VOA听力9篇文章

1、1. Foods and HealthThis is the VOA Special English Health ReportExperts say the food people eat greatly affects their health. They say that some foods are especially good for preventing diseaseMany foods contain substances that protect against tissue damage One of these is tomatoes The substance lyc

2、opene is released when tomatoes are cooked Lycopene helps reduce the risk of developing cancer in the digestive system, which processes foodThe dark green vegetable spinach contains folic acid that prevents problems in developing fetuses It also lowers blood levels of homocysteine High homocysteine

3、levels have been linked to heart attacks and strokes Another vegetable, broccoli, can help protect against cancers of the breast, colon and stomachOats help lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease They also may impiove the levels of sugar in the blood This reduces the chanee of develo

4、ping the disease, diabetesFish that contain omega three fatty acids help prevent blockages in the arteries Omega three also lowers bad cholesterol and may protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimers Fish that provide a lot of omega three acids are salmon. herring, mackerel and bluefishGarlic m

5、ay help protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and making the blood less sticky. Health experts also suggest cooking with olive oil because it also has been shown to help prevent cancer and heart diseaseStudies show that drinking green tea may help prevent cancer of the liver and stomach Green te

6、a also slows the growth of bacteria in the mouth Blueberries have been shown to help protect against heart disease and cancer They can also help prevent some infections by preventing the bacteria from attacking the bladderExperts say the skins of red grapes contain substances that increase the good

7、kind of cholesterol in the blood To get this protection, you can drink red wine but not more than a few glasses a week Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous!Eating too much chocolate can increase weight But recent studies have shown that substances in chocolate can help prevent heart attacks an

8、d cancer They have also shown that chocolate is not as bad for the teeth as had been thought The experts say the best chocolate to eat is the dark kind because it contains the most healthful substancesThis VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach2. Study of Cousins Who MarryT

9、his is the VOA Special English Health ReportSometimes people who are first cousins get married Two people are first cousins if their mothers are sisters, or their fathers are brothers, or ones mother and the otherr s father are brother and sister American researchers now say it is not as dangerous a

10、s had been thought for first cousins to have children.Graphic ImageA new study says that first cousins are only a little more 1ikely than others to have a child with a serious physical or mental problem, or a genetic disease It says the chanee that a child of unrelated parents wi11 be born with a se

11、rious problem is between three and four percentThe risk for first cousins is increased by between two and three percent, to as much as seven percent One researcher says this means about ninety-three percent of the children of first cousins are normaLThe small increase in risk exists because people i

12、n the same fami ly may carry the same genes that cause disease Scientists say at least five-thousand diseases are caused by these genes. If both parents have a harmful gene, it is more likely that the gene will be passed on to their chi Id. People who are not related share fewer genes, so their chan

13、ce of passing such a sickness on to their children is lower.A committee from the National Society of Genetic Counselors reported the results of their investigation in The Journal of Genetic CounselingThe group examined six major studies done between Nineteen-Sixty-Five and Two-Thousand involving tho

14、usands of births The group began the investigation after learning that some genetic counselors gave wrong information to people who wanted to know if first cousins could safely have children.The group said in its 1eport that no genetic tests are needed before first cousins have a chi Id Their report

15、 also noted that Americans fear such marriages more than people in other parts of the world.Marriages between first cousins are illegal in at least twenty-four ?merican states However, no countries in Europe have such laws And marriages between cousins are desirable in many parts of the Middle East,

16、 Africa and Asia The researchers say their study shows that such laws in the United States should be changedThis VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach3. WalkingThis is the VOA Special English Health ReportResearchers agree that in tense physical exercise is not the only wa

17、y to gain better health Studies show that walking several times a week can lower the risk of many diseases They include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, bone loss, arthritis and depression. Walking also can help you lose weightGraphic ImageFast walking is good for the heart It lowers the blood press

18、ure It raises the amount of good cholesterol in the blood. Researchers say walking can reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack by as much as fifty percentStudies have shown that walking for thirty minutes a day can delay and possibly prevent the development of Type Two Diabetes It can prevent di

19、abetes among people who are overweight and at risk for the diseaseWalking strengthens the muscles snd builds up the bones to which they are attached. Studies show that women who walked and took calcium decreased their risk of developing osteoporosis or thinning of the bones. Walking also helps ease

20、the pain of arthritis in areas where bones are joined by strengthening the muscles around the bonesWalking several times a week is a good way to control your weight and even lose body fat Studies show it also helps ease depression, feelings of extreme sadness Experts say walking is one of the safest

