Luyen Nghe Tieng Anh - Luyện Nghe Tiếng Anh - Tienganh09: Voa Science Report

ONE This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Lapidus. This week, the stories of some medical heroes. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: At the start of the twentieth century, United States Army had a Yellow Fever Commission. The Army wanted medical experts to study yellow fever and find way to stop the disease. One team went to Cuba to test the idea that mosquitoes spread yellow fever. team was led by Walter Reed, the Army doctor and scientist noted for his work on infectious diseases. In of nineteen hundred, the researchers began to raise mosquitoes and infect them with the virus. Nine of the Americans the infected insects bite them. Nothing happened. Then two more let the mosquitoes bite them. Both men developed yellow . VOICE TWO: A doctor named Jesse William Lazear recognized that the mosquitoes that bit the last two men had older than the others. Doctor Lazear proved that mosquitoes did carry yellow fever. Doctor Lazear himself was also bitten. one is sure how it happened. He said it happened accidentally as he treated others. But some people said placed the mosquito on his arm as part of the experiment. Medical historians say he may have reported the as an accident so his family would not be denied money from his life insurance policy. VOICE ONE: Jesse died of yellow fever. His death shocked the others on the team in Cuba. But they continued their work. people let themselves be bitten by mosquitoes. Others were injected with blood from victims of yellow fever. Some people this test group developed the disease, but all recovered to full health. Members of the team praised the work Jesse Lazear. They called it a sacrifice to research that led the way to one of the greatest medical of the century. VOICE TWO: The research answered the question of how yellow fever was spread. Now the question how to protect people. The researchers had a theory. They thought that people who were bitten by infected mosquitoes, recovered, were protected in the future. To test this idea, the team in Cuba offered one hundred dollars to who would agree to be bitten by infected mosquitoes. Nineteen people agreed. The only American was Clara Maass. She a nurse who worked with yellow fever patients in Cuba. Clara Maass was bitten by infected mosquitoes seven times March and August of nineteen-oh-one--. Only one of the nineteen people developed the disease ---- until that August. Then people got yellow fever. Clara Maass died six days after she was bitten for the seventh time. VOICE ONE: experiment showed that the bite of an infected mosquito was not a safe way to protect people from yellow . Medical historians say the death of Clara Maass also created a public protest over the use of humans in fever research. Such experiments ended. Cuba and the United States both honored Clara Maass on postage stamps. And today hospital in her home state of New Jersey is known as Clara Maass Medical Center. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Joseph was a doctor for the United States Public Health Service. In nineteen twelve, he began to study a skin that was killing thousands of people in the South. The disease was pellagra. Doctor Goldberger traveled to the state Mississippi where many people suffered from pellagra. He studied the victims and their families. Most of the people were . The doctor came to believe that the disease was not infectious, but instead related to diet. He received permission the state governor to test this idea at a prison. Prisoners were offered pardons if they took part. One of prisoners received their usual foods, mostly corn products. A second group ate meat, fresh vegetables and milk. Members the first group developed pellagra. The second group did not. VOICE ONE: But some medical researchers refused to accept a poor diet caused pellagra. For the South, pellagra was more than simply a medical problem. There were other involved, including Southern pride. So Doctor Goldberger had himself injected with blood from a person with pellagra. He also liquid from the nose and throat of a pellagra patient and put them into his own nose and throat. even swallowed pills that contained skin from pellagra patients. An assistant also took part in the experiments. So did Goldberger's wife. None of them got sick. Later, the doctor discovered that a small amount of dried brewer's yeast day could prevent pellagra. Joseph Goldberger died of cancer in nineteen twenty-nine-. He was fifty-five years old. Several years , researchers discovered the exact cause of pellagra: a lack of the B vitamin known as niacin. