Hoping Llamas Will Become Coronavirus Heroes
愿美洲駝成為新冠疫情中的英雄
--------From YLYK 每日外刊精讀專輯
Winter is a 4-year-old chocolate-colored llama with spindly legs, ever-so-slightly askew ears and envy-inducing eyelashes. Some scientists hope she might be an important figure in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
溫特是只4歲大的巧克力色美洲駝，有著細(xì)長的雙腿、略微傾斜的耳朵和令人羨慕的睫毛。一些科學(xué)家希望她能成為對抗新冠病毒的重要角色。
She was chosen by researchers to participate in a series of virus studies involving both SARS and MERS. Finding that her antibodies staved off those infections, the scientists posited that those same antibodies could also neutralize the new virus that causes Covid-19. They were right, and published their results in the journal Cell.
溫特被研究人員選中，參與了包括非典和中東呼吸綜合癥在內(nèi)的一系列病毒研究?？茖W(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，美洲駝的抗體可以阻擋這類病毒的感染，因此他們假設(shè)這些抗體也可以中和引發(fā)新冠肺炎的病毒。科學(xué)家們的假設(shè)是對的，且研究結(jié)果已在《細(xì)胞》期刊發(fā)表。
Humans produce only one kind of antibody, made of two types of protein chains — heavy and light — that together form a Y shape. Heavy-chain proteins span the entire Y, while light-chain proteins touch only the Y’s arms. Llamas, on the other hand, produce two types of antibodies. One of those antibodies is similar in size and constitution to human antibodies. But the other is much smaller; it’s only about 25 percent the size of human antibodies. The llama’s antibody still forms a Y, but its arms are much shorter because it doesn’t have any light-chain proteins.
人類只產(chǎn)生一種抗體，由兩種蛋白鏈組成——重鏈和輕鏈——共同組成一個(gè)Y型結(jié)構(gòu)。蛋白重鏈貫穿整個(gè)Y型結(jié)構(gòu)，而蛋白輕鏈只依附在Y型結(jié)構(gòu)的“臂部”。另一方面，美洲駝產(chǎn)生兩種抗體。其中一種抗體的大小和結(jié)構(gòu)與人類抗體相似。但另一種抗體要小得多，只有人類抗體大小的25%。美洲駝的抗體仍然構(gòu)成Y型，但其“臂部”要短得多，因?yàn)槠渲胁缓鞍纵p鏈。
This more diminutive antibody can access tinier pockets and crevices on spike proteins — the proteins that allow viruses like the novel coronavirus to break into host cells and infect us — that human antibodies cannot. That can make it more effective in neutralizing viruses.
這種更微小的抗體可以進(jìn)入刺突蛋白上更小的囊和縫隙——刺突蛋白可以讓像新冠病毒這樣的病毒侵入宿主細(xì)胞并感染我們——而人類抗體則不能。這樣便可更有效地中和病毒。
生詞好句
llama?UK /?lɑ?m?/ US /?lɑ?m?/?n. 美洲駝
美洲駝，原產(chǎn)自南美洲。
在西班牙語中，讀作/yɑ?m?/。
復(fù)數(shù)：llamas
chocolate-colored?adj. 巧克力色的
構(gòu)詞法：
某種帶顏色的物品 + "-colored" = 某種顏色的
cherry-colored lipstick 櫻桃色的口紅
coffee-colored dress 咖啡色的長裙
brown adj. 棕色的
brunet adj. 深褐色的
spindly?UK /?sp?ndli/ US /?sp?ndli/?adj. 細(xì)長纖弱的（常用來描述身型，尤其是腿形）
I do have rather spindly legs.
我的腿確實(shí)很細(xì)。
ever-so-slightly?adv. 非常輕微地
ever so 非常，極其
askew?UK /??skju?/ US /??skju?/?adj. 歪斜的
envy-inducing?adj. 惹人艷羨的
envy n. 嫉妒
induce vt. 引起，招惹
the envy-inducing voice 惹人羨慕的聲音
in the fight against sth.?抗擊某事
in the fight against procrastination 與拖延癥的對抗中
novel?UK /?n?v?l/ US /?nɑ?v?l/?adj. 新的
stave off?避開/擋住/延緩某壞事的發(fā)生（avoid sth. bad or dangerous）
Enterprises are making effort to stave off bankruptcy.
企業(yè)在努力避免破產(chǎn)。
Governments are managing to stave off depression.
政府在努力避免經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條。
infection?UK /?n?fek??n/ US /?n?fek??n/?n. 感染
posit?UK /?p?z?t/ US /?pɑ?z?t/?vt. 提出假設(shè)
neutralize?UK /?nju?tr?la?z/ US /?nu?tr?la?z/?vt. 使……失效；中和
詞義辨析：
stave off 強(qiáng)調(diào)成功阻擋……的結(jié)果
neutralize 指出使……失效的原理
Cell?n. （期刊名）《細(xì)胞》
Cell《細(xì)胞》是全世界最權(quán)威的學(xué)術(shù)雜志之一，發(fā)表的都是頂尖科研成果。與期刊Nature《自然》和Science《科學(xué)》合稱 CNS。
be made of sth.?由某物組成
Our lives are made of ups and downs.
我們的生活充滿了起伏。
Reality is made of hopes and disappointments.
希望和失望在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中并存。
span?UK /sp?n/ US /sp?n/?vt. 橫跨，跨越
A is similar in X to B?A 和 B在 X上相似/差不多
constitution?UK /?k?nst??t?u???n/ US /?kɑ?nst??tu???n/?n. 構(gòu)造
produce antibodies?產(chǎn)生抗體
diminutive?UK /d??m?nj?t?v/ US /d??m?nj?t?v/?adj. 小得出奇的; 特小的（extremely or unusually small）
access?UK /??kses/ US /??kses/?vt. 進(jìn)入 n. 進(jìn)入（接近或進(jìn)入某地的）方法; 通路
host cell?宿主細(xì)胞
spike protein?刺突蛋白
pocket?UK /?p?k?t/ US /?pɑ?k?t/?n. 袋；囊
