The Common Cold

The term common cold reflects the (1)____ of chilliness on exposure to cold. It was originally believed to have cause-and-effect (2)____ with the disease, but this is now known to be incorrect. More than 200 years ago, Benjamin Franklin pointed (3)____ that colds are (4)____ from other people, not from exposure to a cold environment. The common cold is an (5)____, communicable viral disease characterized by nasal stuffiness, sneezing, (6)____ nose, throat irritation, and, sometimes, fever. There are more than 100 agents that (7)____ the illness. The common cold is an illness that occurs seasonally. Young children can contract between three and eight colds (8)____year, usually coming into (9)____ with the infectious agents in day-care centres or preschools. All available evidence (10)____ that cold weather, chilled wet feet, and drafts do not cause or increase the susceptibility of people to colds. The usual length of the illness is about five to seven days, but lingering cough and postnasal discharge may persist for (11)____ time or more. There is no effective antiviral agent available for the common cold. Therapy (12)____ of treating the symptoms - relieving aches, fever, and nasal obstruction. One of the greatest medical (13)____ in the 1970s concerned the effectiveness of vitamin C in the prevention or treatment of the common cold. In two (14)____ controlled studies, administration of vitamin C (15)____ to prevent or decrease the symptoms of the common cold.

Exercise 40. Choose the appropriate word of the two given.