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: the medical administrator of Saint Marys Hospital in the Gulu District of northern Uganda. In two thousand, the hospital the center of treatment for an outbreak of Ebola. The virus causes severe bleeding. No cure is known. Doctors only hope that victims are strong enough to survive. Doctor Lukwiya acted quickly to control the spread of infection. kept the people with Ebola separate from the other patients. He ordered hospital workers to wear protective clothing and other safety measures. One day he had to deal with a patient who was dying of Ebola. The man been acting out of control. The doctor knew him well. The patient was a nurse who worked at the . The man was coughing and bleeding. Doctor Lukwiya violated one of his own rules. He wore no protection over eyes. Matthew Lukwiya died from the virus in December of two thousand. He was forty-two years old. Ugandans mourned death. He was an important influence in the community. Experts say his work during the outbreak helped stop the virus from spreading out of control. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: On February twenty-eighth-, two thousand three, the Vietnam-France Hospital in asked Carlo Urbani for help. The Italian doctor was an expert on communicable diseases. He was based in Vietnam the World Health Organization. The hospital asked Doctor Urbani to help identify an unusual infection. He recognized it as new threat. He made sure other hospitals increased their infection-control measures. On March eleventh, Doctor Urbani developed signs of acute respiratory syndrome. Four days later, the World Health Organization declared it a worldwide health threat. Carlo Urbani was first doctor to warn the world of the disease that became known as SARS. He died of it on twenty-ninth-, two thousand three. He was forty-six years old. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Our final medical hero is molecular biologist Roberts. She was widely recognized by other researchers for her work with a protein called transforming growth factor-beta-. TGF-beta both heal wounds and make healthy cells cancerous. In nineteen seventy-six-, Anita Roberts joined the National Cancer Institute, part the National Institutes of Health in the United States. She worked for many years with another researcher, Michael Sporn. found that TGF-beta helps to heal wounds and is important in the bodys defense system against disease. At the time, though, the two scientists found that the protein can also support the growth of cancer in some cells. ONE: Between nineteen eighty-three and two thousand two, Anita Roberts published more than three hundred forty research papers. Many scientists gave credit to her published work. In fact, the publication Science Watch listed her as the forty-ninth most-cited in the world during that twenty-year period. She was the third most-cited female scientist. But in two thousand four, years of studying cancer, Anita Roberts learned that she herself had the disease. She died of gastric cancer in of two thousand six. She was sixty-four years old. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach George Grow. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus. VOICE ONE: And I'm Bob Doughty. Internet users can transcripts and audio archives of our programs at voaspecialenglishcom.. And we hope you join us again next week for news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

