VOA慢速英语2010年-EXPLORATIONS - Fourteen Scientists and

STEVE EMBER: I’m Steve Ember.

BARBARA KLEIN: And I’m Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Once a year, the National Geographic¹ Society honors a group of scientists, activists³, wildlife experts and artists for their work as explorers and thinkers. Honorees receive a ten thousand dollar award to help them continue their research and projects. Today we tell about this year’s fourteen Emerging Explorers and talk to two of them.

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STEVE EMBER: Three of this year’s Emerging Explorers study the ancient past.

BETH SHAPIRO: “I am interested to understand why some animals went extinct and others animals didn’t at the end of the last Ice Age.”

That is Beth Shapiro, a molecular⁴ biologist at Pennsylvania State University. She studies the genetic⁵ information found in the remains⁶ of ancient animals in order to learn about the climate and environment of long ago.

Beth Shapiro takes pieces of ancient bones, teeth and hair found mostly in the high Arctic area. Then, she studies the DNA⁷ in these samples to learn how animal populations have grown and shrunk over the last hundred thousand years. Her findings help show how evolution takes place over time and in an area.

Molecular biologist Beth Shapiro

This DNA testing is helping⁸ to change long held theories about animals such as the bison.

BETH SHAPIRO: “We were interested in bison because we know that today bison have almost no genetic diversity at all. And we suspected that this was because when Europeans first arrived in North America they killed almost all of the bison.”

Her team found unexpected results -- that the bison had been losing its genetic differences long before Europeans arrived on the continent.

BETH SHAPIRO: “We found that bison population began to shrink and get smaller and smaller in size and in genetic diversity about ten thousand years before the Ice Age even started. And this means that there is something much more complicated going on with these large mammal populations.”

BARBARA KLEIN: Christine Lee combines biology and archeology. She studies the remains of humans to learn about different ancient cultures in China. She says studying ancient bones can tell about a population’s background, movement, and even about marriages between different groups. For example, a tooth can tell about an individual’s diet and social level. Comparing teeth across an area can show genetic links between populations.

STEVE EMBER: Paleontologist Bolortsetseg Minjin studies the ancient remains of dinosaurs¹⁰ in her native Mongolia. She has also started programs to get a new generation of Mongolian students interested in paleontology. She says she would like to help create a dinosaur⁹ museum in Mongolia that would house the country’s rich collection of ancient creatures.

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BARBARA KLEIN: Several Emerging Explorers work with animals and protecting natural areas. Emma Stokes works with organizations, governments and companies to help study and protect animals that are in danger of disappearing. Her research in Asia with the Wildlife Conservation Society is helping to identify the most effective ways to protect the tiger and its natural environment.

STEVE EMBER: Biologist Aparajita Datta works in the forests of India’s Arunachal Pradesh area. She has been studying the Namdapha National Park for more than ten years. She says the area has five hundred kinds of mammals and more than one thousand different kinds of plants. The Lisu tribal¹¹ group also lives in this area. Aparajita Datta helped create a program to reduce hunting and plant destruction. It helps the Lisu grow food, open schools and earn money in ways that do not harm the environment.

BARBARA KLEIN: Jose Urteaga leads a program in Nicaragua to protect the sea turtle. He works to stop local communities from hunting the turtle by showing other ways they can earn money. His program also helps educate children about the importance of protecting these ancient creatures.

Zoltan Takacs, Herpetologist and Toxinologist

STEVE EMBER: Zoltan Takacs has traveled all over the world studying snakes and the poisons they produce. He gathers DNA from snakes to learn which molecules¹² protect them from their own poison. Some poisons these animals use to kill contain valuable chemicals that have been made into medicines. But studying these poisons and how they might be useful in fighting disease is extremely hard and slow work. Mr. Takacs works with a team of researchers at the University of Chicago. They have created a technology that helps organize information about snake poisons so it will be easier to study their possible use as cures.

