The deadliest Ebola(埃博拉病毒) outbreak inrecorded history is happening right now. The outbreak is unprecedented(空前的) both in the number of people who have gotten sick and in the geographic scope. And so farit's been a long battle that doesn't appear to be slowing down.

    Ebola is both rare and very deadly. Since the first outbreak in 1976, Ebola viruses have infected thousands of people and killed roughly killed 60 percent of them. Symptoms can come on quickly and kill fast.

    The current outbreak started in Guinea sometime in late 2013 orearly 2014. It has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, including somecapital cities. And one infected patient traveled on a plane to Nigeria, where he spread the disease to several others and then died. Cases have also popped up in various other countries throughout the world, including in Dallas and NewYork City in the United States.

    The Ebola virus has now hit many countries, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and the United States. The virus, which starts off with flu-like symptoms and sometimes ends with bleeding, has infected about 6,500 people and killed more than 3,000 since this winter, according to the World Health Organization on September 30, 2014.

    There are some social and political factors contributing to the current disaster. Because this is the first major Ebola outbreak in WestAfrica, many of the region's health workers didn't have experience or trainingin how to protect themselves or care for patients with this disease.

    Journalist David Quammen put it well in a recent New York Timesarticle, “Ebola is more dangerous to humans than perhaps any known virus on Earth, except rabies(狂犬病) and HIV. Andit does its damage much faster than either.”

    Hopefully, researchers are working to find drugs, including a recent $50 million push at the National Institutes of Health. And scientists are working on vaccines(疫苗), including looking into ones that might be able to help wild chimpanzees, which are also susceptible to the disease. The first human Ebola vaccine trial is scheduled to start in the spring of 2015.

    What might the future be like? Here are some predictions: things to come, things to go.

    Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday when everyone returns home has caused headaches for millions of Chinese. More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making getting travel tickets and the journey difficult. But in 28 years, Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all. China plans to build more than 120,000 kilometers of railway and a fast transportation network that will serve 90% of the population by 2020.

    And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so it will no longer be a problem.

Newspapers will come to an end in 2043. In the future, digital newspapers will be sent to personal web tools through Internet. Readers can discuss topics with journalists and editors. Information will move faster.

    Oil is running out faster than expected. But scientists have found something else for oil as fuel. Coal, natural gas, solar power, nuclear power and even water can take the place of oil as sources of energy.

    Schools will go electronic. Computers will be important and popular among the students. Everything will be in the computer and students will not need to bring books to school. They will find information on the Internet. A computer will be the students ‘library, schoolbag and connection to the outside world. There will be robot teachers, who will check homework on computers and communicate with the students' parents through e-mail. And school buses will be like spaceships, comfortable and safe.

    What makes a building ugly? Everyone's got their own opinion, so it's hard to say. Now, let's take a look at some of the world's worst buildings.

    The Torre Velasca

    The Tone Velasca in Milan is in the centre of Milan (Italy). The tower, which went up in the 1950s, is about 100 metres tall. Its design is actually a modern representation of a traditional Lombard castle, where the lower parts were narrower (狭窄的）than the upper parts.

    The Mirador Building

    The Mirador Building in Madrid (Spain) was created by Dutch studio MVRDV and the Spanish architect Blanca Lleo. The building, which is a block of flats, opened in 2005. There is a large rectangular (矩形的）hole in the upper part of it, which is used by the neighbourhood as a meeting area and playground.

    The Prague TV Tower

    The Prague TV Tower is in Prague (the capital of the Czech Republic). It stands 216 metres high and looks a bit like a tall, thin space ship. Prague is famous for its architectural beauty,so when the tower was put up in 1985 by architect Vaclav Aulicky and engineer Jiri Kozak, many felt it didn't fit in.

    The Longaberger Basket Company

    The Longaberger Basket Company building is in Newark, Ohio (USA). The office block was opened in 1997 and looks like a very large basket. It，s got seven floors and two handles at the top. The handles weigh about 150 tons. It may not be the ugliest building in the world but it's certainly one of the most unusual.

    Did anyone find the names of "Great Britain", "the United Kingdom", "England" and "the British commonwealth" which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking, these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others.

    The British isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map. Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands. But the word "Britain" is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK.

    Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England.

    Finally, the Britain commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire. This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.

    Communicating with the old can be challenging, especially when considering the fact {#blank#}1{#/blank#} their abilities are failing.

    First of all, you are {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (suppose) to respect the old's thoughts, backgrounds and life experience. Do not correct their opinions even when you can't reach any {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(agree). And when old people are talking, listen {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(careful). Let them finish because letting them express their thoughts and emotions {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) important.

    When you're together with them, try to know if they would like {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(chat) or be quiet. And when you feel they want to be quiet, just be there, because{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(spend) time with them is as important as talking to them or cheering them up.

    As communication with old people can be difficult, it is {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(importance) to be always patient. When you are explaining something {#blank#}9{#/blank#} them, you should remain patient when they ask you to repeat yourself. Try using gestures while you talk with them, or write down what you want to say when {#blank#}10{#/blank#}is necessary.