SCORE:

Voa Science Report - Remembering a Chimp Known for Her Use of American Sign Language

Fill in the blank with one suitable word

Autism

Brianna

Experts

For

Fouts

Klein

Lawrence

MUSIC

Medical

Part

Professor

RDX

Sciences

The

Their

University

VOICE

Voice

and

answer

appear

autistic

baby's

bananas

better

born

changed

chemical

child

children

eat

examine

explosives

group

language

learn

military

natural

new

one

plant

results

says

scientists

signs

spectrum

taught

the

their

there

was

writer

ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Barbara . On our program this week, we will tell about an animal known for her ability to communicate with people. will tell about a call for autism testing in all babies. And, we report on plants specially designed to chemical wastes. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: An animal that influenced scientific thought has died. A chimpanzee named Washoe died of causes late last month at a research center in the American state of Washington. Washoe lived forty-two years. She said to be the first non-human to learn a human language. Washoe had become known in the scientific community around the world for her ability to use American Sign Language. Her skills also led to debate about primates their ability to understand language. Primates are the animals most closely related to human beings. VOICE TWO: Washoe was in Africa. Research scientists Allen and Beatrix Gardner began teaching her sign language in nineteen sixty-six-. Sign language is way of communicating using hand movements instead of words. It is a method many deaf people use to communicate. Nineteen Sixty-Nine-, the Gardners described Washoes progress in a scientific report. Once the news about Washoe spread, many language began studies of their own into this new and exciting area of research. The whole direction of primate research . VOICE ONE: The people who took care of Washoe say she grew to understand about two hundred fifty words. example, Washoe made signs to communicate when it was time to eat. She could request foods like apples and . She also asked questions like, "Who is coming to play?" However, critics argue Washoe only learned to repeat sign movements from watching her teachers. They say she never developed true language skills. Some researchers have suggested that primates sign language only by memory, and perform the signs only for prizes VOICE TWO: Yet her keepers disagree. Roger is a former student of the Gardners. He took Washoe to a research center in Ellensburg, Washington. There, she sign language to three younger chimpanzees, which are still alive. Scientists like private researcher Jane Goodall believe Washoe provided information about the mental workings of chimpanzees. Today, there are not as many scientists studying language skills with chimps. of the reason is because this kind of research takes a very long time. Debate continues about chimps’ understanding human communication. Yet, one thing is sure ---- Washoe changed popular ideas about the possibilities of animal intelligence. (MUSIC) ONE: The American Academy of Pediatrics says all children should be tested for autism by the age of two. is a general term for a group of brain disorders that limit the development of social and communication skills. experts call them autism spectrum disorders. Experts say autism is permanent and cannot be cured. But there are ways treat it that they say can reduce the severity. The academy says the earlier treatment begins, the better the . Recently, the group released two reports to help doctors identify autism. One report came from Chris Johnson of the of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She says doctors should look for signs of autism when they babies at eighteen months and twenty-four months. VOICE TWO: Doctors normally consider the possibility of autism only if a shows delayed speech or unusually repetitive behaviors. These may be clear signs of it, but they usually do not until a child is two or three years old. Doctor Johnson says experts have learned a lot about earlier of autism. She says the identification process can begin in the waiting room at a doctors office. Parents could a list of written questions about their baby. Then the doctor could perform tests as simple as observing the ability to follow a moving object with its eyes. Experts say failing to watch a moving object may be sign of autism. VOICE ONE: Doctors and parents can also look for behaviors that are normal in babies under year of age. Young children usually have a favorite soft object like a blanket. But children with autism may hard objects instead, and want to hold them at all times. They may not turn when a parent says name or when the parent points at something and says "Look at that." Doctor Johnson says the goal of new advice is early intervention instead of the traditional "wait and see" method to identify autism. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: American Academy of Pediatrics says young autistic children should enter some kind of learning program. The Academy says such should be actively involved in the program at least twenty-five hours a week all year long. The group also it is best if there is a small number of students for each teacher. It says autistic children do with more direct attention from and contact with their teachers. The group also is calling for contacts between autistic and non-autistic children of the same age when possible. However, it notes that children with severe cases of autism disorder may have serious behavior problems. These could make interactions with other children difficult or even harmful. VOICE ONE: advise parents to receive training for dealing with autism. But the Academy warns parents and doctors against several kinds treatment programs. These include those that claim a high level of success or a cure for the disorder. The suggests using treatments that are based on results of controlled studies supported by established scientific organizations. The Academy says children should have the same general health care as other children. It says some autistic children have behavior, social medical problems that may require treatment with drugs. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Finally, scientists have developed plants to remove harmful wastes from soil near military or industrial centers. The process is called phyto-remediation-. Proceedings of the National Academy of published two reports about the process on its web site. Scientists describe how they used a special kind of to take up a chemical that results from military and manufacturing operations. The plants were products of genetic engineering. genetic information has been changed. VOICE ONE: One report describes a study of a chemical called RDX. The lead of the report was Liz Rylott of the University of York in Britain. She says RDX is often found places where there was an explosion or where weapons have been stored. Professor Rylott says RDX is important for . She says it does not break down naturally. The chemical instead leaks into the soil and threatens water supplies. Rylott and her team collected soil from military training areas. They found bacteria that were able to break down themselves and use it as their food supply. Her team identified the gene in the bacteria that breaks down . They changed the genetic information so that enough of the gene can be produced to attack the harmful wastes. TWO: Professor Rylott says the next step is to use this technology to create grasses that can grow in training areas. A likely test area for the bacteria is the Massachusetts Military Reservation in the northeastern United States. use of RDX has been restricted there because of its threat to drinking water supplies. But some scientists say could be serious problems. Terry Hazen is the head of the Center for Environmental Technology at the Energy Department's Livermore Laboratory in Berkley, California. He says something has to be done with the plants after they take up wastes from the soil. He warns that the plants could be carried away or spread by insects and animals. ( ) VOICE ONE: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Brianna Blake, Soo Jee Han and Caty Weaver. Blake was our producer. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Barbara Klein. Read and listen to our programs voaspecialenglishcom.. Join us again at this time next week for more news about science in Special English on the of America.

