2007年VOA标准英语-Fighting Breast Cancer On a Global Scale

By Nijiba Khalil
Washington
29 June 2007
 

Each year more than one million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. To better battle the disease on a global scale, an international conference will be held in Budapest, Hungary in September to share strategies on raising awareness¹.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, an advocacy group that is leading the effort to educate people worldwide about breast cancer, is organizing the summit. VOA's Nijiba Khalil recently caught up with leaders of the group at a rally in Washington DC to learn more about the group's efforts. Jim Bertel narrates².

A breast cancer rally organized by the foundation

Each June, cities across the U.S. are treated to a parade of pink as breast cancer survivors³ and supporters gather in the Komen Race for the Cure. These popular events across the country have helped the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization raise money to fight the deadly disease.

The group was founded in 1982 when Nancy Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

Nancy Brinker

"We are the largest funder of breast cancer research other than the government," she explains. "We have given in the last 25 years almost  $1 billion to research, education, screening projects and in communities. But our job is also to educate and to continue to fund this effort until we get to the end of the trail here, until we eradicate⁴ this disease from the face of the earth."

This year the foundation also launched their annual "Close the Gap" campaign, an effort to close the funding gap that Brinker says keeps thousands of women from receiving treatment in the U.S. 

Supporters, including Senator Mary Landrieu, an opposition⁵ Democrat⁶ from Louisiana, called on the U.S. government to do more.  "So even though the government of the United States has contributed more, we're not contributing nearly what we need to, to be able to fund really extensive research and training. So we hope, by rallies like this and lending our voice, that we can push Congress and push states to do more.

And doing more to raise awareness and improve prevention is the goal of the Komen foundation's upcoming "Ignite the Promise: Global Advocate Summit" in Budapest later this year. The event will bring together breast cancer activists⁷ from five continents [Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America] to share strategies for educating their communities about the disease. The conference is scheduled for late September.

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 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》