Health and Hygiene
Unit 3 · English for Today — Class 8
Health 💪 · Solitude 🌳 · Hygiene 🧼 · Dialogue 🩺 · A Letter ✉️ · Exercise 🏃 · Happy Family 🏡 · Class Committee 🧹
🎯 Learning Objectives
After studying this unit, we will be able to:
Main Themes — This unit is all about staying healthy and clean. We learn why good health is essential, why hygiene matters, the dangers of smoking, the benefits of exercise, and how to keep our home and classroom clean and tidy — plus a beautiful poem on a peaceful, healthy life.
A healthy person washing hands and staying fit
Health is the condition of our body and mind. It may be good or bad. Good health means a healthy body free from diseases. It is essential for everyone to lead a happy life. If we are not in good health, we cannot concentrate on any activity in our life.
To keep ourselves healthy, we must take a balanced diet 🥗. We must exercise regularly 🏃 to keep our body fit. There is an old saying — ‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.’ So we should not keep late hours. Peace of mind 🧘 is another condition for good health, so we must not worry over the small things of life.
- Why is good health essential for us?
- Why is physical exercise necessary?
✅ 1. Good health is essential because it helps us lead a happy life and concentrate on our activities. Without it, we cannot enjoy wealth or work well.
✅ 2. Physical exercise is necessary because it keeps our body fit for work and helps us stay healthy and strong.
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 1 (Health)
A peaceful, content life close to nature
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air,
In his own ground.
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.
Hours, days, and years slide soft away,
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,
Together mix’d; sweet recreation;
And innocence, which most does please,
With meditation.
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.
- What things does a happy man have?
- How does he pass his time?
- How does he wish to die?
- How do you think you can be happy in life?
✅ 1. A happy man has a few paternal acres (his own land), herds for milk, fields for bread, flocks for clothing, and trees for shade in summer and fire in winter.
✅ 2. He passes his time peacefully — in health of body, peace of mind, quiet days, sound sleep, study, ease, sweet recreation and meditation.
✅ 3. He wishes to die unseen and unknown, with no stone to mark where he lies.
✅ 4. I think I can be happy by living a simple, content and healthy life, close to nature, with peace of mind. (Your own opinion.)
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 2 (Ode on Solitude)
Keeping the body, clothes and surroundings clean
The word ‘hygiene‘ means the practice of keeping ourselves clean. It also means keeping our home and work places clean. It is important for our good health.
Hygiene is thought to be next to godliness 🙏. This is because we cannot achieve anything physically, mentally or spiritually if we are unclean in body, mind and soul. Nobody likes an unclean person either, so we must follow the rules of hygiene.
First, we must keep our body clean — bathe every day and wash our hair regularly. Secondly, we should wash our clothes regularly; dirty clothes give off bad smell and invite germs. We should wear socks and shoes outside to protect our feet from dust and germs. We must wash our hands before meals and after using the toilet, brush our teeth twice a day 🦷, and cut our nails regularly. Our drinking water must be safe — we get safe water by boiling and filtering 💧. Finally, we should keep our surroundings and environment clean.
| # | Incomplete Sentence | ✅ Completed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | If we are healthy, we ___. | can lead a happy and active life |
| 2 | We must be clean so that ___. | we can stay free from germs and disease |
| 3 | You must take exercise to ___. | keep your body fit for work |
| 4 | Nobody likes an ___. | unclean person |
| 5 | If we obey the laws of hygiene, we ___. | can lead a healthy and happy life |
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 3 (Hygiene)
A patient being examined at the doctor’s clinic
Rabi’s father, Mr Zahir Ali, is not well. He has difficulty in speaking. He is now at the doctor’s clinic.
