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Commuters wearing face masks were seen on the streets and subways of major cities yesterday despite the early summer heat, saying they have grown more cautious of the A(H1N1) flu after seeing confirmed cases so close to home.

"The government is reacting quickly, but I'm still worried about the spread of the virus inside trains and planes," said a middle-aged woman Li, who wore a large face mask and dark sunglasses as she left a subway station in Beijing.

The mainland quarantined several hundred people yesterday who had been in contact with two Chinese men confirmed to have contracted the virus.

Sun Naiqing, a veteran Beijing cabbie, doesn't dare take passengers from the airport.

"I'd rather stay downtown, and I don't take passengers with masks and I don't turn on the air-con," he said at his wheel. "The scene of travelers wearing masks is scary."

Jia Peng, spokesman for the Beijing subway, downplayed worries for passengers yesterday and promised the metro will disinfect trains and keep the air inside carriages clean.

Lu, a 19-year-old overseas student who had contracted the virus, traveled from Canada to his hometown in Shandong province and stayed at a crowded hotel before setting foot on several tourist sites, including the Great Wall and the bar district near Houhai in the capital.

Questions:

1. How many people were quarantined yesterday?

2. Which country was the 19-year-old Chinese student who brought back the virus to China studying in?

Answers:

1. Several hundred.

2. Canada

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.

He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.