2007年VOA标准英语-HIV/AIDS Advocate Says Global Community Must Sh

By Rosanne Skirble
Washington
20 June 2007
 

Welcome to American Profiles, VOA's weekly spotlight¹ on notable Americans who have made a difference in how we think, live and act.   Today: Anthony Fauci, a medical researcher whose tireless energy and drive for excellence² have been crucial to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

Anthony Fauci

Anthony Fauci could be called the science face of the nation.  He is the man you are most likely to see on U.S. television explaining the facts behind HIV/AIDS, bio-terrorism or pandemic flu. 

Since 1984 Fauci has directed the federally funded National Institute of Allergy³ and Infectious Diseases, which has a staff of 1,300 and an annual budget of $4.3 billion.

He explains the agency’s mission. "Our mission and mandate⁴ is to apply the science we do for health in this country, but well beyond that for global health, so we have become extremely involved in global health issues at the same time as our world has evolved to be much more of a global community."

Fauci seems very much a man on a mission. During a typical 15-hour workday he attends back-to-back meetings, writes and reviews scientific articles, and confers with researchers on the National Institutes of Health campus.

Fauci's childhood home was located above his father's drug store

Fauci says his drive comes from his upbringing.  He grew up in an Italian American neighborhood of New York and lived above the drugstore his father owned. "I was always very inquisitive⁵, always interested in solving puzzles and answering questions."

Fauci was good at science, but also loved sports and played basketball for his high school team.  He credits his Jesuit-led Christian⁶ education for teaching him the value of public service.  "It was almost understood that if you wanted to be the best person you possibly could be, the important thing in life is what you do for others."

Fauci graduated from medical school at the height of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.  Rather than be drafted into the military, he requested an assignment to the Public Health Service.  In 1968 he started working at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

Then a mysterious medical event transformed his life. Dr. Fauci describes it. "And that is in 1981, at a time when I had already been establishing myself as a clinical and basic investigator⁷ of some note, these strange cases of gay men reported in Los Angeles, first, and then in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco with these unusual opportunistic diseases."

Fauci (right) exanmining an AIDS patient in 1987

That then-unnamed disease was AIDS. "From 1981 to 1983-84, we didn't even know what we were dealing⁸ with.  So it was more observational studies of what this disease was doing to the immune system."

Fauci calls this time the "dark days" of AIDS.  He became the target of activist⁹ criticism, was burned in effigy¹⁰ and blamed for the government's inaction getting experimental drugs to the hands of people, desperate for treatment.  Recalling a protest staged outside his office, he says that instead of asking police to arrest the disruptive group, he invited the leaders upstairs to talk.

"And I listened to what they were saying and [putting] aside the theater, the smoke bombs and the demonstrations¹¹ and all the things that they did, and listened to the kinds of things the activists¹² were saying and it actually made perfect sense."

Now that the AIDS virus had been identified, Fauci's team could start looking for a cure. But it was not until the mid-1990s before they discovered a combination that made AIDS a manageable disease. However, he says, for those people in developing countries, these drugs are in short supply and unaffordable.

"There is a whole other world out there besides us here in the United States and there are millions and millions of preventable deaths."

Following a 2003 trip to Uganda, Fauci took his battle against HIV/AIDS to the White House. Later that year, Congress approved the president's $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Now 66 years old, Anthony Fauci is still tireless in his dedication¹³ to saving lives. And he does so, he says, as a scientist driven by a life-long quest for knowledge and excellence.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

3 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。

4 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

5 inquisitive   

adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的

参考例句：

• Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
• A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 effigy   

n.肖像

参考例句：

• There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿，千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
• The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

12 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。