Sanmin News MessengerMay 5, 2020�vol. 321

What Can We Learn from the Last Great World

Pandemic?I

t seemed to come out of nowhere. Yet, as this

pandemic spread around the world, it soon

became known to and feared by people in most

every corner of the earth. Though this may sound a

lot like the COVID­19 pandemic that the world

experiences this year, it is something that occurred

around 100 years ago when the pandemic known as

the Spanish flu swept the planet and killed an

estimated 50 million people.

In some ways, the Spanish flu is very similar to

the COVID­19 outbreak. For example, people who

contracted the Spanish flu often died of pneumonia.

This is the same case with COVID­19, though the

death rate of COVID­19 seems to be much lower. In

addition, both the Spanish flu and COVID­19

became truly global pandemics, with countries on

most every continent affected.

Yet, there are some differences between the two

pandemics. The Spanish flu began in 1918, before air

travel had become common. So, it spread more

slowly as a result. COVID­19, on the other hand, has

spread much more quickly because of the ease and

popularity of air travel today. As well, the Spanish

flu killed many young and seemingly healthy people.

By contrast, COVID­19 is thought to be most

dangerous for older and sicker people.

Though there are similarities and differences

between the Spanish flu and COVID­19 pandemics,

perhaps the biggest lesson that people should learn is

that these pandemics can be defeated and life can, at

some point, return pretty much to normal. The

development of global health systems after the

Spanish flu, for instance, has probably helped in the

fight against COVID­19 today. Having said that, it

should be noted that many believe it is only a matter

of time before another global pandemic rears its ugly

head.

- 1 -

Reading Comprehension( ) 1� What is the third paragraph mainly about? (main idea)

A�� The symptoms of certain pandemics.

B�� The geographical footprint of pneumonia.

C�� The contrast between the two significant pandemics in history.

D�� The alert for the crisis of global public health.

( ) 2� What does the word ªcontractedÝ mean in the second paragraph? (words in context)

A�� Put up with. B�� Hid away from. C�� Stood up for. D�� Came down with.

( ) 3� Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward the potential development of

COVID­19? (writer's attitude)

A�� It will get under control and lose power in process of time.

B�� It is going to vary and combine with the Spanish flu.

C�� It may return to life again and threaten the health systems.

D�� It is sure to prevent another pandemic from occurring.

( ) 4� According to the passage, which of the following items in the table below is NOT true?

A�� Time of Occurrence. B�� Impacted Area. C�� Spread / Death Rate. D�� Mainly Attacked.

The Spanish Flu COVID­19

Time of Occurrence The 20th century. The 21st century.

Impacted Area Locally. Globally.

Spread / Death Rate Slowly / Higher. Quickly / Lower.

Mainly Attacked The young and healthy. The old and sick.

5� Question for Discussion:

What have people done to protect themselves from COVID­19 infection? Share your observation and

experiences.

Vocabulary and Phrases1� out of nowhere　phr. 突然，出乎意料地

2� estimated　adj. 估計的，估算的

3� pneumonia　n. 肺炎

4� on the other hand　phr. 另一方面

5� popularity　n. 普及性

6� seemingly　adv. 表面上，看起來

7� for instance　phr. 例如

8� having said that　phr. 話雖如此，不過

9� it is only a matter of time　phr. 是遲早的事

10� rear its ugly head　phr. (壞事)顯現

- 2 -

What to Do in Troubling Times

These days, there seems to be a lot of bad news.

For example, the world is caught in a global

pandemic, and it appears that it can only get worse

before it gets better. At the same time, some people

are 1 at home, either in quarantine or in

ªshelter­in­placeÝ arrangements. To make matters

worse, the global economy comes to a halt and many

people lose jobs as companies simply shut down,

2 many worried about paying rent and buying

food.

What should people do in such troubling times?

A recent article by the BBC has several helpful

suggestions. Perhaps the most important thing that

people should know is that they can take action.

When people stop thinking of themselves as victims

and start taking control of their lives, what 3 to

be a difficult situation suddenly becomes more

manageable.

The BBC article, for example, suggests that

people ªreframe their situations.Ý Instead of thinking

(and worrying about) getting sick from the

COVID­19 virus, they should actually focus on the

things they can do to prevent this from 4 . The

goal here is not perfection; rather, it is doing the best

possible that day (and even that moment). People can

say to themselves, ªI will do my best to stay at home.

