英语听力—环球英语 553 Baby Milk Powder

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Mike Proctor. 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
They were the top-selling milk powder company in China. But on September 10, 2008, the Chinese company Sanlu admitted it had done a terrible thing. It had sold dried milk powder containing a chemical called melamine. This milk powder was food for many babies. Milk powder is one way people feed babies. They mix the dried milk powder with water. It usually includes vitamins and minerals - healthy substances that all people need to be healthy. Many milk powder companies try to make their powder the most healthy, the most like a mother's breast milk. Adding the melamine chemical to the milk made the milk powder APPEAR to have more protein - an important substance for growing babies. However, instead of containing the healthy protein, the powder contained a dangerous chemical that made thousands of babies sick.
Voice 2
In early September some areas of China had already experienced² groups of sick babies. The melamine in the powder caused many problems in the babies' kidneys³. By December, the World Health Organization reported that almost 52,000 babies and young children had been put in the hospital because of the polluted milk powder. Six babies had died.
Voice 1
The news of this incident traveled around the world. Many parents feed their babies with some form of milk powder. It is a popular substitute⁴ for breast milk. However, this event caused many parents and doctors to question milk powder. This is especially because there is a perfect food for babies. The World Health Organization urges parents to feed their babies breast milk. The group says that babies should receive only breast milk until they are six months old. Then, babies should receive safe foods while also breastfeeding up to two years old or after. The WHO says:
Voice 3
"Feeding a baby breast milk ONLY from birth is possible for most women who choose to do so... Feeding a baby only breast milk as often and as long as the baby wants will cause the mother to produce more than enough milk."
Voice 2
Many people already know that breast milk is the best food for a baby - even from the minute he is born. When a baby is born, his mother's body begins to produce a special form of milk called colostrum. This substance is different from the milk people usually think of. But, it is just as important. Many people around the world believe colostrum is not as good as normal milk. They believe it is dirty, and they may not feed it to their baby. However, experts say colostrum is an important part of a newborn baby's diet. Feeding a baby colostrum gives him good food. But it also encourages the breastfeeding process.
Voice 1
Continuing breastfeeding after birth has many good effects. Breast milk is always clean. Parents must mix milk powders with water. But water is not always clean. Unclean water can carry many dangerous organisms⁵ that are deadly to babies.
Voice 2
Breast milk is also able to save lives. That is because breast milk carries antibodies from the mother. These antibodies protect the baby from many sicknesses that can kill children - like diarrhoea and pneumonia⁶.
Voice 1
In fact, Save the Children UK says that improving breastfeeding rates around the world could save almost 4,000 children EVERY DAY! Still, the WHO reports that only 39 percent of children globally receive only breast milk for four months. Many fewer receive it for the six months they suggest. So, if breast milk is the perfect food for babies, why do many parents choose to feed their babies with milk made from powder?
Voice 2
One reason is that breastfeeding can often be painful or difficult at first. It can take many weeks to become good at it. Many women do not get the information they need to become successful at breastfeeding. They may stop because they feel defeated. They may feel like it is too much work.
Voice 1
Jasmine Whitbread is a worker with Save the Children. She suggests that milk powder companies also may have some responsibility for reduced breastfeeding rates. In 1981 the World Health Assembly⁷ agreed on a code⁸ - a set of rules for all the world. These rules said that breastfeeding substitutes⁹ like milk powder should be available when parents needed them. But companies should not try to persuade parents to use them.
Voice 2
But some milk powder companies continue to try to persuade parents to use their products. Save the Children says that milk powder companies in the UK spend ten times more money selling their products than the government spends encouraging breastfeeding! Save the Children tries to encourage milk powder companies to "put children before their profits." Ms Whitbread said that "all food companies, governments, the WHO and UNICEF must put their full weight behind the code."
Voice 1
Milk powder feeding also continues because parents believe it is just as good, or even better, for a baby than breast milk. The problem is, this is not true. The Le Leche League International is a group that supports breastfeeding. They provide resources and information for breastfeeding mothers. Yanhong Wheeler is a representative for the Le Leche League in Beijing. She is also a Chinese writer. She says:
Voice 4
"It is a common belief in China that milk powder is more healthy than breast milk. That is a total lie."
Voice 1
Many women believe they do not have enough milk to feed their babies, so they turn to milk powder. But Ms Wheeler says:
Voice 4
"99 out of 100 women have enough milk to feed their babies. Less than one percent of mothers have problems... We are mammals. All mammals feed their babies with their own milk. There are more than 400 nutrients¹⁰ in breast milk that are good for babies. No milk powder can copy them. But there is no melamine."
 

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 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

3 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。

4 substitute   

n.代理，代理人，代用品，代替物；vt.代替；vi.替代，取代

参考例句：

• Can you substitute for the singer who is ill?你能替一下那位得了病的歌手吗？
• Yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitute for cream in cooking.酸奶是烹饪用的特别受欢迎的奶油替代品。

5 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。

6 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

7 assembly   

n.集会(不可数)；会议(可数)，装配(不可数)

参考例句：

• He took his seat in an unobserved corner of the assembly room.他在会议室一个不为人注意的犄角坐下来。
• It was very quiet in the assembly hall.会场里静悄悄的。

8 code   

n.代码，代号，密码；法典，法规，规划

参考例句：

• What's the code for Tianjin?天津的代号是多少？
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

9 substitutes   

n.代替者( substitute的名词复数 )；替补（运动员）；替代物；[语法学]代用词v.代替，替换，代用( substitute的第三人称单数 )；做…的代理人，接替

参考例句：

• The extra players, or substitutes, wait until they are called. 额外的运动员或是预备去替换的人没被召唤时在里面等着。 来自辞典例句
• He substitutes as our teacher of English. 他代任我们的英语教师。 来自辞典例句

10 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》