VOA慢速英语20060206a

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Report Says Six Percent of Babies Are Born with Genetic¹ DisordersBy Jill Moss³

Broadcast: Monday, February 06, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report.

A new report estimates that eight million children each year are born with serious disorders² caused at least partly by their genes⁴. That is about six percent of all births worldwide. The report is from the March of Dimes⁵ organization.


A young woman with spina bifida in South Africa. Child at right belongs to the woman in the wheelchair, helped to be born healthy because the mother took the B vitamin folic acid beginning before pregnancy⁶.

Researchers found that about ninety-five percent of births with serious defects happen in the developing world. They say Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Benin have the highest rates of birth defects. Others with the ten highest rates include Burkina Faso, the Palestinian territories, the United Arab Emirates and Tajikistan. And they include Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

The study links high birth-defect rates in developing countries to poor health care and nutrition. The researchers also note higher than average rates of marriage among blood relatives, and of older women having babies.

The most common genetic defects include heart disorders, Down syndrome⁷ and incorrectly formed backbones⁸ and brains. They also include disorders of the red blood cells, such as sickle⁹ cell disease and thalassemia.

The report says hundreds of thousands of other children are born with serious defects that are caused during pregnancy. Pregnant women risk harm to their babies from alcohol and tobacco. There is also a risk if they get infected with diseases like rubella or syphilis, or do not get enough nutrients¹⁰ like iodine¹¹ and folic acid.

The March of Dimes says the report identifies for the first time what it calls the hidden worldwide extent of birth defects. Researchers collected information on almost two hundred countries. They found that every year more than three million children under the age of five die from birth defects. Those who survive may have mental or physical problems for life.

The report suggests a number of ways to deal with the international problem. One step is to make sure women have a healthy diet during their reproductive years. Another is to test men and women to identify those at higher risk of having children with genetic disorders.

But the report says the first step is to educate people about the problem of birth defects and ways to prevent or treat them. The March of Dimes says the ideas in the report could reduce death and disability from birth defects by up to seventy percent.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. You can read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

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 dimes   

n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年，铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句

6 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

7 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

8 backbones   

n.骨干( backbone的名词复数 )；脊骨；骨气；脊骨状物

参考例句：

• Why do hummingbirds and gorillas both have backbones? 为什么蜂鸟和大猩猩都有脊骨？ 来自辞典例句
• Simply adding bandwidth to the Internet backbones is not an answer. 只是简单的在互联网骨架上增加带宽是应付不了的。 来自互联网

9 sickle   

n.镰刀

参考例句：

• The gardener was swishing off the tops of weeds with a sickle.园丁正在用镰刀嗖嗖地割掉杂草的顶端。
• There is a picture of the sickle on the flag. 旗帜上有镰刀的图案。

10 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。