经济学人精读教材有道考神团队@陈曲Frank致各位亲爱的同学们:大家好,我是有道考神团队的陈曲老师。欢迎大家选择经济学人课程,我们的课程时间持续一周,具体为:7月18日19:00-20:00精讲篇章1–killsevendiseases,save1.2mlivesayear(医疗类)7月19日19:00-20:00精讲篇章2–hyperactive,yetpassive(经济类)7月20日19:00-20:00精讲篇章3–clearthinkingonclimatechange(环境类)7月21日19:00-20:00精讲篇章4–thefutureofcomputing(科技类)7月22日19:00-20:00精讲篇章5–who’safraidofthecheapoil(经济类)7月23日19:00-20:00精讲篇章6–migrantcrisis(移民危机)请大家注意以下注意事项:1.讲义以课文为主,请各位同学课前预习课文,查出不认识的单词。2.请各位同学准备好笔记本,授课时做好笔记,微博晒笔记有陈曲老师专属的礼品赠送。3.除了课文外,陈曲老师还精心挑选了课后的阅读篇章。供大家研读学习。4.关于这些文章,大家既可以阅读讲义,也可以下载本网盘中pdf格式的期刊。经济学人班级群号:379490754验证:有道学堂经济学人(四六级暑假班学员可不用重复加入此群哦~)5.我的新浪微博:陈曲Frank,微博里会持续有一些更新内容,大家可以借鉴。特别鸣谢eco中文网,讲义中大量的翻译均有其提供!译文仅作参考!大家一起学习一点真正的英语(AuthenticEnglish)!Passage1:EradicatingDiseaseOct10th2015|FromtheprinteditionViralandparasiticdiseasesarenotonlyworthkillingoff,theyarealsoincreasinglyvulnerable.TOEXTERMINATEalivingspeciesbyaccidentisnormallyfrownedon.Todosodeliberatelymightthusseemanextraordinarysin.ButifthatspeciesisPlasmodiumfalciparum,thesinmaybeexcused.Thisparasiticorganismcausesthemostdeadlyformofmalaria.Togetherwithfourcousins,itisresponsibleforabout450,000deathsayear,andtheruinationofthelivesofmillionsmorepeoplewhosurvivetheinitialcrisisofdisease.Besidesthedirectsufferingthiscauses,thelosthumanpotentialisenormous.TheGatesFoundation,anAmericancharity,reckonsthateradicatingmalariawouldbringtheworld$2trillionofbenefitsby2040.Malariaisoneoftheworstexamplesofthedamagethattransmissiblediseasescanwreak.Butitisnotalone.AIDScarriesofffit,youngadultsbythemillionsandtuberculosisbythehundredsofthousands.Measles,whoopingcoughanddiarrhoeatogetherkillover1mchildrenayear.Parasiticwormsandmosquito-borneviruseslikedengue,thoughtheytakerelativelyfewlives,debilitatemany.Campaignshavebroughtthetolldownheroically.Asrecentlyas2000,malariakilledaround850,000peopleayear;likewise,since2000deathsfrommeasleshavefallenby75%,toaround150,000.Thesesuccessesaretobecelebrated,butanevengreaterprizeexists:togobeyondcontrollinginfectionsandinfestationsandinsteadtoeradicatesomeofthemcompletely,byexterminatingthepathogensandparasitesthatcausethem.Thathasbeenaccomplishedacoupleoftimesinthepast,forsmallpox(ahumandisease)andrinderpest(acattlediseasesimilartomeasles).Theendisreckonedtobecloseforpolio(avirusthatoncekilledandcrippledmillions)anddracunculiasis(aparasiticworm).Butmoremustfollow.SwatteamsSomediseasesarenotsuitableforeradicationbecausetheorganismsthatcausethemhangaroundintheenvironment,orhaveotheranimalhosts.Others,suchastuberculosis,caninfectpeople“silently”,withoutcausingsymptoms,soareinvisibletodoctors.Butsometimestheculpritisapovertyofambition.Alistoffiveplausibletargets—measles,mumps,rubella,filariasisandporktapeworm—hashardlychangedsincetheearly1990s,yetmeasles,mumpsandrubellaareallthesubjectsofintensivevaccinationcampaignsthatcouldeasilybeconvertedintoonesoferadication.AndeventhoughSwazilandispoisedtobecomethefirstmalaria-freecountryinsub-SaharanAfrica,onlyafewdaretomakeexplicitthegoalofriddingtheplanetofthedisease.HepatitisCshouldbemadeatarget,too.Itkillshalfamillionayear,andaffectsrichandpoorcountriesalike,yetnewdrugsagainstitarealmost100%effectiveandtherearenosilentcarriers.Eradicatingthesesevendiseases—thefive,plusmalariaandhepatitisC—wouldsaveayearlytotalof1.2mlives.Itwouldtransformcountlessmore.Peoplearguethatthecostofchasingdownthelastfewcasesofadiseaseisnotworthit.Ifthemass-vaccinationcampaignsunderwaycanlowertheincidenceofmeasles,mumps,rubellaandsooninpoorcountriestosomethingclosetorich-worldlevels,theargumentgoes,thatissurelygoodenough.Well,itisn't.Adiseasecanbounceback.Thatiswhatmalariadidinthe1960s,whenpoliticalattentionwaned,andtheparasitesthatcauseitevolvedresistancetodrugsandthemosquitoesthatspreaditevolvedresistancetoinsecticides.Threebigimprovementsunderpintheargumentforthrowingeradication'snetmorewidely.Thefirstisbettercommunications.Thetechnologyforlocatingandmonitoringcasesofdiseaseinpoorcountries,evenwhenfewandfarbetween,hasimprovedimmeasurablyinthepasttwodecadeswiththespreadofmobilephonesandtheinternet,andtheexpansionofroadnetworks.Thesecondisbettermedicaltechnology.Thereasonfilariasisisonthe“possibles”list,forexample,istheinventionofivermectin,adrugthatkillsthewormwhichcausesit.Theinventorsofthisdrugwonhalfofthisyear'sNobelprizeformedicine.Theotherhalfwaswonbythewomanwhocameupwithananswertodrugresistanceinmalaria—amedicinecalledartemisinin,whichhasbeencrucialtothesuccessoftherecentpushagainstthedisease.(Thistime,alerttotheriskofresistance,doctorshaveformulateditwithotherdrugstocreatecombinationtherapiesthatnaturalselectionfindshardtogetaround.)Evenbettertechnologyisinthepipeline.Inthecaseofmosquito-borneillnessessuchasmalariaanddengue,geneticengineeringpromiseswaysofmakingtheinsectsresistanttothepathogensthattheypassontopeople,ofcrashingthemosquitopopulation,andevenofattackinginsectsandpathogenswithgeneticallymodifiedfungiandbacteria.Geneticengineeringalsopromisesawiderangeofnewvaccines.Thethirdreasonforseekingeradicationisachangeinpoliticalattitudes.TheemergenceofAIDS,inpar