VOA慢速英语2014 对埃博拉的恐惧比病毒传播更快

 

In US, Fear of Ebola Spreads Faster than Virus 对埃博拉的恐惧比病毒传播更快

For Americans, Ebola started out as a disease in a far-away continent. But then a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, died from Ebola at a hospital in Dallas, Texas. And two nurses caring for him became infected with the virus. This showed Americans that Ebola had come to the United States.

对美国人来说，埃博拉最初只是一个遥远的大陆的一种疾病。但随后利比亚人托马斯·埃里克·邓肯（Thomas Eric Duncan）因为埃博拉病毒在得克萨斯州达拉斯市的一家医院去世。两位照顾他的护士也感染了这种病毒。这向美国人表明，埃博拉已经来到了美国。

One of the nurses was moved from Dallas to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Anthony Fauci is a top official with the NIH.

其中一位护士已经从达拉斯市转移到马里兰州贝塞斯达的美国国家卫生研究院。Anthony Fauci是该研究院的一位高级官员。

“We fully¹ intend to have this patient walk out of this hospital. And we'll do everything we possibly can to make that happen.”

他说，“我们非常希望这位病人尽快康复出院。我们会尽最大努力做到这一点。”

A group called National Nurses United represents U.S. healthcare workers. The labor² union has called for better training and equipment for workers who may treat Ebola patients. Melinda Markowitz is the union’s vice³ president. She says her group has been asking for better preparation since the Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in March.

一家名为全美护士联合会的组织代表着美国医护工作者。这家工会组织呼吁为可能参与治疗埃博拉病人的工作人员提供更好的培训和装备。Melinda Markowitz是该工会的副主席。她说，自3月份埃博拉疫情在西非爆发以来，她所在的组织一直被要求加强准备工作。

Top American doctors have repeatedly said that most people have little chance of being infected. Experts have stated that Ebola can only be spread through contact with an infected person’s body fluids -- like blood. But it appears many Americans are questioning what they have heard.

美国主流医生多次表示，大多数人被感染的几率不大。有专家指出，埃博拉只能通过直接接触感染者的等体液才能传播，比如体液。但现许多美国人似乎对此表示怀疑。

A recent survey found more than 80 percent of Americans believe that Ebola can be spread in many ways, including air expelled through the nose or mouth. The Harvard School of Public Health released the findings. The study also showed that most adults fear there will be a sudden spread -- or outbreak -- of Ebola in the United States in the next 12 months.

最近的一项调查发现，超过80%的美国人认为，埃博拉能够通过多种途径传播，其中包括通过口鼻呼出的空气传播。哈佛大学公共卫生学院发布了这一调查结果。这项调查还表明，大多数成年人担心未来十二个月，埃博拉疫情会突然在美国传播或爆发。

Another survey found that more than 70 percent of Americans would support calls to ban travel to and from Ebola-affected parts of Africa. The questioning was completed shortly after the death of Mr. Duncan. This survey was a project of the Reuters news service and the market research company Ipsos.

另一项调查发现，超过70%的美国人支持呼吁禁止出入非洲埃博拉感染地区。这项调查是在邓肯先生去世后不久完成的。该调查是路透社和益索普市场调查公司的一个项目。

Thomas Frieden heads the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He spoke⁴ at a congressional hearing last week. When asked whether federal officials had considered a travel ban, Mr. Frieden had this to say:

Thomas Frieden是美国疾病控制和预防中心负责人。上周他在一次国会听证会上发言。当被问到联邦官员是否曾考虑实施旅行禁令时，Frieden先生表示：

“Borders can be porous⁵. We won’t be able to check them for fever when they leave. We won’t be able to check them for fever when they arrive. We won’t be able, as we do currently, to take a detailed⁶ history to see if they were exposed when they arrive. When they arrive, we wouldn’t be able to impose quarantine as we now can if they have high-risk contact.”

“边境地带漏洞百出。我们无法在他们离开时检查他们是否发烧，也不能在他们抵达时进行检查。我们无法像现在这样，详细询问病史看他们到达时是否已经接触感染者。我们无法像现在这样，如果他们有高风险接触就实施隔离。”

Last week, President Barack Obama named Ron Klain to lead U.S. efforts in fighting the Ebola crisis. In his weekly radio broadcast, the president urged Americans not to give in to what he called “hysteria or fear.”

上周，美国总统奥巴马任命Ron Klain为埃博拉事务总管。在每周的电台广播中，奥巴马总统督促美国人不要屈服于他所说的“癔病或恐惧”。

Many Republican Party activists⁷ -- and even some Democrats⁸ -- have urged the Obama administration to bar non-US citizens from parts of West Africa. This week, the administration announced that all travelers arriving in the United States from some African nations are required to pass through one of five airports. All five will provide expanded testing for Ebola.

许多共和党活动积极分子，甚至一些民主党人都已经督促奥巴马政府禁止来自西非部分地区的非美国公民入境。本周，奥巴马政府宣布，所有从非洲部分国家抵达美国的旅客都必须从五个机场之中的一个入境。所有这五个机场将对埃博拉病毒进行详细检测。

Late this week, U.S. officials reported another case of the disease. They said that tests show a New York City doctor has the virus. The doctor recently treated Ebola patients in Guinea.  

本周晚些时候，美国官员报告了又一个埃博拉病例。他们表示，检测显示一位纽约医生感染该病毒。这位医生最近在几内亚对埃博拉患者进行治疗。        

Words in This Story 

infected – v. made sick with something that causes disease

virus – n. a kind of organism that causes disease

patient – n. a person being treated by a doctor for a health problem

contact – n. the act of touching⁹ or being close to a person or thing

fluids – n. substances that can flow, such as a liquid

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

porous – adj. easy to pass or get through

quarantine – n. the period of time during which an infected person or animal is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading; also the time during which a person or animal that might have a disease is kept away from others

hysteria – n. a state in which your emotions are so strong that you behave in an uncontrolled way

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 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》

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。