11 AM
"VIRUSES kill thousands of people every day," Stanley Oxenford said. "About every ten years, an epidemic1 of influenza2 kills around twenty-five thousand people in the United Kingdom. In 1918, flu caused more deaths than the whole of World War One. In the year 2002, three million people died of AIDS, which is caused by human immunodeficiency virus. And viruses are involved in ten percent of cancers."
Toni listened intently, sitting beside him in the Great Hall, under the varnished3 timbers of the mock-medieval roof. He sounded calm and controlled, but she knew him well enough to recognize the barely audible tremor4 of strain in his voice. He had been shocked and dismayed by Laurence Mahoney's threat, and the fear that he might lose everything was only just concealed5 by his unruffled facade6.
She watched the faces of the assembled reporters. Would they hear what he was saying and understand the importance of his work? She knew journalists. Some were intelligent, many stupid. A few believed in telling the truth; the majority just wrote the most sensational7 story they could get away with. She felt indignant that they could hold in their hands the fate of a man such as Stanley. Yet the power of the tabloids9 was a brutal10 fact of modern life. If enough of these hacks11 chose to portray12 Stanley as a mad scientist in a Frankenstein castle, the Americans might be sufficiently13 embarrassed to pull the finance.
That would be a tragedy—not just for Stanley, but for the world. True, someone else could finish the testing program for the antiviral drug, but a ruined and bankrupt Stanley would invent no more miracle cures. Toni thought angrily that she would like to slap the dumb faces of the journalists and say, "Wake up—this is about your future, too!"
"Viruses are a fact of life, but we don't have to accept that fact passively," Stanley went on. Toni admired the way he spoke14. His voice was measured but relaxed. He used this tone when explaining things to younger colleagues. His speech sounded more like a conversation. "Scientists can defeat viruses. Before AIDS, the great killer15 was smallpox16—until a scientist called Edward Jenner invented vaccination17 in 1796. Now smallpox has disappeared from human society. Similarly, polio has been eliminated in large areas of our world. In time, we will defeat influenza, and AIDS, and even cancer—and it will be done by scientists like us, working in laboratories such as this."
A woman put up a hand and called out. "What are you working on here—exactly?"
Toni said, "Would you mind identifying yourself?"
"Edie McAllan, science correspondent, Scotland on Sunday."
Cynthia Creighton, sitting on the other side of Stanley, made a note.
Stanley said, "We have developed an antiviral drug. That's rare. There are plenty of antibiotic18 drugs, which kill bacteria, but few that attack viruses."
A man said, "What's the difference?" He added, "Clive Brown, Daily Record."
The Record was a tabloid8. Toni was pleased with the direction the questions were taking. She wanted the press to concentrate on real science. The more they understood, the less likely they were to print damaging rubbish.
Stanley said, "Bacteria, or germs, are tiny creatures that can be seen with a normal microscope. Each of us is host to billions of them. Many arc useful, helping20 us digest food, for example, or dispose of dead skin cells. A few cause illness, and some of those can be treated with antibiotics21. Viruses are smaller and simpler than bacteria. You need an electron microscope to see them. A virus cannot reproduce itself— instead, it hijacks22 the biochemical machinery23 of a living cell and forces the cell to produce copies of the virus. No known virus is useful to humans. And we have few medicines to combat them. That's why a new antiviral drug is such good news for the human race."
Edie McAllan asked, "What particular viruses is your drug effective against?"
It was another scientific question. Toni began to believe that this press conference would do all that she and Stanley hoped. She quelled24 her optimism with an effort. She knew, from her experience as a police press officer, that a journalist could ask serious and intelligent questions then go back to the office and write inflammatory garbage. Even if the writer turned in a sensible piece, it might be rewritten by someone ignorant and irresponsible.
Stanley replied, "That's the question we're trying to answer. We're testing the drug against a variety of viruses to determine its range."
Clive Brown said, "Does that include dangerous viruses?"
Stanley said, "Yes. No one is interested in drugs for safe viruses."
The audience laughed. It was a witty25 answer to a stupid question. But Brown looked annoyed, and Toni's heart sank. A humiliated26 journalist would stop at nothing to get revenge.
