解释麻疹——打不打疫苗？：英语精读讲义

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about measles. 短語搭配

最近，关于麻疹的讨论很多。

What does measles actually do 表達脈絡

麻疹到底有什么影响，

and should you vaccinate against it or is this just hysteria?

你应该接种疫苗吗，还是这只是在小题大做？

Measles is a virus,

麻疹是一种病毒，

a hull of proteins,

由蛋白质外壳、

RNA plus some more proteins for reproduction.

RNA以及一些用于繁殖的额外蛋白质组成。

It cannot reproduce by itself. 短語搭配

它无法自行繁殖。

It needs a host cell to do so.

它需要宿主细胞才能繁殖。

To understand measles, 表達脈絡

要了解麻疹，

we have to understand the immune system.

我们必须了解免疫系统。

You might already have seen the visual system we developed to help here.

你们可能已经看过我们为此开发的视觉系统。

Now,

现在，

let's focus on the parts of the immune system relevant to measles. 表達脈絡

让我们把注意力集中在与麻疹相关的免疫系统部分。

The measles virus enters humans through the nose,

麻疹病毒通过鼻子、

mouth, or eyes.

嘴巴或眼睛进入人体。

The measles infection starts in the lungs.

麻疹感染始于肺部。

Measles is especially good at infecting the body's first line of defense, 習語

麻疹特别擅长感染人体的第一道防线——

macrophages,

巨噬细胞，

powerful guard cells that protect the lungs from intruders. 短語搭配

这是保护肺部免受入侵者侵害的强大卫士细胞。

They enter a cell and take it over. 短語動詞

它们进入细胞并接管它。

The virus reprograms the cell and transforms it into a dangerous virus production center. 語法

病毒对细胞进行重新编程，并将其转变为危险的病毒生产中心。

Once a cell is filled with viruses, 語法

一旦细胞充满了病毒，

they leave the crippled cell and begin the cycle over again.

它们就会离开受损的细胞并重新开始循环。

But the immune system has powerful weapons against virus infections,

但是免疫系统拥有对抗病毒感染的强大武器——

natural killer cells. 文化背景

自然杀伤细胞。

These cells basically patrol the body and check other cells for infections.

这些细胞基本上在体内巡逻，并检查其他细胞是否感染。

If they find an infected cell,

如果它们发现被感染的细胞，

they order it to commit suicide. 習語

它们就会命令该细胞自杀。

This is so effective that for the first 10 days or so, 語法

这非常有效，以至于在最初的10天左右，

you will not even notice that you're infected with measles.

你甚至不会注意到自己感染了麻疹。

And now,

现在，

the reason why measles is so powerful. 表達脈絡

来说说麻疹为什么如此强大。

After a period of fighting and dying,

经过一段时间的战斗和伤亡，

macrophages alert the brain of the immune system, 習語

巨噬细胞向免疫系统的“大脑”——

the dendritic cells.

树突状细胞发出警报。

The job of the dendritic cells is to collect samples of intruders, 語法

树突状细胞的工作是收集入侵者的样本，

travel to the lymph nodes,

前往淋巴结，

and then activate the heavy weapons that eradicate the infection very fast in a team effort.

然后通过团队合作激活能够非常迅速地消灭感染的重型武器。

But the measles virus uses a dreadful tactic.

但是麻疹病毒使用了一种可怕的策略。

It infects the dendritic cells

它感染树突状细胞，

and uses them as a Trojan horse to enter deeper into the body. 習語

并把它们当成特洛伊木马，以深入人体内部。

The infected cells travel to the next lymph node

被感染的细胞前往下一个淋巴结

to alert other immune cells.

去警告其他免疫细胞。

Once it arrives,

一旦到达，

the measles virus spreads around the virgin T and B cells

麻疹病毒就会在未成熟的T细胞和B细胞周围传播

and infects them.

并感染它们。

It attacks the very system that evolved to fight it. 語法

它攻击的正是进化出来对抗它的系统。

Now,

现在，

things happen very fast.

事情发生得非常快。

The lymph system spreads the virus everywhere

淋巴系统将病毒传播到各处，

and it enters the bloodstream,

它进入了血液，

infecting cells while traveling. 語法

在游走的同时感染细胞。

Measles infects organs like the spleen,

麻疹会感染脾脏、

the liver,

肝脏、

the intestines,

肠道等器官，

and most importantly the lungs. 表達脈絡

最重要的是肺部。

The symptoms range from a very high fever,

症状包括极高的高烧、

headache,

头痛、

sickness,

恶心、

bronchitis,

支气管炎，

and of course, a rash.

当然，还有皮疹。

In the lungs,

在肺部，

the immune system was doing pretty okay, 用詞

免疫系统本来做得还不错，

but now millions of viruses attack a second time

但现在数以百万计的病毒发起了第二次攻击

and kill countless cells,

并杀死了无数细胞，

wiping out the defense systems. 短語動詞

摧毁了防御系统。

In this phase,

在这个阶段，

you start coughing out millions of measles viruses.

