People may take medicine when they are ill. However, if theydon’t take the right medicine in the right way, they may not get better. Instead they may get worse.

Do you know what they are?

aspirin阿司匹林

penicillin青霉素

• What illnesses can the two medicines cure?

• What else do you know about these two medicines?

Understanding medical terms

We can understand medical terms by: identifying a familiar stem (medicine, medical; chemical, chemist) a compound made up of familiar words (life-saving, best-selling, widespread) the single/plural form of a familiar word (bacteria, bacterium)

Skimming

Reading Comprehension I

2. What are the two medicines mentioned in the article?

Aspirin and penicillin.

1. What’s the main idea of the article?

The article focuses on two medicines that have changed people’s lives.

team work

3. When was penicillin first discovered?

In 1928.

4. What award did Fleming, Florey and

Chain share?

The Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Reading Comprehension I

Skimming Reading Comprehension II

Two life-saving medicines

aspirin penicillin

the history of aspirin

the uses of aspirin

the history of penicillin

the uses of penicillin

Scanning

Reading Comprehension III

1. When was aspirin first made? In 1897.2. When did people find that drinking a

special kind of tea could reduce body pains and fever?

Nearly 3,500 years ago.

3. What other things can aspirin help with besides reducing fever and pain? It can also help reduce the risk of heart attacks by thinning blood, prevent strokes, reduce the risk of some cancers, increase the length of people’s lives and help with diabetes.4. Where did Alexander Fleming find penicillin? In a mould that killed bacteria.

5. What illness did Fleming think the mould might be used to treat? It might be used to treat illness caused by bacteria.6. What difficulties did Fleming have in developing penicillin as a drug? First he was unable to find a procedure to make penicillin pure enough to work as a medicine. Second, it was difficult to produce penicillin in the ample quantities needed to be effective.

Scanning Reading Comprehension IV

• In 1900:• In 1971:

• In 1977:• In 2003:

sold in shops in the form tabletsproved to reduce the risk of heart attacks

used to prevent strokesused to reduce blood sugar levels

Development of aspirin

In 1928:

In 940:

In 1945:

discovered by Alexander Fleming

made and tested in large quantities

Development of Penicillin

mass production began

Scanning Reading Comprehension IV

Effects of aspirin• reducing fever• helping stop pain• reducing the risk of heart attacks• preventing strokes• reducing the risk of some cancers• increasing the length of people’s lives• reducing blood sugar levels and helps

with diabetes

Effects of penicillin• treating illnesses caused by bacteria

• What do you think the world would be like if there were no medicines?

• Do you believe that ‘wonder drugs’ will be invented to treat diseases like AIDS in the future?

1. Underline some useful phrases and important sentences.

2. Complete the exercises in “世纪金榜” .