VOA慢速英语2019 新设备会取代听诊器吗？（在线收听）

Will New Devices Replace the Stethoscope?

Nearly every U.S. medical school gives new students a white coat and a stethoscope.

几乎每一所美国医学院都会给新生一件白大褂和一个听诊器。 

The act is part of a long tradition.

这种行为是悠久传统的一部分。 

But it is more than just symbolic.

但这不仅仅是一个象征。 

Medical schools still teach stethoscope skills.

医学院仍然教授听诊器技能。 

Doctors must be able to use them well to get their licenses.

医生必须能够很好地使用它们来获得执照。 

But the stethoscope, 200 years after its invention, is facing an uncertain future.

但是听诊器在发明200年后，正面临着一个不确定的未来。 

New devices can help doctors find problems in the heart, lungs and other areas.

新的设备可以帮助医生发现心脏、肺和其他部位的问题。 

They use ultrasound technology, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps.

他们使用超声波技术、人工智能和智能手机应用。 

Dr. Eric Topol is a world-renowned heart doctor.

埃里克·托波尔医生是世界著名的心脏病医生。 

He considers the stethoscope obsolete – in other words, old and out of date.

他认为听诊器已经被淘汰了——换句话说，过时了。 

It “was OK for 200 years,” Topol said.

托波尔说：“200年来，听诊器一直在发挥它的作用。” 

But “we need to go beyond that. We can do better.”

但“我们需要超越。我们可以做得更好。” 

Students at Indiana University, one of the nation’s largest medical schools, learn stethoscope skills.

印第安纳大学是美国最大的医学院之一，该校学生就要学习听诊器技能。 

But they also get training in hand-held ultrasound technology.

但他们也接受手持式超声波技术的培训。 

The training is part of a program launched there last year by Dr. Paul Wallach, one of the school’s leaders.

该培训是该校领导人之一保罗·沃勒克博士去年启动的一个项目的一部分。 

Five years ago, he created a similar program at the Medical College of Georgia.

五年前，他在乔治亚医学院创建了一个类似的项目。 

Wallach believes that within the next ten years, hand-held ultrasound devices will become part of the usual physical exam, just like the reflex hammer.

沃勒克相信，在未来十年内，手持超声设备将成为常规体检的一部分，就像叩诊锤一样。 

But Wallach added that he isn’t ready to declare the stethoscope dead.

但沃勒克补充说，他还没有准备好宣布听诊器的“死亡”。 

He believes younger doctors will be wearing “a stethoscope around the neck and an ultrasound in the pocket.”

他相信年轻的医生将会“脖子上戴着听诊器，口袋里装着超声波设备”。 

Modern-day stethoscopes look different than the first stethoscope.

现代听诊器与第一代听诊器看起来不同。 

It was invented in the early 1800s by Frenchman Rene Laennec.

它是在19世纪早期由法国人何内·雷奈克发明的。 

But the devices work in basically the same way.

但这些设备的工作原理基本相同。 

Sound waves make the device’s flat metal area shake.

声波使设备平坦的金属区域产生震动。 

The shaking moves the sound through the tubes to the ears.

震动使声音通过管道传到耳朵。 

But hearing and understanding sounds from the human body requires a trained ear.

但是，听和理解来自人体的声音，需要训练有素的耳朵。 

Dr. James Thomas is a heart doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

詹姆斯·托马斯医生是芝加哥西北医学院的一名心脏病医生。 

He says that with medical advances and competing devices, some younger doctors are not being trained well on the stethoscope.

他说，随着医学的进步和竞争设备的出现，一些年轻医生在听诊器方面没有得到很好的培训。 

He notes recent studies that medical school graduates in some areas “may miss as many as half of murmurs using a stethoscope.”

他指出，最近的研究表明，医学院某些领域的毕业生“使用听诊器时可能会错过多达一半的听诊杂音。”

There is, however, a large price difference between normal stethoscopes and high-tech devices.

然而，普通听诊器和高科技听诊器的价格差别很大。 

Stethoscopes usually cost under $200, compared with at least a few thousand dollars for some of the new devices.

听诊器的价格通常在200美元以下，相比之下，一些新设备至少要几千美元。 

Dr. Dave Drelicharz has been a doctor for children for more than 10 years.

戴夫·德拉利查兹医生已经做儿童医生超过10年了。 

He understands the attraction of the newer devices.

他了解新设备的吸引力。 

But, he says, until the price comes down, the stethoscope “is still your best tool.”

但是，他说，在价格降下来之前，听诊器“仍然是你最好的工具”。 

He said, “During my work hours in my office, if I don’t have it around my shoulders, it’s as though I was feeling almost naked.”

他说：“在我工作的时候，如果我的肩膀上没有它，我就会觉得自己几乎是赤身裸体的。”