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VOA慢速英语 2007 0522b

时间:2007-09-06 01:05:22

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(单词翻译)

ANNOUNCER1:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.  I’m Bob Doughty2

 
 
Today we present the last part of our series on the disease3 bird flu.  It is a story for young people called "Zandi's Song."  It was shortened4 and taken from a book written by Nuzhat Shahzadi. 

The book was developed by the Academy5 for Educational Development.  The goal of the book and related6 materials is to increase understanding of bird flu among children in developing countries.  It is also meant to involve children in spreading messages about effective prevention of bird flu in their communities. 

Now, here is Barbara Klein with our story.

(MUSIC)

STORYTELLER:

Zandi is fifteen years old.  She lives in a village in Africa with her mother and eleven-year-old brother, Nicholas.  Her father died two years ago.  Since then, her uncle has been their guardian7.  He pays the costs for Nicholas to go to school.

Zandi's family has a small piece of land where her mother grows corn and vegetables.  Nicholas and Zandi help her as much as they can.  Their Mama also works8 part time in a store.  Zandi and Nicholas attend a nearby school. 

Mama has to pay the costs for Zandi’s education.  It is not easy.  Mama has some chickens.  She sells the eggs and sometimes chickens.  Zandi helps her take care of the birds.  Once in a while the family has egg and rice for dinner.  But most of the eggs have to be sold for Zandi’s school costs.

Zandi often hears a radio playing music before she goes to school.  One day, she hears a news report on the radio.  The announcer tells about a new disease that is killing9 birds in some parts of the world, including Africa.

“I hope this disease does not come to our village,‿Zandi says to herself.  Her family needs the chickens.  At school, Zandi is still thinking about the news report.  The teacher, Missus Muchunu, observes her lack of interest in class work.  At the class ends, Zandi tells her teacher about the morning news.

“Zandi, I read about this disease in the newspaper two days ago," Missus Muchunu says. "It is called bird flu.‿nbsp;

 
A boy holds a chicken in Jaji, northern Nigeria, in February 2006 after the town had Africa's first reported find of H5N1 virus 
“Teacher, can this disease kill all our chickens, too?" Zandi asks.  "If they die, how are we going to pay for my education?  I would have to leave school.  What can we do?‿nbsp; Zandi is very worried.

“Do not worry, Zandi," her teacher says. "Now go home and we will talk about this tomorrow in class.  Let me try to find out more about this disease."

The next day in class, Missus Muchunu keeps her promise.  “Children, today I am going to discuss something very serious," she says.  "A new disease is killing birds in some parts of the world.  It is called ‘bird flu.’‿

“How does it spread?" one child asks.

“The virus that causes the disease is first spread by wild birds like ducks, geese and swans that live in and around water," the teacher explains.  "The virus is carried in the birds‿digestive organs.  It is passed on through the droppings of infected birds.  Sometimes these birds do not become sick, although they are infected."

Missus Muchunu continues: "Healthy birds can become sick by drinking water from sources where infected wild birds have been cleaning themselves.  They can also become sick from soil or feed that has been infected by wild bird droppings.  Bird flu also spreads through direct contact -- on clothing, hands, or shoes -- with objects that have been infected with bird droppings."

“Do we have bird flu in Africa?‿Zandi asks.

“The bird flu is arriving in Africa now," her teacher answers.  "Wild birds are coming from Asia where the disease has killed millions of birds.  These migratory10 birds may pass the virus to our farm birds.  Farm birds should not be permitted to mix with wild birds.  If we are not careful now, all our chickens may die."

The students want to know if bird flu can infect people.  “In Asia, a small number of people did get infected by coming in contact with sick birds," the teacher says.  "Some became sick and died."

“What can we do to stay safe from this disease?‿Zandi's friend Jackson wants to know.

Missus Muchunu shows her students a sign that explains how people can protect themselves from the disease:

 
An Indonesian boy walks next to duck cage at a market in Jakarta
Do not touch a sick or dead bird.  If you find sick or dead birds, tell the local agriculture officer or animal health worker about it.  Always wash your hands by rubbing11 with soap and water after coming in contact with birds or places birds have been.  Avoid markets where farm birds are sold if you hear of bird flu cases nearby.  Cook chicken meat and eggs completely.  Avoid all surfaces that may have been infected until they have been cleaned and harmful bacteria destroyed.

The sign also has information about what people can do to protect their birds from bird flu:

Do not let birds living on your property have any contact with wild birds.  Keep any new birds separate from your birds for at least two weeks.  Vaccinate12 your birds against the disease if your local officials tell you to do this.  Ask the local agriculture officer if a vaccine13 is available.

"Share this information with others," Missus Muchunu urges.  "We must do everything to be safe from this virus.  As we all know, farm birds are the main source of protein in many families.  Protein keeps us healthy and strong.  We must not let our chickens die.‿

(MUSIC)

STORYTELLER:

After school, Zandi, Nicholas and their friends meet to talk about bird flu.

