The Reading / Listening - Toilet-seat Lids - Level 4

A recent study says putting the toilet lid down may not stop the spread of germs. Researchers did research on the aerial activity of germs after a toilet is flushed. The researchers said there was little difference in how germs spread, regardless of whether the lid was up or down. A researcher said: "All that air when you flush goes somewhere, and it carries the viruses that are in the toilet bowl out of it." He said a flush spreads germs to nearby areas.

Researchers tested the spread of harmless germs in two bathrooms. They flushed one toilet with the lid up, and another with the lid down. They swabbed the surfaces in the toilet, but found no big differences in the quantity of germs in the two bathrooms. They said their results show that putting the lid down before flushing does not cut the risk of spreading germs. They recommended disinfecting all surfaces after flushing to reduce germs.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Toilet-seat Lids - Level 5 or  Toilet-seat Lids - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/01/25/does-it-matter-if-you-flush-with-toilet-lid-up-or-down-not-really/72321820007/
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13011553/Does-flushing-toilet-lid-really-stop-germs-spewing-bathroom-study-says-no.html
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2024/01/26/closing-toilet-lids-before-flushing-may-not-prevent-spread-of-viruses


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A recent
  2. putting the toilet
  3. the aerial activity
  4. there was little difference in
  5. whether the lid
  6. All that air when you flush
  7. viruses that are in
  8. a flush spreads germs
  1. goes somewhere
  2. of germs
  3. how germs spread
  4. to nearby areas
  5. the toilet bowl
  6. study
  7. was up or down
  8. lid down

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers tested the spread
  2. They flushed
  3. They swabbed the surfaces
  4. found no big
  5. the quantity of
  6. putting the lid down before
  7. cut the risk
  8. They recommended disinfecting
  1. all surfaces
  2. in the toilet
  3. flushing
  4. one toilet
  5. differences
  6. of harmless germs
  7. germs
  8. of spreading germs

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ says putting the toilet lid down may not stop the spread of germs. Researchers did research (2) ___________________ activity of germs after a toilet is flushed. The researchers said there was little (3) ___________________ germs spread, regardless of (4) ___________________ was up or down. A researcher said: "All that air when you flush goes somewhere, and it carries the viruses that are in (5) ___________________ out of it." He said a flush spreads germs (6) ___________________.

Researchers tested the spread of (7) ___________________ two bathrooms. They flushed one toilet with (8) ___________________, and another with the lid down. They (9) ___________________ in the toilet, but found no big differences in (10) ___________________ germs in the two bathrooms. They said their results show that putting the lid down before flushing does not (11) ___________________ of spreading germs. They recommended disinfecting all (12) ___________________ to reduce germs.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Arecentstudysaysputtingthetoiletliddownmaynotstopthespreadofg
erms.Researchersdidresearchontheaerialactivityofgermsafteratoile
tisflushed.Theresearcherssaidtherewaslittledifferenceinhowgermss
pread,regardlessofwhetherthelidwasupordown.Aresearchersaid:"A
llthatairwhenyouflushgoessomewhere,anditcarriesthevirusesthatar
einthetoiletbowloutofit."Hesaidaflushspreadsgermstonearbyareas.
Researcherstestedthespreadofharmlessgermsintwobathrooms.The
yflushedonetoiletwiththelidup,andanotherwiththeliddown.Theyswa
bbedthesurfacesinthetoilet,butfoundnobigdifferencesinthequantity
ofgermsinthetwobathrooms.Theysaidtheirresultsshowthatputtingt
heliddownbeforeflushingdoesnotcuttheriskofspreadinggerms.They
recommendeddisinfectingallsurfacesafterflushingtoreducegerms.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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