If I do go out, I will practice social distancing and

wash my hands thoroughly when I return home.Ý

The article also suggests that people focus on

the small things in life. One way of 5 this is by

writing down the things, no matter how small, that

people are grateful for each day.

Of course, this is a scary time for many, but as

the article suggests, it is possible to remain positive

and even hopeful in even the darkest of times.

Fill in the Blanks

1� 2� 3� 4� 5�

A�� stuck����� B�� doing����� C�� leaving�����D�� happening����� E�� appeared

- 3 -

Vocabulary and Phrases1� troubling　adj. 令人煩憂的

2� quarantine　n. 隔離檢疫

3� halt　n. 中止

4� suggestion　n. 建議

5� manageable　adj. 可處理的

6� reframe　vt. 重新架構

7� social distancing　n. 社交距離

8� thoroughly　adv. 徹底地

9� grateful　adj. 感激的

10� hopeful　adj. 懷有希望的，樂觀的

Acknowledgments

ªWhat Can We Learn from the Last Great World PandemicÝ by Theodore Pigott

ªWhat to Do in Troubling TimesÝ by Theodore Pigott

Picture Credits

Pictures from Shutterstock: p. 1, p. 3

閱讀測驗解答：1� C　2� D　3� A　4� B

文意選填解答：1� A　2� C　3� E　4� D　5� B

- 4 -

文章中譯

我們能從最近一次的全球大流行病學到什麼

這場疫情彷彿憑空出現。然而，隨著疫情在全球各地蔓延，很快地，它幾乎在世界各處人盡皆

知，而且使得人心惶惶。雖然這聽起來像是今年全球經歷的新冠肺炎，但卻是發生於大約 100年前、

估計奪走全球 5,000萬條人命的西班牙流感。

在某些方面，西班牙流感與新冠肺炎的疫情爆發非常相似。舉例來說，感染西班牙流感的人大

多會死於肺炎，而新冠肺炎也是這樣 雖然新冠肺炎的死亡率似乎低得多。此外，西班牙流感和

新冠肺炎都成為真正的全球性大流行病，幾乎各大洲的國家都受到影響。

但這兩種大流行病還是有些不同之處。西班牙流感始於航空旅行還未普遍的 1918年，其疫情傳

播速度因此比較慢；然而，由於今日的航空旅行便捷又普及，新冠肺炎的傳播速度就快得多了。再

者，西班牙流感導致許多看似健康的年輕人死亡；而相較之下，新冠肺炎被認為對年老而體弱多病

者最為危險。

雖然西班牙流感與新冠肺炎兩大疫情之間有相似和相異之處，但也許人們應該學到的最大教訓

是：疫情可以被擊敗，生活會在某個時間點大致恢復正常。例如全球公衛體系在西班牙流感之後的

發展，可能就對今日與新冠肺炎的抗戰有幫助。話雖如此，仍應留意也有許多人認為，另一場全球

大流行病來襲只是早晚的事。

艱困時期該怎麼辦

這些日子似乎有一大堆壞消息。例如，全球發生大流行病，而且看起來，疫情在好轉之前可能

會先惡化。在此同時，有些人因為隔離檢疫或「就地避難」而被困在家裡。更糟的是，全球經濟停

滯不前，許多人因公司乾脆關門大吉而丟了工作，因而擔心沒辦法付房租和買食物。

在這種人心惶惶的時候該怎麼辦？英國廣播公司最近發布的一篇文章提供了一些有用的建議。

也許人們應當明白，最重要的事是他們可以採取行動。當人們不再把自己當作受害者、並開始掌控

自己的生活時，看似艱難的處境會突然變得較易於管理。

例如，英國廣播公司的文章建議大家「重新建構自己的處境」。與其認為（並且擔心）會因為感

染新冠肺炎而病倒，其實更應該專注於可採取的防疫措施。這時的目標不是追求完美；而是在那一

天（甚至那一刻）盡力而為。大家可以對自己說：「我會盡量待在家裡，而如果出門，我會保持社交

距離，並在回家後徹底洗手。」

這篇文章也建議人們關注生活中的小事情。其中一種做法是，每天都把令人覺得感恩的事寫下

來，不管是多麼小的事。

當然，對許多人來說，這段時間令人恐懼，但正如文章所言，即使在最糟的時候，也還是可以

保持正面積極 甚至滿懷希望。

- 5 -