环球英语 — 211：Sleeping Sickness

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Maman Louise lives in the city of Nkayi in western Congo. During a civil war in her country, she had to leave her home. She stayed in the forest for two years. During this time, she started acting² strange. She tells of her behaviour:
Voice 3
“My eyes rolled around my head and I could not stop talking. Sometimes I started singing and then I became violent³. I was very bad, even to my own children. I wanted to kill my own son. I threw things at him. I was wild. But I had no idea what I was doing.”
Voice 2
People in Maman Louise’s community knew something was wrong. They thought an evil⁴ spirit had entered her body. A local spirit doctor tried to help her but nothing changed. Maman Louise’s problem was not caused by evil spirits, but by a small insect.
Today’s Spotlight is on Human African Trypanosomiasis, also called “Sleeping Sickness.”
Voice 1
Sleeping sickness is a disease⁵ that insects pass on to humans. The tsetse fly is a flying insect in Africa. The fly bites animals and humans. Sometimes these flies carry a small parasite⁶ organism⁷. It is called a trypanosome. When the fly bites a human, these trypanosomes enter the person’s body. These organisms⁸ cause sleeping sickness.
Voice 2
The trypanosomes cause many problems in a person’s body. First, the person will feel pain in his head, arms and legs. As the organisms enter further into the blood system, they cause other problems. They affect many body systems, including the heart, blood, and kidneys⁹. Finally, the disease affects the brain and nervous system. The person does not understand things around him. His sleep changes. He sleeps during the day but not at night. He may become very tired. These problems with sleeping give the disease its name.
Voice 1
But sleeping sickness is more serious than sleep problems. A person with sleeping sickness may change. She may become angry with no reason. She may lose weight. Walking and talking may become difficult. The person may even experience seizures¹⁰. The sufferer’s body will shake without his or her control. If these victims¹¹ do not receive treatment, they die.
Voice 2
Sleeping Sickness affects people only in sub–Saharan Africa. This is where the tsetse fly lives. Sleeping sickness is a serious problem in seven countries in this area. This includes Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and the Congo. In these countries it is said to be highly¹² endemic. This means¹³ that the disease rates are very high. Many people have the disease, so it is passed between people more often.
Voice 1
Not all countries in sub–Saharan Africa have such serious problems with sleeping sickness. But wherever the disease exists, it makes life difficult for people. A WHO study from 2000 showed that the disease affected¹⁴ three hundred thousand [300,000] people that year. But only twenty–seven thousand [27,000] people were treated for the disease that year. But since then the situation has improved. In 2005, the World Health Organization said that many fewer cases of Sleeping Sickness were reported. Fewer people are getting the disease.
Voice 2
Sleeping sickness cannot be prevented by a vaccine¹⁵ or medicine. So to avoid the disease, a person must avoid the tsetse fly. Avoiding the fly can be simple. Wearing thick clothes that cover the skin prevents fly bites. It also helps if the clothes are not bright colored. Tsetse flies like colorful clothes.
Voice 1
It is important to look for tsetse flies inside a car before entering the vehicle¹⁶. Avoid riding in the back of trucks in the open air. The flies enjoy the dust that vehicles¹⁷ make while driving. And finally, people should sleep under an insect net. This thin cloth will keep the flies away at night. In Congo, people also use a special device¹⁸ to catch tsetse flies. The flies enter the device but cannot leave.
Voice 2
In Kenya, researchers are reducing the tsetse fly population. The researchers use radiation to make male flies unable to mate¹⁹. The male flies try to mate with female²⁰ flies. Female flies only mate once in their life. So when the male fails to mate with them, the females²¹ will never mate again. The radiation treatment keeps the flies from creating more flies that could infect people.
Voice 1
But what can a person do if an infected fly does bite them? It is important to know what happens to a person with sleeping sickness. Knowing a person is sick is the most important thing. Many people suffer from sleeping sickness and do not know that a disease is causing the problem. They think that they are just sleeping badly. Or, like in Maman Louise’s case, they think the person has an evil spirit. Knowing about the disease is the first step in getting treatment.
Voice 2
If someone thinks that they may be infected, they should go see a doctor. The doctor can test for the disease. He can give a treatment for the disease. There a few different treatments for sleeping sickness. Doctors treated Maman Louise with a drug called Melarsoprol. This treatment is sometimes very dangerous. In one village, sixty three [63] people received Melarsoprol treatment. Eleven [11] of them died because of it. The treatment is also very painful. When the drug is injected²² into a person’s arm, it burns with pain. This is the only treatment available for many people.
Voice 1
But there are other ways to treat the disease. The disease has two stages or parts. The first stage is less severe²³. Doctors can give the drug Pentamidine during this first stage. But most people do not know that they are sick until they are in the second stage. This is the stage that is more difficult to treat. Doctors usually use Melarsoprol in this stage.
Voice 2
Doctors have developed a drug that is painless, but it costs a lot of money. This drug is called Eflornithine. This treatment is not dangerous like Melarsoprol. Villagers in Congo call Eflornithine the “resurrection drug.” This is because the drug cures people very quickly. It seems as if they are resurrected, or raised from the dead. But giving this treatment can cost a lot of money.
Voice 1
Drug companies and the WHO have worked together to provide Eflornithine for free. But Congo’s health ministry²⁴ office said that tools to use the drug still cost too much. It costs about one hundred [100] dollars to give the drug. They have decided²⁵ to continue using Melarsoprol instead.
Voice 2
Many international organizations are working to continue to reduce the cases of sleeping sickness in Africa. But to stop the disease completely²⁶, they must discover an easier way to treat the disease. Doctors continue to develop new ways to treat the disease. But they all agree that knowledge and prevention²⁷ are the most important steps in stopping Sleeping Sickness.
 

