SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
By

Broadcast: Tuesday, March 01, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. Coming up: new warnings about bird flu ...

VOICE ONE:

An Earth observation system moves a step closer...

VOICE TWO:

And, President Bush says it is time to move forward after the dispute over the Kyoto Protocol².

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VOICE ONE:

 
Dr. Shigeru Omi of the W.H.O. speaks at bird-flu conference in Vietnam last month.
Health officials continue to warn people about the threat from avian influenza³. One of the most recent warnings came from Doctor Shigeru Omi. He is the Western Pacific director of the World Health Organization. He spoke⁴ in Vietnam, where experts held an international conference last week on bird flu.

Doctor Omi said the W.H.O. believes that the world is now in the greatest possible danger of a pandemic. A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease. Pandemics of influenza generally happen every twenty to thirty years. Doctor Omi noted⁵ that the world has gone almost forty years since the last one.

VOICE TWO:

 
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World health officials are calling on governments to do more to control the spread of the bird flu virus in Asia. But the officials say it will be difficult to change old farming traditions. Chickens and ducks are permitted to move around freely and live close to people. This makes it easier for the virus to spread to humans. And there have already been limited reports of cases where the virus spread from one person to another.

Doctor Omi said the virus h-five-n-one has become more deadly since it first appeared in Hong Kong in nineteen ninety-seven. He says the longer that the virus is in animals, the higher the risk of human cases. And that means the higher the risk of genetic⁷ changes in the virus to cause a pandemic.

VOICE ONE:

The director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a similar warning last week. Doctor Julie Gerberding said her agency is preparing in case of a flu pandemic next year. She spoke in Washington, D.C., at the yearly meeting of the American Association for the Advancement⁸ of Science.

The bird flu virus has killed at least forty-five people in Asia in the past year. Doctor Gerberding says almost three out of four people known to have gotten sick have died.

The virus is a member of a family of viruses called h-one. Doctor Gerberding said that each time a new kind of h-one virus has appeared, there has been a pandemic of influenza.

The most recent h-one pandemic was in nineteen eighteen. The so-called Spanish flu killed an estimated twenty million to fifty million people. Doctor Gerberding says the situation now is probably similar to what happened before that outbreak.

VOICE TWO:

There are other warning signs. Scientists at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands reported in September that the bird flu virus can infect house cats. These animals were thought to be resistant⁹ to influenza.

Yet during an experiment, the scientists say, the infected cats then spread the virus to other cats. The findings suggest that cats could possibly also spread the virus to humans. Science magazine published the report.

And, last month, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report on the deaths of a young brother and sister in Vietnam. Both children had been very sick, but neither had a breathing infection. Such an infection is considered a usual sign of avian influenza. Yet researchers found the virus in the four-year-old boy. They believe his nine-year-old sister died of the same disease, although they could not do tests to confirm it.

In the words of Doctor Jeremy Farrar at the Center for Tropical Medicine, part of Oxford¹⁰ University in England: "These cases suggest that the spread of avian influenza could have been underestimated."

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VOICE ONE:

You are listening to SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah Long with Bob Doughty in Washington.

Last week President Bush visited Europe. One of the issues discussed was the Kyoto Protocol which took effect on February sixteenth.

There is strong support in Europe for that treaty. It calls for thirty-five industrial nations to reduce the levels of six gases released into the air. These gases are produced by burning fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas.

Scientists say carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" trap heat in the atmosphere. Most scientists believe that this is largely responsible for increased temperatures on Earth.

VOICE TWO:

One hundred forty-one countries have joined in the Kyoto Protocol. But developing nations will not have to meet the requirements.

The United States signed the Kyoto Protocol in nineteen ninety-eight. The Senate never approved it. And President Bush rejected the treaty in March of two thousand one. He says it is unfair not to require big developing nations like India and China to also meet the requirements. And he says the treaty would not help the environment enough to balance the damage it would do to the United States economy.

Mister Bush restated his opposition¹¹ during a speech in Brussels on his first full day in Europe. But he also said that all sides have expressed their opinions on the Kyoto Protocol. "Now," he said, "we must work together on the way forward."

Mister Bush suggested that new, cleaner technologies could support economic growth and be environmentally responsible. He noted hydrogen-powered cars as one example.

VOICE ONE:

 
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In Germany, the president met with Chancellor¹² Gerhard Schroeder. They noted their differences over the Kyoto Protocol. But they promised to cooperate with what the German leader called "the reduction of problems in this area."

Mister Schroeder said there is room for cooperation especially in the area of technology. Mister Bush said the two countries would also share their technology with developing countries like China and India.

The United States and Germany released a five-point plan for joint¹³ actions on cleaner energy, development and climate change. It calls for increased efforts to improve energy security and reduce pollution and greenhouse gases, while supporting strong economic growth.

VOICE TWO:

The United States produces twenty-five percent of the world's greenhouse gases. Now, more than one hundred fifty American cities have joined an effort to reduce these gases. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives has organized this effort.

Outreach director Susan Ode says the first step is to decide on a target level to reduce emissions¹⁴. Then cities carry out projects to reach those goals. They might start, for example, with cleaner-burning fuels in city-owned vehicles.

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VOICE ONE:

Almost sixty countries and the European Commission have approved a plan to create the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. One major purpose is to get earlier warnings of severe weather and other natural events.

International organizations are also supporting this American-led plan. Delegates agreed to it on February sixteenth in Brussels during the Third Earth Observation Summit. The United States, Japan, the European Union and South Africa organized the conference.

VOICE TWO:

Many systems on land, in space and in the ocean observe the environment. But most of them do not "talk" to each other. The plan is to link existing systems worldwide. This is expected to take ten years.

Scientists say the "system of systems" will provide information about winter weather, for example, months before winter. It could also show where shortages of rain are most likely.

Farmers could gain information about water resources. Scientists could better observe forest fires and air pollution. Experts say the system may increase understanding of climate change. It could also help identify areas where diseases like malaria¹⁵ are likely to spread. And it might give early warning of events like tsunami¹⁶.

VOICE ONE:

The first Earth Observation Summit took place in Washington in two thousand three. Since then, more countries have joined the plan. Interest has grown since the earthquake and tsunami waves in the Indian Ocean in December.

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VOICE TWO:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver¹⁷ and Cynthia Kirk, who was also our producer. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

3 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

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 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。

6 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

7 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。

8 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

9 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

10 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

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 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

17 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。