If you want to develop your listening skills, try the tasks below as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.
The vocabulary list is now first, so that you can check the meanings of the words before you listen.
Vocabulary – here are some words from the text that you may not know:
symptom – a change in your body or mind which shows that you have an illness
rash – a lot of red spots on someone’s skin, caused by an illness
pneumonia – a serious illness in the lungs that makes breathing difficult
fatal – resulting in someone’s death
contagious – if a disease is contagious, it is spread by close contact between people
virus – a very small living thing which causes illnesses
infectious – (adjective) if an illness is infectious, it can be passed from one person to another easily, especially through the air
infect – (verb) to give someone a disease
quarantine – a period of time when someone is kept apart from others in case they have a disease
immune (adj) – if you are immune to a disease, you cannot catch it. Note the related words in the text: immunity – the state of being immune to a disease; immunisation – protecting someone from a disease by giving them a vaccine
dose – the amount of a medicine or a drug that you should have
prizegiving – a ceremony, usually at a school, when people are given prizes
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- How many cases of measles have been identified in the current outbreak?
- What are the symptoms of measles?
- How contagious is measles?
- On average, how many people can someone with measles infect?
- Who is considered immune?
- Why have some schools in Wellington and Auckland closed?
- What is Health NZ urging everyone to do?
- What should you do if you think you have measles?
3. Language focus: Relative clauses
Fill in the gaps with the correct relative pronoun. Then check your answers by listening again or reading the text.
- Measles is a very serious illness _______ causes fever, coughing, a runny nose, and sore red eyes.
- Another common symptom is a rash, _______ usually starts on the face…
- One in three people _______ get measles needs hospital treatment.
- …they try to find out _______ the case was in contact with and _______ places they went to.
- …people _______ were born in New Zealand before 1969 are also considered immune…
- …their schools have closed to give the staff and health authorities time to trace people _______ had contact with the infected students.
- …students _______ are immune were able to return to school today.
Text
In the past month, there have been several cases of measles identified around the country. As of yesterday evening, there are 17 cases, in Northland, Auckland, Taranaki, Manawatū, Wellington, and Nelson. There were also 12 cases in a separate outbreak in Northland earlier in October.
Measles is a very serious illness which causes fever, coughing, a runny nose, and sore red eyes. Another common symptom is a rash, which usually starts on the face and head and then spreads down the body. It can lead to complications, such as pneumonia, and can be fatal, particularly for young children. One in three people who get measles needs hospital treatment. Measles is also one of the most contagious diseases. That means that if you have not had it before or have not had a vaccination and you are in the same place as someone with measles, there is a 90 percent chance that you will catch it. The virus can live in the air for a long time after the infectious person has left that place. According to health experts, an infected person can infect as many as 12 to 18 other people on average. In contrast, a person with Covid may infect two to three others and someone with the flu may infect one to two others.
When a measles case is identified, health authorities start contact-tracing. That means they try to find out who the case was in contact with and which places they went to. Health NZ publishes locations of interest on their website. Any contacts are asked to stay in quarantine while their immunity is checked. People are considered immune if they have had two doses of the MMR vaccine (MMR stands for measles, mumps, rubella), although people who were born in New Zealand before 1969 are also considered immune, as many had measles then.
Some of the cases in the current outbreak are linked to overseas travel, while others have been infected in the community. Some school students in Wellington and Auckland have attended school while they were infectious, so their schools have closed to give the staff and health authorities time to trace people who had contact with the infected students. Auckland Grammar was closed for years 9 and 10 students on Friday, and students who are immune were able to return to school today. Others have to stay in quarantine while their immunity is checked. Wellington Girls’ College students in years 9, 10, and 11 have been told to stay at home until Wednesday this week. A girl who had measles was in class and at a prizegiving event so around 900 close contacts need to be traced.
This week is National Measles Immunisation Week. Health NZ is urging everyone to check that they are protected and to get immunised. There are extra clinics around the country so you can check Health NZ’s website to find them.
If you think you have measles, you should not go to your doctor or hospital because of the risk of passing the illness to others. You should instead stay home and phone your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. How many cases of measles have been identified in the current outbreak?
17
b. What are the symptoms of measles?
Fever, coughing, a runny nose, and sore red eyes. Sometimes people also get a rash, which usually starts on the face and head and then spreads down the body
c. How contagious is measles?
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases. If you haven’t had it before or have not had a vaccination and you are in the same place as someone with measles, there is a 90 percent chance that you will catch it.
d. On average, how many people can someone with measles infect?
12 to 18
e. Who is considered immune?
People who have had two doses of the MMR vaccine, and people who were born in New Zealand before 1969, as many had measles then
f. Why have some schools in Wellington and Auckland closed?
To give the staff and health authorities time to trace people who had contact with the infected students
g. What is Health NZ urging everyone to do?
To check that they are protected and to get immunised
h. What should you do if you think you have measles?
You should stay home and phone your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.