原版英文小故事 7. Bad News, Good News

Benjamin was sick. He didn't know how he got sick. He was feverish¹ and tired. He had no appetite. His stomach hurt more often than not. At first he shrugged² off the symptoms, figuring he had picked up a bug³ that would go away in a week or so. But it didn't. It lingered. After three weeks, he dragged himself to Dr. Barkley.

The doctor did a few tests. Then he asked Benjamin if he had gone camping and drunk unsterilized stream water. Benjamin said he hadn't been camping since he had played soldier in the army.

He asked if Benjamin had eaten at any fast food restaurants in the past month, or eaten from one of the many lunch trucks in the Los Angeles area. Benjamin said that he ate fast food or lunch truck food every day at noon.

“That’s probably the source of your illness. You have hepatitis A, and you most likely got it from a food worker who didn't wash his hands thoroughly⁴ after using the bathroom. It happens a lot.” “Holy cow! I'm not going to die, am I?”

The doctor told him not to worry. A viral infection that attacks the liver, hepatitis A kills only about 100 people annually⁵ in the US. He told Benjamin to see him every two weeks, and to be prepared to take up to three months off from work so that he could rest, rest, rest. There is no cure for hepatitis A. You survive, or you don’t.

“But there is one good thing about hepatitis A,” Dr. Barkley said. “Once you get it, you’re immune to it for the rest of your life.”

 

1 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

2 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

4 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

5 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。