新概念英語第四冊
Lesson 17 A man-made disease
1 . By infecting animals and letting them loose in the burrows,通過讓染上此病的動物在洞內亂跑，
2 . A French physician decided to get rid of the wild rabbits on his own estate and introduced myxomatosis.一位法國內科醫生決定除掉自己莊園內的野兔子，於是引進了這種多發性粘液瘤疾病。
3 . was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis.易患一種叫做"多發性粘液瘤的致命病毒性疾病。
4 . acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence.而歐洲自己卻染上了這種人為的瘟疫般的疾病。
5 . enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit.一些有創業精神的移民不明智地把歐洲兔子引進了澳大利亞。
6 . It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease,後來，明顯看出，兔子對這種疾病已產生了一定程度的免疫力，
7 . where wild rabbits are not generally regarded as a pest but as a sport and a useful food supply,野兔在法國一般不被當作有害動物，而被視為打獵取樂的玩物和有用的食物來源。
8 . It overran a whole continent.整個澳洲兔子成災。
9 . Later it was found that there was a type of mosquito which acted as the carrier of this disease and passed it on to the rabbits.後來又發現，有一種蚊子是傳播這種疾病的媒介，能把此病傳染給兔子。
10 . So while the rest of the world was trying to get rid of mosquitoes, Australia was encouraging this one.因此，世界上其他地方在設法消滅蚊子的時候，澳大利亞卻在促使這種蚊子大量繁殖。
11 . In the early days of the settlement of Australia,在澳大利亞移民初期，
12 . so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated.所以兔子不可能被完全消滅。
13 . It spread through France,結果在整個法國蔓延開來。
14 . This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes,這種兔子在澳大利亞及新西蘭沒有天敵，
15 . Ironically, Europe, which had bequeathed the rabbit as a pest to Australia,具有諷刺意味的是，歐洲把這種兔子作為有害動物傳給澳洲，
16 . There were hopes, however, that the problem of the rabbit would become manageable.但是，已有希望解決兔子所帶來的問題。
17 . It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate.然而，這種疾病並未被局限在他的莊園內，
18 . The question became one of whether Man could control the disease he had invented.現在的問題是，人類能否控制住這種人為的疾病。
19 . Scientists discovered that this particular variety of rabbit (and apparently no other animal)科學家們發現，這種特殊品種的兔子（顯然不包括別的動物）
20 . local epidemics of this disease could be created.就可以使這種疾病在一個地區蔓延起來。
21 . It effectively spread the disease all over the continent and drastically reduced the rabbit population.蚊子把這種疾病擴散到整個澳洲大陸，效果甚佳，結果兔子的數目大為減少。
22 . and it spread to Britain where wild rabbits are regarded as a pest but where domesticated rabbits,equally susceptible to the disease, are the basis of a profitable fur industry.這種疾病又蔓延到了英國。在英國，野兔被當作有害的動物，可是家兔是賺錢的毛皮工業的基礎，然而家兔同樣易感染這種疾病。
23 . so that it multiplied with that promiscuous abandon characteristic of rabbits.因此便以兔子所特有的雜亂交配迅猛繁殖起來。
24 . It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle.它們在地下打洞，吃掉本可以飼養數百萬頭牛羊的牧草，給澳洲大陸造成了毀滅性的破環。