2024年5月10日发(作者：scenarios)

冠.状.病毒（coronavirus）是一类主要引起呼吸道、肠道疾病（respiratory and

intestinal diseases）的病原体。这类病毒颗粒的表面有许多规则排列的突起（a

fringe of bulbous surface projections ），整个病毒颗粒就像一顶帝王的皇冠

（royal crown），因此得名“冠.状.病毒”。冠.状.病毒除人类以外，还可感染

猪、牛、猫、犬、貂、骆驼、蝙蝠、老鼠、刺猬等多种哺乳动物以及多种鸟类

（mammals and birds）。

【关于新型冠.状.病毒】

2019-nCoV, as it s been labelled, is understood to be a new strain of coronavirus

that has not previously been identified in humans.

这种新型冠.状.病毒（2019-nCoV）此前未在人类身上发现过。

Coronaviruses are a broad family of viruses, but only six (the new one would make

it seven) are known to infect people.

冠.状.病毒是一个庞大的病毒家族，目前已知会感染人类的有六种（新发现的这

种是第七种）。

【相关词汇】

新型冠.状.病毒 novel coronavirus / new strain of coronavirus

呼吸道疾病 respiratory diseases

禽流感病毒 avian influenza virus

密切接触者 close contacts

潜伏期 incubation period

疑似病例 suspected case

确诊病例 confirmed case

得肺炎 get/catch pneumonia

接受医学观察 under medical observation

流行病学调查 epidemiological investigation

病毒爆发 virus outbreak

遏制疫.情爆发 contain the outbreak

严格隔离政策 strict isolation policy

携带病毒 carrying the virus

超级传染源 superspreader

医疗费用报销 reimbursement for medical expenses

中国大部分地区口罩供应紧张 tight supplies in large areas of China

人传人 human-to-human transmission

医务人员感染 infection of medical worker

【相关报道】

Scientists believe an animal source is "the most likely primary source" but that

some human-to-human transmission has occurred.

科学家认为动物是“最有可能的初始感染源”，不过，也有一些人传人的病例。

Signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath

and breathing difficulties.

感染症状包括：呼吸道症状，发烧，咳嗽，呼吸短促，呼吸困难等。

近期，hubei省wuhan市等多个地区发生新型冠.状.病毒感染的肺炎疫.情。

【阅读理解】

A new Chinese coronavirus, a cousin of the SARS virus, has infected more than

1000 people since the outbreak (爆发） began in Wuhan, China, in December.

Scientist Leo Poon, who first decoded the virus, thinks it likely started in an

animal and spread to humans.

"What we know is it causes pneumonia （肺炎） and then doesn t respond to

antibiotic（抗生素） treatment, which is not surprising, but then in terms of

mortality （死亡率）, SARS kills 10% of the individuals," Poon, a virologist（病

毒学家） at the School of Public Health at The University of Hong Kong, said.

The World Health Organization offered guidance to countries on how they can

prepare for it, including how to monitor for the sick and how to treat patients.

Here are seven things you should know about a coronavirus.

What is a coronavirus

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In

rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic[ˌzəʊəˈnəʊtɪk]（人畜共患病）,

meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to the US

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coronavirus symptoms（症状）

The viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild（轻度） to moderate（中

度） upper respiratory tract illness（上呼吸道疾病）, similar to a common cold.

Coronavirus symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly a

headache and maybe a fever, which can last for a couple of days.

For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there

s a chance the virus could cause a lower, and much more serious, respiratory tract

illness like a pneumonia or bronchitis [brɒŋˈkaɪtɪs]（支气管炎）.

There are a handful of human coronaviruses that are known to be deadly.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome（中东呼吸综合征）, also known as the MERS

virus, was first reported in the Middle East in 2012 and also causes respiratory

problems, but those symptoms are much more severe. Three to four out of every

10 patients infected with MERS died, according to the CDC.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome（严重急性呼吸综合征）, also known as

SARS, is the other coronavirus that can cause more severe symptoms. First

identified in the Guangdong province in southern China, according to the WHO,

it causes respiratory problems but can also cause diarrhea [ˌdaɪəˈriə]（腹泻）,

fatigue （疲劳）, shortness of breath, respiratory distress （呼吸窘迫） and

kidney failure （肾衰）. Depending on the patient s age, the death rate with

SARS ranged from 0-50% of the cases, with older people being the most

vulnerable.

How it spreads

Viruses can spread from human contact with animals. Scientists think MERS

started in camels, according to the WHO. With SARS, scientists suspected civet

cats （狸猫） were to blame.

When it comes to human-to-human transmission of the viruses, often it happens

when someone comes into contact with the infected person s secretions

[sɪˈkriːʃ(ə)n]（分泌物）.

Depending on how virulent [ˈvɪrələnt] （有毒的）the virus is, a cough, sneeze

or handshake could cause exposure. The virus can also be transmitted by touching

something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose or