Global View - Allergies (C0318)

Jim: Argh...I feel terrible, I keep sneezing and my eyes are all watery, what’s wrong with me?
Tom: Wow, you’re not dying are you, it looks like you have a cold, you should take some medicine.
Jim: I don’t think it’s a cold, I feel fine if I move a few feet away from my desk.
Tom: Maybe we should put you into quarantine ha ha, jokes aside, I think you might have an allergy.
Jim: An allergy? I never thought about that, I don’t think I’m allergic to pollen though and I’m desensitized to bee stings after being stung so many times, Hmm…
Jim: Ow! Why did you chuck that peanut at me?
Tom: Just checking if you’re allergic to peanuts, I guess not.
Jim: Not funny! I could have gone into Anaphylactic Shock.
Tom: Okay my bad, how about dust? This office is full of it.
Jim: Yes the whole is office is dusty yet I only feel affected near our desks!
Cat: Meow meow meow
Jim: You brought your cat into the office?!
Tom: Yes, it’s Mr Snuffle’s birthday today, I didn’t want him to be alone on his special day!
Jim: ACHOO! Argh put it away ACHOO!
Tom: I guess we found the problem, your allergic to cats!

Key Vocabulary

pollen the fertilizing element of flowering plants, consisting of fine, powdery, yellowish grains or spores
desensitize to lessen the sensitiveness of
allergic have allergy towards something
affect to act on; produce an effect or change in
dust dry fine powdery material, such as particles of dirt, earth or pollen
anaphylactic shock severe and sometimes fatal allergic reaction to a foreign substance such as bee venom
quarantine a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.

Supplementary Vocabulary

sneeze to expel air and nasal secretions from the nose involuntarily
hayfever an allergic reaction to pollen, dust
reaction action in response to some influence
contagious capable of being transmitted by bodily contact with an infected person or object

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