HEALTH REPORT - Lung Cancer: Tobacco Is Usually the Cause, b

HEALTH REPORT - Lung Cancer: Tobacco¹ Is Usually the Cause, but Not Always
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, August 17, 2005

I'm Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Health Report.

Last week, a man who was a nightly presence² in millions of American homes died of lung cancer.

 
 

Peter Jennings read the news for ABC television for more than twenty years. He also reported from around the world. Mister³ Jennings was sixty-seven years old.

Since his death, many people have questions about lung cancer and how to prevent it.

Most lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use. Peter Jennings smoked cigarettes for many years. But smokers⁵ are not the only ones at risk. So are people who breathe tobacco smoke in the air. Radon gas in the environment, particles⁶ of the fire-resistant material asbestos and air pollution also increase the risk.

More people die of lung cancer than any other form of cancer. Each year, more than one million die of the disease⁷. Once it is found, more than ninety percent of patients are dead within two years.

People often do not show signs until the cancer has spread to the brain, liver⁸ or bones. Then it is usually too late to cure. Signs of lung cancer include a cough that gets worse and pain in the chest⁹ area. People may cough up blood and lose their normal voice. Weight loss¹⁰ and feeling tired are two other signs.

The American Cancer Society says lung cancer is most often found when people reach their seventies. It is generally rare¹¹ in people under the age of forty.

There are two major kinds: small-cell¹² and non-small-cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancers are the most common. These usually spread at a slower rate to other parts of the body.

Doctors can usually remove a lung cancer if it is found early. Other treatments involve radiation or chemotherapy drugs, or both.

Lung cancer is most common among smokers. Non-smokers, however, are more likely to have a kind of lung cancer that is linked to genetics¹³. Experts say new drugs offer better treatment for this form of lung cancer.

Two days after Peter Jennings died, Dana Reeve announced that she has lung cancer. Her husband was Christopher Reeve, the actor who was thrown from a horse and broke his neck. Dana Reeve took care of him for nine years until his death last year. She did not give details of her condition. But a spokeswoman said the forty-four-year-old actress is not a smoker⁴.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Shep O'Neal.

1 tobacco   

n.烟草；烟草制品；抽烟

参考例句：

• Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.烟草被有些人认为是一种祸害.
• A large amount of money is spent on tobacco every year.每年在烟草上花去大量的钱.

2 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。

3 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

4 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

5 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

6 particles   

微粒( particle的名词复数 )； 颗粒； 极少量； 小品词

参考例句：

• These small particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters. 这些颗粒聚结形成较大的团。
• The nucleus of an atom consists of neutrons, protons and other particles. 原子核由中子、质子和其他粒子构成。

7 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

8 liver   

n.肝；肝脏

参考例句：

• He has a weak liver.他的肝脏不好。
• The largest organ in the body is the liver.人体最大的器官是肝脏。

9 chest   

n.胸，大箱子，金库，资金，一箱，密封室，衣橱

参考例句：

• The bear's chest is hairy.那只熊的胸部毛茸茸的。
• Mother has a pain in her chest.母亲胸口疼.。

10 loss   

n.损失，遗失，失败，输，浪费，错过，[军]伤亡，降低

参考例句：

• His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
• Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损，工厂关闭了。

11 rare   

adj.稀罕的，罕有的，珍贵的，稀薄的，半熟的，非常的；adv.非常

参考例句：

• It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
• The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。

12 cell   

n.区，细胞，血球；小室，牢房；电池，光电管；基层组织

参考例句：

• Soap destroys the cell walls of bacteria.肥皂破坏细菌的细胞壁。
• They have locked the prisoners up in their cell.他们已把犯人监禁在小牢房里。

13 genetics   

n.遗传学

参考例句：

• He gave me a piece of advice on how to learn genetics.他就如何学好遗传学给我提出了一条建议。
• Population genetics owes its origin to Francis Galton.人体遗传学的创立应归功于弗朗西斯·高尔顿。