---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/17-a-man-made-disease.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：A Man-made Disease。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 17 · 人为的疾病

### 第1段

In the early days of the settlement of Australia, enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit. This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes, so that it multiplied with that promiscuous abandon characteristic of rabbits. It overran a whole continent. It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle. Scientists discovered that this particular variety of rabbit and apparently no other animal was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis. By infecting animals and letting them loose in the burrows, local epidemics of this disease could be created. 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. So while the rest of the world was trying to get rid of mosquitoes, Australia was encouraging this one. It effectively spread the disease all over the continent and drastically reduced the rabbit population. It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease, so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated. There were hopes, however, that the problem of the rabbit would become manageable.
Ironically, Europe, which had bequeathed the rabbit as a pest to Australia, acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence. A French physician decided to get rid of the wild rabbits on his own estate and introduced myxomatosis. It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate. It spread through France, where wild rabbits are not generally regarded as a pest but as a sport and a useful food supply, 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. The question became one of whether Man could control the disease he had invented.

中文理解：澳大利亚殖民初期，一些积极开拓的移民做了一件不明智的事：引进欧洲兔。兔子在这片南半球土地上没有天敌，便以兔类特有的惊人繁殖力毫无节制地繁衍，最终泛滥整个大陆。它们到处打洞，吃掉本可养活数百万只羊和牛的牧草，造成严重破坏。科学家后来发现，这一品种的兔子容易感染一种致命的病毒性疾病——黏液瘤病，而其他动物似乎不受影响。只要让兔子染病，再把它们放回洞穴，就能使这种病在局部流行。后来人们又发现，有一种蚊子能携带病原，把疾病传给兔子。于是，当世界其他地方都在设法灭蚊时，澳大利亚却在鼓励这种蚊子繁殖。它有效地把疾病传播到整个大陆，使兔子数量锐减。后来，兔子逐渐产生了一定的抗病能力，看来不太可能被彻底消灭。不过，人们仍希望兔患能得到控制。
讽刺的是，欧洲把兔子带到澳大利亚，使之成为当地的祸害，自己却又迎来了这种人为传播的疫病。法国一名医生为了清除自家庄园里的野兔，引入了黏液瘤病。但疾病并未停留在庄园范围内，而是传遍法国。在法国，野兔通常不被看成害兽，而是狩猎对象和有用的食物来源。疾病随后又传到英国。英国虽把野兔视为害兽，但同样容易染病的家兔，却支撑着利润可观的毛皮产业。问题于是变成：人类能否控制自己引入的这种疾病？

* **enterprising settlers**：有开拓精神的移民；undefined

* **natural enemies**：天敌；说明当地生态关系，不等于动物永远安全。

* **caused devastation**：造成严重破坏；devastation通常不可数，不必加a。

* **susceptible to**：易受……影响或感染；to后接疾病或影响，不是主动感染别人。

* **a fatal virus disease**：致命的病毒性疾病；undefined

* **letting them loose**：把它们放开；loose是状态补语，不是动词lose。

* **acted as the carrier**：充当传播媒介；carrier可指病原携带者或运输者，语境不同。

* **passed it on**：把它传给别处；代词放中间，to引出接收者。

* **get rid of**：清除；摆脱；表示去除，不能无条件等同于kill。

* **drastically**：大幅度地；undefined

* **a degree of resistance**：一定程度的抵抗力；程度有限，不等于完全免疫。

* **become manageable**：变得可控制；指能够应付，不等于问题彻底消失。

* **on his own estate**：在他自己的庄园里；undefined

* **within the confines of**：在……范围之内；confines指界限，不总是监狱。

* **regarded as a pest**：被看作有害动物；“有害”与用途、环境有关，本课欧洲与澳洲评价不同。

* **a useful food supply**：有用的食物来源；undefined

* **a profitable fur industry**：利润可观的毛皮业；undefined

* **control the disease**：控制疾病；control不自动等于彻底根除。

#### In the early days of the settlement of Australia, enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes, so that it multiplied with that promiscuous abandon characteristic of rabbits.

复合句，主谓宾结构，加一个结果状语从句，以致于出现了后面的情况，从句为主谓结构.

#### It overran a whole continent.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle.

复合句，主谓结构+定语从句.

句中 it 指兔子，那么兔子带来了什么的毁灭呢，本句中并没有说，必须结合上句，遍布整个澳洲，所以此句的毁灭，是针对澳洲大陆来说的.

#### Scientists discovered that this particular variety of rabbit and apparently no other animal was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis.

复合句，主谓+宾语从句. 其中宾语从句是主系表结构，susceptible 形容词作表语，后面 to a fatal virus disease，可以看作状语，亦有人作表语补足语来理解.

#### By infecting animals and letting them loose in the burrows, local epidemics of this disease could be created.

简单句，主谓结构.

by 引导的方式状语是并列结构，分成让兔子感染，以及让兔子乱跑.

#### 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.

复合句，it 作形式主语，that 引导主语从句为实际主语.

该主语从句中，含 which 引导的定语从句修饰蚊子，该定语从句为主语+双谓语结构，第二个谓语由动词词组 pass on 担任.

#### So while the rest of the world was trying to get rid of mosquitoes, Australia was encouraging this one.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，前面为 while 引导的时间状语从句，亦为主谓宾结构.

this one 指上一句的蚊子.

#### It effectively spread the disease all over the continent and drastically reduced the rabbit population.

并列句，it 指蚊子，spread 句中为过去式，其过去式和过去分词均不变，否则一般现在时需要用第三人称单数.

#### It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease, so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated.

复合句，it 作形式主语，that 引导主语从句为实际主语，该从句到 disease 为止. 主 句为主系表结构.

that 引导的主语从句为主谓宾结构.

so that 引导目的状语从句，该从句为主系表结构，动词不定式作表语.

#### There were hopes, however, that the problem of the rabbit would become manageable.

there be 句型+同位语从句. 其中同位语从句是主系表结构.

#### Ironically, Europe, which had bequeathed the rabbit as a pest to Australia, acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，主语 Europe 由 which…Australia 这一定语从句所修饰. 定语从句结构与主句一样.

#### A French physician decided to get rid of the wild rabbits on his own estate and introduced myxomatosis.

并列句，and 连接的两句均为主谓宾结构，只不过第二句省略了主语.

#### It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate.

简单句，主系表结构，表语由介词短语担任.

#### It spread through France, where wild rabbits are not generally regarded as a pest but as a sport and a useful food supply, 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.

并列复合句，两个 it spread 主句构成全句的主干结构，而每一个主句中，又含有 where 引导的定语从句作进一步的解释说明，其中第二个主句包括2 个 where 引导的定语从句，以 but 为转折相联系.

4-1 该定语从句为并列句，主谓宾结构，第二句省略了主语，谓语也不完整，所以 as 应理解为 are regarded as.

4-2 该定语从句为简单句，主谓宾结构.

4-3 该定语从句为主系表结构，是第二个主句的第二个定语从句.

#### The question became one of whether Man could control the disease he had invented.

简单句，主系表结构. 只不过之后 of 所带的定语里面，whether 引导的从句整体作介词 of 的宾语（whether 本身不是介词），所以在这里对该句子 Man…invented 进行了成分划分，里面还包含了一个 he had invented 的定语从句修饰 disease. 可以留意，最后的两个括回来的括号，一个在句点内，表 of 所带的定语结束；一个在句点之外，表 he had invented 的从句结束.

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