VOA慢速英语 2008 0219b

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.  I'm Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein.  This week, we will tell about a visit to the planet Mercury.  We will tell about the dangers of products for making skin lighter².  And, we report on how finger lengths could influence your health. 

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VOICE ONE:

 
Image of Mercury taken during Messenger's approach last month
Last month, the American space agency returned to a planet it had not visited since nineteen seventy-five.  A space vehicle called Messenger reached the planet Mercury on January fourteenth.  Messenger passed only two hundred kilometers above the surface of Mercury.  It was the first trip to the planet closest to the sun since the Mariner³ Ten spacecraft visited Mercury more than thirty years ago.

Mercury is named for the Roman god who served as a messenger to the gods.  The name fits Mercury well because it orbits the sun faster than any planet, in only about eighty-eight days.  Yet Mercury is also one of the least explored planets.

VOICE TWO:

Mercury is a world of extremes.  During the day, temperatures on the surface can reach four hundred fifty degrees Celsius⁴.  The sun on Mercury is eleven times brighter than it is on Earth.  At night, temperatures can drop to one hundred eighty degrees below zero.

To survive these extremes, the Messenger spacecraft has been designed with a heat shield to protect its instruments from high temperatures.  The spacecraft also has heaters for use when temperatures drop.  Messenger is designed to keep its science instruments and its computer brain at nearly room temperature.     

VOICE ONE:

Messenger is taking a complex trip through the solar system.  The spacecraft was launched in March two thousand four.  It passed the Earth once and Venus two times, most recently in June of last year.  Its recent visit to Mercury is one of three visits it will make to the planet this year and next.  Then Messenger will enter orbit around Mercury in March of two thousand eleven.  Its scientific work is expected to last more than seven years.

VOICE TWO:

The space agency says it hopes to answer several questions about Mercury with Messenger.  One question deals with the central part of the planet.  Mercury's center is rich in iron.  This metal center represents sixty percent of the planet's mass.  That is two times as great as on Earth.  Messenger is expected to provide information that will help scientists find why the planet is so dense⁵.

Messenger will also help scientists learn more about Mercury's geologic⁶ history.  Currently, scientists have only seen about forty-five percent of the planet.  That is how much of the planet was seen by Mariner Ten.  Making a map of the whole planet will increase knowledge of what forces shaped this rocky world.

VOICE ONE:

The biggest mystery surrounding Mercury is found at its north and south poles.  Radar⁷ images have shown bright areas in holes at the poles.  Scientists think that the bright areas might be ice forever hidden from the heat of the sun.

Messenger stands for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging.  The spacecraft has seven instruments to measure the chemical qualities of Mercury and its magnetic field.  Scientists are especially interested to learn more about the magnetic field.  Among the solid planets, only Earth and Mercury have strong magnetic fields.  Venus and Mars do not.

Messenger will return to Mercury in October.  Scientists will have until then to examine information provided by the first pass of the planet.  Then Messenger will gather more information about this little known world.

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VOICE TWO:

Skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas.  In such places, light skin often is more socially accepted than dark skin.  It also is considered a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. 

More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if it means they may face greater health risks.  They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives.  Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family.  Or they want to look like what their society considers beautiful. 

VOICE ONE:

Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter.  This process is also called bleaching⁸.  However, some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous.  One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone.  Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries.  The chemical has been linked to some kinds of cancer and kidney damage.  It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy⁹.

VOICE TWO:

At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter.  But after long-term use they can cause problems.  They could even make some skin darker. 

The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives skin color.  The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight.  Then the skin can become thick and discolored.  Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem but this makes it worse.

VOICE ONE:

Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.  Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal.  She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger.  And, she says, some cases have resulted in infections, permanent skin damage and blackened fingernails. 

Some people suffer emotional problems because of the changes.  They feel regret and sadness.  They say instead of taking such health risks they should have learned to love and accept their skin color.

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VOICE TWO:

A British study has shown a possible link between the length of a person's fingers and the joint¹⁰ disorder¹¹ osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis¹².  It affects more than twenty million people in the United States.  The disorder is caused by a break down of cartilage, the rubbery tissue that protects bones and joints¹³.  Before age forty-five years, osteoarthritis is more common among men than women.  After age fifty-five, it is more common among women. 

Recently, researchers at the University of Nottingham studied finger lengths for clues about genetic¹⁴ qualities or physical conditions.  The researchers compared the difference in lengths of the second and fourth fingers.  The fourth finger is also known as the ring finger.  The second finger is often called the index finger. 

VOICE ONE:

The study included more than two thousand men and women.  Each person had osteoarthritis of the hip¹⁵ or knees.  Doctors had urged all the patients to consider a possible joint replacement¹⁶.  The patients were then compared to more than one thousand people with no history or signs of osteoarthritis.

The study found that people whose index finger was shorter than their ring finger are two times as likely to suffer from osteoarthritis.  The strongest evidence was among women who had osteoarthritis of the knee and whose ring fingers were longer than their index fingers.

The findings were reported in the publication Arthritis and Rheumatism¹⁷. 

VOICE TWO:

Research on finger lengths is not new.  Earlier studies have suggested their relation to several qualities, including musical and athletic¹⁸ ability.  But the difference between the index finger and ring finger length is most widely known for differences between men and women.  Men usually have shorter index fingers than ring fingers.  In women, the two fingers are often the same length. 

Scientists have found this index-ring finger ratio is also linked to hormone¹⁹ levels in unborn babies.  It is believed that the longer the ring finger is to the index finger, the higher the level of the hormone testosterone in unborn babies.

VOICE ONE:

The leader of the new study, Michael Doherty, says osteoarthritis is more common among men.  He and his research group believe that increased physical activity and sports could be a partly to blame for the problem.  The theory fits with the findings that the finger length ratio believed to be more common in men and athletes would be related to higher risk for osteoarthritis.

The findings do not confirm that people with these finger length differences will suffer from osteoarthritis.  But it does provide clues about the human body.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake, Lawan Davis and Mario Ritter.  Brianna Blake was our producer.  I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

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

1 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。

2 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

3 mariner   

n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者

参考例句：

• A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
• A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星，还要注意暗礁和险滩。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

6 geologic   

adj.地质的

参考例句：

• The Red Sea is a geologic continuation of the valley.红海就是一个峡谷在地质上的继续发展。
• Delineation of channels is the first step of geologic evaluation.勾划河道的轮廓是地质解译的第一步。

7 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

8 bleaching   

漂白法，漂白

参考例句：

• Moderately weathered rock showed more intense bleaching and fissuring in the feldspars. 中等风化岩石则是指长石有更为强烈的变白现象和裂纹现象。
• Bleaching effects are very strong and show on air photos. 退色效应非常强烈，并且反映在航空象片上。

9 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 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。

12 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

13 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

14 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

15 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

16 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

17 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

18 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

19 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• 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。