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Why we should all shower less

Level 2 l Intermediate
1 Warmer
Answer the questions.

1. 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 five minutes
c. more than five minutes
2 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.

odour moisture scrub eczema gross


flourish drought drain deodorant gut

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


2. A ____________________ is a pipe through which water or waste liquid flows 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 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, sore and itchy. (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 valuable things in the world?
6. Why did James Hamblin take on the no-showering challenge?
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NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate


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Why we should all shower less
Level 2 l Intermediate
The no-showering challenge: why we 5 The vital importance of clean water is becoming
should all take part harder and harder to ignore, as California enters
another summer of drought. Its becoming clear
Madeleine Somerville
that clean water is one of the most valuable
14 June, 2016 things in the world and we soon wont have
1 James Hamblin, senior editor of The Atlantic enough. Add the environmental effect of all those
magazine, recently did an experiment. As part body wash bottles and you have a number of
of his series, If Our Bodies Could Talk, Hamblin very good reasons to let your body be a bit
took on a no-showering challenge to examine more natural.
the effect of over-cleansing the body. He reduced 6 If the idea of showering less and using less
the number of showers he had and did not use soap is giving you the heebie-jeebies as you
shampoo or soap when he had a shower. remember the last time you were close to people
2 He discovered what thousands of others have: who already dont shower enough, relax. Many
the more we try to clean ourselves with soaps people who have decided to shower less still use
and body washes, the harder our skin works deodorant if they find it necessary (everyones
to restore its balance and this encourages us natural scent varies in intensity and it can be
to begin the whole process again. Showering affected by a number of things including diet,
removes oil and bacteria from the skin. Many hydration and exercise). And, hand-washing
would say That is the reason I shower! But, with soap is still recommended as a vital way to
apparently, this sometimes works a little too well, reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
especially when you add hot water and 7 You dont need to give up completely, as Hamblin
cleansing products. did, but you dont need to shower three times
3 You know that feeling after a shower when you a day either. There is something in the middle.
feel like your skin is tight? Thats because much Our familiar, simple advice is: reduce. Skip a few
of your skins natural moisture has been washed showers, put down the soap and let those lovely
down the drain. Also, our skin, like our gut, little bacteria flourish a little.
has millions of beneficial bacteria. Showering Guardian News and Media 2016
destroys these bacterial colonies; theyre First published in The Guardian, 14/06/16
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 flourish.
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, its 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. Thats 65 litres of clean, drinkable water
that were filling with soap and washing down
the drain each day sometimes more than once.
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NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate


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Why we should all shower less
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
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NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate


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Why we should all shower less
Level 2 l Intermediate
7 Word-building
Complete the table using words from the text.

adjective noun
1. moist
2. frequent
3. dry

4. intense
verb noun
5. adjust
6. imply

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.

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NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate


CA O
H
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Why we should all shower less
Level 2 l Intermediate
KEY

2 Key words 6 Two-word phrases

1. moisture 1. d
2. drain 2. f
3. gut 3. a
4. scrub 4. e
5. odour 5. b
6. gross 6. c
7. flourish
8. eczema
9. drought 7 Word-building
10. deodorant
1. moisture
2. frequency
3 Find the information 3. drought
4. intensity
1. seven minutes 5. adjustment
2. oil and bacteria 6. implication
3. California
4. 65 litres
5. clean water
6. to examine the effect of over-cleansing the body

4 Comprehension check

1. T
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. F
6. F

5 Find the word

1. over-cleanse
2. microbe
3. adjustment
4. aesthetics
5. heebie-jeebies
6. hydration
7. vital
8. skip
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NEWS LESSONS / Why we should all shower less / Intermediate


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