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BARBARA KLEIN: Several National Geographic Emerging Explorers are technology experts. Ken¹³ Banks was working on a project in Africa. He saw a need for a kind of technology that would permit people in rural areas to communicate to groups without the use of the Internet. He knew that many organizations in rural areas did not have an Internet connection. He knew they needed a communication method that was easy and low cost. So, he developed a computer program that permits people to send information to groups using text messages on wireless¹⁴ telephones. He made his FrontlineSMS program free so that anyone can use it.

KEN BANKS: “We are always trying to lower the barrier to entry for nonprofits. So we are trying to use mobile technology. So we are always trying to keep the solutions simple and solutions which actually make use of the technology that is most easily available to those organizations.”

BARBARA KLEIN: His technology is now being used in more than fifty countries by people including doctors, activists, farmers and aid workers. Ken Banks’ Kiwanja organization is working on other projects to empower and educate non-profits around the world.

STEVE EMBER: Aydogan Ozcan is also interested in the power of the wireless telephone. He and a team of researchers have developed a way to use wireless telephones to bring medical help to poor people in rural areas. His phones have special cameras. Medical workers in rural areas can use the phone to take pictures of a patient’s blood samples. They can then send the images to a hospital where doctors can tell what is wrong with the patient.

Testing of this technology will begin with patients who may have malaria¹⁵.

Albert Yu-Min Lin, Research Scientist and Engineer

BARBARA KLEIN: Albert Yu-Min Lin uses computer technologies to gather and organize information taken from underground sensors¹⁶ and satellite images of Earth. This information is combined to create three-dimensional images that help him do archeological explorations. Mr. Lin says he can then investigate the computer images of an archeological area without actually being at the physical place. He says this technology is helping experts explore places that would otherwise be impossible to investigate because of political, cultural or environmental barriers.

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STEVE EMBER: Jerry Glover and Saleem Ali work in different fields. But both pay careful attention to how human relationships are linked to the environment. Jerry Glover studies agriculture, the environment and food security. He says in the past, humans lived from crops that were perennials¹⁸. These kinds of plants stay alive throughout the year. They make effective use of water and nutrients¹⁹. As populations grew, humans started planting crops every year that require fertilizers, insecticides and water. He says these annuals also require more time, effort and money to grow.

Jerry Glover says it is time to put natural plant communities back in control of our land. Through his work at the Land Institute in Kansas, he is working with plant experts and scientists to develop perennial¹⁷ crops. These crops would revolutionize agriculture by increasing food production while also supporting a healthier environment.

BARBARA KLEIN: Saleem Ali is an expert on environmental conflicts and how to solve them. He acts as a negotiator for governments, companies and native communities when dealing²⁰ with environmental problems. He says that working together to save the environment can sometimes bring conflicting sides together around the shared goal of protecting resources.

STEVE EMBER: Our last two National Geographic explorers are activists in Africa. Kakenya Ntaiya grew up in an extremely poor family in Kenya. Like other girls in her village, she was expected to end her schooling²¹ and marry at the age of thirteen. But she decided²² this future was not for her. She worked hard to continue her studies and is completing her doctorate²³ degree in the United States. She has opened a girl’s school in her village so that others can have an education and the chance for a better future.

Feliciano dos Santos, Musician and Activist²

BARBARA KLEIN: We close with music by the performer and activist Feliciano dos Santos from Mozambique. He uses his fame as a musician in the band Massukos. He spreads health information that will improve the lives of poor people in rural areas around his country. He has helped communicate the importance of washing hands, boiling water, and building toilets in order to prevent disease.

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STEVE EMBER: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

BARBARA KLEIN: And I’m Barbara Klein. You can comment on this story at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English
 

1 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

5 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。

6 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。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 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。

10 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》

11 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

12 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

13 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

14 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

15 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

16 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

17 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

18 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

19 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》

20 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

21 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

22 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

23 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？