◆ 接触病菌的“接触”，除了touch还有哪些说法？

◆ 口水到底是drool，还是spit？

◆ 如何用英文解释，一种病比另一种严重？

Mom: I‘ve got a cold,

妈妈：我感冒了，

so I won‘t have dinner with you at the dinner table.

我不跟你们一块在餐桌上吃晚饭了。

That way you and daddy won‘t be exposed tothose pesky germs!

这样你和爸爸就不会接触到那些讨厌的病菌了！

Child: How do we get a cold anyway?

宝宝：咱们是怎么得感冒的？

Mom: Well, the common cold is a kind of respiratory infection.

妈妈：嗯，普通感冒是一种呼吸道感染。

Respiratory读作 [ˈrespərətɔ:ri]。

It comes from a certain kind of germ called a virus.

它来自一种叫做病毒的病菌。

Child: What‘s the difference between germ, virus, and bacteria?

宝宝：病菌、病毒和细菌有什么区别啊？

Mom: Both virus and bacteriaare germs.

妈妈：病毒和细菌都是病菌。

Bacteria are living germs, some helpful, some harmful.

细菌是活的病菌，一些有益，一些有害。

Bacteria是复数，单数形式是bacterium。

A virus is a bad germ that causes illnesses.

病毒是会导致生病的有害的病菌，

We come in contactwith these germs more often than you would think!

我们和这些病菌的接触比你想象的要频繁！

Door handles, appliances, pencils, and toys are all things that could have those germs on them,

门把手、电器、铅笔和玩具等东西上都可能有这些病菌，

since many people touchthem.

因为很多人会接触它们。

Child: So how do the germs get on the different things?

宝宝：那病菌是怎么到不同的东西上的呢？

Do our bodies just make viruses?

我们的身体会制造病毒吗？

Mom: Good question.

妈妈：问得好。

Our bodies can carrythose germs

咱们的身体会携带病菌，

and we pass them on through snotand spit, coughs and sneezes,

而且我们会通过鼻涕、口水、咳嗽和喷嚏来传播，

(1) 无意识流出来的口水叫drool，能控制的口水叫spit，传播疾病的口水主要是人们有意识吐出来的痰。(2) 痰在嗓子里叫phlegm，吐出来的痰，口语中用spit。

or just the infected airwe breathe outthat touches our belongings or our hands.

或是通过呼出的带病菌的空气附着到我们的物品或手上。

Make sure to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.

一定要洗手和使用免洗洗手液。

However, a virus will die after a certain amount of time on a surface.

不过，病毒呆在物体表面一定时间后就会死亡。

Child: What about the coronavirus?

宝宝：冠状病毒呢？

Coronavirus读作 [kə,rəunə‘vaiərəs]。

Mom: That is actually a tad more severe.

妈妈：实际上它更严重。

A tad = a little = a bit

Child: What does "severe" mean?

宝宝：什么是“严重”？

Mom: It means something is more seriousor great.

妈妈：它的意思是程度更深、影响更大。

Like severe weatheris bad weather.

比如恶劣天气就是坏天气。

Child: Okay, so what makes the coronavirus a respiratory disease?

宝宝：好的，那为什么冠状病毒会成为呼吸道疾病呢？

Mom: It is more severe in the way our bodies reactand what the virus does to those it infects.

妈妈：我们身体的反应更大，它对感染者的危害也更大。

It is more damagingand harder on the body

它具有更强的破坏性，对身体的危害更大，

and can lead to death.

并能导致死亡。

It also takes a little longer to recover fromit.

也需要更久的时间才能恢复。

Child: Oh, okay.

宝宝：哦，好的。

Mom: But it still comes froma virus.

妈妈：但它也来源于病毒。

Let‘s go wash our hands

咱们去洗手吧，

to get rid ofthose bad germs!

远离那些坏病菌！