文字稿
英國的科學傢們以空前的精度生成瞭阿茲海默癥患者大腦中聚積的異常沉積物的圖像。這支團隊來自英國醫學研究理事會下屬的分子生物學實驗室（MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology），他們認為這一發現為研究神經退化性疾病“開辟瞭嶄新的時代”。這些科學傢的研究成果將有助於研發阻止腦細胞死亡的藥物。請聽報道。
Alzheimer’s is the slow death of the brain. One of the main suspects in causing the disease is a protein called tau. It forms messy tangles inside brain cells leading to disruption and, eventually, death.
But while scientists have known about tau for decades, what’s been missing is a detailed understanding of its chemical structure. A study published in the journal Nature has finally cracked it using an advanced form of electron microscopy. The findings could lead to a new way of designing medicines to attack tau.
The team at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology said current drug research was like shooting in the dark. It’s still possible to score a hit but it becomes much more likely if you know the structure.
Experts in dementia charities said the results were a substantial advance that could lead to a new era of drug development.
詞匯表
tau Tau 蛋白，科學傢們認為大腦中 tau 蛋白的異常磷酸化與阿茲海默癥有緊密的聯系
main suspects 可能造成…的主要原因
tangles 亂糟糟的團狀物，纏結
disruption （大腦活動）中斷
chemical structure 化學結構
cracked 破解瞭，解決瞭
electron microscopy 電子顯微鏡技術
designing 開發、研發
shooting in the dark 毫無根據地猜想
score a hit “命中目標”，取得發現
測驗
請聽報道並回答下列問題。
1. According to the article, what is one of the main suspects in causing Alzheimer’s?
2. What has been missing from the scientists’ knowledge about tau for decades?
3. True or false? The team said current drug research was like a wild guess.
4. Which word in the text means ‘a period of time with a particular feature’?
答案
1. According to the article, what is one of the main suspects in causing Alzheimer’s?
One of the main suspects in causing the disease is a protein called tau.
2. What has been missing from the scientists’ knowledge about tau for decades?
For decades, what has been missing about tau is a detailed understanding of its chemical structure.
3. True or false? The team said current drug research was like a wild guess.
True. The team at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology said current drug research was like shooting in the dark, which means it was like an uninformed guess.
4. Which word in the text means ‘a period of time with a particular feature’?
Era.
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