تمرین مکالمه

Sloppy Scientist Saves A Hundred Million Lives

Mold is all around us.

Where is mold? Mold is all around us. What is all around us? Mold is all around us.

In the air and on our food, it can make us sick and gross us out, but not all molds are bad.

Is mold in the air and on our food? Yes, mold is in the air and on our food. Can it make us sick and gross us out? Yes, it can make us sick and gross us out. Are all molds bad? No, not all molds are bad.

Some can make delicious food and others can save lives.

What good things can mold do? Mold can make delicious food and can save lives.

One famous mold, discovered by accident by a sloppy scientist, became the first antibiotic medicine: penicillin.

Did a careful scientist discover penicillin? No, a careful scientist didn’t discover penicillin. A sloppy scientist discovered penicillin.

The story of penicillin begins with Alexander Fleming, a young man working a boring job in the shipping industry.

What kind of job did Fleming have? Fleming had a boring job in the shipping industry.

One day, his uncle died and left him some money. It was enough to quit his job and enter medical school in London.

Who left Fleming some money? His uncle left Fleming some money. What did he use the money for? He used the money to enter medical school in London.

At medical school, Fleming joined a shooting club and was a talented shot.

Who was a talented shot? Fleming was a talented shot.

When he graduated, the captain of the team didn’t want to lose him, so he found him a job as a bacteriologist.

Who didn’t want to lose him? The captain of the team didn’t want to lose him. Did the captain find him a job as a shooting coach? No, the captain didn’t find him a job as a shooting coach. The captain found him a job as a bacteriologist.

It was this chain of events that led Fleming to his greatest discovery.

Did this chain of events lead Fleming to a minor discovery? No, this chain of events didn’t lead him to a minor discovery. It led him to his greatest discovery.

Fleming studied a particular kind of bacteria that was harmful to humans.

What kind of bacteria did he study? He studied a kind of bacteria that was harmful to humans.

One day, before taking a vacation, he carelessly forgot to clean up his Petri dishes full of bacteria.

What did he forget to clean up? He forgot to clean up his Petri dishes full of bacteria.

When he returned, they were covered in mold. No surprise there, but what was surprising was the mold had killed the harmful bacteria.

What was covered in mold? The Petri dishes were covered in mold. Was that surprising? No, that wasn’t surprising. What was surprising? That the mold had killed the harmful bacteria was surprising.

Fleming knew he was on to something, but he wasn’t a chemist and didn’t have the skills to produce enough mold for further research.

Did Fleming know he was on to something? Yes, Fleming knew he was on to something. Was he a chemist? No, he wasn’t a chemist.

He eventually published his research, which was then discovered by the chemist, Howard Florey.

Did Fleming discover Florey’s research? No, Fleming didn’t discover Florey’s research. Florey discovered Fleming’s research.

Florey and his employee, Ernst Chain, did have the skills to produce hundreds of liters of this mold.

What kind of skills did they have? They had the skills to produce hundreds of liters of this mold.

They first tested the penicillin on 50 mice, which they infected with deadly bacteria.

What animal did they test with? They tested with mice. How many mice did they use? They used 50 mice.

Half of the mice were given penicillin and half were left to die. Twenty-four of the twenty-five mice given penicillin survived.

How many were given penicillin? Twenty-five were given penicillin. How many survived? Twenty-four survived.

They knew they had struck gold. Interestingly they narrowly avoided going down a dead end.

Had they struck gold? Yes, they had struck gold. What had they narrowly avoided? They had narrowly avoided going down a dead end.

If Florey and Chain had chosen guinea pigs instead of mice, they would have seen no result.

What would have happened in they had chosen guinea pigs? If they had chosen guinea pigs, they would have seen no result.

While penicillin is a miracle cure for mice, humans and many other animals, it has no effect on guinea pigs.

Is penicillin a miracle cure for guinea pigs? No, penicillin is not a miracle cure for guinea pigs. It has no effect on them.

In 1945, Fleming, Florey, and Chain won the Nobel Prize for penicillin.

Who won the Nobel Prize? Fleming, Florey, and Chain won the Nobel Prize. When did they win the Nobel Prize? They won the Nobel Prize in 1945. What did they win the Nobel Prize for? They won the Nobel Prize for penicillin.

It was a turning point in human history.

What was a turning point? The discovery of penicillin was a turning point.

Doctors now had a way to cure infectious diseases, and the discovery of many other life-saving antibiotics would follow.

What would follow? The discovery of many other life-saving antibiotics would follow.

It is estimated that penicillin has saved a hundred million lives over the years.

Has penicillin saved a hundred million lives over the years? Yes, it is estimated that penicillin has saved a hundred million lives over the years.

But if it weren’t for a generous uncle, a talent for shooting, a sloppy day at the office, and the random choice of mice over guinea pigs, it never would have happened.

Did a generous uncle, a talent for shooting and a sloppy day at the office contribute to the discovery of penicillin? Yes, a generous uncle, a talent for shooting, and a sloppy day at the office contributed to the discovery of penicillin.