SCORE:

Voa Science Report - Discovery That Stored Blood Loses a Life-Saving Gas Could Solve Mystery

Fill in the blank with one suitable word

Babies

Bodnar

But

I'm

Many

Mayo

Scientists

TWO

The

University

VOICE

after

any

blood

collection

continue

developed

diet

doctors

expert

findings

for

formula

from

fun

get

health

his

less

low

meats

medicine

millimeters

not

out

oxide

poor

receiving

report

still

tests

the

their

they

thousand

time

told

using

weight

who

why

ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. VOICE TWO: And I'm Pat . This week, we will tell about a gas that helps to carry oxygen from the blood. We will also on a British sleep study. And we answer a question from Canada about a genetic disorder. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: have discovered that stored blood loses a life-saving gas. The discovery may explain why a great number of people sick after receiving stored blood. In recent years, experts have wondered why patients who should survive sometimes die after a blood transfusion. The cause of death is often a heart attack or stroke. VOICE TWO: Jonathan Stamler is professor of medicine at Duke University in North Carolina. He and other researchers found that stored blood has very levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a gas found in red blood cells. The gas helps to keep passages open so that oxygen in the red cells can reach the heart and other organs. Professor Stamler and team found that nitric oxide in blood begins to break down as soon as the blood is collected. Their were reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. VOICE ONE: Another team of Duke University scientists carried a separate study. Professor Stamler says that study showed the breakdown of nitric oxide begins within hours of blood . He says the life-saving gas is partly lost after three hours, and about seventy percent of it is lost just one day. As a result, he says, there is almost no time that stored blood has enough nitric . VOICE TWO: Scientists tested their theory on dogs and found that low levels of nitric oxide reduced the flow blood. Professor Stamler says the scientists corrected the situation by adding nitric oxide to the stored blood. He says extra nitric oxide repaired the ability of red blood cells to expand blood passages. He says blood when injected animals does a very fine job of improving blood flow and getting oxygen to tissues. Professor Stamler says people are in serious need of a blood transfusion should have one immediately. But he says more studies are needed show who would receive the most help from stored blood. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: A British study suggests that women fail to get enough sleep are at higher risk than men of developing high blood pressure. Researchers at the of Warwick Medical School led the study. Their report was published last month in Hypertension magazine. The researchers studied information from more than ten thousand British public employees. The information was gathered in the nineteen eighties. At the , the employees were between thirty-five and fifty-five years of age. The researchers also used more recent information about some the volunteers. This information was collected in the late nineteen nineties, and again in two thousand three and two four. VOICE TWO: Earlier studies have shown a link between lack of sleep and an increased risk of high pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension is known to increase the risk of heart disease. Blood pressure readings are measured in of mercury and often given as two numbers. The researchers described hypertension as blood pressure higher than or equal a reading of one hundred forty over ninety. The volunteers were identified as having hypertension if they commonly used to treat high blood pressure. VOICE ONE: By the end of the study, twenty percent of the people had high blood pressure. The risk was higher among women who did not get enough sleep. The women who slept than or equal to five hours were two times as likely as women who slept for seven hours or . The study found no difference between men who slept less than five hours and those sleeping seven hours or . Francisco Cappuccio from the Warwick Medical School led the study. He says women who sleep less than five hours night should attempt to get more rest. He also says other evidence suggests lack of sleep as possibly influencing gain and conditions like diabetes. