Fake News and the 1918 Flu – level 2
03-02-2021 15:00
In 1918, a flu hit the world, and the pandemic became the worst in US history. Between 1918 and 1919, about 675,000 Americans died and the reason why the number was so high was World War I and war propaganda.
The US president Woodrow Wilson needed men and boys to fight. If people knew about the flu, it could have an impact on the war. The US government passed a law that changed the way how journalists informed people. If journalists wrote something bad about the government, they could go to prison. Newspapers wrote only about the war and little information was about the flu.
The 1918 flu was very deadly, and people could die 12 hours after the first signs of the disease. People bled from the nose, mouth, eyes, and ears.
Difficult words: war propaganda (when TV and newspapers inform people about a war, and they want to change people’s ideas about it), deadly (something what kills people), bleed (when somebody is sick or hurt and blood comes out from his body).
You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.
What do you think about this news?
LEARN 3000 WORDS with NEWS IN LEVELS
News in Levels is designed to teach you 3000 words in English. Please follow the instructions
below.
How to improve your English with News in Levels:
![](https://www.newsinlevels.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Test.jpg)
Test
- Do the test at Test Languages.
- Go to your level. Go to Level 1 if you know 1-1000 words. Go to Level 2 if you know 1000-2000 words. Go to Level 3 if you know 2000-3000 words.
![](https://www.newsinlevels.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Reading.png)
Reading
- Read two news articles every day.
- Read the news articles from the day before and check if you remember all new words.
![](https://www.newsinlevels.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Listening.png)
Listening
- Listen to the news from today and read the text at the same time.
- Listen to the news from today without reading the text.
![](https://www.newsinlevels.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Writing.png)
Writing
- Answer the question under today’s news and write the answer in the comments.
![](https://www.newsinlevels.com/wp-content/uploads/images/Speaking.png)
Speaking
- Choose one person from the Skype section.
- Talk with this person. You can answer questions from Speak in Levels.
Stock images by Depositphotos