“How can we make our families understand that we all need to act before the disease attacks our village?‿Jackson asks.

“Why don't we talk to our families and neighbors?" Zandi suggests.  "Each one of us can talk to three families every week.  Let us invite the others from our class to join us.  We can also ask our teachers to talk about it during the next parent-teacher meeting at the end of the month.  Unless everyone knows about the disease, we will not be able to stop it from spreading."  The children now feel happier as they agree to these plans.

Zandi thinks hard as she walks back home.  She must find a way to keep her family's chickens safe from bird flu. 

"Why don't we make a new place for our chickens that is surrounded with a fence made of sticks from trees?" she suggests to her brother.  "We can use long grass to cover the area.  It is best to keep the chickens separated from other birds.  Will you help me do this?‿Nicholas says he will. 

The next morning Zandi has another thought.  She is sure that her Uncle knows the head of the village very well.  The headman’s wife also respects Uncle's wife.  What if she begins by giving bird flu information to them?  Uncle can pass it on to the headman.  People come to the headman for advice, and he can urge them to be prepared for the disease.  Zandi is very pleased with herself.  She goes to see her Uncle.

“Uncle, our teacher told us to share some very important information with our families," Zandi says. "It is about a disease that can kill all our farm birds.  Everyone should know about it.  I know how much the headman trusts you.  Maybe you would like to discuss this with the headman?‿

Zandi explains. "We need to carefully wash our hands with soap and water if we come in contact with a sick or dead bird.  We need to cook the chicken meat and eggs completely.  We should not eat sick or dead farm birds.  Children should not be permitted to play with sick or dead birds.  We should report any sick or dead birds to the animal health worker or agriculture officer.  It is not easy to identify bird flu from other diseases14 harmful to birds.‿nbsp; Zandi finishes speaking as Uncle listens closely15.

“Well, my niece, I think you have become quite intelligent by studying in school," Uncle says.  "I will share this with the headman and others.  And I have decided16 that you should continue with your studies.  I want you to keep up the good family name."

As she walks back home, Zandi smiles to herself.  Now she is the happiest girl in the whole village.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER:

This program was broadcast under the terms of a license17 agreement with the Academy for Educational Development.  AED produced and copyrighted18 the story.  It cannot be further reproduced19 without agreement from AED at www.aed.org/avianflu. 

Your storyteller was Barbara Klein.  The story was adapted by Shelley Gollust and produced by Brianna Blake.  I'm Bob Doughty.  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 announcer FVqzB     
n.宣布者;电(视)台播音员,报幕员
参考例句:
  • The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
  • The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。
2 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。
3 disease etMxx     
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。
4 shortened 8560273e5cfe310f2c9d5ab5defa48f3     
v.弄短,缩短( shorten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子缩短了一英寸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延长,工作周就缩短了。 来自辞典例句
5 academy FIxyW     
n.(高等)专科院校;学术社团,协会,研究院
参考例句:
  • This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
  • I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。
6 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
7 guardian 8ekxv     
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者
参考例句:
  • The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
  • The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
8 works ieuzIh     
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。
9 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
10 migratory jwQyB     
n.候鸟,迁移
参考例句:
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。
11 rubbing c0ea05d88d62174bf5e65000367d38b5     
n. 摩擦, 研磨, 按磨
参考例句:
  • This insect makes its strange noise by rubbing its back legs together. 这只昆虫摩擦它的两条后腿发出一种奇怪的声音。
  • Jerry was already unhappy because he fumbled the ball,but his teammates kept rubbing it in. 本来杰瑞就很不高兴,因为他失了球,而他的队友们还一再提那件事。
12 vaccinate Iikww     
vt.给…接种疫苗;种牛痘
参考例句:
  • Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样,当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
  • Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。
13 vaccine Ki1wv     
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。
14 diseases 5c749da591474dd5c2c7f1d77b874f5d     
n.疾病( disease的名词复数 );弊端;恶疾;痼疾
参考例句:
  • Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
  • The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。
15 closely XwNzIh     
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。
16 decided lvqzZd     
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。
17 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
18 copyrighted 32701401a789dc816ef17a1195e74c82     
获得…的版权( copyright的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • That magazine usurped copyrighted material. 那杂志盗用了版权为他人所有的素材。
  • Why is it common for students to download copyrighted music? 为什麽学生下载有版权的音乐如同家常便饭?
19 reproduced 3700921c5a38fcacd4e33d3302724a49     
复制( reproduce的过去式和过去分词 ); 重现; 再版; 生殖
参考例句:
  • a manuscript reproduced in facsimile 精确复制的手稿
  • The article was reproduced by the special permission of the President. 由于总统的特殊允许,这篇文章被复印了一份。

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