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: An American study has examined treatment of AIDS in Africa, south the Sahara. The study involved people who have AIDS or the virus that causes the disease. Researchers at Boston studied reports about adults who have HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. The patients received HIV medicines in thirteen countries southern Africa over a seven-year period. Two years after beginning treatment, only sixty-one percent of patients on average were taking the medicines. The Public Library of Science reported the findings. VOICE ONE: Christopher Gill of Boston University says study was designed to estimate the effectiveness of HIV drug programs in the thirteen countries. Professor Gill is an on infectious diseases. He is concerned that up to one-third of the patients discontinued their treatment. He says that whatever reason, the programs were unable to follow the patients. He says the patients may have died or stopped the drugs. Professor Gill says public health officials have proved that it is possible to bring HIV medicines to countries. He says the problem now is to find ways to make sure people who are taking the medicines to do so. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder. It is also called PKU. A seven-year-old listener Canada has a friend in China with the disorder. Sarah Sun wants to know more about PKU and how help people with it. People with PKU are unable to break down an amino acid called phenylalanine, or Phe. body uses this amino acid to build proteins. There is a gene that helps the body take in Phe. some people are born with genetic orders that change how the gene operates. This causes Phe levels in the to increase. Extremely high levels of the amino acid can cause severe damage to a babys brain. That is it is important to identify the disorder in newborns so a special diet can be established early in life. hospitals in wealthy nations require PKU tests on young babies. Early medical intervention provides the best results. VOICE ONE: with PKU who eat low-protein foods can develop normally. If they remain on the diet, they may never experience signs of the condition. But, it is tricky because phenylalanine is in a lot of foods. For example, all and milk products have high amounts. Beans and nuts are also high in Phe. And, children with PKU should use the non-sugar sweetener aspartame. It contains a lot of Phe. Aspartame can be found in many sugar-free products drinks. Everyone needs some protein for health. So, many doctors advise their PKU patients to take a special phenylalanine-free . The formula contains protein, vitamins, minerals and extra calories, but no Phe. Several drug companies make these products. VOICE : In the past, doctors often only suggested this diet while their patients were babies. Older children with PKU were they could begin to eat all foods. But, studies have shown that many older PKU patients on a normal have problems with thinking and remembering. So, patients now are usually advised to stay on a low protein diet whole lives. There are emotional sides to any health problem. Children with the disorder sometimes feel cheated out of and tasty foods, like French fries. The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota suggests ways to help ease the situation faced a PKU patient. Officials there say it helps to not place a lot of attention on food. Instead, invest and energy on other things children enjoy like a sports activity or a musical skill. VOICE ONE: Also, the Clinic says to be sensitive around holiday celebrations. It is not unusual for holidays to include big meals. But, do not have to. Holiday story telling or other activities could become more important. PKU patients need monthly blood to check Phe levels. They also need to keep records of what they eat and how much. This way can make changes to the patients’ diets as needed. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written Lawan Davis, Soo Jee Han and Caty Weaver. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Pat Bodnar. VOICE ONE: And Steve Ember. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglishcom.. Join us again at this time next week for news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

SCORE:

