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It is the start of the Black Death .The chef becomes the first victim. Pretty soon his wife and maid die with the same symptoms . Similar cases are also found in other parts of the city. The government acts quickly, trying to take control of the disease. It also steps up efforts to reduce the risks of spread into other cities. However, there is no solution of curing the disease because no one knows its cause or how it spreads . As for the origin of the Black Death , no one really knows the truth at this time . Judging from the symptoms, even doctors have only assumed opinions, not facts, to explain what is happening. The debate about its cause has been going on for a while . One contemporary account of the Black Death blames the heavens. It firmly insists that a change in the positions of Mars and two other planets earlier this year results in bad air , and it is the bad air that causes the disease . There is also another kind of thinking about the cause of the Black Death . As a volcano erupts , the flood of mud , hot lava and dark ashes destroys everything in its path . Many people consider it a signal from God . In like manner , they believe the disease is another punishment from the Lord. People are punished for not being able to live in harmony with God . They have lost their faith and haven ' t defended the moral and spiritual values in their daily lives . This thought leads to the idea that the cure to the disease is to win God's blessing . As one of those believers , the bishop of a city church is thus convinced that God is speaking through the Black Death . After making a statement of his own thoughts about the disease , the bishop informs people that a sacred assembly will be held on the city square. He asks people to join him as they are going to pray God to forgive them and give them another chance . However , this won ' t be helpful in improving the situation . On the contrary, the bishop ought to discourage people from gathering since it will increase the chances of a disease spreading . As a matter of fact , a certain bacterium is associated with the Black Death. The bacterium is passed to humans from fleas, which are common pests carried by mice. So that black mouse is the initial carrier of the disease . The spread of the disease also causes social unrest. Angry crowds attack travelers,foreigners, certain racial groups , and people with other skin diseases , thinking that they are to blame for the horror . Some of the foolish people draw mistaken conclusions that the Black Death is spread by a certain group of people , who are accused of poisoning drinking water . It is a ridiculous racial attack , and thousands of people are murdered as a result. The Black Death drags on year after year ... 1.victim n ．受害者，受骗者 fall victim to 成为．.．的牺牲品 2.maid n ．女仆 3.take control of 控制 4. be in control of 掌管，控制 5.step up 加强，促进 6. reduce v .减少 reduction n .减少，缩减 a reduction in numbers 数目减少 7.solution n ．解决办法，解答 the solution to ...．的解决办法 solve v ．解决，解答 8. throughout prep .贯穿，遍及 9.crowded adj .拥挤的 10. crowd n .人群， v .拥挤 a crowd of 一大群 follow the crowd 随大流 11. rate n .比率，速度 12. percent n ．百分之．.. 13. percentage n ．百分率，百分比 14. wipe v .擦 15. psychological adj .心理的 16. psychology n .心理学 17.lead to 导致 18.widespread adj ．普遍的 19. panic n ./ v .惊慌，恐慌 be in panic 处于恐慌中 get into a panic 陷入恐慌状态 20. significance n .重要性 significant adj ．重要的 21. disaster n .灾难 natural disaster 自然灾难 22. apparent adj .明显的 be apparent to sb ．对某人来说很明显 23.official adj ．官方的 n ．官员 24. officially adv ．官方地，正式地 43.result in 导致，结果是 as a result of 因为，由于 52. punishment n .惩罚 53. lord n .上帝，贵族，封建领主 76. as a matter of fact 事实上 77. bacterium n ．细菌（复数） bacteria 90. accuse v .指控 accuse sb . of doing |
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来自： leeechen64 > 《待分类》