She intervened quickly. "Thank you for that question, Clive," she said, trying to mollify him. "Here at Oxenford Medical we impose the highest possible standards of security in laboratories where special materials are used. In BSL4, which stands for BioSafety Level Four, the alarm system is directly connected with regional police headquarters at Inverburn. There are security guards on duty twenty-four hours a day, and this morning I have doubled the number of guards. As a further precaution, security guards cannot enter BSL4, but monitor the laboratory via closed-circuit television cameras."
Brown was not appeased27. "If you've got perfect security, how did the hamster get out?"
Toni was ready for this. "Let me make three points. One, it was not a hamster. You've got that from the police, and it's wrong." She had deliberately28 given Frank dud information, and he had fallen into her trap, betraying himself as the source of the leaked story. "Please rely on us for the facts about what goes on here. It was a rabbit, and it was not called Fluffy29."
They laughed at this, and even Brown smiled.
"Two, the rabbit was smuggled30 out of the laboratory in a bag, and we have today instituted a compulsory31 bag search at the entrance to BSL4, to make sure this cannot happen again. Three, I didn't say we had perfect security. I said we set the highest possible standards. That's all human beings can do."
"So you're admitting your laboratory is a danger to innocent members of the Scottish public."
"No. You're safer here than you would be driving on the M8 or taking a flight from Prestwick. Viruses kill many people every day, but only one person has ever died of a virus from our lab, and he was not an innocent member of the public—he was an employee who deliberately broke the rules and knowingly put himself at risk."
On balance it was going well, Toni thought as she looked around for the next question. The television cameras were rolling, the flashguns were popping, and Stanley was coming across as what he was, a brilliant scientist with a strong sense of responsibility. But she was afraid the TV news would throw away the undramatic footage of the press conference in favor of the crowd of youngsters at the gate chanting slogans about animal rights. She wished she could think of something more interesting for the cameramen to point their lenses at.
Frank's friend Carl Osborne spoke up for the first time. He was a good-looking man of about Toni's age with movie-star features. His hair was a shade too yellow to be natural. "Exactly what danger did this rabbit pose to the general public?"
Stanley answered: "The virus is not very infectious across species. In order to infect Michael, we think the rabbit must have bitten him."
"What if the rabbit had got loose?"
Stanley looked out of the window. A light snow was falling. "It would have frozen to death."
"Suppose it had been eaten by another animal. Could a fox have become infected?"
"No. Viruses are adapted to a small number of species, usually one, sometimes two or three. This one does not infect foxes, or any other form of Scottish wildlife, as far as we know. Just humans, macaque monkeys, and certain types of rabbit."
"But Michael could have given the virus to other people."
"By sneezing, yes. This was the possibility that alarmed us most. However, Michael seems not to have seen anyone during the critical period. We have already contacted his colleagues and friends. Nonetheless, we would be grateful if you would use your newspapers and television programs to appeal for anyone who did see him to call us immediately."
"We aren't trying to minimize this," Toni put in hastily. "We are deeply concerned about the incident and, as I've explained, we have already put in stronger security measures. But at the same time we must be careful not to exaggerate." Telling journalists not to exaggerate was a bit like telling lawyers not to be quarrelsome, she thought wryly32. "The truth is that the public have not been endangered."
Osborne was not finished. "Suppose Michael Ross had given it to a friend, who had given it to someone else . . . how many people might have died?"
Toni said quickly, "We can't enter into that kind of wild speculation33. The virus did not spread. One person died. That's one too many, but it's no reason to start talking about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." She bit her tongue. That was a stupid phrase to use: someone would probably quote it, out of context, and make it seem as if she had been forecasting doomsday.
Osborne said, "I understand your work is financed by the American army."
"The Department of Defense34, yes," Stanley said. "They are naturally interested in ways of combating biological warfare35."
"Isn't it true that the Americans have this work done in Scotland because they think it's too dangerous to be done in the United States?"
"On the contrary. A great deal of work of this type goes on in the States, at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, and at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick."
"So why was Scotland chosen?"
"Because the drug was invented here at Oxenford Medical."
Toni decided36 to quit while she was ahead and close the press conference. "I don't want to cut the questioning short, but I know some of you have midday deadlines," she said. "You should all have an information pack, and Cynthia here has extra copies."
"One more question," said Clive Brown of the Record. "What's your reaction to the demonstration37 outside?"
Toni realized she still had not thought of something more interesting for the cameras.