Voa Science Report - New Telescope to Search for Life Beyond Earth

Fill in the blank with one suitable word

Faith

Global

Hat

Human

Lapidus

National

ONE

Project

Radio

THE

The

This

VOICE

about

ago

all

and

articles

called

campaign

concerns

cortisol

difficult

efforts

eight

expert

for

from

gift

have

help

information

levels

live

mind-body

observed

out

performed

polio

publishes

put

recent

signals

spread

the

time

two

used

using

will

with

ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Faith . This week, we will tell about an effort to search for intelligent life beyond our universe. We will tell a method shown to increase attention and reduce tension. We will also report on new concerns about the health children in Africa. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: The search for life in the universe took a step forward last month the opening of the Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, California. The telescopes were partly made possible by a of twenty-five million dollars from Paul Allen. He helped start the computer software company Microsoft. He joined with the Astronomy Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley and the SETI Institute to provide money for the project. total cost of the project is already fifty million dollars. Currently, there are forty-two radio telescopes working at the Creek observatory. The signals they receive are combined to create what is equal to a single, very large telescope. TWO: Objects in space release radio waves that can be collected and studied. Astronomers can make pictures of objects radio wave information. These pictures can show structures not observed in other wavelengths of light. The telescope will be to observe objects like exploding stars, black holes and other objects that are predicted but have not yet been . Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute says this is the first telescope whose main purpose is to search for from intelligent life in space. What makes the Allen Telescope Array unusual is that it can collect and study from a wide area of the sky. In addition, the forty-two telescopes can study information about several projects at same time. That means studies of large areas of the sky can be made faster than ever before. VOICE : The Allen Telescope Array uses parts that are not specially made. But they are easily available, including telecommunications technology. helps keep the cost down. Each telescope is about six meters across. Some officials estimate the Allen Telescope Array be completed in three more years. Three hundred fifty individual radio telescopes are planned. The SETI institute is based Mountain View, California. The organization supports the search for other life forms in the universe. The new abilities of Allen Telescope Array will make searching for stars similar to the sun much faster. An earlier search by SETI, Phoenix, studied about eight hundred stars to a distance of two hundred forty light years. The project ended in thousand four. With the Allen Telescope Array, astronomers hope to gather thousands of times more information in the search life beyond our planet. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Recent studies have shown that performing intensive meditation for long periods can to improve attention. They also showed meditation reduces emotional or mental pressure and makes it easier to deal with activities. Meditation is a kind of guided thought. People who meditate often spend months or years in training. But American study found that people can get the same helpful effects in five days if they use a process integrative mind-body meditation. The process combines rest, controlled breathing, mental imagery and mindfulness training. In earlier studies, such activities been shown to improve attention, emotion, and social behaviors. VOICE ONE: Researchers at the University of Oregon developed integrative training. The researchers taught it to forty university students in China. They compared the results of the training to results of deep rest in another group of students. The study found that the students in the trained group better than the others on measures like attention and emotion. The researchers also measured levels of the natural hormone . Cortisol has been called the worry hormone. The body produces it when we are afraid. The study found cortisol were much lower in the mind-body trained group than in the other group. VOICE TWO: Michael Posner is an on attention at the University of Oregon. He helped to write a report on the study. Professor Posner says was surprised by the findings. He says he thought they might have resulted from where the study was carried . He says many people in China are already believers in intensive meditation. But he says Chinese university students have about traditional Chinese medicine. The report on the gains of short-term mind-body training is published in Proceedings of the Academy of Science. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: You are listening to the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS. With Lapidus, I'm Bob Doughty in Washington. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: Health officials in Sudan have launched a campaign to vaccinate million children after a case of polio was reported there. United Nations and Sudanese agencies are carrying out the . Sudan had been polio-free since two thousand five. The new case of wild poliovirus was confirmed in South Darfur months ago. Health officials also announced in September that Nigeria has had almost seventy new cases of polio since thousand five. Those cases, however, were caused by the polio vaccine itself. VOICE TWO: There are two kinds of vaccine. The one given by injection contains killed virus, which cannot cause polio. The one given by mouth contains but weakened virus. In very rare cases, the virus can change and cause polio. The way to stop the now is more vaccinations. But officials worry that people in northern Nigeria may, once again, fear the vaccine. In years, local leaders spread stories that Western nations had poisoned the vaccine with the virus that causes AIDS. (MUSIC) ONE: Recently, major science publications around the world produced what was called a "Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Development." The Council of Science Editors organized the project. The Council said it involved two hundred thirty-five scientific journals thirty-seven countries. The group said the goal was to increase interest and research in the subject and to spread results as widely as possible. It said the journals published more than seven hundred fifty stories involving eighty-seven countries. web site of the Council of Science Editors released a partial list of the stories. The group has urged journals that published the articles to make them available free to the public. VOICE TWO: This is the third scientific journals have joined together to report on a single issue. The first time was in nineteen ninety-six-. That when thirty-six journals published articles about worldwide threats from diseases. In nineteen ninety-seven-, ninety-seven journals joined together to report the issue of aging. The editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, organized the two earlier . JAMA published several articles for the newest one. The research examined how knowledge about effective health interventions can be to use locally to help poor people. VOICE ONE: Other widely read journals that published articles included Science, Nature The Lancet. The project also included journals on medicine and biology from the Public Library of Science. That organization its journals free of charge on the Internet. America's National Institutes of Health held an event to launch the Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development. Experts from the NIH... and the Council of Science Editors chose seven for recognition. The subjects included childbirth safety, AIDS, malaria treatment and the effects of influenza on children. Seven years , the United Nations recognized the link between health and development in the Millennium Development Goals. But many experts believe targets for health improvements will not be reached at current rates of progress. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: This SCIENCE IN NEWS was written by Soo Jee Han, Mario Ritter and Caty Weaver. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Faith . VOICE ONE: And I'm Bob Doughty. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglishcom.. Join us again at this next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

