Download You are going to see part of a BBC World documentary called “Calm

Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature Straniere
3rd Year Lettorato Listening Exam January 23rd 2008
Surname _____________________ Name________________ Mat. No. ____________
You are going to see part of a BBC World documentary called “Calm Before the Storm” about the dangers of
avian (or bird) flu.
You will see the video twice. First you will have 5 minutes to study the questions, then after the first viewing
you will have further 5 minutes and at the end you will have 1 hour 15 minutes to complete your answers and
write the summary.
Glossary :
1.
2.
pandemic
:
an epidemic that spreads over the whole world
culling
:
killing numbers of animals
poultry
:
chickens, turkeys and similar birds
TRUE or FALSE?
a) Experts believe a flu pandemic is likely.
_______
b) There have been thousands of deaths so far.
_______
c) Very little is being done to stop the pandemic.
_______
This documentary is the story of the serious …………………… we face but also of the ways in which the
………………. can be ………………. .
3.
a) What sort of disease is avian flu?
A ………………………… disease
b) What is its effect on chickens?
……………………………………
c) How much money has been lost through the culling of sick birds?
$..............................
4.
Circle the correct answer
a) Bird to human infection is
very rare / quite common
b) The H5N1 virus is generally / rarely fatal to humans
5.
a) What proportion of the world’s population was affected by flu in 1918?
…………………………….
b) What was the typical age of the victims?
………………………………
6.
Give 2 of the differences that Prof. Blakemore states between today and 1918.
a)……………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) ………………………………………………………………………………………………
7.
What happened in Hong Kong in 1997?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
8.
What aspects of the life of the poor in Jakarta favour the spread of bird flu, according to John Budd?
a)……………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) ………………………………………………………………………………………………
9.
What 2 reasons are given for the spread of the disease across the world?
a)……………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) ………………………………………………………………………………………………
10.
What 2 lessons could be learnt from the avian flu outbreak in England?
a)……………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) ………………………………………………………………………………………………
11.
What is the main problem of creating a vaccine now?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
12.
How long can it take for a pandemic to reach its peak?
……………………………..
13.
What is the ethical problem about vaccines?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….…...
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
14.
A flu pandemic could cause between …………….. and ………………….. deaths.
15.
Write a correctly laid out summary of 200 - 250 words on avian flu and the threat it represents.