Whenever I gaze (凝视) into the night sky, I dream of exploring the things that are hidden behind the black “curtains ”. This is especially true after I had read the popular science-fiction novel the Three-Body Problem. So perhaps you can never imagine how excited I felt when I was given the chance to attend a speech given by Mr Li Di , a chief scientist of China’s FAST(天眼) , and afterwards, to be able to interview him.

FAST is short for the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (500米口径球面射电望远镜). It is located in Guizhou Province. During the speech, Mr Li let us know more details about FAST. Through his introduction, I knew that FAST is currently the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope.

Mr Li also shared some stories behind the amazing telescope. At first, the budget for the project was very low, so the astronomers (天文学家) who worked on it could hardly afford the machines. Their living conditions were terrible. Despite the great difficulties, the astronomers refused to give up building the telescope. After having learned these stories, I felt even prouder of the telescope. It couldn’t have been completed without the hard work of many persistent (不屈不挠的) Chinese scientists.

FAST, the world’s most advanced (先进的) telescope, is now open to researchers all around the world. Astronomers around the world are using it to explore the mysteries behind the black “ curtains ”. FAST is the pride of the Chinese people. Mr Li told us that China is planning to build many more telescopes like FAST. I hope I can grow up to be a persistent woman and help the construction (建造) of these telescopes.

The Spanish flu also known as the 1918 Mu pandemic was a deadly pandemic in recent history. It spread worldwide during the year 1918—1919. The virus infected 500 million people about a third of the world’s population at the time.

The outbreak of the Spanish flu was caused by an HIN1 virus with genes of avian (禽类) origin. Historians now believe that World War I could have been partly responsible for spreading the virus. Lack of hygiene(卫生) and malnourishment(营养不良) may have also been responsible for weakening the immune system.

There is no agreement about the origin of the virus. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the United States, and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. It is believed that censorship(新闻审查制度) was the main reason why this pandemic was referred to as the Spanish flu. To maintain morale(斗志), World War I censors(审查官) reduced early reports of illness and death rate in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. However, because Spain wasn’t at war with any country, newspapers were free to report the epidemic’s effects in Spain, such as the serious illness of King Alfonso XIII. These stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit. This gave rise to the name ‘Spanish flu’. Historical and epidemiological (流行病学的) data are not enough to identify with certainty the pandemic’s geographic origin, with varying views as to its location.

In 2015, nearly a century after the Spanish flu struck, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on scientists, national authorities and the media to follow best practices in naming new human infectious(传染性的) diseases to reduce unnecessary negative effects on nations, economies, and people. More modern terms for this virus include the “1918 influenza pandemic”, the “1918 flu pandemic”, or variations of these.

Unlike most influenza outbreaks that largely kill the very young and the very old, with a higher survival rate for those in between, the Spanish flu pandemic resulted in a higher than expected death rate for young adults. The death toll was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide, possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the severest pandemics in human history.