新概念英语第四册Lesson17~19原文及翻译

新概念英语第四册

Lesson17~19

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新概念英语第四册

Lesson17

原文及翻译

A man-made disease

人为的疾病

What

factor

helped

to

spread

the

disease

of

myxomatosis?

In the early days of the settlement of Australia,

enterprising

settlers

unwisely

introduced

the

European

rabbit.

This

rabbit

had

no

natural

enemies

in

the

Antipodes,

so

that

it

multiplied

with

that

promiscuous

abandon characteristic of rabbits. It overran a whole

continent. It caused devastation by burrowing and by

devouring

the

herbage

which

might

have

maintained

millions of sheep and cattle. Scientists discovered

that

this

particular

variety

of

rabbit

(and

apparently

no

other

animal)

was

susceptible

to

a

fatal

virus

disease,

myxomatosis.

By

infecting

animals

and

letting

them

loose

in the burrows, local

epidemics

of this

disease

could

be

created.

Later

it

was

found

that

there

was a type of mosquito which acted as the carrier of

this disease and passed it on to the rabbits. So while

the

rest

of

the

world

was

trying

to

get

rid

of

mosquitoes,

Australia

was

encouraging

this

one.

It

effectively

spread

the

disease

all

over

the

continent

and

drastically reduced the rabbit population. It later

became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree

of

resistance

to

this

disease,

so

that

the

rabbit

population

was

unlikely

to

be

completely

exterminated.

There

were

hopes, however, that the

problem

of

the

rabbit would become manageable.

Ironically,

Europe,

which

had

bequeathed

the

rabbit as a pest to Australia, acquired this man-made

disease

as

a

pestilence.

A

French

physician

decided

to

get

rid

of

the

wild

rabbits

on

his

own

estate

and

introduced myxomatosis. It did not, however, remain

within the confines of his estate. It spread through

France, Where wild rabbits are not generally regarded

as a pest but as sport and a useful food supply, and

it spread to Britain where wild rabbits are regarded

as

a

pest

but

where

domesticated

rabbits,

equally

susceptible

to

the

disease,

are

the

basis

of

a

profitable fur industry. The question became one of

whether

Man

could

control

the

disease

he

had

invented.

RITCHIE CALDER Science Makes Sense

New words and expressions

生词和短语

settlement

n.

新拓居地

enterprising

adj.

有事业心的

settler

n.

移居者

Antipodes

n.

新西兰和澳大利亚

(

)

promiscuous

adj.

杂乱的

abandon

n.

放任，纵情

overrun

v.

蔓延，泛滥

devastation

n.

破坏，劫掠

burrow

v.

挖、掘

susceptible

adj.

易受感染的

virus

n.

病毒

myxomatosis

n.

多发性粘液瘤

infect

v.

传染

epidemic

n.

流行病

mosquito

n.

蚊虫

carrier

n.

带菌者

exterminate

v.

消灭

ironically

adv.

具有讽刺意味地

bequeath

v.

把

...

传给

pest

n.

害虫，有害动物

pestilence

n.

瘟疫

confine

n.

范围

domesticate

v.

驯养

参考译文

在澳大 利亚移民初期，

一些有创业精神的移民不明智地

把欧洲兔子引进 了澳大利亚。这种兔子在澳大利亚及新西兰

没有天敌，因此便以兔子所特有的杂乱交配迅 猛繁殖起来。

整个澳洲兔子成灾。它们在地下打洞，吃掉本可以饲养数百

万头牛羊的牧草，给澳洲大陆造成了毁灭性的破坏。科学家

们发现，这种特殊品 种的兔子

(

显然不包括别的动物

)

易患一

种叫“多发性粘液瘤”的致命毒性疾病。通过让染上此病的< /p>

动物在洞内乱跑，就可以使这种疾病在一个地区蔓延起来。

后来又 发现，有一种蚊子是传播这种疾病的媒介，能把此病

传染给兔子。

因此，

世界上其他地方在设法消灭蚊子的时候，

澳大利亚却在 促使这种蚊子大量繁殖。蚊子把这种疾病扩散

到整个澳洲大陆，效果甚佳，结果兔子的数 目在为减少。后

来，

明显看出，

兔子对 这种疾病已产生了一定程度的免疫力，

所以兔子不可能被完全消灭。但是，已有希望解决 兔子所带

来的问题。

具有讽刺意味的是，

欧洲把这种兔子作为有害动物传给

澳洲，而欧洲自己却染上了这种人为的瘟疫般的疾病。一位

法国内科医生决定 除掉自己庄园内的野兔子，于是引进了这

种多发性粘液瘤疾病。然而，这种疾病并未被局 限在他的庄

园内，结果在整个法国蔓延开来。野兔在法国一般不被当作

< br>有害动物，而被视为打猎取乐的玩物和有用的食物来源。这

种疾病又蔓延到了英国 。在英国，野兔被当作有害的动物，

可是家兔是赚钱的毛皮工业的基础，然而家兔同样易 感染这

种疾病。现在的问题是，人类能否控制住这种人为的疾病。

新概念 英语第四册

Lesson18

原文及翻译

Porpoises

海豚

What would you say is the main characteristic of

porpoises?

There has long been a superstition among mariners

that porpoises will save drowning men by pushing them

to

the

surface,

or

protect

them

from

sharks

by

surrounding

them

in

defensive

formation.

Marine

Studio

biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent

they

may

be,

it

is

probably

a

mistake

to

credit

dolphins

with any motive of lifesaving. On the occasions when

they have pushed to shore an unconscious human being

they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or

for

sport,

as

in

riding

the

bow

waves

of

a

ship.

In

1928

some porpoises were photographer working like beavers

to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. If, as has been

reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it

may

have

been

because

curiosity

attracted

them

and

because

the

scent of a

possible meal

attracted

the

sharks. Porpoises and sharks are natural enemies. It

is

possible

that

upon

such

an

occasion

a

battle

ensued,

with the sharks being driven away or killed.

Whether

it

be

bird,

fish

or

beast,

the

porpoise

is

intrigued

with

anything

that

is

alive.

They

are

constantly

after

the

turtles,

who

peacefully

submit

to

all sorts of indignities. One young calf especially

enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his snout

and

then

shoving

him

across

the

tank

like

an

aquaplane.

Almost any day a young porpoise may be seen trying to

turn a 300-pound sea turtle over by sticking his snout

under

the

edge

of

his

shell

and

pushing

up

for

dear

life.

This

is

not

easy,

and

may

require

two

porpoises

working

together. In another game, as the turtle swims across

the oceanarium, the first porpoise swoops down from

above and butts his shell with his belly. This knocks

the

turtle

down

several

feet.

He

no

sooner

recovers

his

equilibrium

than

the

next

porpoise

comes

along

and

hits

him

another

crack.

Eventually

the

turtle

has

been

butted all the way down to the floor of the tank. He

is

now

satisfied

merely

to

try

to

stand

up,

but

as

soon

as he does so a porpoise knocks him flat. The turtle

at last gives up by pulling his feet under his shell

and the game is over.

RALPH NADING HILL Window in the Sea

New words and expressions

生词和短语