respiratory /ˈrespərətri/
IELTS丨TOEFL丨专八
外刊例句
Understanding all the ways that SARS-COV-2 is transmitted is a matter of active scientific discussion. In the main, though, the virus hitches a ride on droplets of mucus or saliva that come out of the respiratory tracts of infected individuals. These may be expelled during normal breathing or, more commonly, as a cough that propels them a few metres into the air.
理解SARS-COV-2的所有传播途径是一个积极的科学讨论问题。不过，在大多数情况下，这种病毒只是附着在从感染者呼吸道流出的粘液或唾液飞沫上。它们可能在正常呼吸时被排出体外，或者更常见的是，通过咳嗽将它们推向几米高的空中。
——《经济学人》
基本释义
Respiratory means relating to breathing.
adj. 呼吸的
追根溯源
单词respiratory里的词根spir来源于拉丁语，表示“呼吸”，所以，英语里包含这个词根的单词，多与此相关。例如：
transpire vi. 发生；蒸发
expire vi. 期满；终止；呼气
inspire vt. 激发；鼓舞
respirator n. 口罩；呼吸器
影视例句
在美剧《生活大爆炸》中，Howard和大家讨论巨型动物，其中就用到了这个单词：
Howard: How about giant rabbits?
Raj: Big or small, I don't like rabbits. They always look like they're about to say something, but they never do.
Sheldon: Rabbits do have a respiratory system that would support great size. And on a side note, they are one of the few mammals whose scrotum is in front of the penis.
-巨型兔子呢？
-不管大小，我都不喜欢兔子。兔子总是看似很想说话，但从来不开口。
-兔子倒是有呼吸系统支撑巨大的体型，并且，兔子是少数哺乳动物中阴囊长在阴茎前的。
