Integrated task : Influenza pandemic.

[Sweetcandle]

Reading:

A particular virulent influenza pandemic broke out in 1918, spreading to almost every part of the world and infecting up to 1 billion people. It is commonly known as the ‘Spanish flu’ due to the fact that Spain was the first country to be really hit with the influenza, and it is commonly thought that the original strain of flu originated there. One of the most striking characteristics of Spanish flu was the horrifically high mortality rate – somewhere between 20 and 100 million people died from it, mostly young and old people – and this is largely attributed to the world’s population having relatively week immune systems at the time.

Listening:

The influenza pandemic of 1918 was particularly dangerous. Although it was referred to, as Spanish flu there is no reliable evidence that suggest that this pandemic started first at this country. In actual fact, Spain happened to be just one of the first countries. Other countries in Europe and the Americas had already experienced the flu, but will not reporting it publicly due to some special laws still in place following the World War I. Spanish flu was specially unusual in that it actually prove more fatal to young more than any other group this was due to the fact that influenza tended to cause immune system to overreact to it.

My response:

The reading and lecture present the issue of influenza pandemic that broke out in 1918. In the reading passage the author state that the pandemic started in Spain. Thus, it’s known as ‘Spain flu’. In contrast, the professor disagreed with the fact that the influenza spread in Spain first and he implies that it’s only one of the first countries that was infected with the pandemic. He explains that when the pandemic started it was already introduced to America and Europe before spreading in Spain. In additions, he believes that the pandemic caused high mortality rate especially among young people due to their weak immune system. In the other hand, the reading passage contrast what the professor implied. It states that the influenza had a very dangerous affects on the immune system of both elderly and young people.

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This is my first attempt in writing an integrated essay. Could you please correct my essay?

TOEFL listening lectures: What does the professor say about utopian socialists?

[Kitosdad]

[Babo]

Thanks candle for posting listening and speaking portion in your task. This way others can also practice on the same task. I will also post my material in the same way.
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