VOA慢速英语20060926a

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Severe Form of E. Coli Not a New Problem for GrowersBy Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, September 26, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

California produces about seventy-five percent of the spinach¹ grown in the United States. State officials estimated the full value of the California crop last year at almost two hundred sixty million dollars. Now growers are concerned that the rest of this year's crop may be lost because of an outbreak of E. coli oh-one-five-seven-H-seven.


Markets removed fresh spinach after warnings about E. coli O157:H7

Since last month, bacterial² infections from fresh spinach have sickened more than one hundred seventy people in half of the fifty states. One death was confirmed as related; two others were suspected.

On September fourteenth, federal officials warned Americans not to eat spinach sold in bags. Later the warning expanded to all fresh spinach.

The Food and Drug Administration says the spinach in the outbreak was grown in three California counties. They are Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara.

Officials says the outbreak is not connected to other produce grown in these three counties in the Salinas Valley. And they say spinach grown in other areas of the United States is safe to eat. Frozen or canned spinach has not been linked to the outbreak either.

Experts say E. coli in spinach can be killed by cooking at seventy-one degrees Celsius³ for fifteen seconds.

E. coli oh-one-five-seven-H-seven has been found in the intestines⁴ of healthy cattle, deer, goats and sheep. The organism produces a strong poison in humans. It can result in kidney failure and death. Officials say more of these infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked ground beef than by any other food.

But last November the Food and Drug Administration restated concerns about continuing E. coli outbreaks in leafy greens. The F.D.A. noted⁵ eighteen outbreaks involving fresh or fresh-cut lettuce⁶ and one involving fresh-cut spinach since nineteen ninety-five. Those outbreaks resulted in more than four hundred reported cases of sickness and two deaths.

Investigators⁷ found that at least eight of the outbreaks involved greens from the Salinas Valley.

Officials say the current outbreak might have been caused by water polluted with waste from cattle. Or it might have been caused by wildlife in the fields, or by infected workers. Experience suggests that investigators might never find the exact cause.

Last week the Western Growers Association announced it is developing a new food-safety plan. The plan will include measures such as improved water and soil testing. And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Jim Tedder⁸.

1 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。

2 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

7 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网