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 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 violent   

adj.暴力的，猛烈的，激烈的，极端的，凶暴的，歪曲的

参考例句：

• The madman was violent and had to be locked up.这个精神病患者很凶暴，不得不把他锁起来。
• They caught him and gave him a violent beating.他们抓住了他，把他狠狠打了一顿。

4 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

5 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

6 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

7 organism   

n.生物，有机体；(如生物的)机体、有机组织

参考例句：

• The economy is not a mechanical device but a living organism.经济不是一套机械装置,而是活的有机体。
• Selection will root out such organism.自然选择将把这些物种消灭掉。

8 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

9 kidneys   

肾形矿脉； 肾，肾脏( kidney的名词复数 )； （可食用的动物的）腰子

参考例句：

• The function of the kidneys is to excrete wastes from the body. 肾的功能是排泄人体里的废物。
• She got a very dangerous disease of kidneys. 她得了一种很危险的肾病。

10 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

11 victims   

n.牺牲者( victim的名词复数 )；牺牲品；受骗者；为祭祀杀死的动物（或人）

参考例句：

• Many charities sent money to help the victims of the famine. 许多慈善机构捐款赈济饥民。
• victims of child abuse 受虐待的儿童

12 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

13 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 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。

16 vehicle   

n.车辆，交通工具，运载工具；媒介，表现手段

参考例句：

• Air is the vehicle of sound.空气是声音传播的媒介。
• The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel.这家电厂用废弃轮胎作燃料。

17 vehicles   

n.运载工具；传播媒介；（为展露演员才华而）特意编写的一出戏（或电影等）；[画]展色剂；交通工具( vehicle的名词复数 )；车辆；传播媒介；手段

参考例句：

• There is not much clearance for vehicles passing under this bridge. 车辆在这座桥下通过时没有多少余隙。
• to carry out random spot checks on vehicles 对车辆进行抽检

18 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

19 mate   

n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配

参考例句：

• Where is the mate to this glove?这副手套的另一只在哪儿？
• She has been a faithful mate to him.她一直是他忠实的配偶。

20 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

21 females   

n.雌性动物( female的名词复数 )；女人

参考例句：

• The male birds are more colourful than the females. 这种鸟雄性比雌性更加色彩艳丽。
• The males in the herd protect the females and the young. 兽中的雄性动物保护雌性动物和幼崽。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 injected   

adj.[医]注入的，充血的v.（给…）注射（药物等）( inject的过去式和过去分词 )；（给…）注射（液体）；（给…）添加；（给…）投入（资金）

参考例句：

• They injected the drug directly into her bloodstream. 他们把药物直接注射到她的血液里。
• Adrenalin was injected into the muscle. 往肌肉里注射了肾上腺素。

23 severe   

adj.严格的，凶猛的，严肃的，严重的，严厉的，朴素的

参考例句：

• The severe storm did for most of the crops.猛烈的暴风雨毁掉了大部分庄稼。
• The pace was too severe to be kept up for long.跟上这步伐太难了，无法持久。

24 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

25 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。

26 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

27 prevention   

n.阻止，妨碍，预防

参考例句：

• They have begun to do the prevention of crime.他们已经开始防止犯罪行为。
• Prevention of forest fires is up to you.森林防火是你们的责任。