VOA慢速英语 2007 0529b

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.  I'm Barbara Klein. 

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember.  On our program this week, we will tell about a new study of the Arctic¹ Ocean. 

 
Amur leopard²
We will also tell about a big cat that animal experts say is close to disappearing from the wild.  And, we will talk about broken bones and how to treat them.  

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VOICE ONE:

A new report says sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected.  American scientists say the ice is melting even faster than computer programs had estimated. 

The scientists work for the National Center for Atmospheric³ Research and the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado.  Results of their study were reported on Geophysical Research Letters, a website of the American Geophysical Union.

Scientists know that climate change has a major effect on the Arctic Ocean partly because sea ice is disappearing.  They also know that areas of open seawater are expanding.  Such areas are known to take in sunlight and increase temperatures.  Scientists say this has helped to cause the loss of the Arctic's ice cover.

VOICE TWO:

For the study, the American scientists compared eighteen computer programs with observations made by satellites and other instruments.  The Intergovernmental Panel⁴ on Climate Change used the computer programs to prepare its two thousand seven estimates of climate change. 

The computer programs gave estimates of the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean in the month of September.  September is when the Arctic has the least ice, after the warm, summer months.  The computer estimates suggested an ice loss of two and a half percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and two thousand six. 

Newer studies of the Arctic have used information gathered by aircraft, satellites and ships.  This information showed a loss of September ice cover of almost eight percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and last year.  This means the ice is disappearing about thirty years faster than the computer programs estimated.

VOICE ONE:

The scientists say the programs might not have recognized the full effect of increased carbon dioxide and other gasses in Earth's atmosphere.  They say their study suggests the gasses may have more of an effect than had been thought.

 
Computer estimates were wrong about how fast Arctic sea ice is melting
The study also measured the amount of ice lost in the Arctic in March.  That is when the most Arctic sea ice is present.  It showed the loss of ice in March is much less than the loss in September.  Yet the computer estimates were wrong about how much.  The new report says the March loss was almost two percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and two thousand six.  That is three times more than the loss suggested by the computer programs.

Study organizers say their findings confirm that the Arctic's ice cover is melting…and that this is happening faster than had been thought.  They also say the study shows that summer sea ice in the Arctic may disappear much earlier than scientists had expected.

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VOICE TWO:

Animal experts say one of the world's most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild.  A study earlier this year found that only about thirty Amur leopards⁵ still live free.  The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards. 

Recently, their numbers decreased by one.  An unidentified person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death.  The animal's body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge⁶ in eastern Russia.

An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron Collins, said this was the third such killing⁷ in the area in the past five years.  Mister Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat.  He noted⁸ that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs⁹, or young. 

VOICE ONE:

It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free.  One population count was performed in February and March.  Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikunov supervised¹⁰ this study.  It found evidence of seven to nine males.  The study identified three to seven females without cubs.  Four leopards were identified as females with cubs.  In all, five or six cubs were recorded.  Six to eight animals could not be identified. 

Researchers counted the Amur leopards by following the marks of their feet in the snow.  The study involved thirty-five workers from three organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund.  The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science also took part.

Counts performed seven years ago and three years ago showed higher leopard totals.  Officials say about one hundred of the animals are needed for survival¹¹.

VOICE TWO:

Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China.  New roads and climate change there threatened the animals.  So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.

The surviving cats live in southwest Primorye.  That area is near the border between Russia, China and North Korea. 

The director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia program organized an earlier count of Amurs.  Dale Miquelle says the leopards should be counted in more modern ways.  This would include use of radio, camera traps, and genetic¹² testing.

Mister Pikunov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive.  He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food.  He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife. 

About three hundred Amur leopards live in zoos around the world.

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VOICE ONE:

Have you ever suffered a broken bone?  The medical term for a broken bone is a fracture¹³.  But there are different kinds of fractures¹⁴.  A single fracture is when a bone is broken in just one place.  You may have heard the term hairline fracture.  This is a single fracture that is very small, like the width of a hair.  A complete fracture is when the bone comes apart.

When a bone is broken in more than two places or gets crushed, the name for it is a comminuted fracture.

Still another kind is a bowing fracture.  This happens with a bone that bends but does not break.  It happens mostly in children.

Have you ever heard of a greenstick fracture? This is when a bone is bent¹⁵ and breaks along only one side, like a young stick of wood.

Another kind of break is an open or compound fracture.  This is when the bone breaks the skin.  This is very serious.  There is both bone damage and a risk of infection in the open wound.

VOICE TWO:

A lot of things happen as the body reacts to an injury like a broken bone.  You might suddenly feel lightheaded.  You might also feel sick to your stomach.

People who are seriously injured can go into shock.  They might feel cold and unable to think clearly.  Shock requires immediate¹⁶ medical attention.

But while broken bones can be painful, they are generally not life-threatening. Treatment depends on the kind of fracture.  A doctor takes X-rays to see the break and sets a broken bone to make sure it is in the correct position.

Severe breaks may require an operation to hold the bone together with metal plates and screws.

VOICE ONE:

Next, a person usually gets a cast put around the area of the break.  Casts are usually worn for one to two months.  The hard bandage holds the bone in place while it heals. 

In some cases, instead of a cast, a splint made of plastic or metal will be placed over the area to restrict movement.

Doctors say broken bones should be treated quickly because they can restrict blood flow or cause nerve damage.  Also, the break will start to repair itself, so you want to make sure the bone is lined up correctly. 

Bones need calcium¹⁷ and vitamin D to grow and reach their full strength.  Keeping your bones strong with exercise may also help prevent fractures.

Wearing safety protection like elbow pads and leg guards during activities is a good idea.  If you think these might be restrictive, try a cast.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Nancy Steinbach, Caty Weaver¹⁸ and Jerilyn Watson.  Brianna Blake was our producer.  I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein.  You can read and listen to this program on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.  Join us again next week at this time for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

2 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

3 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

4 panel   

n.面，板，专门小组，控制板，仪表盘

参考例句：

• The unusual control panel on the walls caught our attention.墙上不同寻常的控制板引起了我们的注意。
• The panel of judges included several well-known writers.评判小组中包括几位知名作家。

5 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

6 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 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。

9 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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

11 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

12 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。

13 fracture   

v.（使）断裂，（使）折断；n.裂缝，裂痕，折断

参考例句：

• Perhaps there is a fracture in the water pipe.也许水管有裂缝了。
• A doctor can reduce a fracture or dislocation.医生能使骨折或脱臼复位。

14 fractures   

（指状态）骨折( fracture的名词复数 )； 断裂； （指事实）骨折

参考例句：

• Essentially fractures can cut most types of carbonate fabric. 实质上裂缝可割切大多数类型的碳酸盐组织。
• Fractures of the nose may be associated with septal tractures and hematomas. 鼻骨骨折可伴有中隔骨折和血肿。

15 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

18 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。