117. How to avoid catching a cold (Listen and Read)

How many colds do you catch in a year?

Most of my friends catch quite a few colds.

They cough, sniffle and sneeze.

They carry around tissues and blow their noses all the time.

Their eyes water, and they have scratchy throats.

I don't get many colds. In fact, I can go for a whole year and never catch a cold.

This is why I consider myself an expert on how not to catch a cold.

I'll tell you how to avoid catching a cold.

I think that you need to take a lot of vitamin C.

I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I drink fruit juice too.

I also take vitamin C pills.

Whenever I begin to feel a cold coming on,

I make sure that I have taken my vitamin C pill, and I drink a lot of orange juice.

That usually knocks the cold right out of my system.

I make sure that I get a lot of fresh air.

In the winter, a lot of buildings are shut up tight so that the air is stale,

and people's germs circulate through the buildings.

I get outside and breathe in fresh clean air.

If somebody is rude enough to cough or sneeze right in front of me without covering his or her mouth,

I just hold my breath for a second.

I'm not sure if this works or not, but I don't want to breathe in anybody's cold germs.

Many germs are passed through hands.

It is important to wash your hands thoroughly if you touch anything in a public place.

If I hold a banister while I'm walking down the stairs,

I think of all the people who have used that banister,

and I make sure that I wash my hands before I eat.

Doorknobs also have a lot of germs on them.

Money is another thing that is passed from hand to hand and is covered with germs.

Sometimes, I see people stick money into their mouths.

Just think of all the germs that you would be putting into your mouth if you did that.

If you just give it a little bit of thought, you can avoid a lot of germs that cause colds.

If you eat good food and stay fit, your body will be able to fight off the germs that cause colds and other diseases.

It is not always possible to avoid colds, but if you do catch a cold,

drink plenty of fluids and get a lot of rest.