【英语语言学习】安吉丽娜朱莉的抗癌经历

Hi there. Thanks for joining us again on As It Is. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

 

“The fate of mankind … will rest in the hands of one.”

 

“Ooo.”

 

“Don’t start.”

 

Do you recognize that movie? It’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.” The star is Angelina Jolie. Jolie is famous for a lot of things. Her movies. Her beauty. Her humanitarian¹ work around the world. Her six kids. Her husband-to-be, actor Brad Pitt. This week, Jolie is in the news for deciding to have both her breasts removed.

 

Jolie published an article on May 21st in the New York Times announcing her decision. She explained that her mother died of cancer at age 56. Jolie said her children wanted to know if she would, too. She wrote,

 

“I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene² … which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.”

 

Jolie said genetic³ tests showed she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer. And, the tests showed she had a 50 percent chance for cancer in the ovaries, which are part of a woman’s reproductive system.

 

So last February Jolie had major surgery to remove her breasts. The surgery took about eight hours. After she recovered, she had another surgery to create two new breasts. She wrote that her children do not see anything that makes them uncomfortable.

 

“They can see my small scars and that’s it,” she said. “Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. … On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminished my femininity.”

 

Most importantly, she says her chances of developing breast cancer have dropped to five percent. She says now she can tell her six children that they don’t need to be afraid their mother will die of breast cancer.

 

Genetic Tests Can Help Predict Breast and Ovarian Cancer

 

Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy – to have both her breasts removed – has made many people talk about the risk of breast cancer. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that around 1.3 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide each year. VOA’s Carol Pearson looked at Jolie’s decision and other options available to women who might develop breast cancer. June Simms has her report.

 

Two major genes⁴ are related to breast and ovarian cancer. The genes are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Doctors have found that changes to these genes can increase the odds⁵ of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

 

Marc Boisvert is a doctor at Medstar Washington Hospital. He says not all women with breast cancer have the BRCA gene change. He says patients with and without the gene change have the same chance of survival. But, Dr. Boisvert notes an important difference in cancer patients who test positive for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene changes.

 

“The problem is that these cancers frequently appear in younger women, and younger women tend to have more aggressive cancers, and they’re not suspecting them.”

 

Women in their 20s and 30s are not likely to be checked for breast cancer. Usually, women age 40 and above are checked.

 

The National Cancer Institute recommends getting a genetic test if close relatives have had breast or ovarian cancer. But the results cannot tell you for sure whether or not you will get breast or ovarian cancer. What the tests can do is help scientists understand someone’s risk — which is why Jolie said her chance of getting breast cancer was 87 percent. However, genetic testing can cost thousands of dollars.

 

If a person does learn she has a high risk for developing breast or ovarian cancer, she can choose to have her breasts or ovaries surgically⁶ removed before they develop the disease. But Dr. Boisvert says surgery is not the only choice.

 

“I think education of everyone is important here because I think you can get peace of mind knowing that you are being monitored very carefully and knowing what the numbers are, what the chance of recurrence⁷, for instance, are.”

 

Dr. Boisvert says in the end, the patient needs to be comfortable with her care. He says getting surgery or just watching closely for any signs of disease can both be good choices.

 

I’m June Simms.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

6 surgically   

adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• To bypass this impediment an almost mature egg cell is removed surgically. 为了克服这一障碍，通过手术，取出一个差不多成熟的卵细胞。

7 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。