Lab Decodes Genes of Virus Tied to SARS

实验室破解了SARS病毒的基因

　　Scientists in Canada announced over the weekend that they had broken the genetic code of the virus suspected of causing severe acute respiratory syndrome.

　　本周末加拿大科学家宣布，他们已破译了被怀疑导致严重呼吸系统综合症的病毒的基因密码。

　　★respiratory, "呼吸的": respiratory diseases/difficulties/system, 呼吸道疾病/呼吸困难/呼吸系统。 相应的动词形式是respire , "呼吸". syndrome, "综合征，症候群，综合症状": There is a lack of research on risk factors for fatigue and fatigue syndromes. 有关导致疲劳及其综合症危险因素的研究尚嫌不足。这个词还可以表示"（某种条件下的）一定的行动模式，或一组事物"：Their lifestyle is typical of bored middle-agedhousewife syndrome. 她们的生活方式是对生活感到厌倦的中年家庭主妇的典型体现。

　　Sequencing the genome，which computers at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver completed at 4 a.m. Saturday after a team slaved over the problem 24 hours a day for a mere six days， is the first step toward developing a diagnostic test for the virus and possibly a vaccine.

　　位于温哥华市不列颠哥伦比亚癌症研究所的一个研究小组连续六天24小时不停的艰苦努力，终于用计算机将病毒基因排序的工作于星期六清晨4点完成。这是迈向发展出一种临床诊断该病毒测试方法，乃至一种疫苗的第一步。

　　★sequence, "排序" 作动词：Scientists have sequenced the gene responsible for...... 科学家们已经完成有关......的基因测序。slave, "奴隶般地工作，做苦工"：I slaved away all day over a hot stove to produce this meal. 我一整天围着火热的炉子辛辛苦苦地做出了这顿饭。

　　The genome appears to be that of a "completely new" coronavirus unrelated to any known human or animal viruses, a scientist at the Canadian agency said.

　　加拿大研究所的一位科学家说，病毒的基因组表明这是一种"全新的" 冠状病毒，与任何已知的人类或动物病毒都没有联系，

　　A competing United States team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is reaching the same conclusion, and scientists from both teams said the virus's startlingnovelty could make it harder to trace what animal or bird it came from, if it did jump from another species.

　　位于亚特兰大的疾病控制和预防中心的一个美国研究小组即将得出相同的结论。两个小组的科学家都表示该病毒独特性使得追查其动物或鸟类来源的工作格外困难，如果病毒的确是从其他物种传播过来的话。

　　★novelty, "新颖，新奇性"：At first I enjoyed all the parties, but the novelty soon wore off. 起初我喜欢参加一切社交聚会，但这种新奇感很快就消失了。 jump, 注意这里的比喻用法，表示病毒从一个物种传染到另一个物种，相当于 transfer, transmit, infect等。
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