英语俚语天天说 第307期:星巴克致癌?

 　　A judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday ruled that coffee companies like Starbucks must carry cancer warning labels in California. That's because the roasting process produces in coffee acrylamide, [??kr?l?ma?d] a chemical that can cause cancer.

　　在加州，周三，一名法官裁定，像星巴克这样的咖啡企业应该店内展示“咖啡可能致癌”的标识。这是因为咖啡豆的烤制过长中会产生丙烯酰胺，一种可能致癌的化学物质。

　　It is clear that high amounts of acrylamide [??kr?l?ma?d], a white odorless [?o?d?rl?s] compound¹, can cause damage to the nervous system and possibly raise the risks of cancer.

　　一个很明显的事实是，高浓度的丙烯酰胺（一种白色没有气味的化合物）会造成神经系统的损伤，或者有可能提高患癌症的风险。

　　Acrylamide also forms in some starchy [?stɑ?r.t?i] foods during high-temperature cooking, such as frying, baking and roasting. And in the roasting of coffee beans.

　　一些含淀粉的食物在高温烹饪的时候也会形成丙烯酰胺，比如油炸，烘焙，或者烧烤。还有就是在咖啡豆的烤制时。

　　The trouble is, we don't know at what levels it is dangerous. An arm of the World Health Organization in 2010 concluded that acrylamide is a human health concern. Yet in 2016, the cancer agency² of WHO removed it from its "possible carcinogen” [kɑ?r?s?n?d??n] list.

　　问题是，我们不知道多大浓度的丙烯酰胺才是有害的。2010年的时候，世界卫生组织的一个部门决定说丙烯酰胺是人类健康的隐患。不过在2016年的时候，世界卫生组织癌症研究把丙烯酰胺从致癌物质的列表中去掉了。

　　While we are at it, why not warning labels for a range of foods that's been linked to cancer? Canned goods, grilled³ meat, refined⁴ sugars, smoked meats.

　　我们在针对星巴克的时候，为什么也不对其他有致癌隐患的食物也标上警示标签呢？比如罐装食品，烤肉，精制糖，熏肉等。

　　What's more, there are more studies that suggest coffee reduces the risk of liver⁵, uterine [?ju?.t?ra?n] and other cancers.

　　而且，有更多研究证明咖啡可以降低患肝癌、子宫癌和其他癌症的风险。

1 compound   

n.化合物；大院；adj.化合的；vt.加重；使化合

参考例句：

• Air is a mixture,not a compound of gases.空气是气体的混合物，不是化合物。
• How many households in the compound?院内有几家住户？

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

4 refined   

adj.精炼的；精制的；经过改良的；举止优雅的v.精炼( refine的过去式和过去分词)；精制；使纯净；使文雅高尚

参考例句：

• Much of the really nutritive material actually was refined out of food. 大部分真正有营养价值的物质实际上已从食物中提炼出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They refined gold out of the ore. 他们从矿石中提炼出黄金。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 liver   

n.肝；肝脏

参考例句：

• He has a weak liver.他的肝脏不好。
• The largest organ in the body is the liver.人体最大的器官是肝脏。