环球英语 — 283：The Wonder Drug: Zolpidem

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A woman sits by her son’s hospital bed. She talks to him in a motherly way. The son does not answer. But the mother continues anyway. She does not expect an answer. Her son is in a deep sleep - a coma³. His eyes are open. But he does not move them. He has been this way for many years. Every day, his mother visits and talks to him. But her son just lies there, not moving, not speaking. It is like his brain is asleep. Doctors call his condition Persistent⁴ Vegetative State, or PVS.
Voice 2
Doctors still do not fully⁵ understand the condition of PVS. It is difficult to define⁶. They know that the cause of PVS is damage to the cerebral⁷ cortex. This is the ‘thinking, feeling’ part of the brain. Such damage can happen during a severe accident, or a fall. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders⁸ and Strokes is an organisation⁹ in the United Kingdom. The group researches and supports work on problems in the brain and nervous system. It describes PVS in this way:
Voice 3
‘A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness. A Persistent Vegetative State sometimes follows a coma. People often use the term ‘brain death.’ This is not correct. Individuals in a state of PVS are not able to think. But other brain activities are still there - such as control of breathing and blood flow.’
Voice 1
In recent years, PVS has caused much debate and discussion. Part of the debate surrounds the issue of euthanasia - also called ‘mercy killing¹⁰.’ Euthanasia is the killing of a person in a painless way, especially a very sick person. Supporters of euthanasia talk of ending suffering in cases where there is little or no hope of recovery.
Voice 2
Euthanasia is illegal in most countries. And many people think this ban is morally right. For example, many religious people believe that life is a gift from God. They say humans should not have the right to kill - even for merciful reasons. However other people have fought to change the law on euthanasia in particular cases - such as for people with PVS. They talk about quality of life. They talk about the great pressure on family members, husbands and wives. They ask: ‘would the person want to live in a persistent vegetative state?’ The word vegetative means to live like a vegetable - still and lifeless. However no one can see into the future. So, doctors may be able to say that recovery from PVS is extremely unlikely after a long period of time. But they cannot say it is impossible. This makes the issue even more difficult.
Voice 1
In 2006, a doctor in South Africa made an exciting discovery. His discovery has deepened¹¹ the debate about PVS. And, his discovery was purely¹² by accident! It began with a patient called Louis Viljoen.
Voice 2
Louis Viljoen was twenty-four [24] years old when his whole world changed. He lived in a small town thirty [30] minutes east of Johannesburg. He was riding his bike one day, when a large truck hit him. Louis suffered severe brain injuries. He went into a deep coma. Doctors thought he would die. His mother said later:
Voice 4
‘His eyes were open but there was nothing there. I visited him every day for five years. I spoke¹³ to him. But he did not recognise anything. He could not communicate. There was nothing.’
Voice 1
It was a very difficult time for the mother. And, to make things worse, there were possible signs that Louis was troubled. During the night, nerves in his arm caused it to move. The movement resulted in him tearing the bed covering. Was this a sign that somewhere deep inside, Louis was not at ease? Louis’s doctor was Wally Nel. Doctor Nel decided¹⁴ that a sleeping drug could help. He chose the drug Zolpidem. After he had given Zolpidem to Louis, something unexplainable happened. Louis’s mother said,
Voice 4
‘It was about twenty-five [25] minutes later. I thought I heard him make a little sound. I said, “Louis can you hear me?” He answered, “yes”. So I said, “Can you say hello to me? And he said, “Hello mummy”. I cried.’
Voice 2
Doctors and experts were all shocked. Surely this was not possible? Louis now takes Zolpidem daily. A newspaper reporter described a visit to Louis. The reporter was from London’s Guardian¹⁵ newspaper:
Voice 5
‘I see Louis before his daily medicine. His mouth falls to one side because of brain damage. His right arm is bent¹⁶ to one side.
Louis is given medicine. I watch. After nine minutes the grey colour goes, his face reddens. He starts smiling and laughing.
After ten minutes he begins to ask questions. His speech is impaired¹⁷. But I can understand him.
A few minutes later, his right arm becomes looser. His mouth does not fall to the side as much.
After fifteen minutes, he reaches out and holds his mother. They laugh and joke together.’
Voice 1
After taking Zolpidem, Louis comes out of his coma - for a few hours each day. How is this possible? Experts took medical pictures, scans¹⁸, of Louis’s brain. They did this before and after Louis had Zolpidem. The results amazed them. Before Zolpidem, areas of Louis’s brain appeared black and dead. After Zolpidem, the areas began to light up!
Voice 2
Experts are still investigating how a sleeping drug can ‘awaken’ brain cells. There are no published answers, only ideas and theories. So far, research is looking at the way Zolpidem acts with GABA receptors. GABA is a chemical in the brain. And the ‘receptors’ are particular brain cells that receive chemical messages from GABA. After severe brain damage, the GABA receptors ‘close down’ the brain’s higher powers. This happens to save energy and help cells survive. Experts are investigating how Zolpidem affects GABA receptors in a way that prevents them closing down the brains higher powers.
Voice 1
There are other reports of Zolpidem ‘awakening’ patients. Zolpidem has not worked on everyone. But, for some it has given a new kind of life. This puts a new light on issues of euthanasia. Patients may have a real chance of some recovery! This means that euthanasia may no longer be supporting someone’s right to die. Instead, it may be sacrificing their chance to live.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

4 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

7 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

8 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 deepened   

v.变深，加深( deepen的过去式和过去分词 )；加浓

参考例句：

• Their friendship soon deepened into love. 他们的友谊很快发展成为爱情。
• The gloom deepened as the election results came in. 选举结果陆续传来，失败的情绪越来越重。

12 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

16 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

17 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 scans   

n.浏览( scan的名词复数 )；审视；（雷达）（屏面上的）光点v.扫描( scan的第三人称单数 )；细看；细查；（雷达）对…进行扫描

参考例句：

• This apparatus scans patients' brains for tumours. 这台仪器扫描检查病人的脑瘤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Brain scans have confirmed that the disease is in remission. 脑部扫描已经证实疾病得到了控制。 来自辞典例句