Face Masks May Not Protect from Super-Flu

　　1　If a super-flu strikes, face masks may not protect you. Whether widespread use of masks will help, or harm, during the next worldwide flu outbreak is a question that researchers are studying furiously. No results have come from their mask research yet. However, the government says people should consider wearing them in certain situations anyway, just in case1.

　　2　But it's a question the public keeps asking while the government are making preparations for the next flu pandemic. So the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with2 preliminary guidelines. "We don't want people wearing them everywhere," said the CDC. "The overall recommendation really is to avoid exposure."

　　3　When that's not possible3, the guidelines say to consider wearing a simple surgical mask if you are in one of the three following situations. First, you're healthy and can't avoid going to a crowded place. Second, you're sick and think you may have close contact with the healthy, such as a family member checking on you4. Third, you live with someone who's sick and thus might be in the early stages of infection, but still need to go out.

　　4　Influenza pandemics can strike when the easy-to-mutate flu virus shifts to a strain that people never have experienced. Scientists cannot predict when the next pandemic will arrive, although concern is rising that the Asian bird flu might trigger one if it starts spreading easily from person to person.

　　5　During the flu pandemic, you should protect yourself. Avoid crowds, and avoid close contact with the sick unless you must care for someone. Why aren't masks added to this self-protection list? Because they can help trap virus-laden droplets flying through the air with a cough or sneeze. Simple surgical masks only filter the larger droplets. Besides, the CDC is afraid masks may create a false sense of security. Perhaps someone who should have stayed home would don an ill-fitting mask and hop on the subway5 instead.

　　6　Nor does flu only spread through the air6. Say7 someone covers a sneeze with his or her hand, then touches a doorknob or subway pole8. If you touch that spot next and then put germy hands on your nose or mouth, you've been exposed. It's harder to rub your nose while wearing a mask and so your face may get pretty sweaty under masks. You reach under to wipe that sweat, and may transfer germs caught on the outside of the mask straight to the nose. These are the problems face masks may create for their users.

　　7　Whether people should or should not use face masks still remains a question. The general public has to wait patiently for the results of the mask research scientists are still doing.

　　词汇：

　　furiously 强烈地 outbreak (疾病的)暴发

　　pandemic 全国流行的(疾病);n.大流行，大传染病

　　mutate 变异 strain 菌株 virus-laden 充满细菌的

　　sneeze 打喷嚏 don 穿上

　　doorknob 门把手 germy 带有细菌的

　　注释：

　　1.just in case：就是为了预防万一

　　2.came up with：(针对问题、挑战)提出

　　3.When that’s not possible：在无法做到的情况下。When从句中的that替代上一段的avoid exposure。

　　4.such as a family member checking on you：例如你的家庭成员来检查你的病情

　　5.subway：(美)地铁。英国英语的地铁是underground. subway在英国英语中是“(通过马路的)地下人行通道”。

　　6.Nor does flu only spread through the air：流感不仅仅通过空气传染。nor用于句首时，句子的谓语动词要倒装。如：He does not speak Russian. Nor do I.他不会说俄语，我也不会。

　　7.Say：比如说

　　8.subway pole：地铁车厢竖杆扶手

　　练习：

　　1.Paragraph 2 _________.

　　2.Paragraph 3 _________.

　　3.Paragraph 5 _________.

　　4.Paragraph 6 _________.

　　A　Reasons for Excluding Masks from the Self-protection List

　　B　Effort to Stop Flu from Spreading

　　C　When to Use Face Masks

　　D　Guidelines on Mask Use

　　E　Warnings from the CDC

　　F　Danger of Infection through Germy Hands and Masks

　　5.The scientists are trying to find out if masks may or may not _________.

　　更多精彩内容 >> 新东方网英语频道 

　　全国新东方英语课程搜索

（实习编辑：高奕飞）