2006年VOA标准英语-Limited Progress Made Against Major Diseas

By Paul Sisco
Washington, DC
26 January 2006
 
watch Health report

Promising¹ new developments -- and disappointments -- in the battle against some of the major diseases plaguing the planet:
Smallpox² - wiped off the face of the planet
Cancer - becoming better understood
Polio - gone in the West, potentially declining worldwide
AIDS - preventable but spreading
Malaria³ - treatable, preventable, but like HIV/AIDS, killing⁴ thousands more than it should for lack of resources
Bird Flu - the newest concern

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It is rather a discouraging summary, although there are hopeful developments across the board.  If a major killer⁵, like smallpox, can be contained and eradicated⁶, scientists say others can too. 

The recent announcement of a major cancer initiative, constructing a cancer genome atlas⁷, is a boost for research into that group of deadly killers⁸.  The National Institutes of Health is spending over $100 million to begin unraveling the genetic⁹ make-up of everything that makes a cell cancerous.  By pulling together existing findings, new research technologies and resources, scientists are attacking the global cancer problem as never before. 

Less encouraging, findings on AIDS.  HIV infections still are increasing, with 40.3 million people infected worldwide.  About 20 million have died of AIDS worldwide; about three million last year alone.  
 

Anthony Fauci heads the National Institute of Allergy¹⁰ and Infectious Diseases  
  
Doctor Anthony Fauci directs infectious disease research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He said, "AIDS has now clearly taken over, above tuberculosis¹¹ as the leading cause of microbial death in the world.  It surpassed malaria a few years ago.  Now its beyond both malaria and tuberculosis."

Malaria still kills well over a million people a year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. But there are some promising new malaria vaccines¹³, and the World Bank and President George Bush have announced a renewed assault on the killer disease spread by infected mosquitoes.

"The toll¹⁴ of malaria is even more tragic¹⁵ because the disease itself is highly treatable and preventable,” said the president.  “Yet this is also our opportunity, because we know that large-scale action can defeat this disease in whole regions and the world must take action and our nation is prepared to lead."

More recently, the Gates Foundation announced nearly $260 million in grants supporting advanced development of a vaccine¹², new drugs, and improved mosquito control methods.   Despite these positive steps, much more is required.  It is estimated that, with an additional $3.2 billion a year, malaria deaths could be cut in half by 2010.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

3 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。

4 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。

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

6 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

7 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

8 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

9 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。

10 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

11 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

12 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

13 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

14 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

15 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。