VOA标准英语2010年-Prominent African Women Call Attention

Autism Spectrum¹ Disorder² is said to be the fastest growing neurobiological condition in the world. Autistic children and adults often have trouble interacting with others, are slow to learn language, and are frequently more interested in objects than people.  It is hard to know how prevalent autism is in many countries because statistics are hard to come by. But we are told by the Autism Society that it affects more than one million people in China,  with slightly more than a million in the United States, and as many as two million in India.  But what about those in Africa?

In Africa, a lack of awareness³ and resources prevents many children with autism from getting help. They are stigmatized⁴ by their families and communities.

Brigitte Kobenan is the mother of an autistic child. During her reign⁵ as Miss Ivory Coast and Miss Congeniality World in recent years, she decided⁶ to make autism a central part of her platform, creating the Autism Community of Africa. She recently came to the Ivorian embassy in Washington, D.C. to talk about her own son. She says he often sat in a corner at home, lost in his own world.

"He was spinning objects, he would just look at a fan spinning and he would go around and around, he would line up toys, you know, instead of playing with them," Kobenan explained.

Kobenan decided she wouldn't hide him away from society, regardless of his condition. Instead, she led by example. Soon people noticed.

"I had a woman who…came to my mom and said because of your daughter I can take my child out. I am not ashamed anymore," she said. "We look at this woman with a worldwide crown and she is not afraid of showing her son, so why should I hide mine?"

Dawn Cooper Barnes is the wife of the Liberian ambassador in Washington. She is also the mother of a 19-year-old autistic boy. She says she finds many Africans are superstitious⁷ when it comes to autism.

"Children in Africa living with autism may be thought to being possessed⁸ by the evil spirit or bad omens," she said.

She says people just need to be better informed.

"What we need is more information. What is autism? How does it affect children? What can we do to help children with autism? We need to dispel⁹ some of the myths that are surrounding mental illness and mental conditions in Africa,"  Barnes said.

For Jeff Sell, the vice¹⁰ president of the World Autism Organization, recent data on the prevalence of autism is alarming.

"When my boys were born, it was one in a 1,000, now it's one in a 100. We have a worldwide epidemic¹¹, we have a worldwide problem," he noted¹².

There is growing awareness about autism in Africa and the need for treatment facilities.  In Cameroon, for example, centers now provide specialized¹³ care for this developmental disorder.

But Brigitte Kobenan says many more facilities are needed. She hopes to build a new treatment center in her own country, Ivory Coast, with money raised during her event in Washington.

1 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 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。

4 stigmatized   

v.使受耻辱，指责，污辱( stigmatize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was stigmatized as an ex-convict. 他遭人污辱，说他给判过刑。 来自辞典例句
• Such a view has been stigmatized as mechanical jurisprudence. 蔑称这种观点为机械法学。 来自辞典例句

5 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

8 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

9 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

11 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。