VOA慢速英语20060829b

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - From the Laboratory to the Playing Field: World of Sports DopingBy George Grow, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: Tuesday, August 29, 2006

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Doug Johnson. Our subject this week is sports doping.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:


Justin Gatlin

Last week, American runner Justin Gatlin accepted the results of a drug test from April. The test showed the presence of manufactured testosterone or other steroids. Gatlin has said he never knowingly used any banned substance.

This was his second offense². The twenty-four-year-old runner could have faced a lifetime ban from competition.

But the United States Anti-Doping Agency says Gatlin has promised to cooperate in the effort to end the use of drugs in sports. So the agency agreed to suspend him for as long as eight years. The agreement gives the Olympic gold medal winner the right to seek a reduction in that period.

VOICE TWO:

In May, in Qatar, Justin Gatlin equaled the world record time of Asafa Powell of Jamaica in the one hundred meter dash. Gatlin will keep that result at least for now, while he appeals his possible eight-year suspension.

His first offense, in two thousand one, involved his medicine for attention-deficit disorder³. The medicine contained a stimulant⁴ banned for athletes. He could have been suspended for two years. But officials considered the violation⁵ a mistake, so he served only a one-year suspension.

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VOICE ONE:

Drug tests recently showed that American cyclist Floyd Landis had unusually high levels of testosterone during the Tour de France. The results led race officials to say they no longer considered Landis the winner.

The results also led one of our listeners in Nigeria, Lazarus Adumo, to ask what it means to have high levels of testosterone.

Testosterone is a steroid hormone⁶. Hormones⁷ are chemicals that help keep the body working normally.

VOICE TWO:

The effects of testosterone can be seen in boys when they become young men. They develop muscle power and become stronger. Testosterone is also important for other changes, like a deeper voice and the growth of body hair.

Testosterone is produced in the reproductive organs and the adrenal glands⁹. Both men and women produce testosterone. Men produce much more of it than women do. But not all males produce the same amounts. Some naturally have higher levels than others.

VOICE ONE:

Some people take testosterone supplements produced in a laboratory for medical purposes. But some athletes use synthetic¹⁰ testosterone to strengthen their muscles and improve their performance. These products are banned in many sports.


Floyd Landis

Officials say tests on Landis' urine found synthetic testosterone in addition to high levels of the kind produced naturally in the body.

Landis has denied taking any synthetic testosterone. And he has said the high testosterone levels could have resulted from medicines and from drinking beer and whiskey the night before the tests. Floyd Landis is to appear before the United States Anti-Doping Agency next month to try to explain the test results.

VOICE TWO:

Researchers who have studied testosterone generally agree that long-term use may increase athletic¹² performance. But they disagree about the short-term value. Also, testosterone supplements have risks. Most doctors agree that taking large amounts of testosterone can cause harmful effects. These include an increased risk of heart disease.

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VOICE ONE:

In nineteen ninety-nine, the International Olympic Committee held a conference that led to the creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency. This all followed events at the Tour de France. In the summer of ninety-eight, police carried out a raid and found banned medical substances.

After that, the International Olympic Committee led efforts to create an independent agency to set and enforce common anti-doping rules. The agency has representatives from the Olympic movement and public officials from around the world. WADA, as the agency is known, has its headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Doping is the general term for the use of banned substances or practices to improve athletic performance. The World Anti-Doping Agency says the term probably came from the Dutch word dop. That was the name for an alcoholic¹³ drink used by Zulu fighters in Africa to improve their performance in battle.

The agency says the word doping began to be used for athletes in the beginning of the twentieth century. At first it meant the illegal drugging of racehorses.

The agency notes that athletes have used substances for centuries to improve their performance. Ancient Greeks used special foods and drinks. Nineteenth century cyclists and others used alcohol, caffeine, cocaine¹⁴ -- even strychnine, a strong poison.

By the nineteen twenties, sports organizations were attempting to stop the use of doping substances. But at the time they lacked scientific ways to test for them.

VOICE ONE:

One method of doping is called blood doping. This is the use of substances such as hormones or blood itself to increase the production of red blood cells. That way the blood moves more oxygen to the muscles, increasing their strength and performance.

One of these hormones is known as EPO. Recently anti-doping officials announced the discovery of EPO in a urine test on Marion Jones. If the results are confirmed, the Olympic champion runner could be banned from competition for two years.

Doctors say hormones used for blood doping thicken the blood and increase the chances of heart disease and stroke. Also, the use of blood from another person can spread viruses. But doctors say even the use of a person's own blood to increase the level of red blood cells in the body can raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

VOICE TWO:

Another substance that can be used to increase performance is human growth hormone. This hormone is produced naturally by the pituitary gland⁸ in the brain. Athletes may take injections of human growth hormone, although that can be found with blood tests. Experts say such use of the hormone can cause diabetes¹⁵, muscle and bone pain, high blood pressure and other disorders¹⁶.

VOICE ONE:

Some of the most common doping substances are steroids. These drugs are used to increase muscle strength. Steroids can damage the liver and halt the production of testosterone. They can also cause personality changes. People who take them may become increasingly angry. Some become dependent on the steroids and feel they cannot live without them. Users can become depressed¹⁷ and, in some cases, even want to kill themselves.

VOICE TWO:

Sports dopers continually look for new substances and technologies. The World Anti-Doping Agency has already banned gene¹¹ doping, although it says it does not believe anyone is doing it yet.

Officials say they want to be ready with a test to find genetic¹⁸ changes.

For example, imagine an athlete whose body contains genetic material from an animal. In theory, such a person could become a great athlete overnight.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Last week, Chinese media reported that investigators¹⁹ found employees injecting students with performance drugs at a sports school. Those employees at the school in the northeastern province of Liaoning now face criminal charges.

So what is wrong with doping? That is a question some people ask, even some health professionals. These people support the idea of medically supervised doping. They say it would reduce the dangers. They say competitions would be fairer if all the competitors were openly permitted to take part in doping.

Earlier this month, the World Anti-Doping Agency published a statement on its Web site from its medical director. Alain Garnier says doctors should have nothing to do with doping. Doctor Garnier says helping²⁰ athletes perform better is not necessarily good for their health.

And he called it wrong and irresponsible to say that permitting doping would create an equal playing field. To accept doping, he says, would permit economic resources and scientific expertise²¹ to decide competition. And, he adds, only those with the resources and the expertise would win.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by George Grow, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Doug Johnson.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Transcripts²² and archives of our shows are at www.unsv.com. We hope you can join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

3 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。

4 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• 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。

7 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。

8 gland   

n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖

参考例句：

• This is a snake's poison gland.这就是蛇的毒腺。
• Her mother has an underactive adrenal gland.她的母亲肾上腺机能不全。

9 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

10 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

11 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

12 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

13 alcoholic   

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。

14 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

15 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

16 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》

17 depressed   

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。

18 genetic   

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。

19 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

22 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句