11 关于使用蜂窝式电话安全性的研究
DATE=3-8-01
TITLE=SCIENCE REPORT - Largest Cell Phone Study
BYLINE=George Grow
( Start at 59")This is the VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT.
Scientists have completed the largest study yet on the safety of (1)cellular (2)telephones. The study (3)involved more than four-hundred-twenty-thousand people in Denmark.
The researchers found that cell phone users are no more likely than other people to develop (4)cancer. However, the study failed to end the (5)debate over cell phone safety. Critics say it will be years before evidence of cancers linked to cell phone use is (6)confirmed.
Cellular telephones may be the best-selling (7)electronic devices in the world. Cell phones are small, wireless devices. They are held close to the user’s head during normal use. Their widespread use has led to increased concerns about possible health risks.
The (8)antennas on these phones produce low levels of radio wave radiation while in use. Most of the debate about the phones involves the amount of radiation they release. Scientists know that intense (9)electromagnetic (10)radiation can harm human tissue. But they are not sure if the radiation from cell phone antennas could cause serious damage.
The Danish Cancer Society and the International Epidemiology Institute near Washington, D-C organized the new study. Researchers identified Danes who began using cell phones between Nineteen-Eighty-Two and Nineteen-Ninety-Five.
The researchers compared this information with Danish health records. The researchers found that the cell phone users developed the expected numbers of cancers. They found no increased risk for cancers of the brain, nervous system, mouth or blood.
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a (11)commentary with the study. Robert Park of the American Physical Society wrote that cell phones are dangerous - when people use them while driving cars. He said the large number of people in the study makes it difficult to question the findings that cell phones do not cause cancer. Recently, two smaller American studies also found no increased cancer risk.
Not everyone agrees, however. For example, researcher George Carlo has written books about cell phone safety. He says other studies suggest that cell phone use may (12)damage genes. He warns that cancers of the brain develop over many years.
This VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT was written by George Grow.
(1) cellular[ ???????? ]adj.细胞的,多孔的; 蜂窝状的; 泡沫状的
(2) telephone[ ????????? ]n.电话, 电话机v.打电话
(3) involve[???????? ]vt.包括, 笼罩, 潜心于, 使陷于
(4) cancer[ ?????? ]n.癌, 毒瘤
(5) debate[ ??????? ]v.争论, 辩论n.争论, 辩论
(6) confirm[ ???????? ]vt.确定, 批准, 使巩固, 使有效v.确认, (基督教中)给...行按手礼
(7) electronic[???????????]adj.电子的
(8) antenna[???????? ]n.天线
(9) electromagnetic[?????????????????]adj.电磁的
(10) radiation[ ???????????? ]n.发散, 发光, 发热, 辐射, 放射, 放射线, 放射物
(11) commentary[ ?????????? ]n.注释, 解说词
(12) damage[ ??????? ]n.损害, 伤害v.招致损害n.[律] (用复数)赔偿金
12 科技新闻摘要（一）
DATE=3-13-01
TITLE=SCIENCE IN THE NEWS #2115 - Digest
BYLINE=Staff
VOICE ONE:
This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments in science. Today, we tell about the discovery of the (1)wreck of an (2)ancient (3)Greek ship. We tell about a World Health Organization campaign against the disease (4)epilepsy. And we tell about a new kind of (5)plastic that repairs itself.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
An American (6)exploration company has found the wreck of an ancient Greek ship in a very deep area of the Mediterranean Sea. It may be the deepest ancient (7)shipwreck ever found. The discovery questions a long-held belief that ancient (8)sailors lacked skills needed to guide ships in open seas.
The magazine "(9)Archeology" reports the discovery. The ancient ship lay more than three-thousand meters below the surface of the (10)Mediterranean. The wreck was more than four-hundred-eighty kilometers from the island of (11)Corsica. Scientists believe the ship is about two-thousand-three-hundred years old.
