英语听力—环球英语 702 Man or Woman?

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Robin² Basselin.
Voice 2
And I’m Adam Navis. 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
In 2009, the World Championships of Track and Field were held in Berlin, Germany. There were many excellent runners. Each runner seemed to make the other runners faster and better. But there was one race people were watching closely³. The women’s eight hundred meter run.
Voice 2
People were watching Caster Semenya, from South Africa. She had risen quickly to the highest level of running. People wanted to know how she did it. As the women began the final part of the race, Semenya gained the lead and won by over two seconds. This made more people wonder how she got so good, so fast.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on Caster Semenya and sex testing. Semenya has short hair. She has a low voice. She has hair on her top lip, above her mouth. And when her running improved quickly, people accused her of really being a man.
Voice 2
At this point we must note the difference between “sex” and “gender⁴.” People often use these words to mean the same thing, but that is not correct. Gender is how a person shows and understands himself or herself. Sex means what kind of sex organs a person has. The issue for Caster Semenya was not her gender, not how she sees herself. The issue was her sex, what sex organs she had.
Voice 1
But why is knowing Caster’s sex important? It is important because in sports, men and women are divided. Men have an advantage because they have more testosterone, a chemical that builds muscle. This is why the best male runners are faster than the best female⁵ runners. If Semenya was male, she would have an advantage over female runners. When she won her race by over two seconds, people saw this as confirmation⁶ that she was really a man. Running officials made her get several medical tests.
Voice 2
Some people suggested an easy solution to the problem. They said that someone could just look at her sex organs. But deciding someone’s sex is not always that easy. Some people suffer from disorders⁸ of sexual⁹ development, or DSD.
Voice 1
As a child grows inside its mother, it develops body parts at different times. Babies do not just grow bigger, their body parts also move and change. For example, part of boys’ sex organ, the testes, remain up inside the body until one or two months before birth.
Voice 2
Before a baby is nine weeks old, it could be either a boy or a girl. Many people think that our body’s development plan, our chromosomes¹¹, make our sex. But this may be only part of the truth. Dr. Ross Tucker explained this for the website “The Science of Sport.”
Voice 3
“We are all told that if you have two X chromosomes, you are female. If you have an X and a Y chromosome¹⁰, you are male. But it is often not so simple.”
Voice 1
He explained that all children start out as girls. It is only when a "switch" is turned, like turning on a light, that male sexual development begins. He continues:
Voice 3
“For any number of reasons, sometimes the switch does not work. Or, it works¹², but there is a problem that prevents it from having its normal effect. So even with the Y chromosome, it can fail to start male development. And so the child continues to develop as a female. The result is that sex organs are unclear. Other physical things can be mixed up as well. These people are called intersex. And it is difficult to know what to do with them when playing in sports.”
Voice 2
So, when someone is intersex, you cannot just look at their sex organs to decide on their sex. Some things about them may be male, and some things may be female. Also, even if someone is intersex, they may still be able to be an athlete. Many intersex people do not get any advantage from their condition. For example, at the 1996 Olympics, six women failed a sex test. The Olympic committee permitted all of them to compete because they did not have any advantage.
Voice 1
We do not know the names of these people because sex testing is usually a very private matter. Unfortunately, Caster Semenya’s testing was only private in some ways. People knew the testing was going on, but they did not know the results. Newspapers and magazines were writing about Semenya. Other athletes were telling her to stop running. Officials from different organizations were trying to manage her image. It was a very difficult time for her.
Voice 2
In November 2009, running officials ruled that Semenya could keep her championship prize and the money she won. However, they refused to release¹³ the results of their testing. Dr. Ross Tucker writes that this may not be a problem:
Voice 3
“The issue of what to do with Semenya may not matter. That is because, if the reports are true, and she is intersex, then she would probably need medical treatment. This may make the question of advantages not matter. This situation would be a health issue first, and a sporting issue second. If Semenya has treatment, then the possible advantage will no longer be present. Then she can compete without any question. The necessary medical treatments may remove any debate over how her condition may be helping¹⁴ her.”
Voice 2
In another place, he writes:
Voice 3
“Semenya's life may have been saved as a result of the sex testing process. If she not been an athlete, her condition may never have been found.”
Voice 1
It is important to say again that there has been no official word that Caster Semenya is intersex. As of this writing, she plans to run as a woman. But her case raises an important question for all people. How should we treat intersex people?
Voice 2
Most people have clearly defined¹⁶ sex organs. But one percent of people have some kind of disorder⁷ of sexual development. Sex and gender are both important parts of every society. They help us understand how to act in different situations. But when we use someone’s sex to define¹⁵ who they are, we stop seeing the whole person. And no matter what Semenya’s sex, no matter her skills as a runner, she deserves¹⁷ privacy¹⁸, love, and respect.
 

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 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。

6 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

7 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。

8 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

10 chromosome   

n.染色体

参考例句：

• Chromosome material with exhibits of such behaviour is called heterochromatin.表现这种现象的染色体物质叫做异染色质。
• A segment of the chromosome may become lost,resulting in a deletion.染色体的一个片段可能会丢失，结果产生染色体的缺失。

11 chromosomes   

n.染色体( chromosome的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chromosomes also determine the sex of animals. 染色体也决定动物的性别。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Each of four chromosomes divide longitudinally. 四种染色体的每一种都沿着纵向分裂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

13 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

16 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

17 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。