VOA慢速英语2013--SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Sports Doping: From the Playing Field to the Laboratory

 

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Sports Doping: From the Playing Field to the Laboratory

From VOA Learning English, this is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in Special English. I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m June Simms. Today, we report on sports doping -- the use of drugs or other substances to improve athletic¹ performance. We will also hear from an Olympic doctor about medically-supervised doping.

Sports have long been part of popular culture. In the United States, some professional athletes are as famous as movie actors, rock musicians or even politicians. Their lives and activities are closely followed by reporters and the public, and described in films and literature.

Sports have found their way into everyday expressions. One example is: “It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.” That saying is used to define honor in sports. But today, many people question the honor of many top performing athletes. They wonder if these men and women have used banned substances to set records.

When Americans talk about sports doping, they often mean the use of anabolic steroids. Most sports organizations have banned the non-medical use of anabolic steroids. But some amateur and professional athletes continue taking them. They believe steroids help them when competing.

Steroids are used to increase muscle strength. But they also can damage the liver, increase cholesterol² levels in the blood, and stop production of the hormone³ testosterone. They can also cause personality changes. For example, steroid users may become angry for no reason. Some become psychologically or emotionally dependent on steroids. They feel like they cannot live without them. Steroid users can become depressed⁴ and, in some cases, may want to take their own life.

Some men who use anabolic steroids can develop breasts like a woman. Steroids can also cause the reproductive organs of some men to shrink. And women who use them can develop a deeper voice and even grow facial hair.

Testosterone is important, especially for young people. Hormones⁵ are chemicals that help keep the body working normally. The effects of testosterone can be seen in boys when they become young men. Their muscles grow bigger and stronger. Testosterone is also important for other changes, like a deeper voice and the growth of hair.

Both men and women produce testosterone, but men produce much more of it. Some naturally have higher levels than others. As men grow older, their testosterone levels drop.

Some people take testosterone supplements made in a laboratory for medical purposes. They use these supplements because their doctor says it is medically necessary. But athletes may take them to make their muscles stronger, to recover from injuries more quickly or to improve their performance.

Yet testosterone supplements are banned in many sports. Researchers who have studied testosterone generally agree that long-term use may increase athletic performance. But they disagree about the short-term value. And they say testosterone supplements have risks. Most doctors agree that taking large amounts of testosterone can increase the user’s risk of heart disease and other health problems.

In the 1990s, the International Olympic Committee organized a conference that led to the creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA. The conference was called after French police found banned substances at the world famous Tour de France cycling event.

WADA is an independent agency that writes and enforces common anti-doping rules. It is made up of representatives of the Olympic movement and officials from around the world. It receives support from many countries, including the United States.

“Doping” is the word used to describe the use of banned substances or activities to improve athletic performance. WADA says the term probably came from the Dutch word “dop.” Dop was an alcoholic⁶ drink that Zulu fighters used to improve their performance in battle.

The agency says the word “doping” began to be used for athletes in the beginning of the 20th century. At first, it meant the illegal drugging of racehorses.

WADA says athletes have used substances to improve their performance for centuries. Ancient Greeks used special foods and drinks. Nineteenth century cyclists and others used alcohol, caffeine, cocaine⁷ -- even strychnine, a strong poison. By the 1920s, sports organizations were attempting to stop the use of doping substances. But they lacked scientific ways to test for them.

One method of doping is called blood doping. It is the use of substances like hormones or blood to increase production of red blood cells. An increase in red blood cells causes more oxygen to move to the muscles, increasing their strength.

An example is the hormone Erythropoietin, also called EPO. It is said to be most-useful to athletes in endurance sports such as cycling and distance-running.

Doctors say hormones used for blood doping thicken the blood and increase the possibility of heart disease or stroke. And the use of blood from another person can spread viruses. Doctors say even the use of a person’s own blood to increase red blood cell levels can raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. 

Another substance said to improve performance is human growth hormone, or HGH. This hormone is produced naturally by the pituitary gland⁸. Athletes take injections of HGH. Blood tests can show evidence of such injections. Experts say higher-than-normal levels of HGH can cause diabetes⁹, muscle and bone pain, high blood pressure and other health problems.

Sports dopers are always looking for new substances and technologies to help them pass drug tests. And testers keep creating new tests for identifying the substances and fighting new technologies.

A few years ago, the testers received support for their efforts from an organization set up to settle disputes related to sports. The Court for Arbitration¹⁰ for Sport ruled that an athlete may be punished for illegal doping, even if she or he does not fail a drug test. It was the Court’s first ruling after examining the scientific and legal strength of an athlete’s “biological passport.” Information in a biological passport can help identify athletes who use banned drugs but find ways to keep from testing positive, using substances called “masking agents.” These men and women are known as “sophisticated dopers.”

A question a lot of people ask is, “What is wrong with doping?” Some experts believe that sports doping should not be banned. They support what is called “medically-supervised doping.” They say medical supervision¹¹ would reduce the dangers of doping. They say sporting events would be fairer if all of the competitors can openly take part in doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency opposes medically-supervised doping. Its former medical director, Alain Garnier, says doctors should have nothing to do with doping. Dr. Garnier says helping¹² athletes perform better is not necessarily good for their health. He says it is wrong to say that permitting doping would create an equal playing field. To do so, he says, would be to let economic resources and scientific expertise¹³ decide the results of sporting events.

Anti-doping officials say they want to protect the integrity, or honor, of sports by guaranteeing what they call a level playing field. They want to ensure that athletes who do not use banned substances have an equal chance at winning.

Don Catlin is professor emeritus¹⁴ of Molecular¹⁵ and Medical Pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine in California. He was at the 2012 London Olympics as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission. Dr. Catlin spoke¹⁶ with VOA about medically-supervised doping -- a subject, he says, he has thought about for many years.

“Yeah, I’ve gone back and forth¹⁷ on this over the years. Every time I, I try to convince myself that maybe we could do it, I turn away from that. There, there’s so many difficulties in doing that. It’s really impossible to, to control. And even if you wanted to try it, then all the athletes would be able to take drugs. It would be a battle of pharmacologists, I guess, and there would be all kinds of problems in that sort of battle. But worst of all, there would be a new equilibrium¹⁸ where all athletes are on drugs, and their times are a little bit shorter, they get a little bit faster, a little bit better, but they’re all equal again, and that doesn’t really help the matter. We have to keep fighting to control the drugs right at the front.”

1 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。

2 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

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 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。

10 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

11 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

12 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。

13 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。

14 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

15 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

16 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

17 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

18 equilibrium   

n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静

参考例句：

• Change in the world around us disturbs our inner equilibrium.我们周围世界的变化扰乱了我们内心的平静。
• This is best expressed in the form of an equilibrium constant.这最好用平衡常数的形式来表示。