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这是第09篇英文外刊跟读文章,欢迎跟随我们的脚步,读外刊,学英语,收获成长与进步。
本期文章来自The Economist杂志20260110期
原标题:AI is transforming the pharma industry for the better.
人工智能正在让制药行业变得更好人工智能正在让制药行业变得更好
Selected Text Words Count: 352 words in 4 paragraphs.
Reprocessed by Kevin Yao
Paragraph 01
Drug development is notoriously failure-prone. Only one in every ten drug candidates that enter human trials eventually goes onto the market. Turning a promising molecule into a useful medicine typically takes ten to 15 years after its discovery. These challenging economics mean that the cost of developing each successful drug is roughly $2.8bn. And because medicines ultimately come off-patent, the drive to find the next blockbuster is relentless.
药物研发向来失败率高。进入人体试验阶段的候选药物中,最终仅有十分之一能成功上市。一个有潜力的分子从被发现到成为有用的药物,通常需要 10 到 15 年的时间。这些具有挑战性的经济因素意味着,每成功研发一种药物的成本约为 28 亿美元。而且由于药物最终会失去专利保护,寻找下一款重磅炸弹级药物的动力从未停止。
重点词汇解析
notoriously:(adv)famously for a bad quality or deed 众所周知地;声名狼藉地
例句:The region is notoriously difficult to access.(该地区交通不便众所周知。)
failure-prone:(adj)likely to fail 易失败的;故障率高的(合成形容词,failure + prone)
例句:The old machine is failure-prone and needs to be replaced.(这台旧机器容易出故障,需要更换。)
drug candidates:(n 短语)substances being tested as potential drugs 候选药物
例句:Three drug candidates have entered phase III clinical trials.(三种候选药物已进入 III 期临床试验。)
human trials:(n 短语)clinical trials involving human participants 人体试验
例句:The company plans to launch human trials of the vaccine next quarter.(该公司计划下一季度启动该疫苗的人体试验。)
eventually:(adv)in the end, especially after a long delay or series of problems 最终;终于
例句:After many setbacks, the project was eventually completed.(经历多次挫折后,该项目最终完成。)
promising:(adj)showing signs of future success or excellence 有前途的;有潜力的
例句:The promising student received a scholarship to study abroad.(这位有前途的学生获得了出国留学的奖学金。);
同义词:prospective, hopeful;
反义词:unpromising, hopeless
molecule:(n)the smallest particle of a substance that can exist independently 分子
例句:Carbon dioxide is composed of carbon and oxygen molecules.(二氧化碳由碳分子和氧分子组成。)
typically:(adv)in most cases; usually 通常;典型地
例句:The disease typically occurs in elderly people.(这种疾病通常发生在老年人身上。)
challenging:(adj)difficult in a way that tests one's ability or determination 具有挑战性的
例句:She took on a challenging role in the new company.(她在新公司承担了一个具有挑战性的职位。);
同义词:demanding, tough;
反义词:easy, undemanding
economics:(n)the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth; economic factors 经济学;经济因素
例句:The economics of renewable energy are becoming more favorable.(可再生能源的经济前景正变得更加乐观。)
roughly:(adv)approximately 大约;大致
例句:The population of the city is roughly 5 million.(这座城市的人口大约有 500 万。);
同义词:approximately, around
ultimately:(adv)finally; in the end 最终;归根结底
例句:Ultimately, the success of the plan depends on teamwork.(归根结底,计划的成功取决于团队合作。);
同义词:eventually, finally
come off-patent:(v 短语)when a drug's patent expires, allowing other companies to produce generic versions 失去专利保护;专利到期
例句:The drug will come off-patent in 2028, leading to lower prices.(该药物将于 2028 年失去专利保护,届时价格将会下降。)
drive:(n)a strong desire or motivation 动力;驱动力
例句:His drive for innovation led to many important inventions.(他对创新的追求促成了许多重要发明。);
同义词:motivation, ambition
blockbuster:(n)a drug, film, book, etc., that is extremely successful, especially financially 重磅炸弹级产品;超级畅销品(此处特指畅销药物)
例句:The new antibiotic has become a blockbuster for the pharmaceutical company.(这种新抗生素已成为该制药公司的重磅产品。)
relentless:(adj)not giving up; persistent 持续不断的;不屈不挠的
例句:The team faced relentless pressure to meet the deadline.(该团队面临着巨大的截止日期压力,从未停歇。);
同义词:persistent, unceasing;
反义词:intermittent, sporadic
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Paragraph 02
Enter generative AI, which the pharma industry is adopting at a terrific rate. By ingesting and analysing vast biological data sets, AI tools can identify promising target proteins and then suggest novel molecules that could latch onto those drug targets. They can sift through libraries of data to predict the potency and toxicity of candidates, before a single test tube is touched. AI can also help with trials, analysing health records to find the patients most likely to respond to novel treatments. Though it is still early days, the signs are promising. AI could lead to more efficient drug discovery, better medicines and more competition in the industry.
