VOA标准英语2009-Hong Kong Closes Schools After Surge in Swin

Hong Kong has closed schools Thursday after the discovery of the city's first cluster of swine flu infections. This comes as the World Health Organization holds an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the latest development on the spread of the H1N1 virus.
　
A masked child plays with classmates at a kindergarten situated¹ in a residential² estate in Hong Kong, 11 June 2009

The cluster of infections was found in a secondary school, where at least 12 pupils fell ill with the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang cut short his trip in mainland China and returned to the territory to take charge of the city's response to the outbreak. On Thursday, Tsang ordered all nurseries, kindergartens, primary and special schools to close for 14 days, in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

"The student committee has just confirmed the first cluster of local cases of human swine flu…We are unable to identify to identify the source of infection," he said. "In accordance with our contingency³ plans, we will take the following key measures: all primary schools, kindergartens, child care centers and special schools will close for 14 days from tomorrow [Friday]."

At least 1,600 schools and 500,000 students will be affected⁴.

Tsang says Hong Kong is changing its flu pandemic response from containment⁵ to mitigation.

The hospital authority says it will open eight designated clinics for patients with flu-like symptoms, starting Saturday. There have been some 50 confirmed cases of swine flu in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong health authorities have warned that a local outbreak was inevitable⁶ because of the increasing number of infected people who have arrived in the territory in recent weeks. Until this week, all of the flu cases in Hong Kong contracted the virus abroad - most in North America.

Clusters of infections worry Hong Kong authorities because this is how Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome⁷ spread in the city, in 2003, killing⁸ nearly 300 people.

Elsewhere in Asia, swine flu fears prompted Philippine officials to delay the start of the school year from June First to June 15.

Swine flu has spread to more than 70 countries, with more than 27,000 confirmed cases, worldwide. The World Health Organization meets Thursday in Geneva to discuss recent developments and whether it should raise its highest pandemic alert

1 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

2 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

3 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

6 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

7 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。