Rabi: “Good evening, doctor.” Doctor: “Good evening. How is your father today?” Rabi: “Not at all well. He has difficulty in breathing as before. He is having severe chest pain again.” Doctor: “I see. Mr Ali, could you lie down on the examination table, please? OK, let’s see… Do you have any pain here?” Zahir: “Ooh!” Doctor: “All right. I’m prescribing a medicine. Take one tablet in the morning and another at night before meals. I also advise you to have a chest X-ray immediately. If possible, show me the X-ray report this evening. OK?” Rabi: “Okay, doctor. Thank you.” Doctor: “You are welcome.”- Who are talking in the dialogue?
- Where does the dialogue take place?
- What are Zahir Ali’s problems?
- Why can’t Zahir Ali tell the doctor about his problems?
- What does the doctor prescribe him?
✅ 1. Rabi, the doctor and Zahir Ali (Rabi’s father) are talking.
✅ 2. The dialogue takes place at the doctor’s clinic.
✅ 3. He has difficulty in breathing and severe chest pain.
✅ 4. He cannot tell the doctor because he has difficulty in speaking.
✅ 5. The doctor prescribes a medicine (one tablet morning and night before meals) and advises an immediate chest X-ray.
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 4 (A Dialogue)
Rabi writes a letter to his friend Sohel about his father
Rabi’s father, Zahir Ali, died of lung cancer. He used to smoke heavily and got the bad habit from his college days. He had continuous chest pain, and his chest X-ray showed dark marks on his lungs — the signs of lung cancer.
The doctor explained that a poisonous substance called nicotine is in tobacco leaves, and cigarettes are made from tobacco leaves. When a person smokes, this nicotine enters the lungs with every puff 🚬. Over years, this deadly nicotine causes lung cancer. Both Rabi and his mother tried to stop his father from smoking, but he never listened, and he died an untimely death.
| # | Statement | ✅ Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “My father’s death is a great tragedy.” The word ‘tragedy’ means — | a very sad event ✅ |
| 2 | Rabi’s family is now completely broke because — | they have no source of income ✅ |
- What could be the relationship between the sender and the receiver of the letter?
- What causes lung cancer?
- Who do you think are the members of Rabi’s family? Why?
✅ 1. They are most probably good friends, since Rabi shares his personal grief with Sohel.
✅ 2. Smoking cigarettes for years causes lung cancer, because the nicotine in tobacco enters the lungs.
✅ 3. Rabi’s family has seven members. (We know because Rabi says they are “a big family of seven.”)
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 5 (A Letter)
Students doing indoor and outdoor physical exercise
- What things are necessary for good health?
- How many kinds of physical exercise are there?
- Why do we need physical exercise?
- What physical exercises do you do?
✅ 1. Healthy food, proper rest and sleep, cleanliness, and regular physical exercise.
✅ 2. There are two main kinds — indoor exercises and outdoor exercises.
✅ 3. It keeps us fit for work, gives energy, makes us strong and cheerful, and teaches regularity and discipline.
✅ 4. (Your own answer — e.g. walking, skipping, playing football, swimming.)
| 🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor | 🔁 Both |
|---|---|---|
| stretching | playing sports, swimming, jogging | skipping, walking |
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 6 (Physical Exercise)
A. To enjoy good health, we need to focus on many things.
B. Though walking is good for health, we cannot call it physical exercise.
C. Physical fitness is essential for doing work.
Which is/are correct?
Shakib’s clean, healthy and happy home
- How far is Shakib’s house from his school?
- Why is Shakib’s house free from mosquitoes?
🎧 Answers depend on the listening audio. Confirm each one as you listen with your teacher / CD.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| remote | far away from towns and cities |
| excellent | extremely good; of high quality |
| participate | to take part in an activity |
| surroundings | the area and environment around a place |
| tidy | neat, clean and well-arranged |
Class 8 students forming a committee to clean their classroom
After this, a committee was formed by Class 8 students under the leadership of their class captain. The students were divided into several groups and a work plan was made for cleaning. They decided on some ground rules: do not spit in the classroom · do not drop litter · use the bin for trash · keep desks and chairs in place. All the students were very excited to be involved in this activity at school.
✅ 1. Ms Subarna Saha is a class teacher.
