerbaijan

I seldom have a flu but sometimes there is epidemy of flu in old monthes in our kountry,then kids get this horrible ilness.I think everybody must defend himself of flu eating many kinds of fruit and taking vitamins all year.

11:26 AM Apr 12 2013 |

LiJie

LiJie

China

H7N9 bird virtue is extending around our country in this period of time. It has been comfired that about 21 people was infected with the bird flu, and someones dead from the infection.


How can we protect ourselves in the epidemic? doing excises regularly, enough sleeping, not going to the palce with full of people are all good methods. What else can we do?


 


  

a_yanakz

a_yanakz

Kazakhstan

First vaccine shot seemed to help lot, I didnt get flu, the next after having it it is no longer affected, everything went on like before, first day goes headache, the second day is sore throat and so on. Now I have learned a lot from Mom’s advice. I do not wear light clothes until it is really hot. Pretty funny…

06:15 AM Apr 12 2013 |

knuschu

knuschu

Germany

Dear ebaby friends, please wash your hands after reading  my comment, because I have a little cold. :) But I am restored to about 90 % – because of lot drinking, vitamins, much sleep … and less medicine ;)


No I don’t have a vaccine again flu. Why? I hate injections ;) Luckily, I am very seldom affected by a cold and never by a flu.

modaher

modaher

Iraq

Alanflonzh one that hit us the first thing we take treatment Ante Biotech to avoid other Notifiable

02:12 AM Apr 12 2013 |

sherryleio

sherryleio

China

Flu can be deadly sometimes for some people. Especially now, there are many strains of flu virus. Every 1 or two years, the flu virus would change to another new flu, the medicines and the regular treatment may be not working any more. We need to find new medicine and new treatment to deal with this new flu virus.  The flu can be epidemic and pandemic and the cycle seems nowadays becoming short. Try not to get it, and keep healthy.

DaeNg

DaeNg

Thailand

I had never been experienced for the flu. I be  who in lucky.

01:06 AM Apr 12 2013 |

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