The Reading / Listening - Toilet-seat Lids - Level 5

Putting the toilet-seat lid down may not prevent the spread of germs and viruses. A recent study dispels this supposition. A team of microbiologists from the USA conducted research on the aerial activity of particles after a toilet is flushed. The scientists said there was little difference in how germs spread, regardless of whether the lid was up or down. Dr Charles Gerba has studied pathogens for nearly five decades. He 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 contaminates nearby areas.

Researchers tested the spread of a virus in two bathrooms. The virus was not able to harm humans. They flushed one bowl with the lid up, and another with the lid down. After a minute, they swabbed the surfaces in the toilet. They found no significant differences in the quantities of the virus in the two bathrooms. They said the results "demonstrate that closing the toilet lid prior to flushing does not mitigate the risk of contaminating bathroom surfaces, and that disinfection of all restroom surfaces may be necessary after flushing" to cut the spread of germs.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Toilet-seat Lids - Level 4 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. Putting the toilet-seat lid
  2. A recent study dispels this
  3. the aerial activity of
  4. regardless of whether the
  5. studied pathogens for
  6. All that air when you flush
  7. viruses that are
  8. a flush contaminates
  1. nearly five decades
  2. in the toilet bowl
  3. supposition
  4. nearby areas
  5. goes somewhere
  6. particles
  7. lid was up or down
  8. down

Paragraph 2

  1. The virus was not able
  2. They flushed one bowl
  3. they swabbed
  4. They found no significant
  5. closing the toilet lid prior
  6. flushing does not mitigate
  7. disinfection of
  8. cut the
  1. all restroom surfaces
  2. differences
  3. with the lid up
  4. spread of germs
  5. the surfaces
  6. to harm humans
  7. the risk
  8. to flushing

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Putting the toilet-seat lid down (1) ___________________ the spread of germs and viruses. A recent (2) ___________________ supposition. A team of microbiologists from the USA conducted research on the (3) ___________________ particles after a toilet is flushed. The scientists said there was little difference in how germs spread, (4) ___________________ the lid was up or down. Dr Charles Gerba has studied pathogens for (5) ___________________. He said: "All that air when you flush goes somewhere, and it carries the viruses that are in the (6) ___________________ of it." He said a flush contaminates nearby areas.

Researchers (7) ___________________ of a virus in two bathrooms. The virus was not able to harm humans. They flushed one bowl with the lid up, and another with the lid down. After a (8) ___________________ the surfaces in the toilet. They (9) ___________________ differences in the quantities of the virus in the two bathrooms. They said the results "demonstrate that closing the toilet (10) ___________________ flushing does not (11) ___________________ of contaminating bathroom surfaces, and that disinfection of all restroom surfaces may be necessary after (12) ___________________ the spread of germs.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Puttingthetoilet-seatliddownmaynotpreventthespreadofgermsan
dviruses.Arecentstudydispelsthissupposition.Ateamofmicrobiologis
tsfromtheUSAconductedresearchontheaerialactivityofparticlesafter
atoiletisflushed.Thescientistssaidtherewaslittledifferenceinhowger
msspread,regardlessofwhetherthelidwasupordown.DrCharlesGerb
ahasstudiedpathogensfornearlyfivedecades.Hesaid:"Allthatairwhe
nyouflushgoessomewhere,anditcarriesthevirusesthatareinthetoilet
bowloutofit."Hesaidaflushcontaminatesnearbyareas.Researcherste
stedthespreadofavirusintwobathrooms.Theviruswasnotabletoharm
humans.Theyflushedonebowlwiththelidup,andanotherwiththeliddo
wn.Afteraminute,theyswabbedthesurfacesinthetoilet.Theyfoundno
significantdifferencesinthequantitiesofthevirusinthetwobathrooms.
Theysaidtheresults"demonstratethatclosingthetoiletlidpriortoflushi
ngdoesnotmitigatetheriskofcontaminatingbathroomsurfaces,andth
atdisinfectionofallrestroomsurfacesmaybenecessaryafterflushing"t
ocutthespreadofgerms.

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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