10,000 Feet Up, Scientists Found Hundreds of Airborne Germs 科学家在1万英尺高空捕捉到了多种病菌 The sky may not seem like a promising place to find life. But in the 1920s, scientists flew planes across the United States and caught floating spores. A century later, the living atmosphere remains a fairly mysterious place. On Monday, researchers reported that on flights over Japan, at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet, they had caught hundreds of different types of bacteria and fungi. The team estimated that the microbes had flown over 1,200 miles when they were captured. Most intriguing of all, some of the species might be able to cause diseases in people. 天空看起来似乎不是一个能找到生命的地方。 但在1920年代，科学家驾驶飞机穿越美国时，捕捉到了漂浮的孢子。 一个世纪后，有生命的大气层仍然是一个相当神秘的地方。 周一，研究人员报告称，在日本上空进行的飞行中，他们在1万英尺的高空捕捉到了数百种不同类型的细菌和真菌。 据研究小组估计，这些微生物被捕获时已飞行了1200多英里。 最令人好奇的是，其中一些物种可能会使人致病。 → germ 英 [dʒɜːm] 美 [dʒɜːrm] n. 病菌，细菌；起源，萌芽；极少量；胚芽，胚胎 复数germs A germ is a very small organism that causes disease. 病菌 Chlorine is widely used to kill germs. 氯广泛用于杀菌。 → promising 英 [ˈprɒmɪsɪŋ] 美 [ˈprɑːmɪsɪŋ] adj. 有希望的，有前途的 v. 承诺，答应；使很可能，预示（promise 的现在分词形式） → spore 英 [spɔː(r)] 美 [spɔːr] n. 孢子 vi. 长孢子 Spores are cells produced by bacteria and fungi which can develop into new bacteria or fungi. 孢子 → fairly 英 [ˈfeəli] 美 [ˈferli] adv. 相当地，颇；公平地，公正地；（用以强调）完全，简直；令人愉快地，让人喜欢地 → microbe 英 [ˈmaɪkrəʊb] 美 [ˈmaɪkroʊb] n. 细菌，微生物 复数microbes A microbe is a very small, living thing, which you can only see if you use a microscope. 微生物 → intriguing 英 [ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ] 美 [ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ] adj. 非常有趣的，引人入胜的 v. 引起……的兴趣；策划阴谋；私通（intrigue 的现在分词） If you describe something as intriguing, you mean that it is interesting or strange. 新奇的 This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative. 这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又有知识性。