The prime suspect

新冠状病毒的爆发真是蝙蝠的错？词数 369    建议阅读时间 8分钟   
As the novel coronavirus (冠状病毒) spreads throughout China and the rest of the world, an important question has yet to be answered: where did the virus come from?
    The latest study indicated that pangolins (穿山甲) may be an intermediate host of virus, according to Xinhua. However, bats are suspected to be the original cause.
“We don’t know the source yet, but there’s pretty strong evidence that this is a bat origin coronavirus,” said Peter Dazsak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, an environmental nonprofit (非营利机构), according to The New York Times. “When you look at the genetic sequence (基因序列) of the virus, and you match it up with every known coronavirus, the closest ones are from bats,” Dazsak also told CNN.
So why are bats the source of so many deadly kinds of viruses and why don’t they suffer from any symptoms (症状)? Bats are mammals (哺乳动物) that have a long lifespan (寿命) and live with millions of other bats in caves, where they can potentially spread the virus far and wide. As the only flying mammal, their body temperature is high, similar to a fever. It’s this fact that may contribute to bats’ unique immune system (免疫系统) in protecting them from the ill effects of viruses.
It’s curious to note that the virus outbreak was traced to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, a place where no bats were sold. How could this be? “It seems likely that another animal host is acting as an intermediate host between bats and humans,” said Wu Guizhen, of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Live Science.
    But are bats truly to blame for the virus or should we be blaming ourselves? It’s the fault (错误) of humans for decreasing the distance between us and virus-carrying bats. Bats are an important animal in our ecosystem (生态系统) when it comes to pollinating (授粉) many fruits such as mangoes, bananas and avocados. We need to allow them to continue pollination and keep them away from our markets and mouths.
Interesting facts about  bats
● Bats carry many different viruses, with more than 60 that can make people sick.
● Because bats live together in large, close communities, their viruses are always passed around and evolving to become stronger.
● There are more than 1,300 bat species in the world. Most live in wet and dirty places, which are great for nurturing viruses.
● When bats fly, their body temperatures get higher. This kills most of the viruses, keeping the bats safe from infection.
How are humans infected by coronavirus?
● People eat bats
● People get close to bats
● Sometimes the viruses can jump from bats to other animals. Eating and getting close to these animals is also dangerous. They are called intermediaries (中间宿主).                                             SOURCE：XINHUA
Choose the best answer:
1. What can we learn about the origin of COVID-19?
A. Bats have been discovered to be its original cause.
B. Pangolins are now considered the most likely source.
C. It’s identified by comparing sources of various viruses.
D. The virus was found to be genetically similar to those seen in bats.
2. Why don’t bats suffer from the coronavirus?
A. Their low body temperature protects them.
B. Bats have a unique immune system.
C. Bats are the only flying mammal to live in groups.
D. Living in caves helps bats fight against viruses.
3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 5?
A. The Wuhan Huanan seafood market was blamed for selling bats.
B. The coronavirus was directly transmitted from bats to humans.
C. The intermediate host spreading the virus remains unknown.
D. Bats are not responsible for the outbreak of the coronavirus.
4. What is the main point the author makes in the last paragraph?
A. Virus-carrying bats should be killed.
B. Humans should stay away from bats.
C. Bats benefit but also harm our ecosystem.
D. Bats could spread viruses during pollination.