你开始咳出数以百万计的麻疹病毒。

Measles is so contagious at this stage 語法

此时的麻疹传染性极强，

that if you meet someone who isn't vaccinated,

如果你遇到一个没有接种过疫苗的人，

there's about a 90% chance you'll infect them.

你有大约90%的可能性传染给他们。

Without the protective army in the lungs,

如果没有肺部保护军，

other bacteria or viruses that would usually not stand a chance 習語

那些通常毫无胜算的其他细菌或病毒

can now enter the lungs and develop into harmful parallel infections

现在就能进入肺部并发展成有害的并发感染，

that can cause pneumonia,

可能导致肺炎，

the most common way to die from measles.

这是死于麻疹的最常见原因。

Your body's immune system is now seriously wounded.

你身体的免疫系统现在受到重创。

Various protective systems are hurt and disrupted.

各种保护系统都受到伤害和破坏。

The virus spreads everywhere,

病毒到处传播，

infecting the skin all over the body.

感染遍布全身的皮肤。

The typical measles rash now becomes visible.

典型的麻疹皮疹现在变得清晰可见。

And in some cases,

在某些情况下，

the measles virus reaches the brain

麻疹病毒到达大脑

and causes a brain infection.

并导致脑部感染。

If it does so,

如果真的发生了，

the chances of dying are between 20 to 40%

死亡的几率在20%到40%之间，

and there may be long-term damage.

而且可能会有长期损伤。

But your body is far from giving up at this stage 習語

但是在这个阶段你的身体远没有放弃，

and it fights back aggressively.

它会积极反击。

Some dendritic cells survive long enough 語法

一些树突状细胞存活的时间足够长，

to activate the antivirus forces of the body.

能够激活体内的抗病毒力量。

Plasma cells in the lymph nodes start producing billions of antibodies,

淋巴结中的浆细胞开始产生数十亿的抗体，

tiny proteins that mark infected cells for destruction 短語搭配

这是标记受感染细胞以供摧毁

or clump the virus together.

或将病毒聚集在一起的微小蛋白质。

Killer T cells flood the body and kill infected cells left and right. 習語

杀伤性T细胞大量涌入体内并到处杀死受感染的细胞。

After 2 to 3 weeks,

两到三周后，

the body usually gets the upper hand 習語

身体通常会占据上风

and overwhelms the infection.

并战胜感染。

But the immune system is now seriously weakened

但是免疫系统现在已经严重虚弱，

and may take weeks or months to recover,

可能需要数周或数月才能恢复，

leaving the body vulnerable to other diseases. 語法

导致身体容易受到其他疾病的感染。

But if you make it, 習語

但如果你挺过来了，

you are now immune.

你现在就免疫了。

The immune system remembers the virus forever.

免疫系统会永远记住这种病毒。

Measles is no joke. 習語

麻疹可不是闹着玩的。

Although 84% of all humans are vaccinated against measles, 語法

尽管所有人类中有84%接种了麻疹疫苗，

122,000 people died because of the infection in 2014.

但在2014年，仍有122,000人死于这种感染。

Some people cannot get vaccinations,

有些人无法接种疫苗，

either because they're too young, 語法

要么是因为他们太小，

because of chemotherapy,

要么是因为正在化疗，

or HIV,

或感染了艾滋病毒，

or because they're allergic to the vaccine.

或者是对疫苗过敏。

They need the rest of us to stop the disease for them.

他们需要我们其余的人来帮他们阻击疾病。

The measles vaccination is safe,

麻疹疫苗是安全的、

cheap,

便宜的，

and available.

并且容易获得。

There are no benefits from having measles at all.

得麻疹一点好处都没有。

You don't strengthen your immune system

它不会增强你的免疫系统，

and it's not more natural.

也不更顺应自然。

Most people who don't vaccinate only want the best for their children, 短語搭配

大多数不接种疫苗的人只希望给孩子最好的，

which is honorable.

这是值得尊重的。

But if you ask yourself,

但是如果你问自己，

am I putting the life of my child and other children at risk 短語搭配

我是不是将自己和其他孩子的生命置于危险之中

by not vaccinating against measles,

通过不给孩子接种麻疹疫苗，

the sad answer is yes.

遗憾的是，答案是肯定的。

Yes. you are.

是的，你是的。

Let's not play the blame game, 習語

我们不要玩互相指责的游戏，

though.

尽管如此。

Let's work together and eradicate this virus. 表達脈絡

让我们共同努力，彻底消灭这种病毒。

Together,

齐心协力，

we can get rid of these dreadful monsters 短語動詞

我们能够除掉这些可怕的怪物

and consign them to their rightful place, 習語

并将它们丢进该去的地方——

the history books.

历史书里。