禽流感疫情究竟有多严重
How Serious Is Bird Flu Outbreak?
慢速 | 四级（高考）偏难 | 667词 | 6min32s
刘立军供稿
Part I. QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
Q1. What action did California officials take regarding the bird flu outbreak?
A. They declared a state of emergency.
B. They closed all dairy farms.
C. They vaccinated all milk cows.
D. They banned the sale of raw milk.
Q2. What is the main message of the passage regarding the bird flu outbreak?
A. The bird flu is a severe threat to the general public.
B. The bird flu has been effectively contained in the U.S.
C. The bird flu poses a low risk to the public but is a concern for certain groups.
D. The bird flu is only a minor issue and not worth public attention.
Q3. What can be inferred about the potential danger of the H5N1 virus from the passage?
A. It is unlikely to mutate and become more dangerous.
B. It could become more dangerous if it mutates.
C. It has already become a major threat to human health.
D. It is safe as long as people avoid raw milk.
Q4. What was the first known severe illness case in the U.S. related to bird flu?
A. A young child in California.
B. An adult in Missouri.
C. A farmworker in the Central Valley.
D. A person in Louisiana over 65 years old.
Q5. What measure did the CDC take to protect farmworkers?
A. They provided free medical treatment.
B. They bought vaccines for farmworkers.
C. They ordered the culling of infected birds.
D. They issued a travel ban for farmworkers.
Part II. TRANSCRIPT
How Serious Is Bird Flu Outbreak?
(Q1) California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu. It is affecting milk cows in that state and causing illnesses in some people in other U.S. states.
The avian influenza virus, or bird flu, has spread among wild birds, farm birds and many mammal species.
avian adj. 鸟类的，禽类的
The virus is known as Type A H5N1. It was identified for the first time in U.S. milk cows in March. Since then, bird flu has been found in about one third of U.S. states.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is following the number of cases and is reporting the latest details on its website. Most of the illnesses have been mild. Health officials said that one person in Louisiana was hospitalized with the nation’s first known severe illness caused by the virus.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he declared the state of emergency so state workers could take faster action.
California officials have been testing milk tanks. They said they have found the virus in hundreds of herds. The virus was recently found in Southern California dairy farms. It was found in the state’s Central Valley in August.
herd n. 群，畜群
What is the risk to the general public?
(Q2-1) Officials with the CDC repeated that the public has a low risk of getting the virus. There are no reports of person-to-person infection and no signs that the virus has changed to spread easily among humans.
Flu experts say it is too soon to know how the situation will change. (Q3-1) But some experts are worried because flu viruses are mutating all the time and small genetic changes could take place.
mutate v. 突变，变异
genetic adj. 基因的，遗传的
Are cases becoming more serious?
(Q4) Health officials said the first known case of severe illness in the U.S. was found in a patient in Louisiana. The person is older than 65 and has other medical problems. Officials said the person showed severe breathing problems after being near a group of sick birds. The CDC said that the Louisiana case is the first confirmed U.S. infection connected with backyard birds, or birds kept near a home.
Almost all the earlier infections in the U.S. have been in farmworkers dealing with infected dairy cattle or birds. In two cases - an adult in Missouri and a child in California - health officials have not learned how they became infected.
Angela Rasmussen is a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. She said as more people become infected, more severe illnesses will be reported. Rasmussen said, “I assume that every H5N1 virus has the potential to be very severe and deadly.”
The World Health Organization says on its website that from 2003 to November 2024 about 142 people died from the H5N1 virus around the world. Most of the deaths were in Southeast Asia.
How can people protect themselves?
(Q2-2)People who have contact with dairy cows, commercial poultry or with backyard birds are at higher risk than other people. CDC and other experts said those people should use breathing, eye, and hand protection, especially if the animals appear ill or if they die.
poultry n. 家禽
(Q5) The CDC said in July that it would buy $5 million in vaccines for farmworkers to protect against seasonal flu. (Q3-2) If someone becomes infected with two flu types at the same time, it might permit the bird flu virus to mutate and to become more dangerous.
vaccine n. 疫苗
How else is bird flu spread?
The H5N1 virus can also be spread in raw, or unpasteurized, milk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says pasteurized milk is safe to drink because the heat treatment kills the virus.
pasteurize v. 巴氏杀菌（使牛奶等经过加热处理以杀死细菌）
But high levels of the virus have been found in unpasteurized milk. Health officials urge people to avoid drinking raw milk. It can spread other germs in addition to bird flu.
germ n. 微生物，细菌，病菌
The U.S. Agriculture Department has increased its testing of raw milk across the country to identify and contain avian flu. Federal officials ordered milk testing which began this month in 13 states.
federal adj. 联邦的
Part III. KEY
Q1. A.【解析】细节题。根据“California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu.”，可知加利福尼亚州官员因禽流感的传播宣布进入紧急状态。因此答案是A。
Q2. C.【解析】主旨题。文章多次提到公众感染禽流感的风险较低，如：“Officials with the CDC repeated that the public has a low risk of getting the virus.”，也强调了与家禽等有接触的人群风险较高，并需要采取防护措施，“People who have contact with dairy cows, commercial poultry or with backyard birds are at higher risk ... hand protection”。因此，文章的主旨是禽流感对公众风险较低，但对特定群体是值得关注的问题。答案是C。
Q3. B.推理题。根据“But some experts are worried because flu viruses are mutating all the time and small genetic changes could take place.”以及“If someone becomes infected with two flu types at the same time, it might permit the bird flu virus to mutate and to become more dangerous.”，可知一些专家担心，因为流感病毒一直在变异，可能会发生小的基因变化，并且如果有人同时感染两种流感病毒，可能会使禽流感病毒变异并变得更危险。这表明H5N1病毒存在变异，并变得更危险的潜在风险。因此答案是B。
Q4. D.【解析】细节题。根据“Health officials said the first known case of severe illness in the U.S. was found in a patient in Louisiana. The person is older than 65...”，可知美国已知的首例重症病例发生在路易斯安那州的一名患者身上，其年龄超过65岁。因此答案是D。
Q5. B.【解析】细节题。根据“The CDC said in July that it would buy $5 million in vaccines for farmworkers to protect against seasonal flu.”，可知疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）将为农场工人购买500万美元的疫苗，以预防季节性流感。因此答案是B。
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