Stanley said, "They offer a simple answer to a complex ethical38 question. Like most simple answers, theirs is wrong."
It was the right response, but sounded a little hard-hearted, so Toni added, "And we hope they don't catch cold."
While the audience was laughing at that, Toni stood up to indicate the conference was over. Then she was struck by inspiration. She beckoned39 to Cynthia Creighton. Turning her back on the audience, she spoke in a low, urgent voice. "Go down to the canteen, quickly," she said. "Get two or three canteen staff to load up trays with cups of hot coffee and tea, and hand them out to the demonstrators outside the gate."
"What a kind thought," said Cynthia.
Toni was not being kind—in fact she was being cynical—but there was no time to explain that. "It must be done in the next couple of minutes," she said. "Go, go!"
Cynthia hurried away.
Toni turned to Stanley and said, "Well done. You handled that perfectly40."
He took a red polka-dotted handkerchief from his jacket pocket and discreetly41 mopped his face. "I hope it's done the trick."
"We'll know when we see the lunchtime news on television. Now you should slip away; otherwise they'll all be trying to corner you for an exclusive interview." He was under pressure, and she wanted to protect him.
"Good thinking. I need to get home, anyway." He lived in a farmhouse42 on a cliff five miles from the lab. "I'd like to be there to welcome the family."
That disappointed her. She had been looking forward to reviewing the press conference with him. "Okay," she said. "I'll monitor the reaction."
"At least no one asked me the worst question."
"What was that?"
"The survival rate from Madoba-2."
"What does that mean?"
"No matter how deadly the infection, there are usually some individuals who live through it. Survival rate is a measure of how dangerous it is."
"And what is the survival rate for Madoba-2?"
"Zero," said Stanley.
Toni stared at him. She was glad she had not known that before.
Stanley nodded over her shoulder. "Here comes Osborne."
"I'll head him off at the pass." She moved to intercept43 the reporter, and Stanley left by a side door. "Hello, Carl. I hope you got everything you needed?"
"I think so. I was wondering what Stanley's first success was."
"He was a member of the team that developed acyclovir."
"Which is?"
"The cream you put on when you get cold sores. The brand name is Zovirax. It's an antiviral drug."
"Really? That's interesting."
Toni did not think Carl was genuinely interested. She wondered what he was really after. She said, "May we rely on you to do a judicious44 piece that reflects the facts and doesn't exaggerate the danger?"
"You mean will I be talking about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"
She winced45. "Foolish of me to give an example of the kind of hyperbole I was trying to discourage."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to quote you."
"Thanks."
"You shouldn't thank me. I'd use it happily, but my audience wouldn't have the slightest idea what it means." He changed tack19. "I've hardly seen you since you split up with Frank. How long ago is it now?"
"He left me at Christmas two years ago."
"How have you been?"
"I've had some bad times, if you want to know the truth. But things are picking up. At least, they were until today."
"We should get together and catch up."
She had no desire to spend time with Osborne, but she politely said, "Sure, why not."
He surprised her by following up quickly. "Would you like to have dinner?"
"Dinner?" she said.
"Yes."
"As in, go out on a date with you?"
"Yes, again."
It was the last thing she had expected. "No!" she said. Then she remembered how dangerous this man could be, and tried to soften46 her rejection47. "I'm sorry, Carl, you took me by surprise. I've known you so long that I just don't think of you that way."
"1 might change your thinking." He looked boyishly vulnerable. Give me a chance."
The answer was still no, but she hesitated for a moment. Carl was handsome, charming, well paid, a local celebrity48. Most single women pushing forty would jump at the chance. But she was not even mildly attracted to him. Even if she had not given her heart to Stanley, she would not have been tempted49 to go out with Carl. Why?
It look her only a second to find the answer. Carl had no integrity. A man who would distort the truth for the sake of a sensational story would be equally dishonest in other areas of life. He was not a monster. There were plenty of men like him, and a few women. But Toni could not contemplate50 becoming intimate with someone so shallow. How could you kiss, and confess secrets, and lose your inhibitions, and open your body, with someone who could not be trusted? The thought was revolting.
"I'm flattered," she lied. "But no."
He was not ready to give up. "The truth is, I always fancied you, even when you were with Frank. You must have sensed that."
"You used to flirt51 with me, but you did that with most women."
