SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Alzheimer's Disease

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - October 1, 2002: Alzheimer’s Disease¹

By Oliver Chanler

VOICE ONE:

This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty³ with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program

about recent developments in science. Today, we tell about people who have the
brain disorder⁴ called Alzheimer’s disease.

On the right: brain of a person ((THEME)))
with Alzheimer's.

VOICE ONE:

Irene lives near Rochester, New York. She is eighty years old, but she is not always sure about her age.
Sometimes she says she is twenty-seven. At other times she says she is ninety-seven. Often Irene cannot
remember names of people she has known for many years. Also, she struggles to find words to say what she
wants to say. And sometimes she forgets what she was talking about.

She is no longer permitted to drive a car. She almost had a terrible accident one day when she turned at a place
where she should not have turned. Her husband Dick told her she should not drive because it was too dangerous.
This has made some parts of Irene’s life difficult.

Now she must depend on others to drive her to the many community activities that she has always been involved
in. Still, Irene lives a very full life. But there are new restrictions⁵ on her abilities, restrictions that seem to
increase almost daily.

VOICE TWO:

Irene discovered recently that she has Alzheimer’s disease. She is among more than four-million Americans
suffering from the disease. As the population of the United States grows older, many millions more are expected
to have the disease in years to come.

Doctors describe Alzheimer’s disease as a slowly increasing brain disorder. It affects memory and personality -
those qualities that make a person an individual. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Victims of
the disease slowly lose their ability to deal with everyday life. At first they forget simple things, like where they
put something, or a person’s name.

As time passes they forget more and more. They forget the names of their husband, wife, or children. Then they
forget who they are. Finally they remember nothing. It is as if their brain dies before the rest of their body dies.
Victims of Alzheimer’s do die from the disease, but not always right away.

VOICE ONE:

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of a disability or mental sickness called dementia. Dementia is
the loss of thinking ability that is severe enough to interfere⁶ with daily activities. It is not a disease itself. Instead
dementia is a group of signs of certain conditions and diseases⁷.

Some forms of dementia can be cured or corrected. This is especially true if they are caused by drugs, alcohol⁸,
infection, sight or hearing problems, heart or lung problems, or head injury.

Other forms of dementia can be corrected by changing levels of hormones⁹ or vitamins in the body. However, in
victims of Alzheimer’s disease, brain cells die and are not replaced. As the ability to remember and think


decreases, victims can become angry and violent. Often they shout and move about with no purpose or goal.
Media reports often tell about older people found walking in places far from their homes, not knowing where
they are, or where they came from. Generally these people are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

Although Alzheimer’s disease develops differently in each person, there are early signs of the disease that are
common. Often, victims of the disease may not recognize changes in themselves. Others see the changes and
struggle to hide them.

Probably the most common early sign of Alzheimer’s disease is short-term¹⁰ memory loss. Also, victims of the
disease have increasing difficulty learning¹¹ and storing new information. Slowly, thinking processes become more
difficult. For example, they find themselves unable to understand a joke, or cannot cook a meal, or do simple
tasks.

Another sign of Alzheimer’s is difficulty in solving easy problems, such as what to do if food on a stove is
burning. Also, people have trouble trying to follow directions or find the way to nearby places.

Another sign is victims struggling to find the right words to express thoughts or understand what is being
discussed. Finally, people with Alzheimer’s seem to change. Quiet people may become noisier and aggressive.
They may easily become angry and lose their ability to trust others.

VOICE ONE:

Alzheimer’s is considered an old people’s disease. It normally¹² affects people more than sixty-five years old.
However, a few rare cases have been discovered in people younger than forty. The average age of those found to
have the disease is about eighty years old.

Alzheimer’s disease is found in only about two percent of people who are sixty-five.

But the risk increases to about twenty percent by age eighty. By age ninety, half of all people are found to have
signs of the disease. Alzheimer’s affects people of all races equally. However, women are more likely than men
to develop the disease. This is partly because women generally live longer than men.

