Question

It is a cold and dry winter morning. When you wake up, you feel that your throat hurts. You begin to sneeze and later you may cough. You must have a cold! Wait a moment. Could it just be a common cold or the flu(流感) going around?

A cold gives you a runny nose and cough. But it’s usually easy to deal with. Some take medicine while others drink herbal tea or chicken soup. Usually you feel better after a week.

On the other hand, the flu can be much more dangerous. It usually gives you fever. Sometimes it can cause death. According to an American magazine, the worst flu killed about 50 million people from 1918 to 1919.

Don’t worry. If you get a flu vaccine(疫苗), it can stop you from getting the virus(病毒). Flu vaccines work by giving the body a small amount of flu viruses. This causes your body to have antibodies(抗體). So next time you get the flu, the antibodies should help you.

The flu virus changes every few years. So there are so many types of flu, such as H1N1 and H5N1. The antibodies for one type of flu can’t help us against all types of flu. That’s why we need to get the vaccine every year.

However, good health habits may also help you away from a cold or flu. Washing your hands often stops you from getting viruses easily. It is also important to get regular exercise and eat healthy food. All these can help you strengthen your immune system (增強(qiáng)免疫系統(tǒng)).

1.If you have a common cold, usually you’ll feel better after ______ days.

A.7 B.10 C.15 D.20

2.What does the underlined “it” refer to?

A.Herbal tea. B.Chicken soup. C.A flu virus. D.A flu vaccine.

3.We need to get a flu vaccine every year because ______.

A.the flu often kills us B.the antibodies can help us against all types of flu

C.the flu virus changes every few years D.you don’t need to take any medicine after that

4.The following ways can help stop the flu EXCEPT ______.

A.staying indoors B.getting regular exercise

C.eating healthy food D.washing our hands often

Answer 1