VOA慢速英语:Kids, Germs and Day Care; A Meningitis Vaccine for Africa

1.She says some of the children were more likely to get sick from the kinds of infections commonly passed around a day care center.

这句话的主语和谓语是She says，后面是宾语从句。宾语从句的主干是：some of the children were more likely to get sick。commonly passed around是过去分词做后置定语，修饰infections。

2.they have lower rates of infections than children who either never went to day care or children who went to small-group day care.

either or用法

用于连接两个表示选择关系的名词或代词，意为“要么……要么”。如：

He must be either mad or drunk. 他不是疯了就是醉了。

You can go swimming or play tennis. 你可以去游泳也可以去打网球。

Either you or I am wrong. 不是你错了就是我错了。

Are either you or I wrong? 是你错了还是我错了?

说明：通常应连接两个相同性质的句子成分，但有时后一成分可能省略与前一成分相同的词。若连接两个成分作主语，其谓语通常与靠近的主语保持一致。如：

You can either have tea or coffee. 你喝茶也行，喝咖啡也行。

Either you or I am wrong. 不是你错，就是我错。

3.This bacterial form of meningitis can cause brain damage and death. Major epidemics strike Africa every seven to fourteen years.

every用法：

表示“每(个)”，其后通常接单数可数名词。如：

I go there every day. 我每天去那儿。

I believe every work he says. 我相信他说的每一句话。

注意以下两种情况：

(1) every 通常不能用于复数名词前，但若复数名词前有基数词或few 的修饰，则也可用 every 修饰，表示“每(隔)……”。如：

We go there every three days. 我们每三天(每隔两天)去那儿一次。

(2) every 通常不能用于不可数名词前，但在少数情况下，它可用于抽象名词前，表示“所有可能的”“充分的”“完全的”等。如：

We have every reason to do so. 我们有充分的理由这样做。

I wish you both every happiness. 祝你们俩位幸福美满。

every 指的是三个或三个以上的“每个”，不能指两者中的每个。如：

路的两边都种有树。

误：There are trees on every side of the road.

正：There are trees on each side of the road.

并列的“every＋名词”结构用作主语时，谓语要用单数。如：

Every boy and (every) girl has read the story. 每个男孩女孩都读过这个故事。

与 not 连用通常构成部分否定。如(from www.hxen.net )：

Every student doesn’t like it. 并非每个学生都喜欢它。

Every man is not perfect. 并非每个人都是十全十美的。

4.The hope is that people in all twenty-five countries will be protected against the disease by twenty-fifteen.

protect against保护, 保卫

例句：We protected him against his enemy.
      我们保护他使他不受敌人侵犯。

      You need warm clothes to protect you against the cold.
      你需要暖和的衣服来御寒。