PERTEMUANKE2

Bacteria
Bacteria are small living things that can be found almost everywhere. They live on
the ground, in oceans, in the food that we eat and even in our bodies. They have been
on earth long before there were any other organisms. Bacteria are so small you can
only see them with the help of a microscope. They have only one cell and very simple
structures.

Bacteria have outer cell walls that protect the inside. A cell membrane is inside the
cell wall. It prevents harmful substances from getting in and out. Inside the
membrane is a soft, jelly-like substance called the cytoplasm. It has chemicals that
help build the parts of a cell and break down food. Within it is the nucleoid, which
contains the DNA. It controls a cell’s growth and other activities
Bacteria appear in different shapes. Spherical bacteria are round or ball-like. Rod-shaped bacteria live in your
intestine and form chains. Spiral-shaped bacteria have a twisted form. Bacteria absorb nutrients and remove
waste through their cell walls. They reproduce by splitting themselves in the middle. The two new cells can
then split into four cells and so on. In a short time, a single bacteria can reproduce billions of times.
Some bacteria can get inside the human body, reproduce and cause an infection. These harmful bacteria are
called pathogens. Our immune system is in charge of fighting off these bacteria. However, sometimes we
need a vaccine to help fight off these intruders. Vaccines are weak or dead forms of the bacteria itself. Such a
substance helps our body fight off bacteria in the future. Some examples of illnesses caused by bacterial
infections are tuberculosis or pneumonia.
The best way to protect yourself from bacteria is to keep yourself clean and
wash your hands. Because bacteria may be transported by air, we should cover
our nose and mouth when we sneeze. Vitamins also help strengthen our immune
system and fight off bacteria.

Bacteria can be helpful to the human body as well. They live in our stomach and
help us digest food. Other bacteria create cheese and yoghurt. Bacteria are at
work in the soil and decompose dead plants and animals.
Vocabularies
 absorb = take in
 appear =show
 break down = break into very small pieces
 cause = lead to
 chain = rings that are joined together
 decompose = to break down into very
small parts
 digest = to change the food that you have
eaten into substances that your body can
use
 DNA = substance that has genetic
information in the cells of a body
 growth = how something grows
 harmful = dangerous
 however = but
 illness = disease
 immune system = system in your body
that protects it from diseases
 an intestine = long tube in your body  single = only one
through which food passes after it leaves
your stomach  sneeze = air comes suddenly through your
nose with a loud noise
 intruder = here: something harmful that
gets into your body  soil = the top layer of the earth, where
plants and trees can grow
 jelly = something soft and sticky; it can
easily move when you touch it  spherical = round like a ball
 membrane = very thin layer that covers an  strengthen = make stronger
object and protects it  structure = the way something is built
 nucleoid = region in a cell
 substance = material
 nutrient = chemical or food that gives
 transport = travel
plants and animals what they need to grow
 tuberculosis = disease that affects your
 organism = anything that lives
lungs and other parts of your body
 pneumonia = illness that affects your
 twisted = turned, bent
lungs and makes it difficult for you to
breathe  waste = material that we do not need
 prevent = stop, keep away
 protect = guard, care for, defend
 remove = bring away
 reproduce = here: create new bacteria
 rod = long and thin
 shape = form