SCORE:

Voa Science Report - When Flu Season Hits: Everything You Need to Know About Influenza

Fill in the blank with one suitable word

English

Kong

Lapidus

Medical

North

Read

The

VOICE

Viruses

about

after

amount

and

animals

appeared

around

began

between

bird

carried

caused

changing

could

dangerous

developing

eighteen

five

flu

found

from

health

identify

increased

last

lung

many

never

nineteen-nineteen

people

program

reported

researchers

say

stay

study

substances

that

the

total

virus

who

with

world

ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. VOICE TWO: And I'm Faith . This week, our subject is influenza, commonly called the flu. Winter officially arrived in northern areas of the world month. Medical experts have another name for the start of winter ---- the flu season. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: Influenza a common infection of the nose and throat, and sometimes the lungs. The cause is a virus that passes one person to another. The virus spreads through the air when an infected person expels air suddenly. Influenza develops the virus enters a person's nose or mouth. The flu causes muscle pain, sudden high body temperature, breathing problems weakness. Generally, most people feel better after a week or two. But the flu can kill. It is especially to the very young, the very old and those with weakened defenses against disease. The World Health Organization says influenza virus infects up to five million people around the world each year. Between two hundred fifty thousand and hundred thousand people die every year from influenza. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Medical experts have recognized for some time that become infected with influenza during the winter months. But they did not really know why until recently. American researchers they now know why the influenza virus spreads in the winter and not in the summer. They say it because the virus remains in the air longer when the air is cold and dry. Researchers in New York out twenty experiments with guinea pigs to investigate how the virus spreads. First, they confirmed that the guinea pigs develop the flu and pass it on to others. The researchers then placed the animals in areas where the was present in the air. Then they changed the temperature and humidity levels of their environments. Humidity is the of wetness in the air. VOICE ONE: The researchers found the virus spread the most when the temperature was five degrees Celsius and the humidity was twenty percent. Few of the guinea pigs developed influenza as the temperature . The virus stopped spreading completely at thirty degrees Celsius and eighty percent humidity. The researchers also found that the spread the virus among themselves nearly two days longer when the temperature was low. Results of the study were in PLoS Pathogens, a publication of the Public Library of Science. VOICE TWO: One of the researchers said the shows that influenza virus is more likely to infect people during an outdoor walk on a cold day than a warm room. He said cold air helps the virus survive in the air and low humidity helps it there longer. That is because particles of the virus ride on the extremely small drops of water floating in air. When the air is very humid, water droplets fall to the ground more quickly. The researchers say, however, people should not stay in warm places all the time in cold weather to avoid the flu. They say best way to prevent the sickness is to get yearly injections of a vaccine that prevents influenza. VOICE ONE: experts have identified three major kinds of influenza. They call them type A, B and C. Type C is least serious. People may not even know they have it. But researchers study the other two kinds very closely. change to survive. This can make it difficult for the body to recognize and fight an infection. A person has suffered one kind of flu cannot develop that same kind again. The body's defense system produces antibodies. These stay in the blood and destroy the virus if it appears again. But the body may not recognize a virus that has even a small change. Each year, researchers develop vaccines to prevent the spread of the flu . The World Health Organization holds meetings in which experts discuss what kinds of flu viruses to include in the vaccine. