2017年12月英语四级阅读练习（五）
Wild ducks and other migratory(迁移的) birds could be important carriers ofdeadly bird flu, researchers say. Even so, the infectious-disease experts say
there is no solid basis for killing wild birds to protect poultry and minimize
the risk of human infection. The European team investigating the global spread
of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza(禽流感)says certain duck species may be
infecting wild bird populations. Geese and wading birds are also possible
vectors(带菌者)of the virus, the team says. The team's study was led by Björn Olsen
of Umea University in Sweden. Olsen runs Europe's largest wild-bird flu
monitoring program. Studies have shown that influenza viruses in lake water,
generally passed via bird feces(粪), can stay infectious for up to 30 days. The
migration or feeding behavior of dabbling ducks could at least partially explain
the spread of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the researchers add.
This group of duck species includes mallards, teal, pintails, and others
that feed at or near the surface, where viruses in water are most likely to be
picked up. Perhaps as a result, dabblers have the highest known rates of avian
influenza infection, the study says. For instance, nearly 13 percent of mallards
tested positive for bird flu. Other species tested include the American black
duck (18.1 percent), blue-winged teal (11.5 percent), and northern pintail (11.2
percent). However, bird flu viruses appear to exist in ducks in a low-pathogenic
form, meaning infection doesn't usually lead to severe illness and death.
"Dabbling ducks are for sure the prime hosts for low pathogenic viruses," said
study co-author Ron Fouchier, a virologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in
Rotterdam, Netherlands. "But the big question is, how much of our knowledge
about these viruses can we translate to high-pathogenic viruses such as the H5N1
strain of bird flu?" In poultry avian viruses can mutate(变异)into more virulent
influenza strains, including H5N1. If this mutated virus then finds its way back
into wild populations, the birds could then spread the disease through
migration. Some scientists have argued that wild birds infected with HN51 would
be too ill to migrate. Swans, for instance, appear to be particularly vulnerable
to the strain. "Swans apparently drop dead quite easily, but they are unlikely
to be the vector because they are not going to fly very far if they are dead,"
Fouchier said. But the study team says that some birds that have been purposely
infected for the sake of research show that wild birds can survive H5N1. "For
some reason H5N1 has adapted so it no longer kills dabbling ducks," Fouchier
said. This means the ducks may be able to spread the virus over a wide area. The
study team says migratory geese may also be vectors, because they often graze in
huge flocks, a practice that could encourage transmission. Migrating ducks, the
researchers add, "could provide an intercontinental bridge" for bird flu to
North America, which has not yet had any known cases of H5N1.
47. According to the author, what may be the possible carriers of bird
flu?
48. The main sources of influenza viruses in lake water are ________, which
may stay infectious for up to 30 days.
49. By saying "bird flu viruses appear to exist in ducks in a
low-pathogenic form" (Para. 6), the author suggests that infection ____.
50. On what condition can the birds spread the influenza through
migration?
51. According to the study team, ________ is a practice that can encourage
transmission of the bird flu.
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