認識麻疹——到底該不該打疫苗？：英語精讀講義

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

最近，關於麻疹的討論很多。

What does measles actually do 表達脈絡

麻疹到底有什麼影響，

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

你應該接種疫苗嗎，還是這只是在小題大作？

Measles is a virus,

麻疹是一種病毒，

a hull of proteins,

由蛋白質外殼、

RNA plus some more proteins for reproduction.

RNA以及一些用於繁殖的額外蛋白質組成。

It cannot reproduce by itself. 片語搭配

它無法自行繁殖。

It needs a host cell to do so.

它需要宿主細胞才能繁殖。

To understand measles, 表達脈絡

要了解麻疹，

we have to understand the immune system.

我們必須了解免疫系統。

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

你們可能已經看過我們為此開發的視覺系統。

Now,

現在，

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

讓我們把注意力集中在與麻疹相關的免疫系統部分。

The measles virus enters humans through the nose,

麻疹病毒透過鼻子、

mouth, or eyes.

嘴巴或眼睛進入人體。

The measles infection starts in the lungs.

麻疹感染始於肺部。

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

麻疹特別擅長感染人體的第一道防線——

macrophages,

巨噬細胞，

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

這是保護肺部免受入侵者侵害的強大衛士細胞。

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

它們進入細胞並接管它。

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

病毒對細胞進行重新編程，並將其轉變為危險的病毒生產中心。

Once a cell is filled with viruses, 文法

一旦細胞充滿了病毒，

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

它們就會離開受損的細胞並重新開始循環。

But the immune system has powerful weapons against virus infections,

但是免疫系統擁有對抗病毒感染的強大武器——

natural killer cells. 文化背景

自然殺手細胞。

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

這些細胞基本上在體內巡邏，並檢查其他細胞是否感染。

If they find an infected cell,

如果它們發現被感染的細胞，

they order it to commit suicide. 慣用語

它們就會命令該細胞自殺。

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

這非常有效，以至於在最初的10天左右，

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

你甚至不會注意到自己感染了麻疹。

And now,

現在，

the reason why measles is so powerful. 表達脈絡

來說說麻疹為什麼如此強大。

After a period of fighting and dying,

經過一段時間的戰鬥和傷亡，

macrophages alert the brain of the immune system, 慣用語

巨噬細胞向免疫系統的「大腦」——

the dendritic cells.

樹突細胞發出警報。

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

樹突細胞的工作是收集入侵者的樣本，

travel to the lymph nodes,

前往淋巴結，

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

然後透過團隊合作啟動能夠非常迅速地消滅感染的重型武器。

But the measles virus uses a dreadful tactic.

但是麻疹病毒使用了一種可怕的策略。

It infects the dendritic cells

它感染樹突細胞，

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

並把它們當成特洛伊木馬，以深入人體內部。

The infected cells travel to the next lymph node

被感染的細胞前往下一個淋巴結

to alert other immune cells.

去警告其他免疫細胞。

Once it arrives,

一旦到達，

the measles virus spreads around the virgin T and B cells

麻疹病毒就會在未成熟的T細胞和B細胞周圍傳播

and infects them.

並感染它們。

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

它攻擊的正是演化出來對抗它的系統。

Now,

現在，

things happen very fast.

事情發生得非常快。

The lymph system spreads the virus everywhere

淋巴系統將病毒傳播到各處，

and it enters the bloodstream,

它進入了血液，

infecting cells while traveling. 文法

在游走的同時感染細胞。

Measles infects organs like the spleen,

麻疹會感染脾臟、

the liver,

肝臟、

the intestines,

腸道等器官，

and most importantly the lungs. 表達脈絡

最重要的是肺部。

The symptoms range from a very high fever,

症狀包括極高的高燒、

headache,

頭痛、

sickness,

噁心、

bronchitis,

支氣管炎，

and of course, a rash.

當然，還有皮疹。

In the lungs,

在肺部，

the immune system was doing pretty okay, 用詞

免疫系統本來做得還不錯，

but now millions of viruses attack a second time

但現在數以百萬計的病毒發起了第二次攻擊

and kill countless cells,

並殺死了無數細胞，

wiping out the defense systems. 片語動詞

摧毀了防禦系統。

In this phase,

在這個階段，

you start coughing out millions of measles viruses.

