VOA慢速英语2003年-Body Weight and the Risk of Cancer

 

Broadcast: May 13, 2003
by Caty Weaver¹

VOICE ONE:
I'm Sarah Long with Bob Doughty², and this is the VOA Special English program, SCIENCE IN THE NEWS.
VOICE TWO:
Today--a new warning about body weight and the risk of cancer. Also, experts come out with a report on diet and the prevention of disease. Later, a polio update, and a discovery about a rare condition that makes children old too early.
VOICE ONE:
Scientists have provided fat people with yet another reason to lose weight--cancer. A major new study from the American Cancer Society says obesity1 greatly increases the risk of some cancers. The researchers say the condition is linked to about ninety-thousand cancer deaths in the United States each year. And, the scientists say that the risk of cancer death rises as the weight increases.
The sixteen year study involved nine-hundred-thousand Americans. None had cancer at the start of the study. All were overweight based on a measurement method that compares height and weight. For example, a woman who is one-hundred-sixty-two centimeters tall and seventy-eight kilograms would be considered fat. A one-hundred-eighty-two centimeter tall man would be too heavy at more than one-hundred kilograms.
VOICE TWO:
The researchers found that the fattest men increased their risk of death from cancer by fifty-two percent over men of normal weight. For the heaviest women, the increase was sixty-two percent.
The study found that some cancers are more likely to affect fat people than other cancers. For example, the researchers say an extremely heavy woman is six times more likely to die from cancer of the uterus than a woman of normal weight. Severely2 obese⁴ men increase their risk of death from liver cancer by four times compared to men who are not fat.
    Obesity³ in women also increases their risk of death from breast, cervix and ovary cancer. Men who are too heavy also die of prostate and stomach cancer at a higher rate than men of normal weight. And the heightened risk of several other cancers is the same for heavy people of both sexes.
VOICE ONE:
The study does not provide a reason for the link between cancer and overweight. But, researchers suspect hormones⁵ are involved. For example, lead researcher Eugenia Calle [kal] says too much fat can interfere⁶ with insulin activity. She says this could increase the risk of colon⁷ cancer, among others.
Mizz Calle says that it is important to make the public understand how dangerous obesity is. She says it is similar to the risks caused by smoking tobacco. Her work was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE TWO:
International health and agriculture experts have released a new study on diet, nutrition and exercise. The report is expected to serve as a starting point for developing a world plan to fight deadly diseases. Thirty independent experts worked with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization for more than two years. The study is called "Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic⁸ Diseases."
The report estimates that in two-thousand-one, chronic diseases caused almost sixty percent of the fifty-six-million total deaths for the year. Such sicknesses include heart problems, cancer, diabetes⁹, obesity, weak bones and disease of the teeth and mouth. To fight the rising number of deaths from chronic diseases, the report proposes a diet low in fats, sugars and salt yet high in vegetables and fruits. In addition, it suggests people get regular physical activity.
VOICE ONE:
Experts believe few people in the world are eating the suggested amounts of fruits and vegetables. They say about seventy-five percent of a person's daily diet should include carbohydrates¹⁰, or foods like rice, grain, potatoes and bread. Foods high in protein, such as beans and meat, should make up about fifteen percent of one's diet. The remaining ten percent should include foods high in natural sugars.
The head of the World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland, says the majority of chronic disease cases are in the developing world. She says that history has shown even the simplest changes in diet and physical activity can be effective in a short amount of time. However, she says these changes need to be put in place throughout national populations. Doctor Brundtland notes that most developing countries do not have the resources in their health systems. They also cannot pay for the growing number of health cases caused by chronic3 diseases.
The report is the first world policy answer to the problems caused by poor diets and a lack of exercise. Doctor Brundtland says that long-term progress toward a change in population health will take time.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE TWO:
You are listening to the VOA Special English program Science in the News. This is Bob Doughty with Sarah Long in Washington.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
More than eighty percent of all new cases of polio are now found in a single country-India. Most new cases of the disease are in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. So far this year, Uttar Pradesh has had more than nine-hundred new cases. There were two-hundred-sixteen new cases reported in the state in all of last year.
