MNL Why We Should All Shower Less Int

Why we should all shower less

Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Warmer Answer the questions. 1.

2

Which do you prefer?

3.

How long do you spend in the shower?

a. a shower

a. less than two minutes

b. a bath

b. two to ve minutes c. more than ve minutes

Which do you use? a. shower gel b. soap

2 Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.

1.

odour

moisture

scrub

eczema

gross

fourish

drought

drain

deodorant

gut

____________________ is a small small amount of water on the surface of of something. (para 3)

2. A ____________________ ____________________ is a pipe through which water or waste liquid ows away. away. (para 3) 3.

Your ____________________ is a tube in your body that carries food away from your stomach. (para 3)

4.

If you ____________________ your skin, you wash or clean it by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush. (para 3)

5. An ____________________ is a smell, especially a bad smell. (para 3) 6.

____________________ is an informal word fordisgusting for disgusting . (para 3)

7.

If living things ____________________, they grow well and are healthy. (para 3)

8. ____________________ is a medical condition that makes your skin dry, dry, sore and itchy. (para (para 4) 9.

A ____________________ is a long period of time when there is little or no rain and crops die. (para 5)

10. A ____________________ ____________________ is a substance that you put on your skin to prevent your body from having an unpleasant smell. (para 6)

3 Find the information Find the following information in the text as quickly as possible. 1.

How long does the average shower last?

2.

What does showering remove from the skin?

3.

Where is there a serious drought?

4.

How much water does the average shower use?

5.

What is one of the most most valuable valuable things in the world?

6.

Why did James Hamblin take on the no-showering challenge?

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016 NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all all shower less / Intermediate

E • L B E D I A O A D P O L T E C O W N E B S I O T D W O E M H A N B F R O P • C


Level 2 l Intermediate The no-showering challenge: why we should all take part Madeleine Somerville 14 June, 2016 1 James Hamblin, senior editor of The Atlantic magazine, recently did an experiment. As part of his series, ‘If Our Bodies Could Talk’, Hamblin took on a no-showering challenge to examine the effect of over-cleansing the body. He reduced the number of showers he had and did not use shampoo or soap when he had a shower. 2 He discovered what thousands of others have: the more we try to clean ourselves with soaps and body washes, the harder our skin works to restore its balance and this encourages us to begin the whole process again. Showering removes oil and bacteria from the skin. Many would say “That is the reason I shower!” But, apparently, this sometimes works a little too well, especially when you add hot water and cleansing products. 3 You know that feeling after a shower when you feel like your skin is tight? That’s because much of your skin’s natural moisture has been washed down the drain. Also, our skin, like our gut, has millions of benecial bacteria. Showering destroys these bacterial colonies; they’re completely destroyed by all our frequent rubbing and scrubbing. And, when the bacteria washed off by soap return, they usually favour microbes which produce an odour – yes, showering too often may actually make you smell more. However, when you stop showering and using soap, your skin goes through an initial (probably gross) adjustment period and, then, after that, the skin typically restores balance, oil production slows and healthy bacteria ourish.

5 The vital importance of clean water is becoming harder and harder to ignore, as California enters another summer of drought. It’s becoming clear that clean water is one of the most valuable things in the world and we soon won’t have enough. Add the environmental effect of all those body wash bottles and you have a number of very good reasons to let your body be a bit more natural. 6 If the idea of showering less and using less soap is giving you the heebie-jeebies as you remember the last time you were close to people who already don’t shower enough, relax. Many people who have decided to shower less still use deodorant if they nd it necessary (everyone’s natural scent varies in intensity and it can be affected by a number of things including diet, hydration and exercise). And, hand-washing with soap is still recommended as a vital way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. 7 You don’t need to give up completely, as Hamblin did, but you don’t need to shower three times a day either. There is something in the middle. Our familiar, simple advice is: reduce. Skip a few showers, put down the soap and let those lovely little bacteria ourish a little. © Guardian News and Media 2016 First published in The Guardian, 14/06/16

4 By doing the challenge, Hamblin realized what other no-soap/no-shower fans have known for years: that the human body, working on its own, is actually quite lovely. And, it’s not just scent and aesthetics – although skin experts suggest that using less soap can improve skin conditions like eczema. Reducing the frequency of showers (and the number of cleansing products used) has implications for our environment. The average shower lasts seven minutes and uses 65 litres of water. That’s 65 litres of clean, drinkable water that we’re lling with soap and washing down the drain each day – sometimes more than once.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016 NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate



Level 2 l Intermediate 4 Comprehension check Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text? 1.

Too much showering destroys good bacteria on the skin.

2.

Too much showering can make you smell more.

3.

To treat eczema, using more soap is recommended.

4.

Reducing the number of showers we have would be bad for the environment.

5.

Everyone has the same natural scent.

6. According to Hamblin, we need to give up showering completely.

5 Find the word Find the following words and phrases in the text. 1.

a verb meaning clean too much (para 1)

2.

a noun meaning a very small living thing that you can see only with a microscope (para 3)

3.

a noun meaning a change in behaviour (para 3)

4.

a noun meaning the beautiful qualities of something (para 4)

5.

a two-word noun meaning a very nervous feeling (para 6)

6.

a noun meaning having enough water to keep you in a healthy state (para 6)

7.

an adjective meaning very important, necessary or essential (para 6)

8.

a verb meaning avoid doing or having something (para 7)

6 Two-word phrases Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text. 1.

adjustment

a.

products

2.

skin

b.

diseases

3.

cleansing

c.

moisture

4.

environmental

d.

period

5.

infectious

e.

effect

6.

natural

f.

condition




Level 2 l Intermediate 7 Word-building Complete the table using words from the text. adjective 1.

moist

2.

frequent

3.

dry

4.

intense verb

5.

adjust

6.

imply

noun

noun

8 Discussion Discuss the statements. •

A few germs are good for you. People wash and clean too much.

•

Expensive shampoos and shower gels are a waste of money. A bar of soap is just as effective.




Level 2 l Intermediate

KEY 2

Key words

6

Two-word phrases

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

moisture drain gut scrub odour gross ourish eczema drought deodorant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f a e b c

7

Word-building

3

Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

seven minutes oil and bacteria California 65 litres clean water to examine the effect of over-cleansing the body

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

moisture frequency drought intensity adjustment implication

4

Comprehension check

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T T F F F F

5

Find the word

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

over-cleanse microbe adjustment aesthetics heebie-jeebies hydration vital skip



MNL Why We Should All Shower Less Int

Recommend Documents