你開始咳出數以百萬計的麻疹病毒。

Measles is so contagious at this stage 文法

此時的麻疹傳染性極強，

that if you meet someone who isn't vaccinated,

如果你遇到一個沒有接種過疫苗的人，

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

你有大約90%的可能性傳染給他們。

Without the protective army in the lungs,

如果沒有肺部保護軍，

other bacteria or viruses that would usually not stand a chance 慣用語

那些通常毫無勝算的其他細菌或病毒

can now enter the lungs and develop into harmful parallel infections

現在就能進入肺部並發展成有害的併發感染，

that can cause pneumonia,

可能導致肺炎，

the most common way to die from measles.

這是死於麻疹的最常見原因。

Your body's immune system is now seriously wounded.

你身體的免疫系統現在受到重創。

Various protective systems are hurt and disrupted.

各種保護系統都受到傷害和破壞。

The virus spreads everywhere,

病毒到處傳播，

infecting the skin all over the body.

感染遍布全身的皮膚。

The typical measles rash now becomes visible.

典型的麻疹皮疹現在變得清晰可見。

And in some cases,

在某些情況下，

the measles virus reaches the brain

麻疹病毒到達大腦

and causes a brain infection.

並導致腦部感染。

If it does so,

如果真的發生了，

the chances of dying are between 20 to 40%

死亡的機率在20%到40%之間，

and there may be long-term damage.

而且可能會有長期損傷。

But your body is far from giving up at this stage 慣用語

但是在這個階段你的身體遠沒有放棄，

and it fights back aggressively.

它會積極反擊。

Some dendritic cells survive long enough 文法

一些樹突細胞存活的時間足夠長，

to activate the antivirus forces of the body.

能夠啟動體內的抗病毒力量。

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

淋巴結中的漿細胞開始產生數十億的抗體，

tiny proteins that mark infected cells for destruction 片語搭配

這是標記受感染細胞以供摧毀

or clump the virus together.

或將病毒聚集在一起的微小蛋白質。

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

殺手T細胞大量湧入體內並到處殺死受感染的細胞。

After 2 to 3 weeks,

兩到三週後，

the body usually gets the upper hand 慣用語

身體通常會佔據上風

and overwhelms the infection.

並戰勝感染。

But the immune system is now seriously weakened

但是免疫系統現在已經嚴重虛弱，

and may take weeks or months to recover,

可能需要數週或數月才能恢復，

leaving the body vulnerable to other diseases. 文法

導致身體容易受到其他疾病的感染。

But if you make it, 慣用語

但如果你挺過來了，

you are now immune.

你現在就免疫了。

The immune system remembers the virus forever.

免疫系統會永遠記住這種病毒。

Measles is no joke. 慣用語

麻疹可不是鬧著玩的。

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

儘管所有人類中有84%接種了麻疹疫苗，

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

但在2014年，仍有122,000人死於這種感染。

Some people cannot get vaccinations,

有些人無法接種疫苗，

either because they're too young, 文法

要麼是因為他們太小，

because of chemotherapy,

要麼是因為正在化療，

or HIV,

或感染了愛滋病毒，

or because they're allergic to the vaccine.

或者是對疫苗過敏。

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

他們需要我們其餘的人來幫他們阻擊疾病。

The measles vaccination is safe,

麻疹疫苗是安全的、

cheap,

便宜的，

and available.

並且容易取得。

There are no benefits from having measles at all.

得麻疹一點好處都沒有。

You don't strengthen your immune system

它不會增強你的免疫系統，

and it's not more natural.

也不更順應自然。

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

大多數不接種疫苗的人只希望給孩子最好的，

which is honorable.

這是值得尊重的。

But if you ask yourself,

但是如果你問自己，

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

我是不是將自己和其他孩子的生命置於危險之中

by not vaccinating against measles,

藉由不給孩子接種麻疹疫苗，

the sad answer is yes.

遺憾的是，答案是肯定的。

Yes. you are.

是的，你是的。

Let's not play the blame game, 慣用語

我們不要玩互相指責的遊戲，

though.

儘管如此。

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

讓我們共同努力，徹底消滅這種病毒。

Together,

齊心協力，

we can get rid of these dreadful monsters 片語動詞

我們能夠除掉這些可怕的怪物

and consign them to their rightful place, 慣用語

並將它們丟進該去的地方——

the history books.

歷史書裡。