【英语时差8,16】鼻塞（上）

 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. 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.

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。