英語晨讀精華 Week 3 Day 4 Anthrax，Another Terrorist Weapon 炭疽熱，恐怖分子的又一種武器

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Anthrax,Another Terrorist Weapon

反恐已經成為這個世紀最熱門的詞匯之一。

When one newspaper photo editor in Florida died of anthrax and another tested positive, people wondered if this was connected to the attacks of September 11. More cases are appearing around the U.S., but the FBI has yet to determine if these are terrorist attacks. However, recent events have brought one question to the minds of many—what is anthrax?

Anthrax is a disease that normally infects livestock killing almost every animal that contracts the disease. Humans that come into contact with these animals or their hides on a regular basis, such as ranchers, are at the greatest risk of getting this disease. This might be why anthrax is also known as the wool sorter’s disease. 　

Anthrax usually enters the body through the skin or by breathing. It cannot be spread from person to person, so it is not contagious. Anthrax is invisible to the naked eye and it has no smell or taste. The early symptoms of this disease are similar to those of the common cold. There is a vaccine for it that involves six shots. If it is caught in early stages, anthrax can be treated with antibiotics. 　

Anthrax, unlike the common cold, is not something that people catch every day. But if someone wanted to intentionally spread the disease, that’s another story.　

[注釋]：
editor: one who edits, especially as an occupation 編輯，編者　
anthrax: an infectious, usually fatal disease characterized by ulcerative skin lesions 炭疽熱（一種
傳染病，由炭疽桿菌感染引起。通過與帶病毒的動物部位如毛發(fā)、糞便、毛皮接觸后可以
傳染給人，病癥為皮膚潰爛損傷）　
infect: to invade and produce infection in 傳染，感染　
livestock: domestic animals 家畜，牲畜　
contract: to acquire or incur 感染　
rancher: one that owns or manages a ranch <美>牧場(或農場)主，農場工人　
sorter: to arrange according to class, kind, or size; classify 從事分類的人，這里指皮毛工人　
contagious: 傳染性的，會感染的　
invisible: 看不見的，無形的　
naked: having no covering 無保護的，無遮蓋的　
symptom: a characteristic sign or indication of the existence of something else 癥狀，征兆　
vaccine: 疫苗　
antibiotic: 抗生素, 抗生學　
intentionally: done deliberately; intended 有意地,故意地　