VOICE TWO:
The Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, (12)Maryland discovered the wreck. The company was looking for an Israeli (13)submarine that had (14)disappeared more than thirty years ago. The Nauticos crew found the ancient ship two years ago. They kept the discovery secret until they had recovered the Israeli submarine.
Nauticos official Thomas Dettweiler said two company ships were searching for the Israeli submarine. He (15)supervised the operation from a ship with sonar (16)equipment. A sonar system uses sound waves to find and (17)identify objects under the water. A second ship carried a (18)vehicle for deep-sea searches.
VOICE ONE:
During the search, one ship's sonar began making strange sounds. Mister Dettweiler thought this meant they had found the lost submarine. He ordered the other ship to send down the deep-sea vehicle to search.
But a video camera on the vehicle did not show a submarine. Instead, it showed many large (19)clay (20)containers lying on the bottom of the sea. These containers are called (21)amphoras. Mister Dettweiler was excited. He says he knew that the (22)presence of about two-thousand amphoras meant they had discovered an important shipwreck. In ancient times such containers held wine, (23)olive oil and other goods.
He also knew that scientists believe ancient trading ships stayed close to the (24)coast. Scientists thought that sailors were afraid of open seas and deep water. So Mister Dettweiler knew scientists would be very interested in the discovery.
VOICE TWO:
The Nauticos team sent their video and (25)sonar studies to scientists at Texas A and M University in College Station, Texas. A scientist there says the ancient ship may have traveled in deep, open waters from Greece to Egypt.
The scientists believe the amphoras probably came from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kos. The containers lie on top of each other. They cover the remains of the ship. A large metal container is among the amphoras. The experts believe this (26)cauldron was used for cooking.
VOICE ONE:
The scientists hope to examine a piece of the cauldron. The condition of its metal could tell how the Mediterranean Sea and (27)atmosphere have changed over the past two-thousand years.
Nauticos and the scientists hope to do more research in the area soon. Mister Dettweiler believes four other ancient ships may be nearby. He says finding shipwrecks from different time periods could be especially important. It could be the first evidence of continued open-sea trading in the ancient world.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Sarah Long with Bob Doughty in Washington.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
The World Health Organization has announced projects in four countries as part of its campaign against the disease epilepsy. The countries are China, (28)Argentina, (29)Senegal and (30)Zimbabwe.
The four (31)projects will find out the number of people suffering from epilepsy. Medical experts will train health care workers to identify and treat patients with the disease.
VOICE ONE:
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which (32)nerve cells suddenly release a large amount of (33)electrical energy. Victims react by suffering what are called seizures. They may close their eyes, fall down and move their muscles uncontrollably for a few minutes. Or they may appear confused for a few minutes or act strangely.
The World Health Organization says epilepsy is the world's most common brain disorder. At least fifty-million people suffer from it. Eighty-five percent of them live in developing countries. Two-million people develop epilepsy every year.
VOICE TWO:
The W-H-O says any kind of brain injury or disease can lead to epilepsy. It also says common causes of epilepsy in developing countries include poor care during (34)childbirth and a lack of healthy food. There is no cure, but epilepsy can be treated. The W-H-O says up to eighty percent of the people with epilepsy could lead normal lives if they were treated.
The W-H-O says most epilepsy sufferers get no treatment. For example, its office in Latin America says five-million people in the area suffer epilepsy. It also says more than three-million of them are not treated. A recent study in thirty Latin American countries showed that none have national (35)policies for epilepsy. In Africa, only one doctor for every four-million people is able to treat brain disorders.
VOICE ONE:
People with epilepsy fear that other people will find out they have the disease. The W-H-O campaign wants to educate the public about epilepsy. And it wants to improve the lives of those with the disease. Officials say their aim is to improve treatment, (36)prevention and social acceptance of the disease.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
American scientists have developed the first material that repairs itself. The material is a form of plastic that has been (37)engineered to fill breaks in its surface.