"It wasn't the same."
"Aren't you seeing that weather girl? I seem to remember a photo in the newspaper."
"Marnie? That was never serious. I did it for publicity52, mainly."
He seemed irritated by the reminder53, and Toni guessed that Marnie had thrown him over. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said sympathetically.
"Show your compassion54 in actions, not words. Have dinner with me tonight. I even have a table booked at La Chaumiere."
It was a swanky restaurant. He must have made the reservation some time ago—probably for Marnie. "I'm busy tonight."
"You're not still carrying a torch for Frank, are you?"
Toni laughed bitterly. "I did for a while, fool that I am, but I'm over him now. Very over."
"Someone else, then?"
"I'm not seeing anyone."
"But you're interested in someone. It's not the old professor, is it?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Toni said.
"You're not blushing, are you?"
"I hope not, though any woman subjected to this kind of interrogation would be entitled to blush."
"My God, you fancy Stanley Oxenford." Carl was not good at taking rejection, and his face became ugly with resentment55. "Of course, Stanley's a widower56, isn't he? Children grown up. All that money, and just the two of you to spend it."
"This is really offensive, Carl."
"The truth so often is. You really like high flyers, don't you? First Frank, the fastest-rising detective in the history of the Scottish police. And now a millionaire scientific entrepreneur. You're a starfucker, Toni!"
She had to end this before she lost her temper. "Thank you for coming to the press conference," she said. She held out her hand, and he shook it automatically. "Goodbye." She turned and walked away.
She was shaking with anger. He had made her deepest emotions seem unworthy. She wanted to strangle him, not go out with him. She tried to make herself calm. She had a major professional crisis to deal with, and she could not let her feelings get in the way.
She went to the reception desk near the door and spoke to the supervisor57 of the security guards, Steve Tremlett. "Stay here until they've all left, and make sure none of them tries to take an unofficial tour." A determined58 snoop might try to enter high-security areas by "tailgating"— waiting for someone with a pass then going through the door right behind.
"Leave it to me," Steve said.
Toni began to feel calmer. She put on her coat and went outside. The snow was falling more heavily, but she could see the demonstration. She walked to the guard booth at the gate. Three canteen staff were handing out hot drinks. The protestors had temporarily stopped chanting and waving their banners, and were smiling and chatting instead.
And all the cameras were photographing them.
Everything had gone perfectly, Toni thought. So why did she feel depressed59?
She returned to her office. She closed the door and stood still, grateful to be alone for a minute. She had controlled the press conference well, she thought. She had protected her boss from Osborne. And the idea of giving hot drinks to the demonstrators had worked like a charm. It would be unwise to celebrate before seeing the actual coverage60, of course, but she felt that every decision she had made had been right.
So why did she feel so down?
Partly it was Osborne. Any encounter with him could leave a person feeling low. But mainly, she realized, it was Stanley. After all she had done for him this morning, he had slipped away with barely a word of thanks. That was what it meant to be the boss, she supposed. And she had long known how important his family was to him. She, by contrast, was just a colleague: valued, liked, respected—but not loved.
The phone rang. She looked at it for a moment, resenting its cheerful warble, not wanting to talk. Then she picked it up.
It was Stanley, calling from his car. "Why don't you drop in at the house in an hour or so? We could watch the news, and learn our fate together."
Her mood lifted instantly. She felt as if the sun had come out. "Of course," she said. "I'd be delighted."
"We might as well be crucified side by side," he said.
"I would consider it an honor."
收听单词发音 |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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influenza
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| n.流行性感冒，流感 | |
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varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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facade
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| n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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tabloid
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| adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘 | |
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tabloids
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| n.小报，通俗小报（版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）( tabloid的名词复数 )；药片 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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hacks
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| 黑客 | |
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portray
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| v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等) | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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vaccination
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| n.接种疫苗，种痘 | |
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antibiotic
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| adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素 | |
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tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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antibiotics
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| n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 ) | |
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hijacks
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| 劫持( hijack的名词复数 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图） | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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wryly
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| adv. 挖苦地，嘲弄地 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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rejection
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| n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃 | |
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celebrity
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| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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54
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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56
widower
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| n.鳏夫 | |
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57
supervisor
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| n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师 | |
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58
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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59
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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60
coverage
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| n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖 | |
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