黑死病（鼠疫）會再次爆發嗎？：英語精讀講義

This year in many countries throughout the world, the flu has been deadly.

今年在世界許多國家，流感都非常致命。

The CDC reported that in America, it has been unusually active,

美國疾病管制與預防中心（CDC）報告稱，在美國，流感異常活躍，

and in January it was revealed that the virus was killing around 100 people every week in the US.

且在1月份有報導指出，在美國該病毒每週導致約100人死亡。

In the UK, they've had the worst flu season in many years,

在英國，他們經歷了多年來最糟糕的流感季節，

but it's also been a global concern with countries all over Asia and Africa

但這也成為了一個全球性問題，亞洲和非洲的各個國家

experiencing what many are calling one of the worst global flu outbreaks in a long time.

正經歷著許多人所說的很久以來最嚴重的全球流感爆發之一。

So much so that scientists said it's imperative to create a much more effective universal influenza vaccine. 講解

嚴重到科學家們表示，當務之急是研發出一種更有效的通用流感疫苗。

We might regard ourselves as fortunate, though, 片語搭配

不過，我們或許會覺得自己很幸運，

based on what you're about to hear. 文法

基於你接下來將要聽到的內容。

In this episode of The Infographics Show,

在本集《The Infographics Show》中，我們要探討：

could the Black Death happen again?

黑死病會再次發生嗎？

Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell button so that you can be part of our notification squad.

別忘了訂閱並點擊小鈴鐺按鈕，這樣你就能加入我們的通知小分隊啦。

First of all, what is or what was the Black Death, also known as the plague? 片語搭配

首先，什麼是或者曾經什麼是黑死病（也被稱為鼠疫）？

Well, it was one of the worst pandemics in history,

嗯，它是歷史上最嚴重的流行病之一，

killing somewhere between 75 to 200 million people in Europe and Eurasia

在歐洲和歐亞大陸導致了約7500萬到2億人死亡，

in just a few years from 1346 to 1353.

僅僅發生在1346年到1353年這短短幾年間。

After it was done,

在它結束之後，

something like 30 to 60% of Europe's half of population had been wiped out, 片語動詞

歐洲一半人口中的大約30%到60%被消滅了，

with many others dying in other parts of the world as well.

世界上其他地區也有許多人因此喪生。

In fact, it killed so many people, 文法

事實上，它殺死了如此多的人，

it took centuries for the world's population to stabilize.

以至於世界人口花了好幾個世紀才穩定下來。

It also made comebacks in Europe later on, 片語搭配

後來它還在歐洲捲土重來過，

such as the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666,

比如1665年到1666年的倫敦大瘟疫，

but the 14th century Black Death was the worst pandemic the world has ever seen in terms of loss of life. 片語搭配

但就生命損失而言，14世紀的黑死病是世界史上最嚴重的流行病。

It's thought it made its way to Europe on Genoese trading ships. 講解

人們認為它是搭乘熱那亞的商船來到歐洲的。

The ships arrived at the Sicilian port of Messina,

這些船隻抵達了西西里島的墨西拿港，

only for those who came to greet them to be faced with a nasty surprise. 文法

結果那些前來迎接他們的人卻面臨著一個可怕的「驚喜」。

Most of the occupants of the ships were either dead or dying.

船上的大多數人要麼已經死了，要麼奄奄一息。

It's thought the ships had been to parts of Central Asia,

人們認為這些船曾經去過中亞部分地區，

and there it's said rats carrying the bacterium Yersinia pestis came aboard the ships.

據說在那裡，攜帶鼠疫耶爾森菌的老鼠登上了船。

Fleas on these rodents were the vectors that passed the disease to humans. 用詞

這些囓齒動物身上的跳蚤就是將疾病傳染給人類的媒介。

Authorities in Sicily soon ordered all the death ships out of the harbor,

西西里島當局很快下令將所有這些死亡之船駛出港口，

but it was too late,

但為時已晚，

and soon people all over Europe were getting infected. 文法

很快全歐洲的人都受到了感染。

It spread so easily because it was airborne, 用詞

它傳播得如此容易是因為它是透過空氣傳播的，

which meant coughing or sneezing was enough to spread the disease around. 文法

這意味著僅僅是咳嗽或打噴嚏就足以將疾病傳播開來。

So, what's it like to get down with a dose of Black Death? 文法

那麼，感染上黑死病是什麼感覺呢？

During the pandemic, an Italian poet called Giovanni Boccaccio described it like this:

在大流行期間，一位名叫喬萬尼·薄伽丘的義大利詩人這樣描述道：

"At the beginning of the malady,

「在疾病剛開始時，

certain swellings, either on the groin or under the armpits,

在鼠蹊部或腋下會出現某些腫塊，

waxed to the bigness of a common apple, 用詞

有的長到普通蘋果那麼大，

others to the size of an egg,

有的像雞蛋那麼大，

some more and some less,

有的大一些，有的小一些，

and these the vulgar named plague boils." 用詞

俗人將這些稱為瘟疫癤腫。」

These eggs that he describes are called buboes.