✅ 2. The teacher suggested making a forum to keep their classroom clean.
✅ 3. The students were happy to be able to take part in the cleaning programme at school.
🎯 MCQ — Lesson 8 (Making a Class Committee)
📘 Important Word Meanings — All Lessons
| 🔤 Word / Phrase | 📖 Meaning |
|---|---|
| disease 🤒 | An illness or sickness — a condition that harms the body or mind |
| essential ⭐ | Absolutely necessary; extremely important — cannot do without it |
| concentrate 🎯 | To give full attention to one thing without being distracted |
| possession 💎 | Something a person owns; a belonging or property (e.g. an estate) |
| balanced diet 🥗 | A meal with the right amount of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamin and mineral |
| solitude 🍃 | Being peacefully alone; a quiet life away from crowds |
| paternal acres 🌾 | Land inherited from one’s father or ancestors |
| attire 👕 | Clothing; the clothes a person wears |
| hygiene 🧼 | The practice of keeping ourselves, our home and workplace clean |
| godliness 🙏 | The quality of being good, holy and devoted to God |
| achieve 🏆 | To succeed in getting or doing something through effort |
| spiritually ✨ | In a way relating to the spirit or soul, not the body |
| soul 💫 | The spiritual or non-physical part of a person |
| germs 🦠 | Tiny living things that cause disease |
| prescribe 💊 | When a doctor officially advises a medicine or treatment |
| nicotine ☠️ | A poisonous substance found in tobacco leaves and cigarettes |
| tragedy 😢 | A very sad event, often causing great suffering or loss |
| broke 💸 | Having no money left; financially ruined |
| puff 🚬 | A single breath of smoke drawn in while smoking |
| untimely ⏳ | Happening too soon; before the right or expected time |
| stretching 🤸 | Extending parts of the body to make them flexible |
| benefit 👍 | A good or helpful result; an advantage gained |
| regularity ⏰ | The quality of doing something at fixed, repeated times |
| remote 🛤️ | Far away from towns and cities; not easy to reach |
| participate 🤝 | To take part in an activity along with others |
| forum 🗣️ | A group or place where people meet to discuss and decide things |
| environment 🌍 | The natural world and conditions around us where we live |
| fortnightly 📅 | Happening once every two weeks (every fortnight) |
| tidy 🧹 | Neat, clean and well-arranged |
🗺️ Unit Summary — At a Glance
💪 L1 — Health — Good health means a sound body and mind, free from disease. “Health is Wealth.” Keep healthy with a balanced diet, regular exercise, early sleeping habits and peace of mind.
🌳 L2 — Ode on Solitude — Alexander Pope’s poem about a happy man who lives a simple, content life on his own land, in good health and peace of mind.
🧼 L3 — Hygiene — Hygiene is keeping ourselves and our surroundings clean. Bathe daily, wash clothes, wash hands, brush teeth twice a day, and drink safe (boiled/filtered) water.
🩺 L4 — A Dialogue — Rabi takes his sick father, Zahir Ali, to the doctor. The doctor prescribes medicine and advises a chest X-ray.
✉️ L5 — A Letter — Rabi writes to his friend Sohel. His father died of lung cancer caused by heavy smoking — nicotine in cigarettes is deadly.
🏃 L6 — Physical Exercise — Mr Larma explains indoor and outdoor exercise. It keeps us fit, gives energy, and teaches regularity and discipline.
🏡 L7 — A Healthy and Happy Family — A listening text about Shakib’s clean, healthy home where everyone helps keep it tidy.
🧹 L8 — Making a Class Committee — Ms Saha’s students form a committee, set ground rules, and work in groups to keep their classroom clean.
🃏 Fun Card — Flashcards
Tap a card to flip it and see the meaning! Swipe or scroll to see all cards.
👆 Scroll right to see more cards · Tap any card to flip it!
🧠 FunCheck — Vocabulary Challenge!
Test your word power! 10 questions on new vocabulary from Unit 3.