北师大版高中英语选修七Unit 21《Human Biology》（Lesson 3）学案.docVIP

Epidemics throughout history With recent news reports connected Bird Flu with a killer epidemic in the past , Jim Smith looks through the history of epidemics for clues about what the future might hold. Bacteria and viruses have been around since the beginning of life on Earth and many of today’s diseases have existed as long as humans have. It is important to look at the spread of diseases throughout history to discover the causes and effects of epidemics , and hopefully , foresee and prevent them in the future, especially as scientists proved that Bird Flu is a modern adaptation of the same virus of the Spanish Flu. One of the earliest epidemics on record happened about 500-550 AD when the Roman emperor at the time was attempting to rebuild the Roman Empire . This epidemic ， which was called Justinian’s Plague , swept through North Africa , the Middle East and Europe. Scientists now guess that up to 50% of the area’s population died from this epidemic making it one of the main causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. In the 1330’s , the epidemic returned , this time in Asia . This spread rapidly and became known as “The Black Death ” as one symptom was black spots on the body . In urban areas all over Europe , Asia , Africa and the Middle East , up to one half of the population was lost to the Black Death . Another epidemic that spread in similar conditions was the Spanish Flu. It struck about 1918-1920 and left families mourning worldwide. Having killed up to 50 million people in 18 months , with a tendency to strike the young and fit rather than the old . More people died of the flu than died in the war . Yet , somehow , it was forgotten by history until very recently when SARS became a cause for concern . The SARS epidemic began in 2002 with a lung disease in Guangdong Province and spread quickly after Dr Liu Jianjun, the carrier , came to Hong Kong and passed the virus to people who carried it to Canada , Vietnam and Singap