合理的饮食和适当的锻炼能够降低糖尿病发病率；华盛顿故乡植树造

62 合理的饮食和适当的锻炼能够降低糖尿病发病率；华盛顿故乡植树造林

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - September 4, 2001: DigestStaff

VOICE ONE:
This is Bob Doughty¹.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments in science. Today, we tell about how diet and exercise can reduce a person's chance of developing diabetes². We tell about a World Health Organization campaign against leprosy. And we tell about a project to copy some trees at George Washington's home.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
An American study has found that (1)diet changes and (2)exercise can (3)delay the development of (4)diabetes in people who are at risk for the disease. The study found that eating less fat and doing simple exercises could lower the risk of diabetes by fifty-eight percent. It also showed that a diabetes drug widely used by Americans also reduced the risk, but not as much.
Diet and exercise were so effective that the researchers ended the study one year early because it had answered the main research questions.
Smaller studies in China and (5)Finland have shown that diet and exercise can delay diabetes in people at risk. However, the American study is said to be the first to show these effects among people in several (6)racial or (7)ethnic³ groups.
VOICE TWO:
A person has diabetes when high levels of the sugar called (8)glucose⁴ are found in the blood. Glucose levels increase when the body lacks or cannot use the (9)hormone (10)insulin. The (11)pancreas is the organ of the body that produces insulin. The insulin helps glucose enter cells all over the body so that it can be used as fuel. Without insulin, glucose levels increase. This results in the disease diabetes.
In the United States, diabetes affects more than sixteen-million people. It is the leading cause of (12)kidney⁵ failure and new cases of blindness among (13)adults. It also is a major cause of heart disease and (14)stroke.
About fifteen-million Americans have type two diabetes or adult onset⁶ diabetes. Type two diabetes usually develops in people thirty years of age or older. It is strongly linked to being overweight and not getting enough (15)physical activity. Also, some racial or ethnic groups are more at risk. For example, black Americans have a sixty percent higher rate of type two diabetes (16)compared to white Americans. Hispanic Americans have a ninety percent higher rate of the disease.
VOICE ONE:
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases organized the new study. It involved more than three-thousand-two-hundred people. All the people in the study were overweight. And they all had (17)impaired glucose (18)tolerance. This is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic.
Forty-five percent of the people in the study are members of minority groups that have a high rate of type-two diabetes. These groups include African Americans, (19)Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and American Indians. The study also involved other groups known to be at higher risk for type two diabetes. They include adults over sixty years of age and people who have a close family member with the disease.
VOICE TWO:
People in the study were divided into four groups. Members of the first group were asked to reduce their body weight by seven percent. They were told to eat a low-fat diet and exercise about twenty minutes a day. Members of the second group were treated with (20)metformin, a diabetes drug widely used in the United States. The third group took a harmless substance or (21)placebo⁷ in place of the drug. Members of the second and third groups also received information about diet and exercise.
The fourth group was given the same information and the drug (22)troglitazone. However, this part of the study was ended after studies found that troglitazone may cause liver damage.
VOICE ONE:
After about three years, about twenty-nine percent of those who took the placebo developed type two diabetes. Twenty-two percent of the people who took metformin developed the disease. Only fourteen percent of those in the diet and exercise group developed the disease.
American Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson (23)announced the findings of the study last month. He said that diet and exercise could help at least ten-million Americans sharply⁸ lower their risk for diabetes. He added that many other health problems could be (24)avoided through diet and exercise.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Sarah Long with Bob Doughty in Washington.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
The World Health Organization says its ten-year campaign to remove leprosy as a world health problem has been successful. Gro Harlem Brundtland is head of the Geneva-based W-H-O. She says the number of (25)leprosy cases around the world has been cut by ninety percent during the past ten years. She says efforts are continuing to completely end the disease.
Leprosy is caused by (26)bacteria spread through liquid from the nose and mouth. The disease mainly affects the skin and nerves. However, if leprosy is not treated it can cause (27)permanent damage to the skin, nerves, eyes, arms or legs.
VOICE ONE:
In Nineteen-Ninety-Nine, an international campaign began to end leprosy. The World Health Organization, governments of countries most affected⁹ by the disease, and several other groups are part of the campaign. This (28)alliance¹⁰ (29)guarantees that all leprosy patients, even if they are poor, have a right to the most modern treatment.
Doctor Brundtland says leprosy is no longer a disease that (30)requires life-long treatments by medical experts. Instead, patients can take what is called a multi-drug therapy.This modern treatment will cure leprosy in six to twelve months, depending on the form of the disease. The treatment combines several drugs taken daily or once a month.
VOICE TWO:
The W-H-O has given multi-drug (31)therapy to patients free for the last five years. The members of the alliance against leprosy plan to target the countries still threatened by leprosy. Among the estimated six-hundred-thousand victims around the world, the W-H-O believes about seventy percent are in India. The disease also remains¹¹ a problem in Africa and South America.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Tree experts have begun an effort to rebuild forests near the home of America's first president, George Washington. Last month, workers gathered buds¹³ from tall, old trees on the grounds of George Washington's home, Mount¹⁴ Vernon. It is in the state of Virginia, near Washington, D-C. The experts hope to produce genetic¹⁵ copies, or (32)clones, of the trees and plant them on the (33)property.
The process used to clone trees is called (34)grafting. It has been done for thousands of years. A method called the T-bud¹² technique often is used to copy trees. Workers begin by cutting the (35)bark, or covering, on the side of a young tree. The cut is made in the shape of a cross, or the letter T. Next, the workers find a bud, or small growth, on the tree to be copied.
A small piece of wood under the bud is carefully removed from the tree. The bud is then put into the hole on the other tree. The bud is tightly¹⁶ tied in place and begins to grow.
VOICE TWO:
Tree experts David Milarch (MILL-ark) and his son, Jared, are leading the efforts. They started the Champion Tree Project to produce genetic copies of the largest trees in the United States. Over the next ten years, the project plans to provide Mount Vernon with one-thousand trees for planting in nearby wooded areas.
As a special project, David and Jared Milarch offered to make clones of the thirteen oldest trees at Mount Vernon. They are huge, beautiful trees. George Washington (36)supervised the planting of these trees more than two-hundred years ago.
The Milarch family plans to grow fifty copies of each tree in tree (37)nurseries in Alabama and Oregon. They will return the trees to be planted at Mount Vernon in two years.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Nancy Steinbach, Jill Moss¹⁷ and George Grow. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

