英语听力—环球英语 778 Tetanus: The Silent Killer

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Ryan Geertsma. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
We begin today with a story from an old newspaper. The story is about the discovery of a medicine to fight a silent enemy:
Voice 3
"Once again the Pasteur Institute in Paris and its helpers have rescued humanity³. They have taken an important step towards extending human lives. During the last six months, these scientists have performed a hundred experiments with a new injection. Results show that the injection provides protection against the disease tetanus."
Voice 1
That newspaper report was from the International Herald⁴ Tribune. It was printed on January the 16th, 1926. The report praised the invention of a new tetanus injection - a vaccine⁵. Tetanus is a disease that causes the body to become hard and unable to move. In some cases it can lead to death. The invention of this new vaccine protected people from the disease.
Voice 2
Today, 80 years later, richer countries do not have many cases of tetanus. This is thanks to the vaccine. Doctors inject children with the vaccine at an early age. But tetanus still affects people in many developing countries. Some countries do not have the money to buy enough vaccines⁶ for the whole population.
Voice 1
Although humans can protect themselves against tetanus, we cannot remove its cause. This is because bacteria that live in the soil cause the disease. The bacteria can also live in animal and human waste. People become infected when these bacteria enter the blood. This can happen through a cut or wound. It can also happen during child birth.
Voice 2
A mother may be infected with tetanus during child birth. This is called maternal⁷ tetanus. Tetanus can also infect the baby at this time. This is called neonatal tetanus. Every year about 140,000 babies die from neonatal tetanus. About 30,000 new mothers die from maternal tetanus. Babies and mothers from poor areas are particularly at risk.
Voice 1
The only way to treat neonatal Tetanus is with costly⁸ medicines from a hospital. The disease can be prevented however. Giving birth to the baby in clean conditions helps. The tetanus bacteria can infect the baby if dirty instruments are used during birth. It is also important to keep the baby's stomach area clean after birth.
Voice 2
Unicef is a United Nations organisation⁹ that cares for children. It describes the effect that tetanus can have on babies:
Voice 3
'When the bacteria enter the body they produce an extremely strong poison. The poison attacks the nervous system. This causes uncontrollable movements and the body becomes hard - first, in the mouth and neck, and then in the back and stomach. The child becomes unable to take its mother's milk. After that, the child can become unable to breathe. The disease leads to death in between 70 and 100 percent of cases. The true number that tetanus kills is not known. This is because many babies and mothers die at home. Such cases are often not reported. That is why tetanus is called the "silent killer¹⁰".'
Voice 1
Philip O Brien works for Unicef. He says the disease is linked to the world's poorest countries.
Voice 4
'If you are a child born in a poor country your risks are higher. Most of the countries that have a problem with maternal and neonatal tetanus are among the 50 poorest in the world.'
Voice 2
One of these countries is the Central African Republic. Here, one person who has seen the effects of neonatal tetanus is Tatyana. Her baby boy, Kpa suffered from the effects of tetanus. Tatyana walked over fifteen kilometres to find a hospital. She and her baby were lucky. Her community paid for baby Kpa's treatment. It was costly. But the community knew it could save Kpa's life.
Voice 1
Since then, many of the women of Tatyana's community have received the tetanus vaccine. Doctors can treat some babies who already have tetanus. But many babies die. So prevention is the best way of fighting the disease. The women of Tatyana's community are among one and a half million [1,500,000] people who have received the vaccine in the Central African Republic. This should prevent more babies like Kpa from catching¹¹ the disease.
Voice 2
Over the last few years more countries have been giving vaccinations¹³ to their people. These countries have been supported by Unicef and the World Health Organisation. These organisations hope to get rid of tetanus all over the world.
Voice 1
But getting rid of the disease completely is not easy. In 1989 the World Health Organisation said that it aimed to get rid of tetanus among mothers and babies. It defined¹⁴ getting rid of the disease as having less than one case for every thousand births in the country. It aimed to do this by 1995.
Voice 2
However, the world did not meet the target. So the WHO moved the target to the year 2000, then 2005. But the disease is still a problem today. In June 2008, tetanus at childbirth was still a problem in 46 countries. So, the fight continues.
Voice 1
Thousands more people are receiving the vaccination¹². And in October 2008 Unicef published a new target. It said it wanted to get rid of maternal and neonatal tetanus by 2012.
Voice 2
To help towards this target, Unicef has made a deal with the company that makes Pampers¹⁵. Pampers are babies' diapers, or nappies. Babies who are too young to use the toilet wear these diapers. The deal agrees that when parents buy diapers for their babies, some of the money is given to Unicef. Austin Lally works for the company that makes the diapers - Procter and Gamble¹⁶. He says,
Voice 5
'Tetanus is a completely preventable disease. Children around the world can be protected from this disease. It just takes the cost of a simple vaccine. We have a moral responsibility to help get rid of this disease.'
Voice 1
Tetanus is a disease that people in richer countries rarely think about. But for mothers and babies in many poorer countries it can be serious risk. All it takes to protect them is a vaccine. This vaccine only costs about five cents. But for those who receive it, it can be worth millions.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

4 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

5 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

6 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

7 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

10 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

11 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

12 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

13 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

15 pampers   

v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The biggest is Pampers nappies, which collected more than $7 billion last year. 最大的是帮宝适(Pampers)纸尿裤，去年收获超过70亿美元。 来自互联网
• She pampers her own spoiled children and brings Jane up as little better than a servant. 她对她那些被宠坏了的孩子娇生惯养，但对简则有如对待佣仆。 来自辞典例句

16 gamble   

n.冒险；v.赌博，孤注一掷

参考例句：

• Setting up this business was a bit of a gamble.开办这样的公司有点冒险。
• Drive carefully and don't gamble with your life.小心驾驶，别拿你的生命冒险。