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VOA慢速英语2010年-SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Athletes Warned

时间:2010-10-06 07:07:36

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KATHERINE COLE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, a program in VOA Special English. I'm Katherine Cole.

BOB DOUGHTY1: And I'm Bob Doughty. Today, we will tell about head injuries in sports. We will tell about evidence of hearing loss among younger Americans. We will also tell about a study involving more than ten thousand scientists.

(MUSIC)

KATHERINE COLE: American researchers are urging athletes to take head injuries seriously. Their comments come after tests showed that a football player suffered serious brain damage from repeated blows to the head. Chris Henry played five years with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He died last December when he either fell or jumped from a truck.

Researchers reported in June that Chris Henry had a serious kind of brain damage. It is called chronic2 traumatic encephalopathy, or C-T-E.

Doctors believe that each hit to the head causes a harmful protein to build up in the brain. This causes the inside of neurons to become tangled3 together, similar to what doctors find in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies have linked C-T-E to dementia, depression and memory loss. The condition also is sometimes linked to drug and alcohol use.

BOB DOUGHTY: The death of Chris Henry is something of a mystery. He was arguing with his girlfriend before he died. It is unclear whether he fell from the vehicle or jumped on purpose. Tests show that more than fifty former athletes had C-T-E. However, doctors are unable to confirm its presence until after the person dies.

In the past, researchers believed that the only cause of C-T-E was a concussion4. Chris Henry, for example, never missed a game with the Bengals or in college because of a concussion. This means one of two things. Either he hid the problem from his trainers and coaches. Or less severe hits can lead to C-T-E.

Researchers say his death should be a warning to other athletes. Concussions5 are not like most injuries. They can become life-threatening, but cannot be seen.

KATHERINE COLE: America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention receives reports of about four million sports-related concussions every year. Concussions can result when an athlete is hit in the head. The brain will move around and sometimes strike the skull6, or bony inside of the head. This can result in swelling7. In extreme cases, it causes bleeding in the brain.

A 2007 photo of Chris Henry

After suffering a concussion, a player might feel light-headed and pass out. He or she may also have problems with memory and feel sick to the stomach. Researchers are not saying that no one should play contact sports. They just want athletes to know that head injuries are serious. And, repeated head injuries are cause for concern.

The best thing to do is seek medical attention. This way doctors can document the injury before it becomes too late.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: American teenagers hear it all the time from their parents. “Are you listening to me? Turn down that music or you will hurt your ears.” A new study has found the parents may be right. The Journal of the American Medical Association published results of the study last month.

The study found that many young people in the United States do not hear as well as they used to. One out of five American teenagers has some hearing loss. That is a thirty percent increase in the past fifteen years. One out of twenty teens has a large hearing loss. That is a fifty percent increase.

Matthew Brady, 17, of Foxborough, Massachusetts has some mild hearing loss from listening to loud music on his earphones

KATHERINE COLE: The study used results of hearing tests taken from nineteen eighty-eight through nineteen ninety-four. The researchers compared that information with studies done in two thousand five and two thousand six.

They found that boys are more likely to have hearing problems than girls. The researchers say that teenagers from poor families had more hearing loss than those from more wealthy families. The age or race of the teens who were tested had no effect on their chances for hearing loss.

BOB DOUGHTY: The researchers say they are not sure why some teenagers are losing their hearing. Not enough studies have been done and more are needed. Some say the causes may be found in their diet, exposure to poisons, or in their genes8. Others believe that listening to loud music on mp3 players with earphones is the major cause.

Researchers think that some teenagers do not realize that they are listening to music at very loud levels. To them, loud rock music may seem normal.

KATHERINE COLE: Ron Eavey is head of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center. He says that parents should stand next to their children while they are wearing earphones. If the parents can hear the music, the sound is too loud. He says that teenagers should set the volume control on their music players to somewhere between one-half and two-thirds the highest level, never louder.

