VOA慢速英语2017 专家调查脑损伤和美式足球之间的联系

Experts Examine Links Between Brain Injuries and American Football

The number of young people who play American football decreased from 2008 to 2016 according to the Aspen Institute, a research center.

据研究中心——阿斯彭研究所，从2008年到2016年，踢美式足球的年轻人人数减少。 

There are many reasons for this decrease.

导致这种减少的原因很多。 

But some parents, such as businessman Mark Cuban, will not let their children play the sport because of concerns about brain injuries.

但有些父母，如商人马克·库班，不让他们的孩子玩这项运动，因为他们担心孩子的脑部受伤。 

A recent study seems to support some of these concerns.It gives more evidence that too much American football is seriously damaging the brains of players.

最近的一项研究似乎支持了这些担忧。它提供了更多的证据，表明过多进行美式足球运动正在严重损害球员的大脑。

Scientists at the Brain Bank are studying a kind of brain injury known as Chronic¹ Traumatic Encephalopathy.

大脑银行的科学家正在研究一种称为慢性创伤性脑病的脑损伤。 

The Brain Bank is a center at Boston University in Massachusetts where brains and other tissue² are stored and studied.

大脑银行是马萨诸塞州波士顿大学的研究中心，里面储存和研究着大脑和其他组织。 

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, is caused by collisions³ that push the brain around inside the skull⁴.

慢性创伤性脑病或CTE，是由造成大脑在颅骨内来回震荡的碰撞引起的。 

In a recent study, the scientists at the Brain Bank found high levels of CTE in dead football players.

在最近的一项研究中，大脑银行的科学家在去世的足球运动员身上发现了严重的CTE。 

The scientists studied the brains of 202 former players.These athletes, who had donated their brains for research, played at high school, college or professional levels.

科学家对202名以前的球员的大脑进行了研究。这些捐出大脑用来研究的运动员在高中、大学或专业水平上玩足球。

The scientists found CTE in 177 of the 202 brains.The scientists found especially high rates of CTE in the brains of former National Football League, or NFL, players.Out of the 111 former NFL players studied, 110 showed signs of CTE.

科学家在202个大脑中，发现177个患有CTE。科学家在前国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）球员的大脑中发现了特别高的CTE率。在所研究的111名前国家橄榄球联盟的球员中，110人出现了CTE的迹象。

Many of those found to have CTE suffered from behavioral or mood problems during their lifetimes.Many also suffered from dementia, too.

发现患有CTE的人中很多在生命中遭遇行为或情绪问题。也有许多人患了痴呆症。 

Amy McKee is one of the lead researchers at the Brain Bank.She said CTE can affect even the brains of young people.

艾米·麦基是大脑银行的首席研究人员之一。她说CTE甚至可以影响年轻人的大脑。 

“We can see spaces near the hippocampus, which is a part of the brain that’s important for learning⁵ and for memory,and we can see that there has been shrinkage there as well.To see this in such a young individual is quite startling⁶.”

“我们可以看到海马体附近的空间，海马体是大脑中对于学习和记忆来说重要的一部分，我们可以看到那里也有收缩。在这样一个年轻个体身上看到这一点相当令人吃惊。

McKee says helmets can give some protection from CTE.But, she explains that the risks are still great.

麦基说头盔可以提供一些免遭CTE的保护。但是，她解释说风险还是很大的。 

“They [helmets] will never be the solution for CTE…They may make it less likely, but it is always going to be a risk once you have head contact,” she said.

她说：“它们（头盔）绝不会是解决CTE的方法……他们可能使得患CTE的可能性降低，但是一旦你有头部接触，总是会有风险。”

McKee and her team are now looking for ways to diagnose⁷ CTE before a player dies.They are also looking for drugs that might treat it.

麦基及其团队现在正在寻找在运动员死亡之前诊断CTE的方法。他们也在寻找可以治疗的药物。他们也在寻找可以治疗的药物。

Words in This Story

collision– n. : a crash in which two or more things or people hit each other

donate – v. to give (money, food, clothes, etc.) in order to help a person or organization

dementia – n. medical a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real

startling – adj. : very surprising, shocking⁸, or frightening

helmet – n. a hard hat that is worn to protect your head

diagnose – v. to recognize (a disease⁹, illness, etc.) by examining someone

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 tissue   

n.组织；薄纱，薄纸，手巾纸

参考例句：

• As we age we lose muscle tissue.肌肉组织会随着我们日趋衰老而萎缩。
• Athletes have hardly any fatty tissue.运动员几乎没有什么脂肪组织。

3 collisions   

碰撞( collision的名词复数 )； 冲突； （两人之间或对立意见、看法等之间的）冲突； 抵触

参考例句：

• The consequent collisions with state power weakened its impetus. 结果产生和国家权力机构的矛盾使其影响有所消弱。
• Two-dimensional collisions, both elastic and inelastic, may be demonstrated on this table. 在这个桌上，可以演示二维的弹性和非弹性碰撞。

4 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

5 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。

6 startling   

a.令人吃惊的，惊人的

参考例句：

• He asked us to be quiet and then made a startling announcement. 他叫我们安静下来，然后宣布了一条令人吃惊的消息。
• We should draw a moral from the startling fact. 我们应当从这些触目惊心的事实中吸取教训。

7 diagnose   

vt.诊断，判断

参考例句：

• It provides a new method for early diagnose of breast cancer.为临床早期诊断乳腺癌提供一个新的检查手段。
• What more will you want to know to diagnose this problem?要弄清这个问题，你还需要知道些什么？

8 shocking   

adj.令人气愤的；令人震惊的

参考例句：

• His attitude was shocking to her.他的态度令她感到震惊。
• Such behaviour is really shocking.这种行为真不像话。

9 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。