2006年VOA标准英语-Bird Flu Computer Database Helps Scientist

By Deborah Block
Washington, DC
24 January 2006
 
watch Bird Flu Database report

A computer database in the United States is helping¹ researchers find a human vaccine² for the bird flu virus -- a disease that kills domesticated³ fowl⁴, but could mutate to infect humans.   The database is located at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the western state of New Mexico, where information on many types of flu, including avian viruses, has been compiled from scientists around the world.

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During the past two years, a strain of the bird flu virus has spread from Asia to Eastern Europe, most recently in Turkey.

  
  
Humans are believed to contract bird flu only through close contact with infected birds, but scientists fear millions of people could die in the future if the virus combines with human flu strains and produces a new strain that is highly contagious⁵ to people.

Scientist Catherine Macken manages an influenza⁶ database at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

"If you have a single cell that's affected⁷ by the two types of viruses, they can mix and match,” she says.  “So you'll get a new virus form that has some characteristics of a bird virus, some characteristics of a human virus, and if it managed to transmit human-to-human it's got bird characteristics that humans have never seen before, and it becomes very potent⁸ in terms of its effect on the human population."

The database keeps track of international bird flu research, which is important since the viruses change constantly.

 
Catherine Macken 
  
"We provide a web interface⁹ for people to access the data,” Ms. Macken says.  “We also developed tools that they can use to analyze¹⁰ the data.  So the kind of people who would use it would be people at research institutions actually worldwide."

Scientists do not know exactly how avian viruses cross over to humans.  Ms. Macken is doing research to try to figure that out.

"What I do is really look at avian viruses and get statistics on the avian viruses.  I look at human viruses and get statistics on human viruses and then I make comparisons.
 
  
  
The findings are then tested in a laboratory using sequencing -- the genetic¹¹ code of the viruses.

"You're looking for trends in the evolution of the sequences.  You're looking for relationships between the sequences, says Ms. Macken.  “For example, is the bird flu in Asia, as you see it in Thailand, anything like the bird flu in China?"

There are currently no available vaccines¹² to prevent bird flu in humans and it remains¹³ a threat.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

5 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

6 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

9 interface   

n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系

参考例句：

• My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
• This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。

10 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

11 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。

12 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。