UNIVERSIDAD OLMECA

RAÍZ DE SABIDURÍA
INGLÉS TÉCNICO
STUDENT’S NAME:Daniel Perez valencia

How does the coronavirus work?

What it is, where it comes from, how it hurts us, and how we fight it.

by Neel V. Patel April 15, 2020

What is it?
A SARS-CoV-2 virion (a single virus particle) is about 80 nanometers in diameter. The pathogen is a
member of the coronavirus family, which includes the viruses responsible for SARS and MERS infections.
Each virion is a sphere of protein protecting a ball of RNA, the virus’s genetic code. It’s covered by spiky
protrusions, which are in turn enveloped in a layer of fat (the reason soap does a good job of destroying the
virus).
Where does it come from?
Covid-19, like SARS, MERS, AIDS, and Ebola, is a zoonotic disease—it jumped from another species to
human hosts. This probably happened in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Scientists believe bats are the likeliest
reservoir; SARS-CoV-2’s closest relative is a bat virus that shares 96% of its genome. It might have jumped
from bats to pangolins, an endangered species sometimes eaten as a delicacy, and then to humans.
How does it get into human cells?
The virus’s protein spikes attach to a protein on the surface of cells, called ACE2. Normally, ACE2 plays a
role in regulating blood pressure. But when the coronavirus binds to it, it sets off chemical changes that
effectively fuse the membranes around the cell and the virus together, allowing the virus’s RNA to enter the
cell.
The virus then hijacks the host cell’s protein-making machinery to translate its RNA into new copies of the
virus. In just hours, a single cell can be forced to produce tens of thousands of new virions, which then
infect other healthy cells.
Parts of the virus’s RNA also code for proteins that stay in the host cell. At least three are known. One
prevents the host cell from sending out signals to the immune system that it’s under attack. Another
encourages the host cell to release the newly created virions. And another helps the virus resist the host
cell’s innate immunity.

Juan Pablo Velasco Castellanos

INGLÉS TÉCNICO
UNIVERSIDAD OLMECA
RAÍZ DE SABIDURÍA
INGLÉS TÉCNICO
STUDENT’S NAME:Daniel Perez valencia
Three-syllable words
Word stress
Exercise 1. One of the keys to English pronunciation is stress - emphasis. There are three
possible patterns for three-syllable words:

Read the passages from the article above. Find all the three-syllable words and classify
them by their pronunciation. There are 21 in total. Put them in the correct sections of the
table below.
Group A Group B Group C
1. virion 1. genetic
2. particle 2. genome
3. family 3. infections
4. viruses 4. destroying
5.ebola 5.together
6.pathogen 6 protecting
7. relative 7. protrusions
8. allowing 8. another
9. normally 9.
10. chemical 10
11 pangolings
12. probably
13. reservoir

Exercise 2. Describing a process. (active to passive). Read again “How does it get into human
cells?”, identify the main ideas in active voice then change them to passive voices. Remember you can
use the, when, after, therefore, On the other hand etc.

Step 1: the protein spikes ares attached to a protein on the surface of cell called ACE2

Step 2: Chemical changes are set off by the COVID when it binds to it

Step 3: The virus RNA is being allowed by the surface of the cells

Step 4: The host cells protein-macking machinery is hijacked by the virus to traslate its RNA in to new copies

Step 5: a singles call can be forced to produce tens of thousands of new virions

Step 6: Other heatly cells are infected by the new virions

Step 7: Proteins that remain in the host cell are coded by parts of the virus RNA

Juan Pablo Velasco Castellanos

INGLÉS TÉCNICO