7 . An outbreak of bird flu（禽流感） moved from Asia to Europe, and has now spread to North America, which has led to the deaths of tens of millions of birds.
The last time there was a bird flu outbreak was seven years ago. The 2015 bird flu caused the death of over 50 million birds in the US alone. Slowly, over time, that outbreak was brought to a close by itself. This version of bird flu was first noticed in Saudi Arabia in February,2020. All through 2020 and 2021, the disease continued to spread. Wild birds which caught the flu in one part of the world carried the disease to other parts as they travelled.
The current bird flu appears to be at least as deadly as the 2015 flu, and seems to spread more easily. As one expert put it, “A lot more birds appear to be affected.” In the US alone, over 40 different kinds of wild birds have been found to have the disease, and those birds are spread out over 30 different states. Among the wild birds hit the hardest are water birds like ducks and geese. Birds which eat other birds, like eagles, are also being heavily affected. To keep the flu from spreading, farms with a few infected birds often have to kill thousands of birds, even if they don’t all have the disease yet.
Some scientists think this virus will stick around in wild bird populations. “I hope that this is not the case. I hope that in the US this infection will go away soon,” says Ron Fouchier, a virologist（病毒学家） at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. “But there’s no guarantee for that, as we’ve seen in Europe now that this virus has remained present for several years.”
1. What do we know about the 2015 bird flu?| A．It was discovered in Saudi Arabia. | B．It had little effect on the birds. |
| C．It appeared in different forms. | D．It came to an end on its own. |
| A．The performance of the infected birds. | B．The killing of the bird flu. |
| C．The current bird flu’s consequences. | D．The tough choices for farmers. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncertain. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．A magazine about animals. | B．A novel about ordinary people. |
| C．A health guidebook. | D．A medicine book. |
8 . Our General English 20+ course is a practical course for motivated (积极的) adults who want to develop their confidence in communicating in English in a variety of situations. In small groups, you will develop your fluency and accuracy with realistic role-plays and real-life situations. Full-time or part-time choices are available to fit around your work, childcare or lifestyle commitments.
Our learners typically come from a wide range of backgrounds and an average of 70 nationalities per year.
For people who book 8 weeks or more, we have a special support system to ensure that your needs are met throughout your time with us and that you continue to see progress in your skills. This extra support includes extra free help and personalized feedback. We will communicate regularly with you so that any issues can be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Here’s more information about our course:
Maximum group size: 8
Minimum age: 20
Duration (时长) : a minimum of 1 week
Full-time: 24 hours per week; 9: 30-15: 45/16: 00 (Monday to Friday)
Part-time: 12 hours per week; choose morning or afternoon classes
Morning: 9: 30-12: 00 (Monday to Friday)
Afternoon: 13: 30-16: 00 (Monday to Friday)
At the end of this English course you can expect to understand the news and media better, use English more effectively for work or travel, deal with everyday. situations like meeting people or booking a hotel, and have developed your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
1. What’s special about the English conversations during the course?| A．They are academic. | B．They are natural. | C．They are informal. | D．They are easy. |
| A．Join a group of eight. | B．Choose full-time classes. |
| C．Give your personalized feedback. | D．Book at least an eight-week course. |
| A．They should be 20 or older. | B．They have to be on the job. |
| C．They should be free at weekends. | D．They must be native English speakers. |
Learning Chinese calligraphy
As someone who paints, draws, and loves all
After taking the lesson, I now understand the difficulty of calligraphy and that it will take efforts and commitment