Only seven countries in the world are still infected by the virus that causes poliomyelitis, the full name of the disease. They are India, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Niger and Somalia.
The polio virus can spread quickly. It is spread through human waste. This is yet another reason why it is important to wash hands as a way to reduce the spread of infection.
Polio starts with a high body temperature, tiredness and pain in the head, neck, arms or legs. People with polio often become paralyzed. They become unable to move their arms or legs. Sometimes they die.
VOICE ONE:
Polio can be prevented with a vaccine¹¹. The immunization4 is usually given to babies. The best vaccine is a liquid that is swallowed.
The World Health Organization started a very successful program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children who are nine to twelve years old learn all about childhood vaccinations¹² and diseases in school.
Each child is then responsible for five or six babies in the community to make sure a health worker vaccinates¹³ them. The children visit the babies and their mothers regularly. They write down any problems and keep a record of the immunizations.
One class of children checked on one-hundred-sixty-four babies in their community. Ninety-nine percent of these babies received their immunizations. This compared to national rates of thirty to fifty percent. The project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now being expanded to more schools.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE TWO:
American and French scientists have linked a damaged gene¹⁴ to a rare disease that speeds up aging in children. Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria5 [pro-JEER-ia] Syndrome¹⁵ causes young people to age up to ten times faster than normal. Victims lose their hair and usually die of heart disease or brain problems around age thirteen. Progeria is a Greek word meaning "old too early." No cure is known.
Doctor Francis Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute near Washington D-C led the American-based study. Researchers examined the genes¹⁶ of twenty progeria victims and their parents. They found that eighteen children had the imperfect gene. Around the same time, scientists in Marseilles, France, identified the same imperfect gene in two other progeria victims. The results of their independent studies were published in the magazines Science and Nature in April.
VOICE ONE:
Genes are carried on chromosomes¹⁸. Almost every human cell has forty-six chromosomes. There are hundreds of genes in each chromosome¹⁷. The imperfect gene that causes the disease produces an abnormal protein called lamin [LAY-min] A. The protein takes over the formation of the nucleus¹⁹ of cells. In time, these cells die, which weakens the ability of tissues to redevelop. This causes aging to take place.
Researchers believe their discovery will lead to a deeper understanding of heart conditions that kill millions of older adults. They say that historically, major discoveries linked to other rare conditions have led to progress in medical treatments and drugs.
VOICE TWO:
Science in the News was written by Caty Weaver, Jill Moss²⁰ and Karen Leggett. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.
1. obesity [Eu5bIsItI] n. 肥胖, 肥大
2. severely [sI5vIElI] adv. 严格地, 激烈地
3. chronic [5krCnIk] adj. 慢性的, 延续很长的
4. immunization [7Imju:naI5zeIFEn] n. 使免除, 使免疫
5. progeria [prEu5dVIErIE] [医]早衰, 早老

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 doughty   

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 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

4 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

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 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

7 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

8 chronic   

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。

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 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

11 vaccine   

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。

12 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 vaccinates   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的第三人称单数 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• The coverage rates of BCG,DPT,measles and polio vaccinates are 99 42%,99 79%,99 26%,99 21%,respectively. 1995 年“四苗”单项接种率分别为BCG99.42% 、TOPV99.21% 、DPT99.79% 、MV99.26% , “四苗”全程率98.84% 。

14 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。

15 syndrome   

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。

16 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

17 chromosome   

n.染色体

参考例句：

• Chromosome material with exhibits of such behaviour is called heterochromatin.表现这种现象的染色体物质叫做异染色质。
• A segment of the chromosome may become lost,resulting in a deletion.染色体的一个片段可能会丢失，结果产生染色体的缺失。

18 chromosomes   

n.染色体( chromosome的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chromosomes also determine the sex of animals. 染色体也决定动物的性别。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Each of four chromosomes divide longitudinally. 四种染色体的每一种都沿着纵向分裂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

20 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。