VOA标准英语2011--Fighting Cancer, One Mustache at a Time

 Fighting Cancer, One Mustache at a Time

Prostate cancer is known to be the most frequently-diagnosed¹ cancer in men, with more than 16 million patients fighting the disease globally. There is now a grass-roots movement to raise awareness² about the prostate cancer, that is growing fast worldwide.And just as the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer awareness in October, mustaches symbolize³ this movement in November. VOA’s June Soh has more on the story. Lisa McAdams narrates⁴ her report.

In an ice rink outside Washington, the members of the city’s professional ice hockey team, the Capitals, are practicing. If you look at their faces, you can see that about a dozen of them have something in common -- a mustache. They are among more than one million men around the world who started growing mustaches in November.

“People might laugh, 'you guys look funny.' but I don’t mind doing it. I have been doing it past a few years. It is just fun to do. I think it is just a great cause,” said Mathieu Perreault. He and his team members are participating in "Movember." It is a month-long campaign that enlists⁵ men to grow mustaches -- to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, especially prostate cancer.

Mark Kirwan, a restaurant owner in Arlington, Virginia, says his mustache is a conversation starter with the customers. "The main reason that myself and the staff and patrons⁶ participate in Movember is very personal to me. From being a family of cancer free for all of our lives, three of our family members have developed cancers in the last year," he said.

"Movember" started as a small campaign in Australia in 2004. Since then, it has grown into a global movement and raised more than $170 million for cancer research, education and survivorship programs.

“One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. And one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. So they are very comparable⁷ to women’s stats," said Donny Killian, its U.S. country manager.

Movember’s participants are called “Mo Bros”. Mo is Australian slang⁸ for mustache.

There are also "Mo Sistas", women who support the cause. Janet Ciciarelli got involved because her husband was participating.

"Part of my personal battle is to be seen in public with him with a mustache for the month of November. But we also raise awareness and raise money through our Facebook pages and Twitter," she said.

Supporters engage in creative attention-getting activities, such as competition for donations. Luke Rosa is a teacher at Falls Church High School in Virginia, which has 21 “Mo Bros," including both teachers and students.

“Each week we put an updated picture up onto the board and students vote by putting in their spare change into the box for whichever teacher they feel like has grown the best mustache over that week,” Rosa said.

Rosa says the competition has helped make students aware of the cause.

“It has been a blast⁹ ((been a lot of fun)), the guys who are doing it, being able to laugh at each other // but at the same time, while we are laughing at it, while we are talking about it, we are always constantly raising awareness about men’s health,” Rosa said.

Supporters say while the campaign is for a serious cause, it is also about celebrating life and having fun. And they say the lighthearted approach allows people rally¹⁰ around the campaign around the world.

1 diagnosed   

诊断( diagnose的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some foetal malformations cannot be diagnosed until late in pregnancy. 有些胎儿的畸形部位得等到妊娠后期才能诊断出来。
• He diagnosed the trouble that caused the engine to knock. 他找出了引擎咔咔响的毛病所在。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

4 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

5 enlists   

v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的第三人称单数 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• This method enlists the orchestration by creating its activation subscription. 此方法通过创建业务流程的激活订阅来登记业务流程。 来自互联网
• Party spirit enlists a man's virtue in the cause of his vice. 党派心使人的美德也为罪恶效劳。 来自互联网

6 patrons   

赞助人( patron的名词复数 )； 资助人； 老主顾； 名义赞助人（支持慈善组织等的名人，名字常用于有关的广告宣传中）

参考例句：

• "Of course. Every hotel depends upon the repute of its patrons. “当然啦，每家旅馆都要依靠其主顾的名声。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Patrons are requested to leave their bags in the cloakroom. 顾客请将手提包留在衣帽间。

7 comparable   

adj.相似的，同类的，可比的，比得上的

参考例句：

• A fire is comparable with the sun,both give light and heat.火可以和太阳相比，两者都可以发光发热。
• No horse has a speed comparable to that of his.没有一匹马的速度能比得上他的马。

8 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

9 blast   

v.炸毁，摧毁；n.爆炸，爆破，一阵，汽笛声

参考例句：

• A huge bomb blast rocked central London last night.昨晚一次剧烈的炸弹爆炸震动了伦敦市中心。
• Not until last week was the project in full blast.工程直到上星期才全部开工。

10 rally   

n.集会，公路汽车赛；v.集合，恢复，振作

参考例句：

• The grand mass rally was held on the square.广场上举行了盛大的群众集会。
• The team captain vainly tried to rally his troops.队长试图振作部队的士气，但没有成功。