时间:2018-12-02 作者:英语课 分类:2017年NPR美国国家公共电台9月


英语课

 


AILSA CHANG, HOST:


Scientists say they have solved a mystery about the Zika virus. They think they've figured out why the virus became a global threat all of a sudden and started causing severe birth defects. As NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reports, the study shows how quickly viruses can become extremely dangerous.


MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE 1: When I received the study, I sent it to a biologist at UC San Diego who's at the forefront of Zika research. His name is Alysson Muotri, and he almost couldn't believe his eyes.


ALYSSON MUOTRI: When you sent it to me, I started reading. I said, oh, my gosh, that's amazing.


DOUCLEFF: Amazing because the study suggests something unexpected. One small change in Zika's genes 2 made it a big threat for pregnant women. For decades, Zika had been a relatively 3 harmless virus that causes only mild symptoms. But then in 2015, it began causing a severe type of birth defect called microcephaly in which babies are born with very small heads. Now researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing say they know why. Zika mutated. The virus picked up one mutation 4 that dramatically increased its ability to infect fetal brains.


MUOTRI: That single mutation can actually lead to more severe cases of microcephaly, more severe damage in the fetal brain.


DOUCLEFF: This almost sounds like the nightmare scenario 5, the virus mutating and becoming this very scary thing. Is this common?


MUOTRI: It is common. It happens all the time. Actually, there are several human disorders 6 that's caused by a single mutation. So this happens all the time.


DOUCLEFF: But there are caveats 8 to this study. Hongjun Song is a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania. He says the big caveat 7 is the experiments were performed in mice.


HONGJUN SONG: Mouse is the one model we have now to test the toxicity 9 of the virus in animals, which is the best you can do because we can't really do that in humans.


DOUCLEFF: And the study, which appears in the journal Science, doesn't rule out the possibility that other factors - other mutations or something in the environment - made the virus even worse in South America. Nevertheless, Song says the findings are a bit foreboding.


SONG: I think it's just a little bit scary, right? So basically one unlucky change which happens all the time can cause very big, unlucky events down the road. So I think the lesson, I feel, is we all need to be prepared.


DOUCLEFF: Because the next big outbreak is likely just around the corner. Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR News.


(SOUNDBITE OF EMUNE AND MUJO'S "DETROIT STREETS")



1 byline
n.署名;v.署名
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
2 genes
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
3 relatively
adv.比较...地,相对地
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
4 mutation
n.变化,变异,转变
  • People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
  • So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止,严格来讲,讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。
5 scenario
n.剧本,脚本;概要
  • But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
  • This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。
6 disorders
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调
  • Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告,厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 caveat
n.警告; 防止误解的说明
  • I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解,我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
  • As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写,那确实是个警告。
8 caveats
警告
  • I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling. 为防止发生误解,我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。 来自辞典例句
  • As I have written before, that's quite a caveat. 正如我以前所写,那确实是个警告。 来自互联网
9 toxicity
n.毒性,毒力
  • The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
  • Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关,对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。
学英语单词
acceptance of beets
acetacetic ester
Airbangis
allorecognition
angiotrophic
antianxiety
atmospheric quality standard
authorized receiver
automatic and hand-operated changeover switch
bitter gourd
Bjorgan
blotting-hybridization
brought it
bulbtip
Cai Nuoc
call receipt
campanulaceous
Carvaka
change colour
chinar
cinclidaes
colloid system
color estimate
colorific
commercial oil-gas pool
contor
critical wire
crookbills
deborde
degenerate regression
dependent age population
described function
diffuse tint
doomfully
duplicate message
dyspinealism
edge coal group
equidistant escapement
Fa-hsien
ferronematic
four-harness twill
gaffins
general line
happy medium
image rejector
inter animation
IOCC (input/output control command)
IP routing
issue of long standing
JATO engine
jenettes
jerk transducer
joint statement
juice trap
kybernetik
Liatico
marinophenazine
master recording
maximum capacity
metal-coloured
meteorpathic disease
moisture-proof barrier
Mokcheon
mommicked
nipple areolar glands
non-tradings
noncontiguous data item
north-eastern
otherdom
papilal
photon emission curve of scintillator
pnms
predesigns
punched card data processing equipment
quick-action contact
radiant flux illuminance measurement
research institution
sand consolidation by planting
scottish office
sgsas
shallow water wave
sheave-to-wire ratio
side rabbet plane
slate-grey
spacing hole
squailer
swished
switching lead
sydney pollacks
team game
teeder
travestying
turiel
univied
valley fevers
virtuous
water-rock interaction zone
wattle bark extract
weak current engineering
Welshwoman
Wikipedias
zymographic