21、 ways to exercise There is a low risk of injuries So it is good for people who are starting an exercise program for the first time and for older peopleA walking program is easy to start You should wear loose clothes and good shoes Shoes designed for walking are bestYou should stretch the muscles in

22、your arms, legs, and back before and after you walk. Stretching is an important part of any exercise program It helps prevent injury and muscle pain.How fast should you walk? You should be breathing hard while you are walking Yet, you should be able to talk Let your arms move back and forward at you

23、r sides while you walkThere are no rules to starting a walking program You may walk short distances Or you may walk up hills to stiengthen your leg muscles Health experts say you can gain the most from a walking program if you walk about five kilometers an hour for thirty minutes a day You should do

24、 this about five times a week This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Lawan Davis4 Tobacco and CancerThis is the V0/ Special English Health Report.Graphic ImageA recent report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer says the dangers of tobacco smoke are greater than had been

25、 thoughtThe Internatiorurl Agency for Research on Cancer is part of the Wor 1 d Health Organization. It is based in Lyon, France The agency researches the causes of cancer It identifies the number of people who develop cancer around the world And it develops programs aimed at finding ways to prevent

26、 the disease The new report is part of a series written by independent international experts on the dangers of different chemicalsA committee of twenty-nine experts from twelve countries developed the report These scientists examined more than fifty medical studies concerning tobacco smoking The gro

27、up says that tobacco use is the largest cause of preventable cancers around the world. Experts say that more than one-thousand-mil lion people around the world smoke tobacco.The report says that one-half of all people who smoke cigarettes will die from diseases caused by smoking tobacco These includ

28、e cancers of the lung, stomach, liver, kidney and blood. The report also says tobacco use causes an even greater number of deaths from lung diseases, heart disease and strokeThe report says other kinds of tobacco use also increase the chances of developing cancers of the lung, head and neck These in

29、clude smoking cigars, pipes and bidis tobacco rolled in a leaf that is popular in South AsiaThe report also says that people who smoke endanger the health of non-smokers who breathe in tobacco smoke These non-smokers are breathing in a smaller amount of cancer-causing chemicals than active smokers g

30、et But it is still enough to cause deadly lung cancerHowever, the scientists found no increased risk of cancer among children who breathe in this second-hand smoke But they say they do not know the long-term effect of tobacco smoke on children as they grow older The scientists also say their researc

31、h found that smoking tobacco does not cause some kinds of cancer There is clear evidence that smoking has little or no effect on developing breast cancer or prostate cancerThis VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach5. Addiction and GirlsThis is the VOA Special English Healt

32、h ReportA study in the United States finds that girls and young women use tobacco, drugs and alcohol for different reasons than boys It says young males generally use alcohol or drugs for excitement Or they think it will make them more popular Young females, however, may hope to feel happier or redu

33、ce tension or lose weight The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York released the findings The center chairman, Joseph Califano, says prevention programs are often developed more for males He called for piograms designed for girls and young women.There ar

34、e physical, psychological and social effects from smoking, drinking and using drugs The report says some of these may happen more quickly and severely in females For example, it says they are more likely to become dependent on tobacco than males who smoke just as many cigarettes And it says females

35、have a greater risk of brain damage from too much alcoho1.The report notes general reductions in substance use by young Americans But it says girls in many cases have caught up with boys in rates of useHere are some other findings：Girls and young women who drink coffee are much likelier to smoke and

36、 drink alcohol - and to start sooner - than those who do not drink coffee The report calls caffeine a little knownn warning sign.Girls who do unhealthy things to lose weight drink more alcohol than those who do not diet - even though alcohol can cause weight gain Also, even girls who do healthy thin

37、gs to lose weight smoke more than those not on dietsPuberty is a time of higher risk of substance use by girls, especially those whose bodies change early. Other times are when girls rise from elementary to middle school, from middle to high school, and from high school to college And, girls who mov

38、e often from one home or community to another are at greater risk than boysThe report lists a number of warning signs to watch for These include depression and too much concern about appearance The study also reminds parents and other adults that they set examples - good or bad - by their own action

39、sMore than one-thousand-two-hundred girls and young women answered questions as part of the study Most who talk with their parents about substance use said these talks made them less 1ikely to smoke, drink or use drugsThis VOA Special English Health Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.6 Explaining

