VOA标准英语2010年-Bill Gates Remains Optimistic About AI

Bill Gates says in these tough economic times, more efficiency is needed in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs.  At the same time, he says more people need to be on anti-retroviral drugs.  The billionaire philanthropist spoke¹ Monday at the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna.

As global economies faltered², many donor³ nations scaled back the size of their increases in AIDS spending.  Critics say the flatlining in funding comes at a time when great progress is being made in the epidemic⁴.  Gates says he’s disappointed in the funding levels.

“The turbulence⁵ has driven up government deficits⁶ and many countries responded by freezing or even reducing their investments in global health.  We have to do everything we can to change that,” he says.

The Microsoft founder⁷ and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says when it comes to HIV/AIDS, he’s still very much an optimist⁸.

Aids 2010
Bill Gates

“This decade saw remarkable⁹ progress,” he says. “We all celebrate the five million people receiving antiretroviral treatment, up from just half-million just 6 years ago.  We all celebrate that since 2001 the rate of infection has fallen 17 percent.  It’s not enough, but it’s certainly a move in the right direction.”

Defying the odds¹⁰

He says over the years, scientists, activists¹¹ and those living with HIV/AIDS have defied what skeptics said could be achieved.  Now he says the skeptics doubt much progress can be made with current funding limitations.

“If we push for a new focus on efficiency, in both treatment and prevention, and we continue to innovate¹³, to create new tools, we can drive down the number of infections dramatically and start writing the story of the end of AIDS,” he said.

Gates says, for example, that circumcision and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV are both cheap and effective.  He says both bring an immediate¹⁴ cost benefit to countries’ health systems.  But Gates says he was once a doubter himself.

“I have to admit when it comes to circumcision I used to be a skeptic¹².  I said, yes, the studies showed that it reduces transmission by nearly 60 percent, but I was doubtful a large number of men would sign up for it.  I’m glad to say I was wrong.  Wherever there are clinics available men are volunteering to be circumcised in huge numbers - far more than I expected,” he says.

However, he says millions of men in sub-Saharan Africa are yet to benefit from the practice.

“In Russia, the epidemic is largely spread by injecting drug users.  And areas where they receive clean needles, testing and other services, the infection rate rose 15 percent over five years.  Where they didn’t, it skyrocketed 105 percent.  Clearly these services make a difference.  Yet Russia has cut the budget for them to zero and shifted the money into programs for the general population,” he said.

The right tools

Gates warns that even if everything is done with the current tools to fight HIV/AIDS, new infections would only be cut by half.

“Millions of people would continue to transmit the virus and we would not have enough money to treat everyone who needs it.  Fortunately, we don’t have to assume that in the future we’ll be limited to fighting HIV with the tools we have today,” he said.

Gates says he expects new tools to include better anti-retrovirals, microbicides and eventually a vaccine¹⁵.
 

1 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。

2 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

6 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？

13 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 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。