2007年VOA标准英语-Some Nigerians Unfazed by Bird Flu-Related Deat

By Sarah Simpson
Lagos
01 February 2007

The Nigerian government's announcement earlier this week that tests confirmed the country's first human death from the bird flu virus appears to have left Lagos residents unfazed. Sarah Simpson reports for VOA it was business as usual at Lagos' poultry¹ market Thursday.

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Biola Saheed (r) barters before buying a chicken in Lagos, 1 Feb 2007

In Breweries³ Market in Lagos, Biola Saheed haggles⁴ over the price of the flapping chicken the young market boy holds by its feet. Around them other customers, despite recent reports of a human case of bird flu, are waiting to purchase other chickens.

The Nigerian government said Wednesday tests confirmed that a young woman from Lagos died from the H5N1 virus after plucking an infected chicken for cooking. She is believed to be the first victim of the bird flu virus in Nigeria.

The World Health Organization has said samples from the dead woman have been sent to a London laboratory for testing.

At the Lagos market, Saheed has heard about the young woman's death. Though she admits she would not be able to recognize a bird infected with avian flu, she says she is not worried as she has a special way of preparing chicken.

"The way I can cook mine is different from others, you understand? Like me if I get home now I kill the chicken, I have to use lime to clean everything to, you know, clean the body before I can cook it. That will make it nice," she said. 

Another customer, Sodangi Dogari, who is 35 years old and a trained vet⁵, says the government should educate people better about bird flu, so like him, they can recognize a sick bird so they do not buy them.

He said, "I buy chicken, I eat chicken and I take my time to buy chicken and know the type of chicken I am buying."

One vendor⁶ at the market explains a sick bird is easy to spot. He says ill birds look lethargic⁷; normally red cockscombs turn a bluish black when sick and when the birds are held upside down fluid runs from their beaks⁸.

According to the World Health Organization, eating well cooked chicken meat does not carry a risk of bird flu infection for humans. However, handling live or dead chickens infected with bird flu or living in close quarters with infected birds, is risky⁹, the WHO warns.

Young boys in ragged¹⁰ clothes and flip-flops earn money slaughtering¹¹, plucking and chopping birds at the back of the market. They have no access to clean water or soap to wash the blood that covers their hands and shirt-fronts.

At least 164 people have died of bird flu worldwide according to the World Health Organization. The health expert's greatest fear is that the virus will mutate and be able to jump from one infected human to another, causing a global pandemic.

Dr. Marcus Eruaga is a general practitioner¹² in the Lagos neighborhood where the woman who died of bird flu had lived. He says that people in the area have so many other pressing daily problems that they are unlikely to have paid much attention to the bird flu virus.

"They might not have heard about bird flu because I believe there are other major primary issues confronting them, especially the down-trodden ones," he said. "The struggle for daily survival, for their food for their meals, for health care, water etc. etc."

Nigeria reported its first case of bird flu in February last year. The virus has spread to 17 of Nigeria's 36 states despite culling¹³ and quarantine measures.

1 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

2 barters   

n.物物交换，易货( barter的名词复数 )v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

3 breweries   

酿造厂，啤酒厂( brewery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In some cases, this is desirable, but most breweries prefer lighter-type beers. 在一些情况下，这是很理想的，但是大多数啤酒厂更倾向于生产酒度较低的啤酒。
• Currently, there are 58 breweries producing Snow Beeracross the country. 目前，全国共有58个雪花啤酒厂。

4 haggles   

n.讨价还价( haggle的名词复数 )v.讨价还价( haggle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• An army of buyers haggles furiously with an army of salesmen. 一大群买主在和卖主拼命地讨价还价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He haggles over every ounce for everything. 他什么事都要斤斤计较。 来自互联网

5 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

6 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

7 lethargic   

adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的

参考例句：

• He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采，完全没有心思穿衣整装。
• The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。

8 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

9 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

10 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

11 slaughtering   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

12 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

13 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分