A A GENERAL ISSUES

Coronavirus
Lesson code: 113G-6749-V4PR INTERMEDIATE B1-B2
American English

1 Warm-up
Look at this picture and say what you know about the situation:

• What's happening?
• How did it start?
• Have similar things happened before?

• What might happen in the future?

2 Read for main idea

You are going to read an article about the coronavirus epidemic. First, read the article quickly and
choose the best title for it:

• Coronavirus - the situation today

• Coronavirus - lessons from the past

• Coronavirus - what will the future bring?

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 Coronavirus
A A A A GENERAL ISSUES

1 In December 2019, a number of pneumonia cases new Wuhan coronavirus is similar to viruses
were reported in Wuhan, eastern China. The related to SARS which are found in bats.
pneumonia is associated with a new type of
coronavirus. This virus has now spread to other 9 There are seven coronaviruses known to infect
cities in China. There have also been cases in people, including the new Wuhan coronavirus and
other countries around the world. SARS. Other human coronaviruses are those that
cause the common cold, as well as the deadly
2 Coronaviruses get their names because they look MERS virus.
like crowns under the microscope. This group of
viruses cause disease in humans and other 10 MERS is a common cold virus that often jumps
animals, including pigs and chickens. from camels to humans in the Middle East. It can
3 It is thought that the new coronavirus outbreak cause severe pneumonia in people and spread
started in a market in Wuhan, which sold meat from person to person. MERS was identified in
and live animals. Scientists say that the virus is 2012 and continues to be a significant problem in
not closely related to any human virus currently the Middle East. Nearly 2,500 cases of MERS
known. have been identified, causing 858 deaths.

4 The World Health Organization has told countries 11 Coronaviruses appear to jump easily between
around the world to track respiratory infections in species, and the Wuhan virus could be the third
their populations. There is currently no time this has happened with humans in the last 20
vaccination against the corona virus. years. In 2016, another coronavirus was
5 The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is similar to the responsible for 24,000 pig deaths in southern
2002-03 epidemic of SARS (severe acute China. This particular virus jumped from bats to
respiratory syndrome) coronavirus. This outbreak, pigs but did not spread to humans.
which started in south China, lasted for over nine
months. It spread to 37 countries, causing 8,098 12 How the new Wuhan coronavirus came to be in
people to become ill and 774 to die. humans, and how closely it will resemble the
SARS outbreak, will be a focus of ongoing
6 Nearly 10% of people who were infected with research.
SARS died. The deadly nature of the disease, the
frequent human-to-human spread, and infection 13 Outbreaks of new viruses, such as the Wuhan
of hospital staff contributed to the seriousness of coronavirus, are a reminder of the need to invest
the outbreak. in research in virus biology and evolution, how
viruses infect and interact with human cells, and
7 SARS was traced to several types of wild animals,
most importantly, to identify safe and effective
which were sold as food in markets. The infected
drugs to treat or vaccines to prevent serious
animals had no symptoms. The outbreak was
disease.
stopped by closing markets and killing animals,
and by treating and isolating patients.
Adapted from theconversation.com, by Connor
8 SARS has not been seen since 2003 and it is Bamford, Research Fellow, Virology, Queen's
thought that the virus has now disappeared. The University Belfast
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 Coronavirus
A A A A GENERAL ISSUES

3 Vocabulary to help
Before you read the article again, you need to know these words. Read this summary of the article and
explain what the words in bold mean.

The article describes how viruses have spread to humans from different species of
animals. People with these infections develop severe symptoms and can sometimes
die. Several factors have contributed to these outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Here are some more words you need to know. Match each word/phrase in bold from the article with
its meaning.

1. In December 2019, a number of pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, eastern China.
2. Coronaviruses ... look like crowns under the microscope.
3. The World Health Organization has told countries around the world to track respiratory infections
in their populations.
4. There is currently no vaccination against the coronavirus.
5. SARS was traced to several types of wild animals, which were sold as food in markets.
6. The outbreak was stopped ... by isolating patients.

a. count how many people have lung/breathing infections

b. items worn by a king or queen on their head, usually made of gold, to show their position
c. keeping sick people alone so that they cannot make anyone else ill
d. medicine to prevent sickness, which is delivered into the body by a needle
e. people who were sick with a serious disease of the lungs
f. the origin of something was identified LE

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 Coronavirus
A A A A GENERAL ISSUES

4 Read for detail

Now read the article again and complete the table below, comparing three types of coronaviruses. If
the article does not include this information, write NG (not given).

SARS MERS the new coronavirus

Year

Place it started

How long it went

on for

Countries affected
(how many or
where)

How many people

got ill

How many people

died

Source - where it
came from

5 Discuss
Discuss any/all of these questions in pairs or groups. Use vocabulary and information from the lesson,
and phrases from the useful language presented below.

• How are the three outbreaks described in the article the same? How are they different?
• What should people do in the future to avoid coming into contact with coronaviruses?

• What can governments do to help slow down the spread of viruses?

• What two areas for future research does the author list? Which do you think is more important and why?

Useful language for talking about something you aren't very sure about:

I'm not an expert, but... ...it seems to me that...

From what I've heard/read... ...it's likely that...
I guess nobody really knows, but... ...maybe...
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