40、the Pl且cebo EffectIm Katherine Cole with the V0/ Special English Health ReportStudies of new drugs traditionally involve at least two groups of people The people in one of those groups are given only what they think is the drug Really they get a placebo an inactive substance The drug is proven effec

41、tive if it performs better than the placeboSome researchers do not think drug studies should use placebos They say it makes more sense to compare new medicines to drugs already on the market Then people would know if a new drug is any betterPlacebo* is Latin for I shall please * It may contain nothi

42、ng more than sugar Yet some people who are given a placebo experience improvements in their health This is called the placebo effectSome doctors use the placebo effect in their treatments An influential study published in nineteen fifty-five said placebo treatments made patients feel better thirty-f

43、ive percent of the timeBut in two thousand one, Danish researchers reported that they had examined more than one hundred studies They found little evidence of healing as a result of placebosStill, there is continued belief in the placebo effectA Swedish study published last year suggested that a pla

44、cebo can reduce the emotional effects of unpleasant experiences The study involved people who looked at images of dead bodies and other unpleasant pictures The findings appeared in the journal Neuron.The researchers said the effects in the brain were similar to those seen when placebos have bee n us

45、ed as a pain treatment In both cases, they said, expectations of improvement are a major influenceBut more than expectations might explain why placebos appear effective sometimes Researchers led by Scot Simpson at the University of Alberta, in Canada, just had a report published in the British Medic

46、al Journa1. They examined twenty-one studies These compared death rates between patients who always took their medicine and those who did notEven patients who took placebos had better results than those who did not follow doctorr s orders The researchers see this finding as support for the idea of a

47、 so-called healthy adherer effect That is, a person who takes a drug treatment as directed may also do other things to 1ive a healthy 1ifeAnd that is the VOA Special English Health Report You can download free transcripts and MP3 files of our weekly reports at .voaspecinlenglish Im Katherine Cole7.

48、Staying Healthy by Washing Your HandsThis is the V0/ Special English Health ReportHand washing is a powerful way to prevent the spread of diseaseThe World Bank, the United Nations and the London School of Hygiene and TropicalWashing hands with soapMedicine did a study to urge hand washing around the

49、 world. They found that one million lives could be saved each year if people washed their hands with soap often They said that programs to increase hand washing with soap could be among the most effective ways to reduce infectious diseaseDoctors say many diseases can be prevented from spreading by h

50、and washing These include pinworms, influenza, the common cold, hepatitis A. meningitis and infectious diarrheaHand washing destroys germs from other people, animals or objects a person has touched When people get bacteria on their hands, they can infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mo

51、uth Then these people can infect other people The experts say the easiest way to catch a cold is to touch your nose or eyes after someone nearby has sneezed or coughed. Another way to become sick is to eat food prepared by someone whose hands were not clean.The experts say that hand washing is espec

52、ially important before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet People should wash their hands after handling animals or animal waste, and after cleaning a baby. The experts say it is also a good idea to wash your hands after handling money and after sneezing or coughing An

53、d it is important to wash your hands often when someone in your home is sickThe experts say the most effective way to wash your hands is to rub them together while using soap and warm water They say you do not have to use special antibacterial soap Be sure to rub all areas of the hands for about ten

54、 to fifteen seconds The rubbing action helps remove germs. Then rinse the hands with water and dry themAlcohol-based hand sanitizers are rubbed into the hands and do not require soap and water Experts say these products must contain at least sixty percent alcohol to be effective in killing most bact

55、eria and virusesExperts also say that people who use public bathrooms and dry their hands with a paper towel should use the towel to turn off the water Then, before throwing it away, use the same paper to open the bathroom doorAnd thatr s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Nancy Stein

56、bach For more news and information about health, go to .voaspecialengish Im SteveEmber.& The ABCs of AllergiesThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.An allergy is an unusually strong reaction to a substance Many things can cause allergies The most common cause is pollen. Trees usually produce

57、 pollen in the spring, grasses in the summer and weeds in the fal 1 as part of their reproductive processSeasonal allergies are themost common kindOther causes include organisms such as dust mites and molds Chemicals, plants and dead skin particles from dogs and cats can also cause allergic reaction

58、s So can insect stings and some foodsThe most common kind of allergic reaction is itchy, watery eyes and a blocked or watery nose Allergies can also cause red. itchy skin. Some reactions can be life-threatening for example, when breathing passages become blockedAvoiding whatever causes an allergy may not always be easy. Antihistamine drugs may offer an effective treatment Another treatment used in some cases is called immunotherapy. A patient is injected with small amounts of the al