第二篇 Immune Functions

The immune system is equal in complexity to the combined intricacies of the brain and nervous system. The success of the immune system in defending the body relies on a dynamic regulatory communication network consulting of millions and millions of cells. Organized into sets and subsets, these cells pass information back and forth like clouds of bees flying around a hive(蜂巢). The result is a sensitive system of checks and balances that produces an immune response that is prompt, appropriate, effective, and self-omitting.

At the heart of the immune system is the ability to distinguish between self and nonself. When immune defenders encounter cells or organisms carrying foreign of nonself molecules, the immune troops move quickly to eliminate the intruders (入侵者). Virtually every body cell carries distinctive molecules that identify it as self. The body's immune defenses do not normally attack tissues that carry a self-marker. Rather, immune cells and other body cells coexist peaceably in a state known as self-tolerance. When a normally functioning immune system attacks a nonself molecule, the system has the ability to "remember" the specifics of the foreign body. Upon subsequent encounters with the same species of molecules, the immune system reacts accordingly. With the possible exception of antibodies(抗體)passed during lactation(授乳期), this so called immune system memory is not inherited. Despite the occurrence of a virus in your family, your immune system must "learn" from experience with the many millions of distinctive nonself molecules in the sea of microbes (微生物) in which we live, learning necessitates producing the appropriate molecules and cells to match up with and counteract each nonself invader.

Any substance capable of stimulating an immune response is called an antigen (抗原). Antigens are not to be confused with allergens (過敏原)，which are most often harmless substances that provoke the immune system to set off the inappropriate and harmful response known as allergy. An antigen can be a virus, a bacterium, or even a portion or product of one of these organisms. Tissues or cells from another individual (except an identical win, whose cells carry identical self makers act as antigens; because the immune system recognizes transplanted tissues as foreign, it rejects them. The body will even reject nourishing proteins unless they are first broken down by the digestive system into their primary, nonantigenic building blocks. An antigen announces its foreignness by means of intricate and characteristic shapes called epitopes (抗原表位), which protrude (突出) from its surface. Most antigens, even the simplest microbes, carry several different kinds of epitomes on their surface, some may even carry several hundred. Some epitomes will be more effective than others at stimulating an immune response. Only in abnormal situations does the immune system wrongly identify self as nonself and execute a misdirected immune attack.

36 What is used to describe the communication network consisting of cells in the immune system?

A The immune system's memory.

B Bees flying around a hive.

C Immune troops eliminating intruders.

D A sea of microbes.

37 The immune cells and other cells in the body coexist peaceably in a state known as

A balance.

B harmony.

C tolerance.

D self-tolerance.

38 How do the immune cells recognize an antigen as "foreign" or "nonself"?

A Through characteristic shapes on the antigen surface.

B Through an allergic response.

C Through blood type.

D Through fine hairs protruding from the antigen surface.

39 Which of the following statements is true?

A Allergens are usually harmful substances.

B Antigens can trigger an immune response.

C People with antigens do not suffer from obvious responses.

D There is no difference between an antigen and an allergen.

40 Which of the following best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A The basic function of the immune system is to distinguish between self and nonself.

B An antigen is any substance that triggers an immune response.

C One of the immune system's primary functions is the allergic response.

D The human body is an appropriate habitat for microbes.

（責任編輯：vstara）

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