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》
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There is an exotic debate, of course--are viruses alive?这里有一个题外话 病毒是生物吗 -
Those who argue that they are alive, note that they're capable那些认为病毒是生物的人指出 -
of transmitting genetic material,病毒可以传递遗传信息 -
one of the key indications of life.这是生命的一个关键特征 -
Those who claim they're not alive, note that on their own那些反对这个观点的人认为 -
they're inert, that they can't carry on metabolic processes,病毒是惰性的 即无法进行代谢活动 -
or produce proteins.或制造蛋白质 -
Viruses, they note, are the ultimate parasites.他们指出 病毒是终极的寄生虫 -
Virologists often say that病毒学家经常说 -
whether you decide that viruses are alive or not不管你是否认为病毒是生物 -
is ultimately a matter or disciplinary perspective,最终这只是一个观点 -
or perhaps even personal preference.或者个人偏好