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據(jù)一項(xiàng)研究顯示，老鼠并非傳播黑死病這場(chǎng)瘟疫的罪魁禍?zhǔn)?。人們?cè)?jīng)普遍認(rèn)為，在15到20世紀(jì)歐洲爆發(fā)的一系列疾病是由嚙齒動(dòng)物及鼠蚤大范圍擴(kuò)散而導(dǎo)致的。然而，來(lái)自挪威奧斯陸和意大利費(fèi)拉拉市部分大學(xué)的研究團(tuán)隊(duì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，黑死病肆虐其實(shí)另有原因。

Scientists used historical records from plague outbreaks in nine European cities, building a picture of how the disease spread.

They then compared the actual spread to three computer-simulated outbreaks: One where the disease was transmitted by rat fleas, one where it was airborne and another that modelled the transmission by fleas and lice that live on humans and their clothes.

Their conclusion: human lice caused the pandemic because this model mimicked the actual spread of the Black Death much more closely than the others.

科學(xué)家們利用九個(gè)歐洲城市的瘟疫爆發(fā)歷史記錄再現(xiàn)了該病在當(dāng)時(shí)傳播的過(guò)程。

接著，他們把實(shí)際的傳播過(guò)程與計(jì)算機(jī)模擬生成的三類爆發(fā)情況做了比較。這三類爆發(fā)分別是由鼠蚤傳播、經(jīng)空氣傳播以及依靠人類身上寄生的跳蚤和虱子傳播的模擬情況。 

這組科學(xué)家給出的結(jié)論是：由于該模型模擬生成的黑死病實(shí)際傳播情況要比其它研究更加仔細(xì)，所以他們認(rèn)為人類身上的虱子才是導(dǎo)致這場(chǎng)流行病的原因。

1. 詞匯表

historical records 歷史記錄、記載
outbreaks（疾病）爆發(fā)
computer-simulated 由計(jì)算機(jī)模擬的
transmitted 被傳染、被傳播
airborne 借空氣傳播的
modelled 模擬了，以…建立了模型
pandemic（大范圍的）流行病
mimicked 模仿了

2.  閱讀理解：請(qǐng)?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問(wèn)題 。

1. True or false? Researchers illustrated how the Black Death disease spread by painting a picture.

2. How many outbreaks of the disease did researchers get the computer to simulate?

3. Name somewhere mentioned in the report where fleas and lice lived on humans.

4. Why do experts think this research gives a more accurate explanation about who spread the disease?

3. 答案

1. True or false? Researchers illustrated how the Black Death disease spread by painting a picture.
False. The term 'building a picture' used in the report means 'developing a better understanding'.

2. How many outbreaks of the disease did researchers get the computer to simulate?
Researchers compared the actual spread to three computer-simulated outbreaks.

3. Name somewhere mentioned in the report where fleas and lice lived on humans.
A computer simulation looked at fleas and lice that live on humans and their clothes.

4. Why do experts think this research gives a more accurate explanation about who spread the disease?
This model mimicked the actual spread of the Black Death much more closely than other models.