VOA慢速英语 2007 0314a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

It might seem hard to imagine that a bad tooth could be deadly.

 
More than 41,000 students in the Philippines brushed their teeth at the same time last month to set a world record, organizers said. The record was 33,038 in the United Kingdom.
But doctors in the Washington area say a twelve-year-old boy died last month from a tooth infection that spread to his brain. They say it might have been prevented had the boy received the dental¹ care he needed.

Experts at the National Institutes of Health say good dental care starts at birth. They say breast milk is the best food for the healthy development of teeth. Breast milk can help slow bacterial² growth and acid³ production in the mouth.

But dentists say you should clean your baby's gums⁴ and early teeth after each feeding. Use a cloth with a little warm water. Do the same if you bottle feed your baby. Experts say if you decide to put your baby to sleep with a bottle, give your baby only water.

When baby teeth begin to appear, you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies. And use them very gently.

The use of fluoride to protect teeth is common in many parts of the world. This natural element is often added to drinking water supplies. The fluoride mixes with enamel⁵, the hard surface on teeth, to help prevent holes, or cavities⁶, from forming.

But the American Academy⁷ of Pediatric Dentistry points out that young children often swallow toothpaste when they brush. The group notes that swallowing fluoridated toothpaste can cause problems. So young children should be carefully supervised⁸ when they brush their teeth. And only a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste, the size of a green pea, should be used.  

Parents often wonder about what effect thumb sucking or sucking on a pacifier might have on their baby's teeth. Dental experts generally agree that this is fine early in life.

The American Academy of Family Physicians says most kids stop sucking their thumbs by the age of four. If it continues, the group advises parents to talk to their child's dentist or doctor. It could interfere⁹ with the correct development of permanent teeth.

Dentists strongly advise a first dental visit at least by the time a child is one year old. They say babies should be examined when their first teeth appear.

Healthy teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Daily cleaning is important to preventing infections and other problems. We will talk more in the future about dental care for children and adults.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver¹⁰. Transcripts¹¹ and audio¹² files of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 dental   

adj.牙齿的，牙科的

参考例句：

• You can get free dental treatment.你可以得到免费的牙齿治疗。
• I had undergone a major dental operation.我经受了一次牙科大手术。

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 acid   

n.酸；酸性物质；adj.酸的，酸性的

参考例句：

• Handle with care,or the acid may get out.小心轻放，否则酸会溢出来。
• The acid has been eating away the sides of the container.酸腐蚀着容器的四壁。

4 gums   

树胶

参考例句：

• A bad tooth may cause an abscess on the gums. 一颗病牙可使牙床脓肿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The dog bared its gums at me. 狗龇着牙冲我叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 enamel   

n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质

参考例句：

• I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
• He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。

6 cavities   

腔，洞( cavity的名词复数 )； （龋齿的）洞

参考例句：

• Cavities in teeth are caused by decay. 牙齿上的空洞是由龋蚀造成的。
• The dentist filled several cavities in my teeth. 牙医给我的牙堵了好几个洞 excavation 指“挖掘的洞”，如：

7 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

8 supervised   

v.监督，管理( supervise的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The architect supervised the building of the house. 建筑工程师监督房子的施工。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He supervised and trained more than 400 volunteers. 他指导和培训了400多名志愿者。 来自辞典例句

9 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

11 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

12 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。