他描述的這些「雞蛋」被稱為腹股溝淋巴結炎（buboes）。

Once they appeared,

它們一旦出現，

soon after the victim would have a very high fever,

不久之後受害者就會發高燒，

usually start coughing up blood because of lung infection, 片語動詞

通常由於肺部感染開始咳血，

and between 2 and 7 days, it was often game over. 慣用語

而在2到7天之間，往往就一命嗚呼了。

If you got it, you most likely died.

如果你感染了它，你多半會死。

But not everyone did,

但並非每個人都死了，

and true to Nietzschean philosophy, 文化背景

正如尼采的哲學所說，

what didn't kill them made them stronger. 慣用語

那些沒有殺死他們的，使他們變得更強大。

Studies have found that those who survived became healthier.

研究發現，那些倖存下來的人變得更健康了。

It's believed the plague had a mortality rate of 30 to 75%. 片語搭配

據信，黑死病的死亡率在30%到75%之間。

It was a time of chaos as whole communities lived in fear.

那是一個混亂的時代，整個社區都生活在恐懼之中。

Doctors didn't want to treat the infected for fear of being infected themselves, 片語搭配

醫生不想治療感染者，因為害怕自己也被感染，

while mobs were busy ascribing the blame to any minority, 片語搭配

而暴徒們則忙著將責任歸咎於任何少數群體，

such as lepers, Jews, foreigners, or even people with acne.

比如痲瘋病人、猶太人、外國人，甚至是長青春痘的人。

Entire Jewish communities were destroyed,

整個猶太社區被摧毀，

and thousands of Jewish people were murdered.

數以千計的猶太人被謀殺。

You get the picture. 慣用語

你懂的。

This was a grim time to be European.

對於歐洲人來說，這是一段黑暗的時期。

As we said, it came back many times,

正如我們所說，它後來又復發了很多次，

but never as virulent as those years in the 1300s. 文法

但從未像1300年代那些年那樣致命。

What might surprise you, though, 文法

然而，可能會讓你驚訝的是，

is that the bubonic plague is still making appearances around the globe.

腺鼠疫至今仍在全球各地出現。

It killed 10 million in China in the 19th century,

19世紀它在中國導致1000萬人死亡，

more than 1,000 in Australia in the early 20th century,

20世紀初在澳洲導致1000多人死亡，

and over a hundred in San Francisco, also in the early 19th century.

同樣在19世紀初，在舊金山也導致了100多人死亡。

It's thought that in 2017,

據認為，在2017年，

around 202 people died in Madagascar from the pneumonic plague,

馬達加斯加約有202人死於肺鼠疫，

according to the WHO. 表達脈絡

這一數據來自世界衛生組織（WHO）。

This was from 2,348 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases. 用詞

這是從2348例確診、可能和疑似病例中得出的。

Fewer people died, of course,

當然，現在死亡的人數減少了，

because of modern medicine and healthcare.

這歸功於現代醫學和醫療保健。

By the way,

順便說一句，

there are three kinds of plague:

鼠疫分為三種：

bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic.

腺鼠疫、肺鼠疫和敗血性鼠疫。

The difference is in how it infects you,

區別在於它如何感染你，

with bubonic getting your lymph nodes,

腺鼠疫感染你的淋巴結，

hence the ugly eggs, 表達脈絡

也就是那些醜陋的「雞蛋」，

pneumonic gets the lungs,

肺鼠疫感染肺部，

and septicemic is an infection in the blood.

而敗血性鼠疫則是血液感染。

You can be treated for a pneumonic plague with antibiotics, 片語搭配

你可以用抗生素治療肺鼠疫，

but left untreated you will surely die. 文法

但如果不治療，你必死無疑。

Most modern cases have been in developing nations, 用詞

大多數現代病例發生在開發中國家，

but there have also been some cases in the USA.

但美國也出現過一些病例。

In fact,

事實上，

in 2015, 16, and 17,

在2015年、16年和17年，

a handful of bubonic plague cases occurred in the country. 片語搭配

該國發生了少數幾例腺鼠疫病例。

The CDC reports that more than 80% of United States plague cases have been the bubonic form.

