Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. contagious
    • ex. Flu is a contagious illness that can spread easily between children.
  2. diarrhea
    • ex. My little cousin got diarrhea after she ate food that had gone bad at the restaurant.
  3. vomiting
    • ex. Bad food can cause vomiting and stomach pain.
  4. disinfect
    • ex. The nurse disinfected the table before the next patient came in.
  5. sanitizer
    • ex. Please use hand sanitizer before eating your lunch.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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More than 120 people on a luxury cruise ship became sick during their recent trip. Health officials reported that 102 passengers and 23 crew members were hurt by a stomach virus on the Ruby Princess. The ship was on a 20-day round trip from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska when the problem started.

Doctors say the virus is highly contagious, which means it can spread very quickly from person to person in crowded places. The main symptoms are stomach pain, diarrhea, and sudden vomiting. For most healthy adults, the illness is short-lived and lasts about three days. However, it can be very dangerous for young children and elderly people over 65 years old.

The company said the crew reacted quickly to keep other people from getting sick by cleaning all surfaces carefully. The ship will be deeply cleaned and disinfected before its next trip. To avoid getting sick, health officials say people must wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds because hand sanitizer does not work well against this virus.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Stomach Virus and Contagious Diseases

  • Have you ever had a stomach virus? Discuss.
  • What do you think is the best way to stop a virus from spreading? Discuss.
  • What advice would you give to someone who wants to avoid getting a stomach virus? Discuss.

Health and Safety During Travel and Vacations

  • Would you still go on a cruise after hearing the news of a virus spreading on a cruise ship? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • If you were a passenger on the cruise ship, what would you want the company to do? Discuss.
  • When traveling, do you usually wash your hands or just use hand sanitizer? Why? Discuss.