2006年VOA标准英语-Italy Steps Up Efforts to Stem Spread of B

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
20 January 2006

As concerns over the spread of bird flu increase, Italian police have stepped up controls at sites that could be at risk. Thousands of chickens and eggs were seized by police this week and three egg packaging plants were shut down in southern Italy.

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An officer of NAS (Food Safety Division of Carabinieri Paramilitary Police) looks at eggs found in a stock farm without sanitary¹ precautions    
  

With the number of people infected with bird flu in Turkey increasing, Italian police have stepped up controls to ensure health measures are being implemented² correctly in this country.

Thirty thousand chickens and 4,000 eggs were seized in Italy this week, because they were not being handled according to measures designed to guard against bird flu. Mario Pantano heads the police unit in charge of these controls for the south of Italy.

Pantano says the most recent operations took place in the regions of Puglia, Calabria and in Sicily and involved three farms where hygiene³ standards were found to be insufficient⁴ and not in compliance⁵ with the health ministry's code. Police say the seizures⁶ were a precaution. Pantano added that samples were taken to check whether the state of health of the chickens is satisfactory, something that should have been done by the farmers themselves.

Pantano says the seized chickens and eggs were not the first. There have been similar operations by the police in recent weeks. He said the largest number of poultry⁷ has been seized in the region of Calabria.

But he said there is no reason to be alarmed for the time being.

"I would like to reassure⁸ the public because the fact that animals are being seized means that controls are taking place," he said. "These are continuing and working. If the tests are negative on the chickens and eggs, they will return to their owners and the situation will go back to normal."

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization warned earlier this week that the bird flu that hit Turkey might have already arrived in neighboring countries and urged authorities in those countries to step up efforts to detect possible outbreaks.

A joint⁹ team from the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health is expected to visit the region next week to assess the needs of Turkey's neighbors and check whether precautions are being taken and controls being made.

1 sanitary   

adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的

参考例句：

• It's not sanitary to let flies come near food.让苍蝇接近食物是不卫生的。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

2 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

3 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

4 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

5 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

6 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

7 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

8 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

9 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。