生成式人工智能应运而生,制药行业正以惊人的速度采用这种技术。通过摄取和分析海量生物数据集,人工智能工具能够识别有潜力的目标蛋白,然后提出可能与这些药物靶点结合的新型分子。在触碰试管之前,它们(人工智能工具)可以筛选大量数据,预测候选药物的药效和毒性。人工智能还可以在试验方面提供帮助,通过分析健康记录,找到最有可能对新型治疗方法产生反应的患者。尽管目前仍处于早期阶段,但前景看好。人工智能有望带来更高效的药物研发、更优质的药物以及行业内更激烈的竞争。
重点词汇解析
adopting:(v, 现在分词)take up and use (a method, practice, or technology) 采用;采纳(原形 adopt)
例句:The school decided to adopt online teaching during the pandemic.(疫情期间,学校决定采用在线教学模式。);
同义词:embrace, utilize;
反义词:abandon, discard
terrific:(adj)very great or intense 极大的;惊人的
例句:The company achieved terrific growth in the Asian market.(该公司在亚洲市场取得了惊人的增长。);
同义词:remarkable, extraordinary;
反义词:modest, insignificant
ingesting:(v, 现在分词)take in (data, food, etc.) 摄取;吸收(原形 ingest)
例句:The system is designed to ingest and process data in real time.(该系统旨在实时摄取和处理数据。)
analysing:(v, 现在分词)examine (data) in order to discover patterns or relationships 分析(原形 analyse,美式拼写 analyze)
例句:The research team is analysing data collected from the survey.(研究团队正在分析调查收集到的数据。);
同义词:examine, evaluate
vast:(adj)of very great extent or quantity; immense 巨大的;海量的
例句:A vast majority of people support the new policy.(绝大多数人支持这项新政策。);
同义词:huge, enormous;
反义词:tiny, negligible
biological data sets:(n 短语)collections of data related to biology 生物数据集
例句:The database contains thousands of biological data sets for researchers.(该数据库为研究人员提供了数千个生物数据集。)
identify:(v)recognize or distinguish (something) by characteristics 识别;确认
例句:The software can identify faces in a crowd.(该软件能够识别人群中的人脸。);
同义词:recognize, detect
target proteins:(n 短语)proteins that a drug is designed to act on 目标蛋白
例句:The study aims to identify target proteins for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.(该研究旨在识别阿尔茨海默病治疗的目标蛋白。)
novel:(adj)new and original; not previously known 新颖的;新型的
例句:The scientist proposed a novel theory to explain the phenomenon.(这位科学家提出了一种新颖的理论来解释这一现象。);
同义词:innovative, original;
反义词:conventional, traditional
latch onto:(v 短语)attach to or bind with (something) 附着;结合
例句:The virus latches onto host cells and replicates rapidly.(病毒附着在宿主细胞上并快速复制。)
drug targets:(n 短语)molecules (such as proteins) that drugs aim to interact with 药物靶点
例句:Finding specific drug targets is a key step in drug development.(找到特定的药物靶点是药物研发的关键一步。)
sift through:(v 短语)examine (a large amount of information) carefully to find something 筛选;仔细查阅
例句:The lawyer sifted through hundreds of documents to find evidence.(律师仔细查阅了数百份文件以寻找证据。)
libraries of data:(n 短语)large collections of data 数据宝库;海量数据集
例句:The research center has built comprehensive libraries of data on climate change.(该研究中心建立了关于气候变化的综合数据集。)
predict:(v)say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future 预测;预估
例句:Experts predict that artificial intelligence will reshape many industries.(专家预测人工智能将重塑许多行业。);
同义词:forecast, anticipate
potency:(n)the strength or effectiveness of a drug, chemical, or other agent 药效;效力
例句:The potency of the drug decreases over time.(这种药物的药效会随着时间推移而减弱。)
toxicity:(n)the degree to which a substance is harmful to living organisms 毒性
例句:The toxicity of the chemical was tested on laboratory animals.(这种化学物质的毒性已在实验动物身上进行了测试。);
反义词:safety
health records:(n 短语)official records of a person's medical history 健康记录;病历
例句:Doctors must keep accurate health records for their patients.(医生必须为患者保留准确的健康记录。)
respond to:(v 短语)react to (a treatment, stimulus, etc.) 对…… 有反应;响应
例句:Patients with this condition often respond well to targeted therapy.(患有这种疾病的患者通常对靶向治疗反应良好。)
treatments:(n)medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury 治疗方法;疗法
例句:The hospital offers a range of treatments for mental health disorders.(该医院为精神疾病提供多种治疗方法。);
同义词:therapies, remedies
early days:(n 短语)the initial stage of something 早期;初期
例句:It's still early days for the new technology, so we don't know its full potential yet.(这项新技术还处于早期阶段,所以我们还不知道它的全部潜力。)
efficient:(adj)achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense 高效的;有成效的
例句:The new machine is more efficient than the old one.(这台新机器比旧机器效率更高。);
同义词:effective, productive;
反义词:inefficient, ineffective
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Paragraph 03
AI-designed molecules show an 80-90% success rate in early-stage safety trials, compared with a historical average of just 40-65%. It will be years before it becomes clear whether success rates rise in later-stage trials, too. But even if they do not, one model suggests that early-stage improvements alone could increase the success rate across the entire pipeline from 5-10% to 9-18%. The industry is also wringing efficiencies out of its business using AI, in areas from clinical documentation to HR. McKinsey reckons that if AI is fully utilised by the pharma industry—no doubt with its consultants’ assistance—it could provide a boost worth $60bn-110bn annually.
