[ADVANCED STUDENTS] 10,000 Germ Species In/On Our Body:

Did you know your body is teeming with an incredible variety of bacterial wildlife? A new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in the USA reports there to be around 10,000 different species of germs living on or in our body. Researcher Dr George Weinstock said: "Our bodies are part of a microbial world." He claims there is hardly a space or area that is not home to some form of bacteria – mostly good ones. However, the report says we all accommodate low levels of harmful microbes that can cause disease or infections. Scientists say these bugs generally do no harm and live together with their friendlier counterparts who help protect our body and keep us in good health.

Dr Weinstock said our bodies were smaller versions of another world: "You can think of our ecosystems like you do rainforests and oceans - very different environments with communities of organisms that possess incredible, rich diversity." He believes that studying the germs within us offer many clues to our health and why we get ill. "It's not possible to understand human health and disease without exploring the massive community of microorganisms we carry around with us," he said. He added: "Knowing which microbes live in various ecological niches in healthy people allows us to better investigate what goes awry in diseases." Weinstock concludes that: "The future of microbiome research is very exciting."

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a. An article says we can now go on safari to see the wildlife in our body. T / F

b. A scientist said there are plenty of areas on our body without bacteria. T / F

c. We all carry a small percentage of bacteria that can harm us. T / F

d. Good germs and bad germs generally coexist on and in our body. T / F

e. The scientist likened our body to the rainforests and oceans. T / F

f. The scientist said germs offer few clues as to how healthy we are. T / F

g. He said it's impossible to understand human diseases. T / F

h. The scientist is excited about the future of bacteria research. T / F

GERMS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS:

a) What did you think when you read the headline?

b) What springs to mind when you hear the word 'germ'?

c) What do you think of there being 10,000 germs on or in us?

d) Are you happy you cannot see the bacteria?

e) What do you think of the term "bacterial wildlife"?

f) Do you really think there's "hardly a space or area that is not home to some form of bacteria"?

g) Do you worry about germs?

h)What do you do to avoid spreading germs?

i) How resistant do you think your body is to germs?

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STUDENT B's QUESTIONS:

a) Did you like reading this article?

b) What do you know about germs?

c) Have you ever thought of your body as an ecosystem for bacteria? How does that make you feel?

d) Do you think studying germs would be an interesting job?

e) Do you know the names of any germs?

f) Where do you think germs are in your room?

g) What do you think of the idea of germ warfare?

h) What do you think might be exciting about the future of germ research?

i) What questions would you like to ask Dr George Weinstock?

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1206/120615-germs.html