 

(1)  diet[ 5daiEt ]n.通常所吃的食物, 会议
(2) exercise[ 5eksEsaiz ]n.练习, 习题, 训练, 锻炼, 演习v.训练, 锻炼vt.行使, 使担扰
(3) delay[ di5lei ]v.耽搁, 延迟, 延期, 迟滞n.耽搁, 延迟, 迟滞
(4) diabetes[ 7daiE5bi:ti:z, -ti:s ]n.[医] 糖尿病, 多尿症
(5) Finland[ 5finlEnd ]n.芬兰[欧洲]
(6) racial[ 5reiFEl ]adj.人种的, 种族的, 种族间的
(7) ethnic[ 5eWnik ]adj.人种的, 种族的, 异教徒的
(8) glucose[ 5^lu:kEus ]n.葡萄糖
(9) hormone[ 5hC:mEun ]n.荷尔蒙, 激素
(10) insulin[ 5insjulin ]n.胰岛素
(11) pancreas[ 5pAnkriEs, 5pAN- ]n.[解]胰腺
(12) kidney[ 5kidni ]n.肾, (动物可食用的)腰子, 个性, 性格
(13) adult[ E5dQlt, 5AdQlt ]n.成人, 成年人adj.成人的, 成熟的
(14) stroke[ strEuk ]n.击, 敲, 报时的钟声, (网球等)一击, (划船等)一划, (绘画等)一笔, 一次努力, 打击vt.抚摸
(15) physical[ 5fizikEl ]adj.身体的, 物质的, 自然的, 物理的n.体格检查
(16) compare[ kEm5pZE ]v.比较, 相比, 比喻  n.比较
(17) impair[ im5pZE ]v.削弱
(18) tolerance[ 5tClErEns ]n.公差, 宽容, 忍受, 容忍, (食物中残存杀虫剂的)(法定)容许量vt.给(机器部件等)规定公差
(19) Hispanic[ his5pAnik ]adj.西班牙的
(20) metformin[ met5fC:min ]甲福明二甲双胍(抗糖尿病药、降血糖药)
(21) placebo[ plE5si:bEu ]n.为死者所诵的晚祷词, 安慰剂
(22) troglobiotic[ 7trC^lEubai5Ctik ]洞居的, 洞生的
(23) announce[ E5nauns ]vt.宣布, 通告
(24) avoid[ E5vCid ]vt.避免, 消除
(25) leprosy[ 5leprEsi ]n.[医] 麻疯病, 腐败
(26) bacteria[ bAk5tiEriE ]n.细菌
(27) permanent[ 5pE:mEnEnt ]adj.永久的, 持久的
(28) alliance[ E5laiEns ]n.联盟, 联合
(29) guarantee[ 7^ArEn5ti: ]n.保证, 保证书, 担保, 抵押品vt.保证, 担保
(30) require[ ri5kwaiE ]vt.需要, 要求, 命令
(31) therapy[ 5WerEpi ]n.治疗
(32) clone[klEJn]n.无性系, 无性繁殖, 克隆v.无性繁殖, 复制
(33) property[ 5prCpEti ]n.财产, 所有物, 所有权, 性质, 特性, (小)道具
(34) grafting[ 5^rB:ftiN ]嫁接法[医]移植法
(35) bark[ bB:k ]n.树皮, 吠声v.吠, 咆哮, 剥树皮
(36) supervise[ 5sju:pEvaiz ]v.监督, 管理, 指导
(37) nursery[ 5nE:sEri ]n.托儿所

 

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 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

5 kidney   

n.肾，腰子，类型

参考例句：

• Several of the patients had received kidney transplant.病人中有几位已接受了肾移植手术。
• The operation to transplant a kidney is now fairly routine.肾脏移植手术如今已相当常见。

6 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

7 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

8 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。

11 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。

12 bud   

vi.发芽，萌芽；n.芽，花蕾

参考例句：

• Some flowers bud their leaves very early in spring.有些花在春季里很早发出叶来。
• A bad habit in a child should be nipped in the bud.应该尽早把孩子的坏习惯改过来。

13 buds   

芽( bud的名词复数 )； 苞； 半开的花； 未长大的叶

参考例句：

• the first buds appearing in spring 春天的初芽
• Willow trees breaking out into buds foretell the coming of spring. 柳枝绽青报春来。

14 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

15 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。

16 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

17 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。