There is no simple test to tell if someone has Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors who suspect a person has the disease
must test a patient for many other disabilities first. If the tests fail to show that other disabilities are responsible
for the problems, then a doctor suspects that Alzheimer’s disease is responsible. Still, a doctor cannot be
completely sure a patient has the disease. The only way to be sure is to examine a patient’s brain cells after he
or she dies.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

In his book, “The Notebook”, Nicholas Sparks¹³ calls Alzheimer’s disease “a barren¹⁴ disease, as empty and
lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts and souls and memories.
”
British writer Iris¹⁵ Murdoch, who died of
Alzheimer’s disease, said it was a dark and terrible place.

Irene, who also is a writer, refuses to surrender¹⁶ to that opinion. Instead, she is writing a book about her
experience. Also, she has written a short letter giving advice to those suffering from Alzheimer’s. She writes
that she lives with the disease hopefully. She says: “We know that negative emotions can be harmful to health,
and a strong will to live may well strengthen the body’s defense¹⁷ system. So, it seems wise to not spend time
looking into the future, but to get the most from each day as it comes.
”

At the end of her letter, Irene writes about care givers. She says she greatly honors¹⁸ those who take care of
Alzheimer’s patients, because that job is so very hard. And that is one of the most tragic¹⁹ things about
Alzheimer’s disease
–
care for the patient becomes more and more difficult. Often the care giver’s help is


rejected, as Alzheimer’s victims grow more and more distant and more difficult to control. And often, the care
giver is a family member.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Former President Ronald Reagan probably is the most famous person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. In
Nineteen-Ninety-Four, Mister²⁰ Reagan wrote a letter to the American people announcing that his doctor had told
him he has the disease. Mister Reagan wrote about the fears and difficulties presented by Alzheimer’s. He said
that he and his wife, Nancy, hoped that their public announcement would lead to greater understanding of the
condition among individuals and families affected²¹ by it.

Mister Reagan and Irene seem to be different from many victims of Alzheimer’s disease. Instead of becoming
extremely sad, they seem to show different signs. In their letters, they expressed hope, a desire to continue their
lives as they have in the past, and concern for those who must care for them.

VOICE TWO:

Researchers are working to find ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and to cure or prevent the disease. In recent
years, there have been some hopeful developments in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are
finding²² new information about the possible causes of the disease. They have developed some new drugs that have
shown to be effective in slowing the development of the disease. Still, there is nothing yet that can stop the
disease or ease² the pain of those caring for victims of Alzheimer’s.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This Science in the News program was written by Oliver Chanler and produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve
Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice
of America.

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1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

3 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

7 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

8 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。

9 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

10 short-term   

adj.短期的

参考例句：

• The short-term training class has been run three times.短训班办了三期。
• For this they are running short-term courses and evening classes.为此，他们办了短训班和夜校。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

12 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

13 sparks   

电工，无线电通讯员； 火花( spark的名词复数 )； （指品质或感情）一星； 丝毫； 电火花

参考例句：

• The amplifier exploded in a fountain of sparks. 放大器爆炸，喷射出火星。
• A shower of sparks flew up the chimney. 烟囱里飞出无数火星。

14 barren   

adj.贫瘠的，不（生）育的，没有结果的

参考例句：

• The place used to be a stretch of barren land.早先这里是一片不毛之地。
• The barren land could produce little food.那贫瘠的土地几乎不长庄稼。

15 iris   

n.虹膜，彩虹

参考例句：

• The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。
• This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。

16 surrender   

v.投降，自首；屈服；交出，放弃

参考例句：

• He preferred to die rather than surrender to the enemy.他宁死也不愿向敌人投降。
• Liu Hulan would rather die than surrender before the enemy.刘胡兰在敌人面前宁死不屈。

17 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

18 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

20 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

21 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

22 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。