2016-10-21 Tasmanian devil milk fights superbugs 袋獾乳汁可对抗“超级细菌”

文字稿

澳大利亚研究人员说，袋獾的乳汁可能会为人类对抗“超级细菌”提供有利的科学研究样本。悉尼大学的一个科研小组称，这种有袋动物的乳汁富含名为“肽”的重要化合物，它能杀死包括耐甲氧西林金葡菌（MRSA）在内的一系列难治的感染类病症。请听报道。

The Tasmanian devil may be an endangered species, but it is not a defenceless one. These feisty furry animals are the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial and have evolved a keen sense of smell along with sharp teeth and claws to catch their prey.

Another clue to their survival comes not from their adult diet but from what they drink as babies in the pouch — milk. Australian scientists have been studying devil milk and have found it’s packed with important proteins or peptides that can fight off hard-to-treat infections including the hospital superbug MRSA.

Elizabeth Murchison, a UK expert in Tasmanian devils says that the animals evolved this defence to help their vulnerable young grow stronger. The University of Sydney researchers ultimately hope to find new treatments for humans. They’ve scanned the devil’s genetic code to find and recreate the infection-fighting compounds. So far, they’ve found six. Work’s already begun testing other marsupials including koalas to see if these animals will reveal more. 

词汇表

Tasmanian devil 袋獾，分布于澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚州
defenceless 不能自卫的
feisty 精力充沛的，爱吵的
carnivorous （动物）食肉的
marsupial 有袋（目）哺乳动物
pouch （动物的）育儿袋
peptides 肽，一种化合物
hard-to-treat 难治的
superbug （对抗生素有抗药性的）“超级细菌”
MRSA 耐甲氧西林金葡菌，“超级细菌”的一种
genetic code 遗传密码
compounds 化合物

测验

请听报道并回答下列问题。

1. What is the secret of Tasmanian devils’ survival apart from their keen sense of smell?

2. How many infection-fighting compounds have the researchers at the University of Sydney found so far?

3. True or false? The Tasmanian devils are meat-eating animals.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the animal captured and killed by another for food’?

答案

1. What is the secret of Tasmanian devils’ survival apart from their keen sense of smell?
Another secret of their survival is what they drink as babies — milk, which is packed with important peptides that can fight off hard-to-treat infections.

2. How many infection-fighting compounds have the researchers at the University of Sydney found so far?
So far, the researchers at the University of Sydney have found six infection-fighting compounds.

3. True or false? The Tasmanian devils are meat-eating animals.
True. The Tasmanian devils are carnivorous, which means they eat meat.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the animal captured and killed by another for food’?
Prey.