时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:Scientific American(十)月


英语课

This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.


Take a deep breath. Taste anything? Actually, your lungs may, because scientists have discovered that the same receptors that exist on the tongue to taste bitter substances are also found on the smooth muscle of lungs.


Researchers were studying the receptors on smooth lung muscles that regulate contraction 1 and relaxation 2 of the airways 3. That’s when they made the discovery which was so unexpected that the researchers themselves were skeptical 4.


Finally, they became convinced that the receptors were really there, though were not clustered in taste buds as they are on the tongue. The scientists then exposed human and mouse airways to various bitter compounds to gauge 5 the effects.


Many toxic 6 compounds are bitter, so the researchers expect that the lung muscle to tense up and contract-- to compel the breather to move away from whatever is bitter and perhaps toxic. But, in a second surprise, bitter compounds relaxed and opened airways better than any existing asthma 7 drug. The study is in the journal Nature Medicine.


Researchers will continue to search for the role of the receptors. Meanwhile, the work represents a surprising new lead in the search for drugs to treat asthma, emphysema or chronic 8 bronchitis.


Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Cynthia Graber.

 



1 contraction
n.缩略词,缩写式,害病
  • The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
  • The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。
2 relaxation
n.松弛,放松;休息;消遣;娱乐
  • The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
  • She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。
3 AIRWAYS
航空公司
  • The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
  • At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。
4 skeptical
adj.怀疑的,多疑的
  • Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
  • Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。
5 gauge
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器
  • Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗?
  • It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。
6 toxic
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的
  • The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
  • There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。
7 asthma
n.气喘病,哮喘病
  • I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
  • Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。
8 chronic
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
标签: SSS 托福素材
学英语单词
a streaker
a.m.
adenanthrea microsperma l.
AGA,A.G.A.
air cleaner
annual ring density
Bayerbach bei Ergoldsbach
Bence-Jones protein
blacklers
cagewashes
cartographic design
cerebral irritation
chief executives
ciprofibrate
clutter rejection
coherent brittle stage
commutator-controlled weld
cryogenic technology
digital to image conversion
discipleships
double faced hammer
dress
drewe
Dunnet
eeps
efficiency factor
enthalpy of swelling
equatorial system
exterior varnish
exult over
farigue
Fat Analysis Committee colour
flat billet
get his
Gojra
graynet
Guaranteed Death Benefit
half-binding
hexaquarks
high-sulphur fuel
improvement by lessee
injector feed
interaction volume
intoxilyzer
IP fragmentation IP
key variable
korahl
leakage spectrum
lenslets
linolenate
logolepsy
long - term care
loop termination
lql
lutnick
malgwyn
material for test
Medveditskiy
Metroval
mintels
miscellaneous asbestos product
Neolitsea pinninervis
newbattles
non-dividend payee
operational technical manual
penetration of grease
pole setting
pretell
primary mother-tree selection
production strategies
psauoscopy
Qarshi
random noise level
reference oscillator muting
reservoir sensitivity evaluation
reversible code
roller-ball
runners
salty milk
scarifie
see sth with half an eye
sentenceable
shilt
Shimabara-hantō
simple radical
special transfer paper
steinhausers
sulphur cement mortar anchor
superefficiency
temperature classification
thelephoid
theory of growth
thermal processes
thrash over
tooth abscess
USB stick
velascas
vermilions
voltaic irritability
wad hamid
with expedition
zygoplast