VOA慢速英语--免费假发让肯尼亚癌症患者脸上露出笑

Mary Nafula learned¹ she had cancer a year ago. She survived the cancer treatment, but her hair fell out. The hair loss made the mother of three feel unprotected and weak.

Nafula found help at a beauty salon² in Nairobi. Women go to salons³ for haircuts and beauty treatments. But this business in Kenya's capital offers other products. It gave Nafula a wig⁴ to cover her head. The wig replaces the natural hair she lost during the treatment.

Nafula describes her new feelings of confidence in herself. "We can embrace⁵ all the challenges that accompany us, knowing that we are going to heal," she says.

The World Health Organization says cancer is the third-leading cause of death in Kenya. Cancer deaths are rising - from 37,000 reported cases in 2012 to almost 48,000 currently⁶.

Doctor Gladwell Kiarie is a cancer specialist at The Nairobi Hospital. She says the rise in cancer deaths is probably a result of lifestyle changes and more testing for cancer.

"We are smoking more. We are taking alcohol⁷ more," Kiarie said. "Our traditional diets have changed, and we no longer eat the traditional food that we used to. We have more fatty foods. We have less water and greens in our foods, more processed food."

Kenya's government has launched⁸ information campaigns and opened more testing centers across the country. But most Kenyans do not have enough money for treatment.

Nafula said she was lucky enough to be able to pay for her cancer treatment. She says she is happy to have a wig and to be free from criticism⁹ on the streets and in the public transport vehicles called "matatus."

Nafula described being very sick and trying to ride in a matatu. She was told "You should not enter the matatu because cancer can infect us." Nafula added, "I felt so bad."

Diana Akech is the owner of the beauty salon where Nafula got her wig. Akech started doing beauty makeovers five years ago after a friend got cancer. The friend lost her hair, but Akech gave her a wig.

Akech said she put the story on social media and starting hearing from many people. "Let me say my friend gave me the willpower to keep doing this... She's in heaven right now and I am sure she's very proud of what I'm doing."

The wigs¹⁰ cost around $250 each and are paid for by hospitals and businesses.

Recovering from cancer can be long and painful. A wig can reduce the pain and show patients that they are not alone.

Words in This Story

salon – n. a business specializing¹¹ in hair care, beauty products and services

confidence – n. belief in one's self; a feeling that one will act in the right way

embrace – v. to accept (something or someone) readily¹²

challenge – n. a major test or problem; an invitation to compete in an event

accompany – v. to go somewhere with (someone)

lifestyle – n. the normal way of life of an individual or group

heaven – n. a place in many religious traditions where God lives, and where good people go after they die

proud – adj. a feeling of deep satisfaction in one's own qualities or possessions

1 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

2 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

3 salons   

n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅

参考例句：

• He used to attend to his literary salons. 他过去常常去参加他的文学沙龙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers were the talk of Paris salons. 犹太金融家阴谋论成为巴黎沙龙的话题。 来自互联网

4 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

5 embrace   

vt.拥抱；包括；包围，环绕；n.拥抱，怀抱

参考例句：

• He held her to him in a warm embrace.他热列地拥抱她。
• The hills embrace the village.山丘环绕着村庄。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

8 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

9 criticism   

n.批评，批判，指责；评论，评论文章

参考例句：

• Some youth today do not allow any criticism at all.现在有些年轻人根本指责不得。
• It is wrong to turn a deaf ear to other's criticism.对别人的批评充耳不闻是错误的。

10 wigs   

n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They say that wigs will be coming in again this year. 据说今年又要流行戴假发了。 来自辞典例句
• Frank, we needed more wigs than we thought, and we have to do some advertising. 弗兰克，因为我们需要更多的假发，而且我们还要做点广告。 来自电影对白

11 specializing   

v.专门从事，专攻( specialize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I'm specializing in differential and integral calculus. 我正专攻微分学和积分学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, specializing in pain made no more sense than specializing in fever. 因此，专门研究疼痛与专门研究发烧的意义差不多。 来自时文部分

12 readily   

adv.欣然地，容易地，很快地，立即

参考例句：

• I promise all costs will be readily returned.我保证所有的费用会迅速偿还。
• Most plastics do not readily conduct heat or electricity.大多数塑料不易传热或导电。