VOA慢速英语 2007 0904a

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Some milk drinkers like what they call "real milk," also known as raw milk. This is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized.

 
A cow named Iris¹ is milked for raw dairy products under a "cow shares" agreement at a family farm near Seattle in 2005
Homogenization is the mixing process that keeps all the fat from rising to the top. Pasteurization kills bacteria with heat. Ultra-pasteurized milk is quickly heated to an even higher temperature, which keeps it fresh in stores longer.

In the United States, health officials warn that drinking raw milk can be dangerous and even deadly. But the popularity seems to be growing.

Raw milk is often used in specialty² cheeses. Supporters say raw tastes better than pasteurized, though not everyone can taste a difference.

In all of the fifty states but Michigan, people are permitted to buy raw milk for animals. But only farms in twenty-eight states can sell it for humans, under restrictions³ that differ from state to state.

People may also buy raw milk in stores in California, Connecticut, Maine, New Mexico and South Carolina.

Some people who live where the sale of raw milk is banned get it through a system of cow shares. People buy shares of a cow or a herd⁴ of cows. This way, the milk belongs to them as owners.

Other people get raw milk through milk clubs or cooperatives. Some of these clubs operate outside the law.

One man in Maryland has for years enjoyed thinking that he might be doing something illegal by buying raw milk. He had no idea it was legal there.

In nineteen twenty-four the United States Public Health Service proposed rules against the interstate sale of raw milk. Today forty-six states have passed what is known as the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance⁵. The exceptions are Pennsylvania, California, New York and Maryland.

Earlier this year, federal health officials had another warning for the public about raw milk. They warned of the risks from bacteria including salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, campylobacter and brucella.

The warning said there is no meaningful nutritional⁶ difference between pasteurized and raw milk, as supporters say. And it said raw milk does not contain compounds that naturally kill harmful bacteria, as some also say.

Activists⁷ accuse the government of a prejudice against raw milk. They argue that outbreaks of sickness from drinking it are not as widespread as reports have suggested.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 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

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

6 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》