新托福阅读材料汇总：Baby's Bacteria Related to Birth Method

Each of us harbors a unique collection of bacteria, on our outsides and our insides. Now, scientists are finding that the bacteria you get at birth may depend on how you got here. Because babies born vaginally have a different set of microbes than those that arrive by Caesarean-section. The work appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

我们每个人身上都有着一套独特的细菌群落，不管在体外还是体内。如今，科学家们发现你出生时携带的细菌有可能取决于你是如何降临人世的。因为，阴道分娩婴儿和剖腹产婴儿有着完全不同的微生物。这一研究成果发表在美国《国家科学院院刊》上。

The uterus is a sterile environment. So, in the womb, babies don't have any bacteria to call their own. It's only once they enter the world that they begin to collect the microbes that will colonize their bodies and help shape their immunity. But where do these bugs come from?

子宫是个无菌的环境。因此，婴儿在子宫内还没有任何属于自己的细菌。只有当他们出生后才开始携带微生物，这些微生物在婴儿身上寄生繁衍，帮助他们塑造免疫系统。

Scientists sampled the bacterial flora from nine newborns and their mothers. And they found that babies who passed through the birth canal harbored bacteria that matched their moms' vaginal microbiota. Whereas babies delivered by C-section had microbes typically found on the skin.

科学家们对9名新生儿和他们的母亲进行了菌落取样。他们发现，产道分娩的婴儿所携带的细菌与他们的母亲阴道里的微生物相配。而剖腹产婴儿所携带的细菌是常见于皮肤上的细菌。

The scientists say the results could help explain why babies that arrive by C-section are more susceptible to certain infections. Vaginal microbes might be quicker than skin bugs at snagging all the best bodily real estate, a land grab that could keep harmful infections from getting a foot in the door.

科学家们表示，研究结果可能有助于解释为何剖腹产婴儿更易受到某些感染。阴道微生物或许比皮肤细菌能更快地抢到人体上的最佳“地盘”，这位“地产大亨”能将有害感染一脚踢开，不给它们可趁之机。