Plastics are used today in everything from airplane wings to hundreds of objects found in the home. Scientists wanted to find a way to make objects made of plastic last longer. The researchers hope their new discovery can be used to make objects that are difficult or impossible to replace.
The surface of plastic objects breaks over time. Very small breaks, or cracks, develop every time a plastic object is used. The researchers wanted to find out how to stop plastic from developing small cracks that grow, weaken and destroy it. The research team at the University of (38)Illinois at Champaign-Urbana found an answer to the problem. They found the answer in the chemical structure of plastic itself.
VOICE ONE:
Plastic is made of small molecules called monomers. These monomers link together to form very long molecules called polymers. Polymers give plastic its ability to be shaped and its strength.
The research team found a way to make plastic that contains very small balloons filled with liquid. The liquid contains (39)monomer (40)molecules - the building material of plastic. The team then created solid plastic that contains a special chemical. This chemical is called a (41)catalyst. A catalyst is a (42)substance that starts a chemical reaction.
The new plastic still cracks like common plastic. But, when it does, the monomer liquid is released and flows into the crack. The catalyst in the solid plastic then reacts with the liquid monomer. The chemical reaction between the liquid monomer and the catalyst creates (43)polymer molecules that repair the break. The repaired plastic has seventy-five percent of the strength of undamaged plastic.
VOICE TWO:
The scientists say the new self-repairing plastic is not yet ready for production. But it has several possible uses. One could be in space vehicles where parts cannot be repaired or replaced. Another possible use might be in bridges. And it could be used in people, to replace bone joints that have become broken or damaged. These include knees or hips.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson, Nancy Steinbach and Mario Ritter. It was produced by George Grow. This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science
(1) wreck[ ??? ]n.失事船(或飞机), 残骸, (船, 飞机的)失事vt.破坏, 拆毁
(2) ancient[ ?????????]adj.远古的, 旧的
(3) Greek[ ??????]adj.希腊的, 希腊人的, 希腊语的n.希腊人, 希腊语
(4) Pilepsy[?????????? ]n.[医]癫痫症
(5) plastic[ ?????????????????? ]n.塑胶, 可塑体, 塑料制品, 整形adj.塑胶的, 塑造的, 有可塑性的, 造形的, (外科)整形的
(6) exploration[ ??????????????? ]n.探险, 踏勘, 探测, [医](伤处等的)探查, 探察术
(7) shipwreck[ ????????]n.船只失事, 海难, 遇难
(8) sailor[ ?????? ]n.海员, 水手, 不大会晕船的人, 船员
(9) archeology[???????????]n.考古学
(10) Mediterranean[ ??????????????? ]n.地中海（=Mediterranean sea, 位于欧, 亚, 非三大洲之间）, 地中海沿岸的居民adj.地中海的, 地中海民族的
(11) Corsica[ ???????? ]科西嘉(岛)[法国东南部省名]
(12) Maryland[??????????? ]n.马里兰
(13) submarine[ ?????????????????????? ]n.潜水艇, 潜艇adj.水下的, 海底的
(14) disappear[ ????????? ]vi.消失, 不见
(15) supervise[ ??????????? ]v.监督, 管理, 指导
(16) equipment[ ?????????? ]n.装备, 设备, 器材, 装置, 铁道车辆, (一企业除房地产以外的)固定资产, 才能
(17) identify[ ??????????? ]vt.识别, 鉴别, 把...和...看成一样v.确定
(18) vehicle[???????? ]n.交通工具, 车辆, 媒介物, 传达手段
(19) clay[ ???? ]n.粘土, 泥土, 肉体, 人体, 似黏土的东西, 陶土制的烟斗
(20) container[ ????????? ]n.容器(箱,盆,罐,壶,桶,坛子), 集装箱
(21) amphora[???????? ]n.双耳细颈椭圆土罐
(22) presence[???????? ]n.出席, 到场, 存在
(23) olive[?????? ]n.橄榄树, 橄榄叶, 橄榄枝, 橄榄色
(24) coast[ ????? ]n.海岸, 滑坡v.沿海岸而行
(25) sonar[ ??????? ]n.声纳, 声波定位仪
(26) cauldron[ ????????? ]n.(=caldron)大锅炉
(27) atmosphere [ ????????? ]n.大气, 空气, 气氛
(28) Argentina[ ????????????? ]n.阿根廷(南美洲南部国家)n.阿根廷(南美洲国家)
(29) Senegal[ ?????????? ]n.[国名]塞内加尔（西非国家）