人工智能设计的分子在早期安全性试验中的成功率达到 80%-90%,而历史平均水平仅为 40%-65%。要弄清楚后期试验的成功率是否也会提高,还需要数年时间。但即便不会,有模型显示,仅早期阶段的改进就可能将整个研发流程的成功率从 5%-10% 提升至 9%-18%。制药行业还在利用人工智能提高业务效率,涵盖从临床文档到人力资源等多个领域。麦肯锡估计,若制药行业充分利用人工智能——无疑会在其咨询顾问的协助下 —— 每年可能会带来 600 亿至 1100 亿美元的价值增长。
重点词汇解析
pipeline:(n)the set of projects or products being developed by a company or industry (产品)研发流程;产品线
例句:The company has a strong pipeline of new drugs in development.(该公司有一系列处于研发阶段的新药。)
wring efficiencies out of:(v 短语)extract or achieve greater efficiency from 从…… 中榨取效率;提高…… 的效率
例句:The manager is trying to wring efficiencies out of the production process.(经理正试图从生产流程中提高效率。)
clinical documentation:(n 短语)the recording of medical information related to patient care 临床文档
例句:Accurate clinical documentation is essential for medical research.(准确的临床文档对医学研究至关重要。)
reckons:(v, 口语 / 书面语)estimate or calculate (something) 估计;认为(原形 reckon)
例句:The economist reckons that the economy will grow by 3% next year.(这位经济学家估计明年经济将增长 3%。);同义词:estimate, calculate
fully utilised:(adj 短语)used to the maximum possible extent 充分利用的(utilise 美式拼写 utilize)
例句:The factory's capacity is not yet fully utilised.(该工厂的产能尚未得到充分利用。)
consultants:(n)experts who provide professional advice 顾问(原形 consultant)
例句:The company hired management consultants to improve its operations.(该公司聘请了管理顾问来改善运营。)
boost:(n)an increase or improvement 增长;提升
例句:The new policy gave a boost to the local economy.(新政策推动了当地经济的发展。);
同义词:increase, enhancement;
反义词:decline, decrease
annually:(adv)once a year; every year 每年;年度地
例句:The company reports its financial results annually.(该公司每年公布一次财务业绩。);
同义词:yearly
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Paragraph 04
The hope is that improvements in the technology will push up the success rate even further. Sophisticated new models for understanding tricky bits of biology are emerging at a rapid pace. A few years ago an AI model called AlphaFold solved the problem of figuring out the structure of proteins. More complex puzzles, such as how cell membranes function, are likely to be cracked at some point.