Even a small hearing loss can affect a child’s social development. Communication skills and grades in school can also suffer. Doctor Eavey says, “What we’re seeing is a big jump in the prevalence9 of hearing loss in a very short time, in less than one generation.”

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: Finally, an international study has shown that scientists in Denmark are the happiest with their work. The journal "Nature" published the findings.

More than ten thousand five hundred scientists rated their satisfaction with issues like their pay, health care and retirement10 plan. Sixteen countries provided large enough sample sizes for study organizers to comment on the findings. They said Denmark seems to be the most likely place for a fine research experience. Other countries where scientists seemed happiest were the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Switzerland.

KATHERINE COLE: In the study, those questioned rated themselves. One area they judged was the amount of independence they had in their work. They also rated the guidance they received from other workers and more experienced researchers. The scientists said they found those qualities the most important to their happiness.

Those who took part in the study work for government or private laboratories, businesses and educational centers. The study showed a big difference between money paid to scientists in private industry as compared with universities. Those in private industry received much more.

Scientists in Japan who answered the study expressed the least satisfaction. Only a small percentage said they were very satisfied. Two percent thought their retirement plan was good. Just ten percent thought they had enough independence to do their work.

BOB DOUGHTY: Scientists in India and China also reported low levels of job satisfaction. Still, more of these scientists than those from other countries noted11 improved work satisfaction during the past year. The journal “Nature” reported that India and China are now spending more money for research. In two thousand seven, China had as many researchers as the European Union or the United States.

America’s National Science Foundation noted the number of Chinese studying engineering and natural sciences. It said they complete almost as many doctoral degree programs as students in the United States.

KATHERINE COLE: Mohamed H.A. Hassan is president of the African Academy of Sciences in Nairobi, Kenya. He noted fast-increasing wages for scientists in China, India and Brazil. He said countries where wages for scientists are increasing are the same places where job satisfaction is increasing. He said one simple message of the study is, pay them and they will stay.

Mister Hassan noted that scientists are not wealthy. But he said they are well-paid in places where science is important.

BOB DOUGHTY: An American psychological expert commented on study results involving women. The study found that, six to ten years after receiving doctoral degrees, women scientists are paid less than men. And, this difference in pay widens over time.

Kathleen Christensen directs the Workplace, Work Force and Working Families program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York. She questioned why women stay in lower positions although they have skills to deal with more responsibility. She also questioned whether women are getting better jobs, but earning less for the same level of work as men. She said there is proof for both possibilities.

(MUSIC)

KATHERINE COLE: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Mike DeFabo, Jim Tedder12 and Jerilyn Watson. June Simms was our producer. I'm Katherine Cole.

BOB DOUGHTY: And, I'm Bob Doughty. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

 


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 doughty Jk5zg     
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。
2 chronic BO9zl     
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。
3 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
4 concussion 5YDys     
n.脑震荡;震动
参考例句:
  • He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
  • She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。
5 concussions ebee0d61c35c23e20ab8cf62dd87c418     
n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 );脑震荡;冲击;震动
参考例句:
  • People who have concussions often trouble thinking or remembering. 患脑震荡的人通常存在思考和记忆障碍。 来自互联网
  • Concussions also make a person feel very tired or angry. 脑震荡也会使人感觉疲倦或愤怒。 来自互联网
6 skull CETyO     
n.头骨;颅骨
参考例句:
  • The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
  • He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去,跌裂了颅骨。
7 swelling OUzzd     
n.肿胀
参考例句:
  • Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
  • There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。
8 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
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
9 prevalence PQIxh     
n. 流行,盛行
参考例句:
  • They were very surprised by the prevalence of anti-government sentiments. 他们对普遍存在的反政府情绪感到很吃惊。
  • Thus, the prevalence of the disease'should be significantly reduced" by the new regulation. 所以,这种棉屑病应该通过落实新规章而“大大的减少”。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
10 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
11 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
12 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

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