世界节假日博览 第44期:世界肾脏日

 　　World Kidney Day is on the 12th of March. It started in 2006 and has grown quickly. In its first year, 66 countries celebrated¹ it and two years later that number rose to 88. The day is a joint² venture of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation³ of Kidney Foundations. The aim of the day is to raise awareness⁴ about the importance of our kidneys. Campaigns and campaigners also want to highlight how harmful kidney disease is, and spread the message that most forms of kidney disease are treatable. Few of us ever stop to think about our kidneys. Perhaps even fewer know exactly what they are and what they do. Our two kidneys form an amazing organ that keeps our body healthy.

　　世界肾脏日会在每年的3月12日召开。该节日开始于2006年，并迅速发展开来。举办之初，全球有66个国家庆祝了该节日，两年之后这一数字上升到了88个。它是国际肾脏病学会和国际肾脏基金联盟联合共同创立的。该节日的目的是为了提高人们对肾脏的重视程度。宣传活动和活动开展人士还希望人们提高对肾脏疾病危害的重视，让人们了解到绝大多数肾脏疾病是可以治愈的。很少有人会随时关注着我们的肾脏。或许，很少有人会对肾脏是什么，以及肾脏的功能有着确切的了解。人类的两个肾脏能够让我们保持身体健康。

　　So just what are our kidneys and what do they do, exactly? They are (of course) kidney-shaped organs each about the size of an apple. They are located under our rib⁵ cage, deep in our abdomen⁶. Their main job is to keep our blood clean. They do this by filtering and removing poisons and excess water from our blood - 200 litres every day. They also help to control our blood pressure, and they produce red blood cells and keep our bones healthy. They’re pretty busy all the time. Kidney disease can affect anyone – about ten percent of us suffer from it. Most of us don’t know we have it because it rarely causes pain. If we have regular health and blood checks, doctors can quickly detect any disease early on and treat it.

　　那么，肾脏究竟是什么，它们有什么作用呢？肾脏形状的器官大约与苹果一边大。它们位于胸腔的下部，深藏的腹部中。它们的主要工作就是清洁血液。它们过滤，转移血液中的有毒物质和过量水分，每天会过滤200公升。它们还帮助控制血压。制造红细胞，保持骨质健康。它们总是忙忙碌碌。肾脏疾病能够对我们所有人造成影响，有大约10%的人口会遭受肾病的困扰。但是绝大多数人都没有注意到它的存在，那是因为肾病很少会引起人们的疼痛感。如果我们定期进行健康和血液检查，那么医生会及时发现早期病症，并进行治疗。

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

6 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。