VOA慢速英语2016 铜能杀死细菌和病毒

Copper¹ Metal Kills Viruses on Contact 铜能杀死细菌和病毒

Even in the world of medicine, what is old is new again.

医药界也刮起了复古风。

Thousands of years ago, Egyptians used it to sterilize² drinking water. Ancient Romans, Aztecs and Greeks also used it for medical treatments.

几千年前，埃及人就会使用这种东西来给饮用水消毒。古罗马人、阿芝特克人和希腊人也用它来治病。

I am talking about copper.

我说的是铜。

The symbol for copper on the periodic chart for elements is Cu. If we are talking about germs that might mean Cu later! (C + u = “See you”)

元素周期表上铜的符号是Cu，当我们谈到细菌的时候，它的意思可能是“再见”！

Copper kills many germs on contact. Now it is back in hospitals to do just that.

铜通过接触可以杀死很多细菌，现在铜又被医院用来杀菌。

One of the major ways we get sick is we touch surfaces out in the world, many made of metal or plastic. These surfaces are covered with germs. Germs live on poles on a train or bus. They are found on doorknobs and handles.

我们生病的一大原因是接触了一些东西的表面，很多都是金属或塑料制成的，这些表面上有细菌。细菌滋生在火车或公车的杆子上，门把手和手柄上也有细菌。

This is especially true in hospitals.

医院里尤其如此。

Bill Keevil is a microbiologist at Southampton University in Britain. He is investigating the properties of copper that kill germs -- or as researchers call them, pathogens.

比尔·基维尔是英国南安普敦大学一名微生物学家，他正在研究铜能杀菌的属性，研究人员也把细菌称作病原体。

Keevil points to studies that compare infection rates at U.S. hospitals that use copper surfaces and those that do not.

基维尔称在研究中他们把使用铜做表面的美国医院和不这么做的医院的感染率进行了对比。

"They found that copper alloys³ gave a 58 percent reduction in infection rate. So that showed, you know, that in the real world of a hospital environment, copper alloys do a great job (in preventing infection)."

“他们发现铜合金能将感染率降低58%，所以在医院这样的真实环境中，铜合金可以很有效地预防感染。”

In a study published in the journal mBio, Keevil and his team found that copper surfaces can quickly kill the coronavirus 229E.

在一份发表在期刊mBio的研究中，基维尔和他的团队发现铜表面可以快速杀灭冠状病毒229E。

You may not know coronavirus 229E by name.

你可以没听说过冠状病毒229E。

But if you ever have had the common cold or the more serious pneumonia⁴, you have been in contact with it.

但如果你得过普通感冒或是更严重的肺炎，你可能接触过这种病毒。

The coronavirus 229E is also closely related to the pathogen that causes SARS and MERS.

冠状病毒229E还与导致SARS和MERS的病原体密切相关。

Keevil explains that copper ions -- electrically charged molecules⁵ -- kill dangerous viruses by destroying their genetic⁶ material. Copper ions do this by interacting with oxygen and changing the oxygen molecules. As a result, the virus cells cannot mutate.

基维尔解释说，带有电荷的铜离子通过破坏其基因物质来杀死病毒，铜离子能与氧化合并改变氧分子结构，这样病毒细胞就无法突变。

"Now these ions are able to punch holes in the cell's membrane⁷, enter the cell and destroy their nucleic acid. So they are completely killed. There's no chance of mutation⁸ leading to resistance, and there's no coming back. So the chemistry is fantastic."

“这样铜原子就能在细胞膜上钻洞，进入细胞内部并破坏其核酸，这样就彻底杀灭病毒。这样病毒就没有突变以抵抗的机会，没有卷土重来的机会了，所以这种化学物质很神奇。”

Keevil notes that ancient civilizations knew about the germ-killing properties of copper. However, they may not have understood the science behind it.

基维尔说古人已经知道铜能杀灭细菌的属性，但可能不知道其中的科学原理。

Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health wrote on their website about the oldest recorded medical use of copper.

美国国家卫生研究院的研究人员在研究院网站上撰文描述了最早把铜用作医疗的情况。

They say its use is noted⁹ in an Egyptian medical book written about 4,000 years ago.

他们说大约4000年前埃及的一部医学著作上就有记载。

The book describes how they used copper to sterilize wounds and drinking water.

这本著作描述了当时的人们如何用铜来给伤口和饮用水消毒。

Keevil says earlier generations of builders in the United States also knew this about copper. That is why copper alloys such as brass¹⁰ were often used in building materials.

基维尔说美国早期的建筑师们也知道铜的这种用法，因此黄铜等铜合金常被用做建筑材料。

But more modern builders stopped using copper and copper alloys. They cost more than other building materials.

但是现代建筑师已不再用铜和铜合金，因为它们比其他建筑材料都要贵。

However, Bill Keevil says copper could save hospitals money. He says their other costs of fighting infection will drop, including drugs for treatment.

然而，比尔·基维尔说铜可以给医院省钱，他说其他用于对付感染的成本将会下降，包括治疗使用的药物。

More importantly, less people will get sick.

更重要的是，铜很少会致病。

Words in This Story

sterilize – v. to clean (something) by destroying germs or bacteria

pathogen – n. medical : something (such as a type of bacteria or a virus) that causes disease

mutation – n. biology : a change in the genes¹¹ of a plant or animal that causes physical characteristics that are different from what is normal

fantastic – adj. extremely good

1 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

2 sterilize   

vt.使不结果实；使绝育；使无效；杀菌，消毒

参考例句：

• Antiseptic is used to sterilize the skin before giving an injection.杀菌剂被用于在注射前给皮肤消毒。
• He pricks the blister on his heel with a sterilize needle.他用一根消过毒的针扎破他脚后跟上的水泡。

3 alloys   

n.合金( alloy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This is essentially a development of thoria dispersion strengthened nickel alloys. 这基本上是用二氧化钍弥散强度化的镍基合金。 来自辞典例句
• The lack of deep hardening in these alloys negates their use. 这些合金缺乏深层硬化能力使它们无法利用。 来自辞典例句

4 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

5 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 membrane   

n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸

参考例句：

• A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
• A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

8 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

11 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