(30) Zimbabwe[ ??????????? ]津巴布韦
(31) project[ ??????????]n.计划, 方案, 事业, 企业, 工程v.设计, 计划, 投射, 放映, 射出, 发射(导弹等), 凸出
(32) nerve[ ???? ]n.神经, 胆量, 勇气, 叶脉vt.鼓起勇气
(33) electrical[?????????????]adj.电的, 有关电的
(34) childbirth[??????????]n.分娩
(35) policy[ ????????]n.政策, 方针
(36) prevention[??????????? ]n.预防, 防止
(37) engineer[??????????? ]n.工程师, 技师, 火车司机, 轮机员, 工兵
(38) Illinois[???????????? ]n.伊利诺斯州(美国州名)
(39) monomer[ ??????? ]n.单体
(40) molecule[ ????????????????? ]n.[化]分子, 些微
(41) catalyst[?????????? ]n.催化剂
(42) substance[?????????? ]n.物质, 实质, 主旨
(43) polymer[ ??????? ]n.聚合体
13 科技新闻摘要（二）
DATE=4-17-01
TITLE=SCIENCE IN THE NEWS #2120 - Digest
BYLINE=Staff
VOICE ONE:
This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments in science. Today, we tell about American women and smoking. We tell about the study of (1) evolution in the state of Kansas. We tell about chemicals found in Americans. And we tell about work to develop new (2) vaccines against foot-and-mouth-disease.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
A new American government report (3) confirms that smoking tobacco is a serious health problem for women and girls. The report says women now （4） represent thirty-nine percent of deaths caused by smoking in the United States. It says the rate of American women who die from such disease has increased more than one- hundred percent since Nineteen-Sixty-Five.
The top American health officer, Surgeon General David Satchel, (5) released the report. He says the findings show that women who smoke like men die like men.
VOICE TWO:
For a long time, many more American men than women smoked and died from (6) sicknesses linked to smoking. The report says those differences narrowed in the Nineteen-Eighties. The study found that twenty-two percent of American women smoked cigarettes in Nineteen-Ninety-Eight.
The report expresses concern about the large number of girls under twenty years of age who smoke. Almost thirty percent of girls in high school reported that they smoke (7) cigarettes.
VOICE ONE:
The report says women who smoke face an increased risk of several diseases linked to smoking. They include lung (8) cancer, heart disease and breathing (9) disorders. Since Nineteen-Eighty, about three- million American women have died at an early age from such sicknesses. The report says lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among American women. This year, lung cancer will kill almost sixty- eight- thousand American women.
The Surgeon General says female smokers face other health risks that men do not face. They include (10) reproductive problems and cancer of the cervix. They also include problems of the bones like (11) osteoporosis and (12) arthritis. Women who smoke while they are (13) pregnant also may harm their babies.
VOICE TWO:
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says smoking is an important women's health issue that requires action. He says anti-smoking efforts must begin in schools before girls begin to smoke. The report calls for stronger national and local efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use among women and girls.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Education officials in the American state of Kansas have rejected an earlier decision to remove the study of evolution from science education programs. The Kansas Board of Education voted in February to approve new rules for teaching science in the state. Those rules will be used to prepare new (14) statewide tests for high school students. The tests will now include questions about evolution.
