听力文摘：你家有"鼻涕虫"吗?

As anyone who's had a toddler knows, they're incredibly demanding creatures. Armed with an insatiable desire to eat and/or destroy just about everything in their path, these walking embodiments of unchecked ego¹ can be a handful. Especially when they have colds. There's nothing quite as trying as a toddler with a head cold, stuffed up nose, and ever present rivers of mucus flowing from each nostril².

家里有刚学会走路的小孩子都知道他们需求量很大。贪求无厌地要吃东西或是破坏面前的任何物品，这些不受管束的“小东西”非常难控制。特别的当他们感冒的时候。当蹒跚走路的小孩患上伤风，鼻子不通，两个鼻孔就像河流一样流出粘液。

Because most toddlers can't blow their own noses, the constant wiping and suctioning can be a chore. But runny noses serve a useful purpose. When we catch a cold, the virus stimulates³ membranes⁴ in the nose to produce clear mucus. When mucus streams out the nostrils⁵ or is propelled by a forceful blow, it carries germs from the nose and sinuses. When the body's immune system starts to fight the cold virus, it turns the mucus white or yellow, which is the body's way of letting you know it's been infected.

因为大多数小孩都不能自己擤鼻涕，不断地擦拭和吸入可是件苦差事。但是流鼻涕也是有益处的。当我们感冒的时候，鼻子里的病毒刺激细胞膜产生清水。粘液流出鼻孔或是通过外力流出的同时会带出鼻子和鼻窦里的病菌。身体的免疫系统与感冒病毒抗击时，粘液呈黄色或白色，这就是你被病毒感染身体表现出的征兆。

Unfortunately, there's no quick and easy way to dry up a toddler's runny nose. Although anti-histamines may stop the drainage, they can also clog⁶ up the nose and keep the mucus from draining away germs.

可惜现在还没有一种简单快速的方法解决小孩流鼻涕。尽管抗组胺能够阻止流鼻水，但也可能阻塞鼻子，细菌粘液便无法排出。

A runny nose can become a sign of a more serious infection such as sinusitis, an upper respiratory infection. But nasal discharge can continue for several days and even weeks without necessarily indicating sinusitis. It's best to let a doctor diagnose a respiratory infection rather than self-administer antibiotics⁷ on a hunch⁸. Overusing antibiotics can create resistant⁹ strains of germs, which then require even stronger and more expensive antibiotics. So in the case of a long-running nose, it's best to let each nose run its course.

流鼻涕也可能是更严重的感染的迹象，如鼻窦炎，上呼吸道感染。但是，鼻涕持续数天甚至数周，就不一定是鼻窦炎。最好是求医诊断而不要凭预感自己给药抗生素之类的。过度使用抗生素会增强细菌的抵抗力，那样会导致患者需要药性更强，价格更贵的抗生素来医治。因此在长期流鼻涕的情况下，最好不管它。

1 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

2 nostril   

n.鼻孔

参考例句：

• The Indian princess wore a diamond in her right nostril.印弟安公主在右鼻孔中戴了一颗钻石。
• All South American monkeys have flat noses with widely spaced nostril.所有南美洲的猴子都有平鼻子和宽大的鼻孔。

3 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

5 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

6 clog   

vt.塞满，阻塞；n.[常pl.]木屐

参考例句：

• In cotton and wool processing,short length fibers may clog sewers.在棉毛生产中，短纤维可能堵塞下水管道。
• These streets often clog during the rush hour.这几条大街在交通高峰时间常常发生交通堵塞。

7 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

8 hunch   

n.预感，直觉

参考例句：

• I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。
• I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。

9 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。