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VOA慢速英语2011--Shipwreck Off North Carolina Offers Clue

时间:2011-07-26 07:58:58

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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Shipwreck1 Off North Carolina Offers Clues About Blackbeard the Pirate

JIM TEDDER2: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Jim Tedder.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: And I'm Christopher Cruise. This week, we will tell about a shipwreck discovered near the coast of North Carolina. We also answer a listener’s question about the disease fibromyalgia.
(MUSIC)
JIM TEDDER: Beaufort, North Carolina, is a small town in the southeastern United States. Many people who live in this part of the country are fishermen. They make their living in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
Three hundred years ago, Beaufort was the home of Edward Thatch3, who also made his living on the water. But he was not a fisherman. He was feared by many and known as Blackbeard the Pirate.
One of Blackbeard’s ships, Queen Anne’s Revenge, was discovered under seven meters of water near Beaufort fifteen years ago. Since then, scientists have been studying the ship and bringing to the surface many of the artifacts -- things made by hand -- that they have found.
An exhibit of those objects opened last month at the North Carolina Maritime4 Museum in Beaufort. David Moore is the museum’s Nautical5 Archeologist.
David Moore: “One of the first items that came up from the site back in nineteen ninety-six, when it was first discovered, was a bell. Part of the inscription6 on the bell was the date … seventeen-oh-five. And so when you can find an artifact that very comfortably dates the site to the appropriate period, that’s exciting for an archeologist.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: David Moore believes that Blackbeard once had three or four hundred men and four ships under his command. They sailed up and down the Atlantic Coast and stole anything of value from other ships.
DAVID MOORE: “Most of what these guys were grabbing was food, alcoholic7 beverages8, spare cannons9, sails, anchors -- anything that they needed to get by on a day to day basis.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: But what about the stories of pirate treasure…silver and gold and jewels? How much of that has been found?
DAVID MOORE: “Very small, tiny bits of gold that would have been picked up in streams in West Africa, and panned, and collected. And what we have on Queen Anne’s Revenge is probably somewhere around fifteen grams, five thousand little tiny bits of gold.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Finding the artifacts and bringing them to land can be difficult. Most of them need months or even years of cleaning before they can be put on display in the museum. The objects are usually covered with sand and seashells that are hard to remove without causing damage.
DAVID MOORE: “For every month we spend in the field, mapping and excavating10 and recovering material, there’s a corresponding eleven to twelve months in the laboratory.”
JIM TEDDER: Recently, a large anchor from the ship was discovered and moved to land. But it is so huge that it may be five years before it can be cleaned enough to be seen by the public.
Part of the display at the Maritime Museum is a model of the ship Queen Anne’s Revenge. Visitors can study the model and imagine what pirate life was like three centuries ago. The model has an opening on one side so you can see inside.
David Moore says about one hundred fifty men lived on the ship at one time. He also says real pirates like Blackbeard were different from what we see in the movies. When they robbed other ships, they asked their new prisoners to join their crew. And they did not usually find boxes filled with gold coins. But other things made of metal, like a device used to measure land, were worth taking.
DAVID MOORE: “We’ve got what appears to be a surveyor’s compass. And in those days it was made from brass11. And this would have been a high dollar item, as it would be today. They could have easily traded or sold that in the market somewhere, some port that they stopped in.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: For many years, Blackbeard was America’s most famous pirate. But in November of seventeen-eighteen, the governor of Virginia sent soldiers to kill or capture him. It took many sword wounds and gun shots before Blackbeard fell. Soldiers then cut off his head and put it on the front of a ship as a warning to others that pirates would be punished.
Hundreds of the things Blackbeard used on Queen Anne’s Revenge can be seen at the North Carolina Maritime Museum. But there are many more items yet to be brought up from the sea bottom. Archeologist David Moore says only about half their work has been completed.
(MUSIC)
JIM TEDDER: Earlier this year, Tomohiko Hagino in Japan wrote to ask for information about a painful disease -- fibromyalgia.
America’s Food and Drug Administration says fibromyalgia affects about three to six million people in the United States each year. The American College of Rheumatology says fibromyalgia may affect two to four percent of the population. Other studies show that, in some countries, three and a half percent of adult women and one half percent of adult men suffer from the disease.
Untreated or incompletely-treated sufferers often have pain in their muscles and joints12. And they are always tired, even when they get a lot of sleep. Fibromyalgia is what doctors call a chronic13 syndrome14. It causes pain and difficulty in movement throughout the soft tissues that support and move the bones and joints.
The central nervous system of a patient with fibromyalgia is more sensitive to extreme “pain transmission” than the nervous system of a healthy person. Experts believe that patients have a surplus of neurotransmitters -- the chemicals that cause pain. Their central nervous system may tell the brain that there is pain even when there is no cause for the pain. Or the neurotransmitters tell the brain that there is more pain than there really is.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Russell Rothenberg is a rheumatologist in Bethesda, Maryland. He is one of the nation’s leading experts on fibromyalgia. He has written many reports about the disease and has produced videos to help those who suffer from it.
