SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Study of Shipwrecks in Europe / Feathe

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS -April 23, 2002: Study of Shipwrecks¹ in Europe / Feathered Dinosaur⁴ / Foods That

Can Keep You Healthy
Broadcast: VOICE ONE:
This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty⁵ with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments

in science. Today, we tell about a project to study shipwrecks in European waters ... a discovery of a dinosaur
with feathers ... foods that can keep you healthy ... and a vitamin-enriched drink for people in developing
countries.

((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
Archeologists from six nations are working to study and protect four wrecked⁶ ships in northern European waters.

The European Union has provided money equal to about one-million dollars for the three-year project. The E-U
says these ships play an important part in European cultural history.

Archeologists from the Maritime⁷ Museum of Finland helped organize the project.
Scientific organizations from five other nations also are taking part. They are
Germany, Sweden, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

VOICE TWO:

The program has a number of goals. The archeologists want to learn why some

shipwrecks last a long time while others fall apart. They hope to develop a plan for

deciding when shipwrecks are threatened with destruction. They also want to learn
the best ways to raise ships from the bottom of the ocean. And, they are planning ways for the public to see the
wrecks³ without risking damage to the underwater environment surrounding them.

The scientists say the shipwrecks are in good condition. Two lie in the Baltic Sea, one near Germany and the
other near Finland. Another is in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands. A fourth lies in Lake Vattern
(VECK-ten) in Sweden. The oldest ship sailed in the thirteenth century. The most recent sank in Eighteen-Fifty-
Six.

Instruments placed on the wrecked ships will report on currents, the salt level in the water and other conditions.
Scientists know that bacteria and waves influence the breaking down of ships over time. However, little is known
about other underwater processes.

VOICE ONE:

Before the project began, the Finnish archeologists had worked on the wreck² of one of the ships being studied.
This wooden sailing ship is called the Vrouw Maria (FRAH-Wah Mah-REE-ah). It sank in Seventeen-Seventy-
One while it was sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was carrying artworks
and other objects to Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

The ship now lies under forty-one meters of water off the coast of Finland. The archeologists will compare the
Vrouw Maria with the other wrecks. They say this should help them decide if they should try to raise the ship.

Underwater cameras will record all the wrecks so the public can see them. One official said the project will try to
develop Internet computer Web sites for each of the sunken ships.


((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

American and Chinese scientists say they have discovered new evidence that modern birds developed from
dinosaurs⁸. The researchers found remains⁹ of a dinosaur that appears to have had feathers but could not fly.

The researchers said the feathers on the dinosaur fossil have almost the same structure
as feathers on modern birds. They also suggested that the dinosaurs may have
developed feathers over time to keep warm, not to fly.

The publication “Nature”
reported findings about the dinosaur fossil last month.
The fossil was about one-hundred-twenty-eight -million years old. The scientists found
it in the Beipiao (BAY-BYAU) Paleontological Museum in China. The fossil had
been uncovered in northeastern China. They identified the animal as a dromaeosaur

(DRAH-mah-soar).

VOICE ONE:

Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City took part in the research. He said the
fossil has feathers on its tail and legs. Some of the feathers measure up to thirteen centimeters.The dromaeosaur
ate meat. It was almost one meter long. It had hollow bones, like a bird. Scientists believe it was able to run fast
on two powerful legs.

Last year, the same team found an older dromaeosaur fossil. It was about one-hundred-thirty-million years old. It
was discovered in the same northeastern area of China. The scientists said the older fossil apparently¹⁰ was partly
covered with soft feathers called down.

VOICE TWO:

The latest finding by the Chinese and American team adds to a major scientific debate. In recent years, many
scientists have accepted the idea that modern birds developed from dinosaurs. A few scientists still argue that
birds developed from another kind of reptile¹¹.

Some experts welcomed the discovery about the dinosaur as proof of the bird theory. Others said bird feathers
might have accidentally become mixed into the fossil as it formed. Several years ago, scientists discovered that
people had placed objects identified as feathers in a dinosaur fossil from China.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Experts say the food people eat greatly affects their health. They say that some foods are especially good for
preventing disease.

A dromaeosaur
(Image -Mick Ellison/AMNH)
Many foods contain substances that protect against tissue damage. One of these is
tomatoes. The substance lycopene is released when tomatoes are cooked. Lycopene
helps reduce the risk of developing cancer in the digestive system, which processes
food.

The dark green vegetable spinach¹² contains folic acid that prevents problems in

developing fetuses¹³. It also lowers blood levels of homocysteine. High homocysteine
levels have been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Another vegetable, broccoli¹⁴, can help protect against cancers
of the breast, colon¹⁵ and stomach.

VOICE TWO:

Oats help lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease. They also may improve the levels of sugar in
the blood. This reduces the chance of developing the disease diabetes¹⁶.


Fish that contain omega three fatty acids help prevent blockages¹⁷ in the arteries¹⁸. Omega three also lowers bad
cholesterol¹⁹ and may protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimer's. Fish that provide a lot of omega three
acids are salmon²⁰, herring, mackerel and bluefish.

VOICE ONE:

Garlic may help protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and making the blood less sticky. Health experts also
suggest cooking with olive oil because it has been shown to help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Studies show that drinking green tea may help prevent cancer of the liver and stomach. Blueberries have been
shown to help protect against heart disease and cancer. Experts say the skins of red grapes contain substances that
increase the good kind of cholesterol in the blood. To get this protection, you can drink red wine... but not more
than a few glasses a week. Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

The Coca-Cola Company is developing a new healthy drink for people in developing

*

countries. The new drink is called Vitango. It tastes like orange drink. Vitango is a mix of fine

,PDJH

particles that becomes a liquid when water is added. It contains twelve vitamins and minerals
that are lacking in the diets of people in developing countries.

Vitango is designed to help prevent blood problems, blindness and other common sicknesses in
developing countries, especially in Africa and South America. Coca -Cola tested the drink by
giving it to students at two schools in Botswana last year. At the end of eight weeks, test
results showed that levels of iron and zinc²¹ in the students’
blood had increased.

VOICE ONE:

Vitango is still being developed. However, officials believe it will be on the market by the end of this year. The
Coca-Cola Company will offer it first in at least one country in Africa and South America. In time, the company
hopes to sell it throughout the world at as low a cost as possible.

Vitango would compete with a similar vitamin drink already on the market called Nutristar. The Procter and
Gamble Company began selling Nutristar in Venezuela last October after several years of research. Nutristar
contains eight vitamins and five minerals. U-N experts say these drinks are an effective way to help meet the
health needs of people in developing countries.

((THEME))

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson, Nancy Steinbach and Jill Moss²². It was
produced by George Grow. This is Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of
America.

UDSKLF

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1 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

2 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

3 wrecks   

n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉

参考例句：

• The shores are strewn with wrecks. 海岸上满布失事船只的残骸。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My next care was to get together the wrecks of my fortune. 第二件我所关心的事就是集聚破产后的余财。 来自辞典例句

4 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

5 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

6 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

7 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

8 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

12 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

13 fetuses   

n.胎，胎儿( fetus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• DNA was extracted from fetuses at mid-gestation, about 10 days past conception. DNA从受孕大约10天后的中期妊娠胚胎中提取。 来自互联网
• Brucellosis is a disease that causes fetuses to abort in cattle. 普鲁士菌病是一种可以导致牲畜胎儿夭折的疾病。 来自互联网

14 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

15 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

16 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

17 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

18 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

20 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

21 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

22 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。