来自《耶鲁大学开放课程：1600年后西方社会的流行病第6集第6集》

So, viruses, we now know,

所以我们现在知道病毒
consist of some of the elements of life,

是由生命的某些元素组成
stripped to their most basic.

而缺失大部分重要基础
A virus really is nothing more than a piece of genetic material

病毒事实上只是一些遗传物质
wrapped in a protein case.

这些遗传物质被包裹在蛋白质中
They're particles that are inert on their own.

它们是惰性微粒
Viruses lack the machinery to read DNA,

病毒无法读取DNA或者
or to make proteins,

制造蛋白质
or carry out metabolic processes.

也无法进行代谢
They can do nothing on their own,

它们自己无法完成任何事情
and they cannot reproduce by themselves.

甚至无法自我繁殖
Their survival depends

它们的生存是依靠