Breaking News English

Australia's high-speed, state-of-the-art broadband network is [over / under] attack from thousands of birds. The birds doing the [damaged / damage] are Australia's ubiquitous and colourful cockatoos. They have taken a liking [to / for] chewing the broadband cables [that / what] criss-cross Australian towns and cities. They are [causing / casing] hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the cables. The National Broadband Network (NBN) company that [maintains / maintained] the fibre-optic cables reports that they need to spend around $60,000 [each / whole] time they are called out to fix the cables. The birds' handiwork is also causing great [frustrating / frustration] to Internet users across the country. Internet [users / usage] have reported Internet [outages / outrages] and painfully slow speeds.

Cockatoos are a type of parrot which [normally / normal] eats fruit, nuts, wood and bark. A spokeswoman from NBN said she was at a [lost / loss] as to why the birds had become [partial / part] to chewing the cables. She guessed that it was the [colourful / colourfully] plastic that encased the [powerful / power] lines and broadband cables. She told reporters: "They are [constantly / constant] sharpening their beaks and as a result will attack and tear [apart / appear] anything they come [crossing / across] . Unfortunately, they've developed a liking to our cables." She joked: "You wouldn’t think it was possible, but these birds are unstoppable when in a [squirm / swarm] . I guess that's Australia for you; if the spiders and snakes don't get you, the cockatoos [will / do] ."