CDC報告稱，美國超過80%的鼠疫病例都是腺鼠疫。

It stated that from 2000 to 2016,

報告指出，從2000年到2016年，

around seven cases of plague occurred in the country every year,

該國每年大約發生7例鼠疫，

and most of those were in the rural west,

並且大部分發生在西部農村地區，

and some in northern New Mexico and northern Arizona.

還有一些在新墨西哥州北部和亞利桑那州北部。

The worst year this century for the US was 2015,

本世紀美國最糟糕的一年是2015年，

when 15 people were infected and four of them died.

當時有15人被感染，其中4人死亡。

Also, according to the CDC,

同樣，根據CDC的數據，

the Europeans are now in good shape, 慣用語

歐洲人現在的狀況很好，

with the department stating that all continents report instances of plague except Europe,

該部門指出，除了歐洲、

Australia, and Antarctica.

澳洲和南極洲之外，所有大陸都報告有鼠疫病例。

The advice given by health professionals if you want to stay plague-free

醫療專業人員給出的建議是，如果你想免受鼠疫感染，

is don't get bitten by fleas and don't mess with rats or other animals that could carry fleas. 片語動詞

就不要被跳蚤咬傷，也不要招惹老鼠或其他可能攜帶跳蚤的動物。

Easier said than done. 慣用語

說起來容易做起來難。

In 2014, a man from Oregon was infected with plague after his infected cat bit him.

2014年，俄勒岡州的一名男子被他感染了鼠疫的貓咬傷後，自己也感染了。

News media reports that he had lumps under his arms the size of lemons,

新聞媒體報導稱，他腋下的腫塊有檸檬那麼大，

his hands and feet turned black due to gangrene,

他的手和腳因為壞疽變成了黑色，

and he was in a coma on life support for a month. 片語搭配

他在昏迷中靠生命維持系統度過了一個月。

He told The Guardian,

他告訴《衛報》，

"I had collapsed lungs, my heart stopped,

「我的肺部萎縮，心臟驟停，

and my hands and feet turned black.

我的手和腳都變黑了。

Technically, I shouldn't be here." 語氣意圖

嚴格來說，我早該死了。」

He was so violently sick because he had all three kinds of plague.

他病得如此嚴重，是因為他感染了全部三種鼠疫。

His cat didn't fare well 用詞

他的貓情況不妙，

and it ended up being buried in the garden before the man got really sick. 片語動詞

在該男子病重之前就被埋在花園裡了。

The man lives a full life again,

這名男子再次過上了充實的生活，

minus most of his fingers and toes.

只不過失去了大部分的手指和腳趾。

So now we come to the essential question: 表達脈絡

那麼現在我們來到這個關鍵問題：

Could there be another massive plague outbreak?

還會爆發另一次大規模的鼠疫嗎？

The answer is that it is very unlikely because we can treat it before it spreads.

答案是這不太可能，因為我們可以在它傳播之前進行治療。

Most of us these days don't live in rat-infested squalor, 用詞

如今我們大多數人都沒有生活在老鼠出沒的骯髒環境中，

as many Londoners did back in those bleak times.

不像那個陰暗時代許多倫敦人那樣。

When the Smithsonian asked a scientist this question,

當史密森尼學會向一位科學家提出這個問題時，

he, like most others,

他和大多數人一樣，

said an outbreak was unlikely.

表示爆發的可能性不大。

What was possible, though, 文法

然而，有可能發生的是，

was a plague-based bioterror weapon that spreads the disease.

一種基於鼠疫來傳播疾病的生物恐怖武器。

Yes,

是的，

our wonderful species has, in the past, 語氣意圖

我們這個奇妙的物種在過去，

created plague bioweapons,

曾製造過鼠疫生物武器，

with some of the guilty countries being Japan,

犯下這一罪行的國家包括日本、

the former Soviet Union,

前蘇聯，

and the United States of America.

以及美利堅合眾國。

We'll leave it there. 語氣意圖

這個話題我們就說到這裡。

Don't be too freaked out. 片語動詞

不要太驚慌。

It's highly unlikely you'll be the victim of plague.

你成為鼠疫受害者的可能性微乎其微。

But, do you have any thoughts

但是，你有什麼看法嗎？

on whether the Black Death could happen again?

關於黑死病是否會再次發生？

Let us know in the comments.

在評論區告訴我們吧。

Also, be sure to check out our other video called

同時，請務必去看看我們的另一部影片，名為

What would happen if humans went extinct? 片語搭配

《如果人類滅絕會發生什麼？》

Thanks for watching, and as always,

感謝觀看，和往常一樣，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

別忘了按讚、分享和訂閱。

See you next time.

我們下期再見。