人们希望,技术的进步将进一步提高成功率。用于理解复杂生物学难题的精密新模型正迅速涌现。几年前,一款名为 AlphaFold 的人工智能模型解决了蛋白质结构解析问题。更复杂的难题,比如细胞膜的工作原理,有望在未来某个时候被破解。
重点词汇解析
push up:(v 短语)increase (something) 提高;推高
例句:Higher demand has pushed up the price of oil.(需求增加推高了油价。)
sophisticated:(adj)complex and refined; highly developed 精密的;复杂的;先进的
例句:The country has developed sophisticated military technology.(该国已研发出先进的军事技术。);
同义词:advanced, complex;
反义词:simple, unsophisticated
tricky:(adj)difficult to deal with or handle 棘手的;复杂的
例句:The negotiations involve some tricky issues that need to be resolved.(谈判涉及一些需要解决的棘手问题。);
同义词:difficult, complicated;
反义词:easy, straightforward
bits of biology:(n 短语)specific aspects or parts of biology 生物学的某些方面;生物学难题(此处为口语化表达,结合语境译为 “生物学难题”)
例句:The course covers the basic bits of biology that everyone should know.(这门课程涵盖了每个人都应该了解的基础生物学知识。)
emerging:(v, 现在分词)come into existence or notice 涌现;出现(原形 emerge)
例句:New technologies are emerging all the time.(新技术不断涌现。);
同义词:appearing, arising
at a rapid pace:(adv 短语)quickly; at a fast speed 迅速地;快速地
例句:The industry is developing at a rapid pace.(该行业正快速发展。)
figuring out:(v 短语)solve or understand (something) 解决;弄明白(原形 figure out)
例句:It took me hours to figure out how the machine works.(我花了几个小时才弄明白这台机器的工作原理。)
structure of proteins:(n 短语)the arrangement of atoms in a protein molecule 蛋白质结构
例句:The structure of proteins determines their function in the body.(蛋白质的结构决定了它们在体内的功能。)
cell membranes:(n 短语)the thin layer that surrounds a cell 细胞膜
例句:Cell membranes control the movement of substances in and out of cells.(细胞膜控制物质进出细胞。)
function:(v)work or operate in a particular way 工作;发挥作用
例句:The heart functions to pump blood around the body.(心脏的功能是向全身泵血。);
同义词:operate, work
cracked:(v, 过去分词)solve (a problem or puzzle) 破解;解决(原形 crack)
例句:Scientists have cracked the code of the human genome.(科学家们已破解了人类基因组的密码。);
同义词:solve, decipher
at some point:(adv 短语)at an unspecified time in the future 在某个时候;将来某一时刻
例句:We will meet again at some point.(我们将来某个时候会再见面。)
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To be continued. 未完待续。
考研雅思托福重点句子翻译与解析
语句 1
英文原文:Drug development is notoriously failure-prone. Only one in every ten drug candidates that enter human trials eventually goes onto the market.
中文翻译:药物研发向来失败率高。进入人体试验阶段的候选药物中,最终仅有十分之一能成功上市。
句式结构:第一句为简单句,核心结构是 “主语(Drug development)+ 系动词(is)+ 表语(notoriously failure-prone)”;第二句为复合句,主句是 “Only one in every ten drug candidates goes onto the market”,定语从句 “that enter human trials” 修饰先行词 “drug candidates”,“eventually” 作状语。
考点分析:考研英语中常考查 “only + 状语” 置于句首的倒装结构(此处虽未倒装,但 “only one in every ten” 表数量限定,是重点);雅思托福中常考查医学类话题词汇(如 “drug candidates”“human trials”)及副词 “notoriously”“eventually” 的用法。
仿写应用:类似结构可用于描述某行业的高风险特征,如 “Tech startup is notoriously high-risk. Only a small percentage of new ventures can survive the first five years.(科技初创企业向来风险高。仅有少数新企业能挺过最初五年。)”
语句 2
英文原文:By ingesting and analysing vast biological data sets, AI tools can identify promising target proteins and then suggest novel molecules that could latch onto those drug targets.
中文翻译:通过摄取和分析海量生物数据集,人工智能工具能够识别有潜力的目标蛋白,然后提出可能与这些药物靶点结合的新型分子。
句式结构:句首为介词短语 “By ingesting and analysing...” 作方式状语,主句核心结构是 “AI tools can identify... and suggest...”,“that could latch onto those drug targets” 是定语从句修饰 “novel molecules”。
考点分析:考研英语中常考查非谓语动词(ingesting/analysing)作介词宾语、定语从句的翻译;雅思托福中常考查科技类话题词汇(如 “biological data sets”“target proteins”“drug targets”)及动词短语 “latch onto” 的用法。
仿写应用:可用于描述科技工具的功能,如 “By processing and interpreting user behavior data, big data analytics can predict consumer needs and then recommend personalized products.(通过处理和解读用户行为数据,大数据分析能够预测消费者需求,然后推荐个性化产品。)”
语句 3
英文原文:Though it is still early days, the signs are promising. AI could lead to more efficient drug discovery, better medicines and more competition in the industry.
中文翻译:尽管目前仍处于早期阶段,但前景看好。人工智能有望带来更高效的药物研发、更优质的药物以及行业内更激烈的竞争。
句式结构:第一句为让步状语从句 “Though it is still early days”+ 主句 “the signs are promising”;第二句为简单句,核心结构是 “AI could lead to + 三个并列宾语(more efficient drug discovery, better medicines, more competition)”。
考点分析:考研英语中常考查让步状语从句的引导词(though/although)及并列结构的翻译;雅思托福中常考查 “lead to”“promising” 等高频词汇,以及 “more efficient”“better” 等形容词比较级的用法。
仿写应用:可用于描述新技术的前景,如 “Though the technology is not yet mature, the prospects are bright. It could lead to more convenient communication, smarter cities and greater social progress.(尽管这项技术尚未成熟,但前景光明。它有望带来更便捷的沟通、更智能的城市以及更大的社会进步。)”
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