听力文摘：粉刺的奥秘

Acne: the scourge¹ of adolescence². Most people endure it at some point, and can’t wait to be rid of the combination of whiteheads, blackheads, pimples⁴, and pustules that comprise the skin condition that affects over 80% of teenagers and nearly 20% of adults.

粉刺：青春期的灾难。许多人都在忍受它带来的麻烦，迫切地想要摆脱白头、黑头、丘疹、脓疱的困扰。这些问题滋扰着超过80%的年轻人和近20%的成人。

What Is Acne?

粉刺是什么？

Acne begins with the pores from which hair grows. These pores contain sebaceous glands⁵ that produce a type of oil that lubricates hair and skin. When the glands produce the right amount of oil, there’s usually no trouble.

粉刺在毛发生长的毛孔上出现，这些毛孔包含了皮脂腺，而皮脂腺能产生可以滋润毛发和皮肤的油。当这些腺体产生适量油脂的时候，通常不会出现问题。

But, when a pore gets clogged⁶ with too much oil and dead skin cells, problems arise. The onset⁷ of puberty in most kids involves the production of hormones⁸. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to make excess oil. Too much oil clogs⁹ pores and attracts bacteria, which feed on the oil and begin to multiply. A clogged pore can only stand so much internal pressure before its walls break, allowing the oil and bacteria to seep¹⁰ under the surrounding skin. This gives rise to something every teen dreads¹¹: a pimple³.

但是，当一个毛孔被过多的油脂和死去的皮肤细胞堵塞，问题出现了。许多孩子的青春期伴随着荷尔蒙的产生。这些激素导致皮脂腺分泌多余的油脂。过多的油脂会堵塞毛孔并滋生细菌，细菌靠这些油脂生存和繁殖。一个堵塞的毛孔的承载量是有限的，当压力过大时毛壁会破裂，油脂和细菌会渗漏到附近的皮肤上。每个年轻人的噩梦----粉刺产生了。

Acne Causes

粉刺的根源

Contrary to popular belief, eating foods such as pizza and chocolate does not cause or exacerbate¹² acne. Whether or not a person will have acne as a teenager or adult is largely a matter of genetics: if your parents had it, there’s a good chance you will too.

不同于大众的认知，吃诸如披萨和巧克力之类的食物并不会导致或者恶化粉刺。不管是青少年还是成年人，人们产生粉刺的原因在于基因：如果你的父母有过粉刺，你很可能也会有。

Although there is no cure for acne, simple remedies to prevent a build-up of oil in pores, such as washing your face with soap and warm water and using oil-free cosmetics¹³, can help.

尽管没有根治粉刺的方法，但有办法可以防止毛孔的油脂堆积：比如用温水和肥皂洗脸，使用不含油脂的化妆品。

1 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

2 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

3 pimple   

n.丘疹，面泡，青春豆

参考例句：

• His face was covered with pimples.他满脸粉刺。
• This is also a way to prevent the pimple.这也是防止疙瘩的一个途径。

4 pimples   

n.丘疹，粉刺，小脓疱( pimple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It gave me goose pimples just to think about it. 只是想到它我就起鸡皮疙瘩。
• His face has now broken out in pimples. 他脸上突然起了丘疹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 glands   

n.腺( gland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a snake's poison glands 蛇的毒腺
• the sebaceous glands in the skin 皮脂腺

6 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

7 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

8 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

9 clogs   

木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Clogs are part of the Netherlands national costume. 木屐是荷兰民族服装的一部分。
• Clogs are part of the Dutch traditional costume. 木屐是荷兰传统装束的一部分。

10 seep   

v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑

参考例句：

• My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
• If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。

11 dreads   

n.恐惧，畏惧( dread的名词复数 )；令人恐惧的事物v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The little boy dreads going to bed in the dark. 这孩子不敢在黑暗中睡觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A burnt child dreads the fire. [谚]烧伤过的孩子怕火（惊弓之鸟，格外胆小）。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

13 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。