Dr. Rothenberg says he has seen more than ten thousand patients with fibromyalgia over the past thirty years. About eighty percent of them are women. He says some of his patients have had a medical problem or injury that led to the disease. He says people with rheumatoid arthritis15, lupus, and osteoarthritis appear to be more likely to have fibromyalgia.
Dr. Rothenberg told VOA that some people who develop fibromyalgia have a family history of the disease. He says researchers have found abnormal genetic16 factors to be more common in some families.
RUSSELL ROTHENBERG: “Well, we know that it could be genetic. And we know that there are certain families where there is a high incidence of fibromyalgia in three generations. So we’re still learning about the genetics of fibromyalgia … our knowledge of who is more at risk for developing this hypersensitivity of pain in the central nervous system.”
JIM TEDDER: The signs of fibromyalgia are complex. Many patients suffer from weakness or what is called a “pins and needles” feeling in the arms and legs. They may also have dry eyes, head pain and bowel17 problems. Most patients have pain everywhere in their body. The pain can be so intense that, in some cases, even the weight of clothing is too much. Yet some patients have trouble persuading their doctor that their pain is real.
One study found that some patients had to wait three to five years before doctors confirmed the presence of fibromyalgia. One reason for the delay was that many patients looked healthy. And identifying the cause of the pain can be difficult, especially for untrained doctors.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Doctors who left medical school before nineteen-ninety may not be familiar with fibromyalgia. That is because the disease was only given its name in nineteen ninety. There are currently no blood tests or medical imaging tests to help doctors with their diagnosis18.
Long delays in the identification and treatment of fibromyalgia can lead to severe disability and the inability to work. People can also be unable to perform the simple activities of daily living without assistance because of the severe myofascial pain.
JIM TEDDER: Dr. Rothenberg says he needs at least an hour with a new patient to find if they are suffering from fibromyalgia. That is much longer than many doctors give to one patient.
RUSSELL ROTHENBERG: ”My experience and other doctors in the field talk about the holistic19, comprehensive care that’s required to treat a fibromyalgia patient, and that requires time. And we need to go through all their meds, all their organ systems, their exercise, how they’re functioning.”
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Some patients are misdiagnosed as suffering from depression because many of the symptoms are the same – poor sleep patterns, depressed20 feelings and pain all over the body. And some patients were told that the pain was not real, that they were just imagining it or that that they had mental problems.
Next week, we will hear more from Dr. Rothenberg. We also will hear from a drug company that is advertising21 a product to treat fibromyalgia. And we will talk with a doctor who is critical of that advertising.
(MUSIC)
MARIO RITTER: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written and read by Christopher Cruise and Jim Tedder. Our producer was June Simms. I’m Mario Ritter. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shipwreck eypwo     
n.船舶失事,海难
参考例句:
  • He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
  • The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。
2 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
3 thatch FGJyg     
vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部;n.茅草(屋)
参考例句:
  • They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把,放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。
  • They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。
4 maritime 62yyA     
adj.海的,海事的,航海的,近海的,沿海的
参考例句:
  • Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
  • The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。
5 nautical q5azx     
adj.海上的,航海的,船员的
参考例句:
  • A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
  • It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。
6 inscription l4ZyO     
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文
参考例句:
  • The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损,无法辨认了。
  • He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。
7 alcoholic rx7zC     
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
参考例句:
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
8 beverages eb693dc3e09666bb339be2c419d0478e     
n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
  • regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例
9 cannons dd76967b79afecfefcc8e2d9452b380f     
n.加农炮,大炮,火炮( cannon的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 excavating 5d793b033d109ef3f1f026bd95b1d9f5     
v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 );开凿;挖出;发掘
参考例句:
  • A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句
11 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
参考例句:
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
12 joints d97dcffd67eca7255ca514e4084b746e     
接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语)
参考例句:
  • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
  • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。
13 chronic BO9zl     
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
参考例句:
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
14 syndrome uqBwu     
n.综合病症;并存特性
参考例句:
  • The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
  • Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。
15 arthritis XeyyE     
n.关节炎
参考例句:
  • Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
  • He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎,在医院住了三个月。
16 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
17 bowel Bszzy     
n.肠(尤指人肠);内部,深处
参考例句:
  • Irritable bowel syndrome seems to affect more women than men.女性比男性更易患肠易激综合征。
  • Have you had a bowel movement today?你今天有排便吗?
18 diagnosis GvPxC     
n.诊断,诊断结果,调查分析,判断
参考例句:
  • His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。
19 holistic OQqzJ     
adj.从整体着眼的,全面的
参考例句:
  • There is a fundamental ambiguity in the use of word "whole" in recent holistic literature.在近代的整体主义著作中,“整体”这个词的用法极其含混。
  • In so far as historicism is technological,its approach is not piecemeal,but "holistic".仅就历史决定论是一种技术而论,它的方法不是渐进的,而是“整体主义的”。
20 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
21 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

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