Mad Cow Conference

70 疯牛病预防讨论会

DATE=7-17-01
TITLE=AGRICULTURE REPORT - Mad Cow Conference¹
BYLINE=George Grow

(Start at 01'0")his is Bill White with the VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT.  
Animal health experts say all countries should guard against (1)Mad Cow Disease².  The experts (2)urge³ countries to take steps to prevent Mad Cow Disease in animals.  They also support measures to prevent the human form of the disease.  
The experts met at a (3)conference in Paris, France last month.  The (4)World Health Organization, the (5)Food and Agriculture Organization and the (6)World Animal Health Organization (7)organized the meeting.
The official name of the cattle⁴ disease is (8)Bovine⁵ Spongiform Encephalopathy, or B-S-E.  It causes holes in the brain.  Cows act strangely before they die.  So it is known⁶ as Mad Cow Disease.  B-S-E first appeared in Britain.  All animals known to have the disease have been found in Europe or imports from Europe. 
Scientists believe that eating (9)infected beef may cause a similar disease in humans.  This deadly disease is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.  It cannot be cured.  In recent years, nearly one-hundred people in Europe have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.  
Officials at the conference said more than thirty countries have (10)banned the import of meat and bone meal and live cattle from western Europe.  The officials said countries can be considered at (11)risk for B-S-E if they imported such products from western Europe during the past twenty years.  They said parts of Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East are at increased risk.
The Food and Agriculture Organization says banning imports of meat and bone meal, cattle and beef is not the only way to control the spread of B-S-E.  The F-A-O suggests testing high risk animals, especially imported animals.  And it urges⁷ animal feed producers to test the quality of their products.  
F-A-O officials urge governments to (12)establish a national action plan to control B-S-E.  They say all countries should ban the feeding of meat and bone meal to cattle, goats and sheep.
The officials also urge countries to approve measures to control the killing⁸ of animals for food.  They say this would reduce the chance of infected meat being sold as food for people.  They also say the human food supply should not include the riskiest⁹ animal parts, such as the head and (13)spinal¹⁰ cord¹¹.  
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by George Grow. This is Bill White.

(1) Mad Cow Disease n. 疯牛病，牛绵状脑病
(2) urge [ E:dV ] vt.催促
(3) conference [ 5kCnfErEns ] n. 讨论会
(4) World Health Organization n.世界卫生组织
(5) Food and Agriculture Organization联合国粮食农业组织
(6) World Animal Health Organization 世界牲畜健康组织
(7) organize [ 5C:^Enaiz ] vt.组织
(8) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy abbr. 牛绵状脑病
(9) infected [In`fektId]adj.(伤口)被感染的
(10) ban [ bB:n ] vt.禁止
(11) risk [ risk ] n.冒险, 风险
(12) establish [ is5tAbliF ] vt.建立, 设立
(13) spinal [ 5spainl ] adj.脊骨的, 脊髓的

1 conference   

n.（正式的）会议；讨论

参考例句：

• We're having a conference and we'd like you to sit in.我们将举行一次会议，希望你来旁听。
• The conference will come to a close this afternoon.今天下午会议闭幕。

2 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。

3 urge   

n.冲动，推动力，迫切的要求；vt.驱策，力劝，力陈，推动；vi.强烈要求

参考例句：

• He has an urge to become a film star.他非常希望成为电影明星。
• We should constantly urge ourselves on to study hard.我们要经常鞭策自己努力学习。

4 cattle   

n.牛，牲口，畜生

参考例句：

• He has twenty head of cattle on the farm.他在农场养了20头牛。
• On big farms cattle are usually stamped with brands.在大农场，牲畜通常是打烙印的。

5 bovine   

adj.牛的；n.牛

参考例句：

• He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass andand munching,like some bovine creature.他丢开包袱，爬到灯心草丛里，像牛似的大咬大嚼起来。
• He was a gentle,rather bovine man.他是一位文雅而反应迟钝的人。

6 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

7 urges   

n.强烈的愿望( urge的名词复数 )；强烈的欲望；冲动v.力劝( urge的第三人称单数 )；强烈要求；推进；驱策

参考例句：

• She urges me to take steps in the matter. 她催我处理此事。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He urges his sister's study. 他敦促妹妹学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 riskiest   

冒险的，危险的( risky的最高级 )

参考例句：

• With markets lately rising, the riskiest investments are finding takers. 他说，在周期高峰时，投资者会追逐风险最高的资产。
• The riskiest subprime securitieshave almost no takers. 风险最高的次级证券几乎没有人持有。

10 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

11 cord   

n.绳，线；纺织品；小电线；腱

参考例句：

• I wear a safety cord all the time.我一直带着安全绳索。
• I pulled the cord,and I felt a strong jerk.拉住绳索，我强烈的恐惧。