VOA慢速英语 2007 0321a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

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Representative Patrick Kennedy speaks about health care in 2006, one week after he was sentenced for driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has ordered companies to place strong new warnings on thirteen drugs that treat sleep disorders³. It also ordered the makers⁴ of the sleeping pills to provide information for patients explaining how to safely use the drugs.

Last Wednesday, the FDA announced that some of these drugs can have unexpected and dangerous effects. These include the risk of life-threatening allergic⁵ reactions. They also include rare incidents of strange behavior. These include people cooking food, eating and even driving while asleep.  The patients later had no memory of doing these activities while asleep.  

Last year, a member of the United States Congress said he had a sleep-driving incident.  Patrick Kennedy, a representative from Rhode Island, crashed his car into a security barrier near the building where lawmakers meet.  The accident happened in the middle of the night and no one was hurt. Mister Kennedy said he had earlier taken a sleep medicine.  He said he was also being treated with a stomach sickness drug that can cause sleepiness.

The Food and Drug Administration did not say in its announcement how many cases of sleep-driving it has documented.  However, the New York Times reported last year about people who said they had strange sleep events after taking the drug Ambien.  Some reported sleep-driving and sleep-walking.  Others said they found evidence after waking in the morning that they had cooked food or eaten in their sleep.  But they had no memory of carrying out the activities.

A Food and Drug Administration official says that these serious side effects of sleep disorder² drugs appear to be rare.  But, he also said there are probably more cases than are reported. He said the agency believes the risk of such behaviors could be reduced if people take the drugs as directed and do not drink alcohol while taking the drugs.  The Food and Drug Administration has advised drug companies to carry out studies to investigate the problem.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁶.  Our reports and audio links can be found at voaspecialenglish.com.  You can send a health question to [email protected].  Please remember to include your name and country.  I’m Steve Ember. 

1 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

2 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。

3 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》

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

6 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。