DEVELOPMENT REPORT - U.S. Group Expands Free Help in China f

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - U.S. Group Expands Free Help in China for Children With Clefts²
By Jill Moss³

Broadcast: Monday, December 12, 2005

I'm Jim Tedder⁴ with the VOA Special English Development Report.

Cleft¹ lip is a medical condition that can be easily corrected. The cleft is a separation in the lip of the mouth. Cleft palate is a separation in the top of the mouth or the soft tissue at the back.

 
Smiletrain.org
Clefts usually develop in the early weeks of pregnancy⁵. Males have the condition more often than females. And it is more common in some groups, including Asian and Latin American children.

Researchers believe the condition involves genetic⁶ and environmental causes. Things like sickness, smoking or drug use, including alcohol use, during pregnancy may increase the risk.

A simple operation can repair the problem. Doctors say that without treatment, children in developing nations are more likely to suffer a life of poor nutrition and social rejection⁷.

The Smile Train is an organization based in the United States. It provides local doctors in developing countries with training and equipment to perform cleft operations. The Smile Train has established programs in more than fifty countries.

Last month, it announced plans to expand its program in China. The group currently works with one hundred thirty-five hospitals there. It plans to double that number over the next eighteen months. Former President George H.W. Bush is one of the supporters of the group. He was at the announcement in Beijing.

The Smile Train began in nineteen ninety-nine. Each year it provides free cleft operations to more than one hundred forty-five thousand children around the world. Local doctors do the operations, which take as little as forty-five minutes.

The Smile Train says the operations cost an average of about two hundred fifty dollars to perform. The group collects money through gifts to pay for them. A spokeswoman says one hundred percent of all the money given is used to help children. She says supporters pay the program costs.

Internet users can learn more details at smiletrain-dot-o-r-g.

The Web site lists a new telephone number for poor Chinese families to call to sign up for a free cleft operation. The group says it guarantees that every poor child in China who needs cleft surgery can receive it for free at one of the hospitals in the program.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.  I'm Jim Tedder.

1 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

2 clefts   

n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 )；裂口；cleave的过去式和过去分词；进退维谷

参考例句：

• Clefts are often associated with other more serious congenital defects. 裂口常与其他更严重的先天性异常并发。 来自辞典例句
• Correction of palate clefts is much more difficult and usually not as satisfactory. 硬腭裂的矫正更为困难，且常不理想。 来自辞典例句

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 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

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 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。

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。