2021-22学年度第2期总第840期(6版)
Renaming COVID variants (P6)
保定第十七中学教育集团河北保定外国语学校  孔祥宇

Lead-in
What is COVID’s full name?
How did the name come into being?
The picture shows us four COVID variants. Can you guess the meaning of variant?

Title prediction
Renaming COVID variants

Read the title and predict what the passage is about.

•Who is renaming COVID variants?
•What are the old and new names?
•Why are they renaming COVID variants?
Read for structure  

Read for details (Paragraphs 1-2)  
1. Circle the variants that are mentioned in paragraphs 1-2 on the Greek alphabet.
2. Can you infer how many variants there were in total when the author wrote the article?  

Greek Alphabet

Key:

Read for structure (Paragraphs 3-7)
Which of the following can best show the structure of paragraphs 3-7?

Key: A
Read for details (Paragraphs 3-7)
1. Before WHO’s naming system using the Greek alphabet, how was a variant named?
It was named by its scientific name or based on where it was identified.

2. Why are the old naming methods not used now?
① The scientific names are complicated so this naming method was not used by the media.
② The geography-based names can cause stigma.

Read for details (Paragraphs 8-10)
True or false?
1. The 12th COVID variant will be named Mu.
2. WHO and The Telegraph are double checking proposals to make sure the names don’t trouble anyone.
3. Virgo and Orion are star constellations.
4. The author doesn't want to name a variant Virgo because it can cause stigma.
Key: 1-4 TFTF

Post-reading
What’s your opinion on these different naming systems? Can you think of other naming methods?

Language study
Can you find these words and expressions in the text?

Before that, the public had to call a variant its scientific name or refer to it based on where it was identified.
在这之前，公众不得不称呼一个病毒变体的科学名称，或者根据它被确诊的地域来命名。
•based on 是非谓语做it的补语
•Where引导介词宾语从句
•两个it都指代a variant

Homework
Write a summary of the text in about 60 words.