The Enemy Within
Allergy has become me me common over the last 30 years. Now one-thirdof us are affected by allergy at some point in our lives half of thesesufferers are children. In the UK, three million people suffer from asthma, five per cent of children suffer from food allergy.
Allergy is a reaction that occurs when the immune system has astrange unnecessary reaction to a substance which is nmally harmless,such as pollen peanuts. ____1____ To defend your body against an attacker,the immune system remembers these dangerous micro-ganisms attacks them ifit meets them again. This wk is done by antibodies. The immune system inallergy sufferers makes antibodies against harmless substances, because itmistakenly believes them to be dangerous.
An allergic reaction may not happen the first time a sufferer meetsan allergen (the substance causing the reaction, such as pollen, milk strawberries). Sometimes people can eat nuts f years then suddenly becomeallergic to them. What has happened is that the immune system has now decidedthe substance is dangerous has made an allergy antibody. This antibody thenattaches itself to cells, which contain histamine. ____2____ As they do that,the surface of the cells is broken, histamine is released. The histamine other chemicals inflame the tissues. This leads to the symptoms of allergy,such as swelling, rashes, sneezing, se eyes breathlessness. Anaphylaxisis the most severe allergic reaction of all is most often triggered by wasp bee stings peanuts. This must be treated immediately.
____3____ Some people are bn with the ability to make lots ofallergy antibodies, they are me likely to develop allergies allergicdisders such as hay fever asthma.
____4____ We eat me processed foods, with a wide range of additives colourings; me me people have central heating double glazing,making our houses warmer less draughty-an ideal environment to breed thehouse dust mite.
There may also be a link between allergies antibiotics. At onetime our immune systems were kept busy fighting off disease trying to winthe battle f health, but antibiotics have reduced the amount of wk ourimmune systems have to do. Now experts think they may direct spare energy toharmless substances such as strawberries. ____5____
A good deal of research is being devoted to finding a cure fallergies. Sufferers may be given medicine to control symptoms, they mayalso be offered tests to find out what substances trigger an allergic reactionso that they can avoid contact with these in future.
词汇：
allergy n. 过敏，过敏症
sufferer n. 患者，受害者
asthma n. 哮喘
substance n. 物质
pollen n. 花粉
micro-ganism n. 微生物
antibodies n. antibody的复数形式，意为抗体
allergen n. 过敏源
nut n. 坚果
histamine n. 组织胺，组胺
tissue n. 人体组织
symptom n. 病症，征兆
rash n. 疱疹
sneezing n. 打喷嚏
breathlessness n. 呼吸急促，气喘吁吁
anaphylaxis n. 全身性过敏反应，过敏反应
wasp n. 黄蜂
sting n. 蟄，咬
hayfever n. 枯草热，花粉病
additives n. 添加剂，食品添加剂
cure n. 治疗，解药
注释：
1.suffer from...忍受^的折磨
2.be devoted to sth. ...全身心投入于^
练习：
A.The immune system is there to protect the body against outsideattackers, including viruses, bacteria parasites.
B.In other wds our immune systems have become over-sensitive.
C.Allergies run in families.
D.International differences have been associated with the number ofindividuals within a population have allergy.
E.When the antibodies meet the allergen the next time, they attempt todestroy it.
F.Experts believe me people have developed allergies because ofchanges in our lifestyle which have exposed us to me allergens.