VOICE TWO:
The theory of evolution says that all life on Earth developed from common ancestors in a biological process during millions of years. Some scientists say evolution is the most important idea of biology. British scientist Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution in the Nineteenth Century. It was a way to describe the development of new kinds of animals, including humans.
Some (15) conservative religious leaders (16) condemn Darwin's ideas. They argue that evolution cannot be proven. Conservative Christians say the ideas conflict with their belief that God created the universe and all living things on Earth, including humans.
VOICE ONE:
Two years ago, the Kansas Board of Education voted to end most questions about evolution on the statewide tests. Board members did not ban the teaching of evolution in the state's schools, however. The vote represented a major (17) victory for religious conservatives.
The Board's decision (18) shocked many scientists and educators. Kansas Governor Bill Graves called the vote terrible and tragic. Efforts to cancel that decision started last year after statewide elections for members of the Board of Education. Voters removed from office two Board members who supported the Nineteen- Ninety- Nine decisions.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Sarah Long with Bob Doughty in Washington.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
American health officials have produced a scientific report about environmental chemicals found in average Americans. It is the most detailed study of such chemicals in the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report.
The findings are based on a technology known as (19) biomonitoring. Biomonitoring permits scientists to measure chemicals in a person's blood and waste fluid. In the past, scientists measured chemicals in air, water or soil to estimate chemical exposures in people.
VOICE ONE:
The new study examined the blood and urine from three- thousand-eight- hundred adults and children. It found small amounts of twenty-seven environmental chemicals. The chemicals include metals, products to kill insects and (20) substances found in plastics.
Officials say the presence of a chemical does not necessarily mean that it will cause disease. They say additional studies are required to show if the levels reported are a cause for concern.
VOICE TWO:
A few of the chemicals were measured in earlier studies. Levels of two of them -- tobacco smoke and lead -- have decreased sharply in the past ten years.
Scientists say one surprise was the high level of man-made compounds called (21) phthalates. Phthalates are used to make plastics, toys and products for the skin. Scientists say laboratory rats fed large amounts of the substance have had birth defects and reproductive problems.
C-D-C officials say they want to expand the study to provide information about one- hundred chemicals. They also want to find out how these chemicals affect health.
((THEME))
VOICE TWO:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written and produced by George Grow. This is Sarah Long.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.
注释：
(1) evolution[ ????????????????????]n.进展, 发展
(2) vaccine[??????????]adj.疫苗的, 牛痘的n.疫苗
(3) confirm[??????????]v.确定, 批准
(4) represent[ ?????????????]v.表现, 描绘
(5) release[?????????]n.释放,豁免v释放, 解放,
(6) sickness[???????? ]n.疾病, 呕吐
(7) cigarette[????????? ]n.香烟, 纸烟
(8) cancer[ ???????]n.癌, 毒瘤
(9) disorder[ ???????? ]n.杂乱, 混乱, 无秩序状态v.扰乱, 使失调, 使紊乱
(10) reproductive[ ?????????????? ]adj.生殖的, 再生的, 复制的
(11) osteoporosis[ ????????????????? ]n.骨质疏松症
(12) arthritis[??????????? ]n.关节炎
(13) pregnant[ ????????? ]adj.怀孕的, 重要的
(14) statewide [??????????]adj.遍及全州的, 全州范围的
(15) conservative[ ???????????? ]adj.保守的, 守旧的n.保守派
(16) condemn[???????? ]v.判刑, 处刑
(17) victory[ ???????? ]n.胜利, 战胜
(18) shocked[????? ]adj.震惊的,震撼的
(19) biomorphism[ ?????????????? ]n.生物形态主义, 有机形态主义
(20) substance[ ????????? ]n.物质, 实质, 主旨
(21) phthalate[???????? ]n. [化]邻苯二甲酸盐(或酯)酞酸盐(或酯)
