1
contract + disease
contract 为正式用语，表示感染疾病，后接疾病名称。
He contracted smallpox before the vaccine existed.
他在疫苗出现之前感染了天花。
天花
smallpoxes — plural of smallpox
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
天花
an acute, highly contagious viral disease caused by the variola virus, marked by fever and skin pustules that leave scars; it was globally eradicated by the 1970s
He contracted smallpox before the vaccine existed.
他在疫苗出现之前感染了天花。
由天花病毒引起的急性、高度传染性、常致命的疾病,20世纪70年代彻底消灭,现仅存于实验室,幸存者留有麻点。
An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived were left with pockmarks.
一种高度传染性的病毒性疾病,特征为发热、虚弱以及出现脓疱性皮疹,脓疱结痂脱落后留下疤痕。
a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars
The history book describes how smallpox killed millions of people before a vaccine was invented.
历史书描述了在疫苗发明之前天花如何导致数百万人死亡。
After years of vaccination, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980.
经过多年的疫苗接种，天花于1980年被宣布根除。
Scientists keep smallpox samples in special laboratories for research.
科学家将天花样本保存在特殊实验室中用于研究。
contract 为正式用语，表示感染疾病，后接疾病名称。
He contracted smallpox before the vaccine existed.
他在疫苗出现之前感染了天花。
against 后接疾病名称，表示预防该疾病。
The government vaccinated millions of people against smallpox.
政府为数百万民众接种了天花疫苗。
outbreak 指疾病的突然爆发，可用疾病名称直接修饰。
A smallpox outbreak in the city caused panic.
市里爆发天花疫情，引发恐慌。
表示因疾病死亡时，die of 比 die from 更常用于疾病。
Thousands died of smallpox in the nineteenth century.
十九世纪有数千人死于天花。
Not this
He caught a smallpox.
Use this
He caught smallpox.
smallpox 是不可数名词，不能加不定冠词 a；表示“患病”时直接说 catch/ have smallpox。
Not this
She was infected by smallpox.
Use this
She was infected with smallpox.
表“感染某种疾病”时固定搭配是 infected with，而 by 用于引出动作发出者，不用于疾病名。
Not this
Many people suffer smallpox.
Use this
Many people suffer from smallpox.
suffer 表示“患（病）”时是不及物动词，需加 from 再接疾病名词，构成固定搭配 suffer from smallpox。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
天花疫苗
The smallpox vaccine has saved millions of lives.
天花疫苗挽救了数百万人的生命。
天花病毒
The smallpox virus was declared eradicated in 1980.
天花病毒于1980年被宣布根除。
天花爆发
Health officials are concerned about a smallpox outbreak.
卫生官员担心天花爆发。
根除天花
Global efforts to eradicate smallpox succeeded in 1980.
全球根除天花的工作于1980年取得成功。
感染天花
It was rare to contract smallpox after vaccination.
接种疫苗后感染天花的情况很少见。
天花疫苗接种
Smallpox vaccination was discontinued after the disease was eradicated.
疾病根除后，天花疫苗接种被中止。
意为“天花、电报、征友广告”，出自 R.E.M. 歌曲《It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)》
In R.E.M.'s song 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)', the word 'smallpox' appears in a rapid-fire list of images.
在 R.E.M. 的歌曲《It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)》中，“smallpox”一词出现在一连串快速切换的意象里。
Use smallpoxes naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
small + pox（痘），想象满脸很小的痘，结痂脱落后留下小坑——正是天花留下的疤痕。
语域：neutral 常见场景：public health、medical history、historical accounts 该词为医学标准术语，多用于医学、公共卫生或历史叙述中，日常口语中也可能出现，但通常出现在正式或知识性语境。
pox, cowpox, and chickenpox share the final /pɑks/ segment with the -pox of smallpox. Box also ends in /ɑks/ and rhymes with pox, but it does not rhyme with the whole word smallpox because the stressed syllable of smallpox is /smɔl/. Small /smɔl/ is the first part of smallpox; mall /mɔl/ looks similar without the initial /s/ and sounds different.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.