A microorganism is a living thing so small that your eyes cannot see it. You need a microscope. Bacteria are microorganisms. So are many yeasts and other tiny fungi, and many tiny living things in water. Viruses are often put in the same conversation, though people who study life do not all agree that a virus is truly alive.

A microorganism is a living thing so small that your eyes cannot see itMicroorganism是一種小到你眼睛看不見的生物 You need a microscope你需要用顯微鏡才看得到 Bacteria are microorganisms細菌就是microorganisms So are many yeasts and other tiny fungi很多酵母菌和其他微小的真菌也都是 and many tiny living things in water還有水裡許多微小的生物 Viruses are often put in the same conversation病毒常常被放在同一個話題裡討論 though people who study life do not all agree that a virus is truly alive不過研究生命的人並不是所有人都同意病毒真的算是活的

They live almost everywhere: in soil, in the sea, on your skin, in food, and inside your body. Most do not hurt you. Some in your gut even help you with food. Some make you ill.

They live almost everywhere它們幾乎到處都有 in soil, in the sea, on your skin, in food, and inside your body土裡、海裡、你的皮膚上、食物裡，還有你的身體裡面 Most do not hurt you大部分不會傷害你 Some in your gut even help you with food有些在你的腸道裡甚至還幫你消化食物 Some make you ill有些會讓你生病

In class and in careful writing, microorganism is the proper word. In everyday English people often say germs when they mean the ones that make you sick, or microbes as a shorter twin. Germs is the looser, scare-word; it does not cover the helpful ones.

In class and in careful writing, microorganism is the proper word在課堂上和正式的書寫裡，microorganism才是正確的用字 In everyday English people often say germs when they mean the ones that make you sick在日常英文裡，大家講到會讓人生病的那些，常常說germs or microbes as a shorter twin或用比較短的microbes Germs is the looser, scare-wordGerms是比較籠統、帶點嚇人感的字 it does not cover the helpful ones它不包括那些對人有幫助的