World News for Students of English

07-10-2020 07:00

COVID-19’s death count has surpassed one million globally, which makes it a milestone that comes just nine months after the disease first emerged in China.

Since that moment, more than 33 million people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, across nearly every country.

António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, called for solidarity in fighting the virus. He said that the figure was mind-numbing; however, it was necessary to keep thinking of each individual life. Guterres pointed out that the world could overcome COVID-19 if all nations cooperated and learned from mistakes. Almost every person in the world has been affected by the pandemic; however, it seems that it has not drawn people any closer.

In his speech, Guterres said that the disease had no immediate end in sight. Therefore, social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands were important in order to prevent more loss.

Difficult words: surpass (to be greater than something), milestone (an important event in a series of events), solidarity (the act of showing support for each other), mind-numbing (when something is so bad or intense that it is impossible to think about it clearly).

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