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Attack of the Airborne Allergy Makers 花粉过敏大作战

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It’s got you by the throat – and the nose. It leaves you with runny, itchy eyes, a dripping nose, and earth-shattering sneezing fits.“It” is hay fever, a most oddly-named malady, since sufferers are neither feverish, nor affected by hay.

它攻击你的喉咙......和鼻子。它带给你流泪不止又发痒的眼睛、鼻涕直流的鼻子及足以撼动地表的喷嚏。「它」就是「花粉症」(又称干草热)，一种有着最奇怪名字的慢性病，因为患者既不会发烧也不会受干草影响。

Hay fever’s (more accurate) medical term is allergic rhinitis. It is caused by waves of airborne pollen entering the respiratory system and causing inflammation. Since plants release pollen mostly during the spring, this time of year is, not surprisingly, the peak season for allergy sufferers. But it’s not the only time, and some people suffer from spring right through late fall.

更正确地说，花粉症在医学上称为过敏性鼻炎。其成因是因在空中传播的花粉进入呼吸系统而导致发炎。因为植物大多在春天释放花粉，可想而知，每年这个时候就是过敏症患者发病的高峰期。但这可不是唯一的发病时期，有些人从春天一直到秋末都深受其扰。

The pollen of colorful and sweet-smelling flowers is often thought to be the worst for sufferers. However, this bit of folk wisdom is wrong, as flowers rely on birds and insects to spread their pollen. The true source of most allergy-causing pollen is trees and grass, though the exact species vary from one region to another. In the UK, for example, grasses with innocuous names such as meadow foxtail and timothy are to blame. In Spain, it’s mainly the olive plant.

那些色彩鲜艳、气味芬芳花朵的花粉通常被认为会引发患者最严重的病情。然而，这种民间说法并不正确，因为花朵其实是藉由鸟类与昆虫传播花粉。大部分会引起过敏的花粉事实上是来自树木与草，不过确切的物种因地而异。例如，在英国，某些名字听起来无害的草，像是牧场狗尾草和猫尾草就是罪魁祸首。而在西班牙则主要是橄榄树。

Unfortunately, almost anywhere you go, you’ll hear sniffs and sneezes. There’s no escaping: pollen can reportedly travel hundreds of miles in one single day! So run; hide indoors; move to another country. It’s all in vain. With hay fever it’s medicate, or sneeze.

不幸的是，不管你到哪里，你几乎都会听见擤鼻子和打喷嚏的声音。没有人逃得过：据报导，花粉能在一天内前进数百哩。所以，逃跑、躲在屋内或搬到其他国家，全都是白费力气。对付花粉症，不乖乖就医的话，就继续打喷嚏吧!

−by Murray Walker

Vocabulary

单词发音

allergy [ˋælɚdʒɪ] n. 过敏症

feverish [ˋfivərɪʃ] adj. 发热的，发烧的

innocuous [ɪˋnɑkjʊəs] adj. 无害的; 不危险的

respiratory [rɪˋspaɪrə͵torɪ] adj. 呼吸的

itchy [ˋɪtʃɪ] adj. 痒的

shatter [ˋʃætɚ] v. 粉碎，砸碎

More Information

单词发音

malady [ˋmælədɪ] n. 病，疾病

rhinitis [raɪˋnaɪtɪs] n. 鼻炎

pollen [ˋpɔlən] n. 花粉

bit [bɪt] n. 少量，一点点

folk wisdom 民间的传言  sayingreferringto common fact,knowledge

sniff [snɪf] n. 抽鼻涕；鼻子发呼哧呼哧声

in vain 徒劳  without any useful result

medicate [ˋmɛdɪ͵ket] v. 用药治疗

sneeze [sniz] v. 打喷嚏;  n. 喷嚏（声）

meadow [ˋmɛdo] foxtail  [ˋfɑks͵tel] n. 狐尾草

timothy [ˋtɪməθɪ] n. 梯牧草，猫尾草

airborne [ˋɛr͵born] adj. 空中传播的，风媒的

runny [ˋrʌnɪ] adj. 流泪(鼻)水的

drip [drɪp] v. 滴下

earth-shattering [ˋɝθ͵ʃætərɪŋ] adj. 惊天动地的

fit [fɪt] n.（病的）发作