VOA慢速英语 2008 1028a

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Cows, sheep, goats and other animals can get mastitis, an inflammation in the udder, the organ where milk is produced.

Milk from an untreated cow is still relatively¹ safe to drink. But the milk is full of white blood cells that thicken and make the milk go bad more quickly. Goat milk, though, might still look normal.

The more cells in milk, the lower the price that farmers can get for it. In the United States, if milk contains too many cells, it cannot legally be sold.

One sign of mastitis is cracked skin on the teats. Also, the udder becomes hot, painful and enlarged, and the animal may not eat.

Mastitis can spread as a bacterial² infection. So infected animals should be milked separately from uninfected ones. Flies can also spread the bacteria.

About ten percent of cases are so severe that the cow dies or never returns to good production. But antibiotics⁴ can treat most cases.

American farmers have to throw away milk produced during treatment because of rules against antibiotic³ residues⁵ in milk.

Ynte Schukken at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, says the best way to prevent mastitis is to keep the animals clean. The same is true for milking machines, milking areas and pasture lands -- the cleaner the better, he says.

Milkers should always wash their hands. And, in the United States, teats must be disinfected with iodine⁶ or other chemical disinfectant before milking. And then they are cleaned before a milking device is used.

Teat injuries can also cause mastitis, so be careful during milking.

Ynte Schukken says mastitis is commonly the number one problem of dairy farmers worldwide. But lately other concerns about the safety of milk products have increased. This follows the discovery of a poisonous industrial chemical in large amounts of Chinese milk. Health officials in China say the problem has been corrected. But the situation is a reminder⁷ of the importance of milk safety measures.

Researchers at Cornell are working with American dairy farmers on new systems. Doctor Schukken sees a lot of promise in bulk-tank monitoring systems. Milk is kept cold in large tanks where it is continuously mixed. This way, any testing sample is considered a good representation of all the milk. Less than one hundred milliliters is all the milk needed for laboratory tests for bacteria, viral diseases and other threats.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson with additional reporting by Veronique LaCapra. I'm Bob Doughty⁸.

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

3 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

4 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

5 residues   

n.剩余，余渣( residue的名词复数 )；剩余财产；剩数

参考例句：

• pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables 残留在水果和蔬菜中的杀虫剂
• All organic and metallic residues on the wafers must be removed. 片子上所有的有机和金属残留物均必须清除。 来自辞典例句

6 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

8 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。