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: Historical records have described sicknesses believed to be influenza for more than two thousand years. Roman historian Livy described such a disease attacking the Roman army. People in fifteenth century Italy thought sicknesses were by the influence of the stars. So they called it, ".influenza." In seventeen eighty-one-, influenza moved from Europe to America to the West Indies and Latin America. The flu spread in Asia in eighteen twenty-nine-, then again in thirty-six-. It also traveled to Southeast Asia, Russia and the United States. VOICE ONE: In eighteen eighty-nine-, the flu in Central Asia, spread north into Russia, east to China and west to Europe. Later, it affected people in America and Africa. Experts say two hundred fifty thousand people died in Europe in that flu pandemic. Around the , the number was at least one million. The deadliest spread of influenza ever reported involved a flu that first in Spain. The Spanish flu killed between twenty million and fifty million people around the world in nineteen-eighteen and -. Even young, healthy people became sick and died in just a few days. VOICE TWO: Periods when diseases spread the world are called pandemics. The World Health Organization says the next flu pandemic is likely to kill as as six hundred fifty thousand people in industrial countries. But it says the greatest effect will likely be in countries. The WHO... notes that health resources in those countries are limited, and people there are weakened by poor and diet. Researchers say the new kind of flu will appear unexpectedly. They will not have enough time to it and produce a vaccine. That is why they are developing faster ways to produce vaccines. Eighty years ago, flu virus took months to spread around the world. Today, airplane travel means a virus can spread to far the world in just days. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: Last year, the World Health Organization said the world is closer a pandemic of the influenza virus than at any time since nineteen sixty-eight-. The flu virus would spread quickly large numbers of people in many countries. The pandemic threat is the h-five n-one influenza virus, also known as bird flu. Wild and farm birds often have a flu virus. Yet they usually are able to carry the without getting sick. In nineteen ninety-seven-, six people in Hong Kong died of the h-five n-one virus. The Hong government quickly ordered the killing of all farm birds there. That stopped the spread of h-five n-one to people Hong Kong. Yet the virus had already spread to other parts of Asia. It was found in sixteen countries two thousand three and two thousand six. VOICE TWO: The WHO says the bird flu virus had infected a of three hundred thirty-eight people by December twelfth. Two hundred eight of them died. Yet fewer people were infected bird flu or died of it last year than in two thousand six. These numbers show that the deadly flu virus is not spreading among people very easily. But that could change. Researchers are worried about the virus so that it could spread from person to person. People would become infected with a virus their bodies have before experienced. They would have no protection. VOICE ONE: Researchers are attempting to develop a vaccine to protect against flu. Still, they know that any vaccine would not be ready until a pandemic had already begun. Some British say people should be told to wear physical barriers against infectious diseases, like masks on the face or gloves protect the hands. The researchers examined fifty-one published studies on the effect of simple ways to prevent throat and infections. They found that hand-washing-, wearing masks and using gloves each stopped the spread of viruses. The researchers also that such physical barriers were even more effective when used together. They said these simple, low-cost measures could prove be an easy way to prevent the spread of deadly viruses. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Nancy Steinbach. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Faith Lapidus. VOICE ONE: And I'm Bob Doughty. and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglishcom.. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special on the Voice of America.

SCORE:

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )