(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.
The sound of a mosquito can mean trouble in many parts of the world. The bite of the mosquito can be deadly. The insects carry serious diseases like malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that almost 630,000 people died from malaria and malaria-related causes in 2012, most of these cases were in African countries south of the Saharan desert.
In the United States, scientists are seeking new ways to fight malaria. A group of California scientists is working to develop a more effective and less costly substances to protect people from mosquito.
The researchers work at the University of California Riverside. They are investigating the sense of smell in mosquitoes. They found the insects use the same receptor for identifying carbon dioxide in human breath as they do for the smell of our skin.
Anandasankar Ray is leading the investigation. He says scientists tested more than a million chemical compounds until they found a substance called Ethyl pyruvate. He says Ethyl pyruvate makes the mosquitoes' receptor inactive.
"When we apply Ethyl pyruvate to a human arm and offer it to hungry mosquitoes in a cage, then very few of the mosquitoes are attracted to the human arm because only a few of them are able to smell it out," said Ray.
Genevieve Tauxe is a member of the UC Riverside research team. She says it was not easy to find the neurons of noble cells that recognise both the smell of human breath and skin. She describes a device the researchers are using to examine mosquitoes.
"With this apparatus, we are able to insert a very small electrode into the part of the mosquito's nose, effectively, where its olfactory neurons are and where the smell is happening," said Tauxe.
The scientists use these instruments to look for the signals that a mosquito's neurons send to its brain when it finds an interesting smell. Computer screen images show when the sense is strong or weak.
Anandasankar Ray says a product based on Ethyl pyruvate may cost less to manufacture than DEET, the most effective chemical treatment now in use. He says DEET is too costly for most people who live in areas affected by malaria.
"Perhaps by finding odors that can attack other target receptors, we will be able to improve upon DEET and finally have the next generation of insect behavior control products," said Ray.
The scientists believe they will soon be able to find a way to manufacture less costly and more effective products for the fight against mosquitoes.
And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Chirstopher Cruise.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.receptor n. [生化] 受体；接受器；感觉器官
They are in key receptor areas of the brain.
它们位于大脑关键的接收区域。
2.neuro n. 神经
The results are reported in the journal Neuro - Oncology.
该研究结果发表在神经肿瘤杂志上。
3.apparatus n. 装置，设备；仪器；器官
The apparatus is spotlessly clean.
仪器上一尘不染。
4.electrode n. [电] 电极；电焊条
Two electrodes that measure changes in the body's surface moisture are attached to the palms of your hands.
测量体表湿度变化的两个电极被连接到你的双掌上。
内容解析
1.Anandasankar Ray says a product based on Ethyl pyruvate may cost less to manufacture than DEET
based on 英 美 以…为基础，基于
The plan of our country is based on a rising economy.
我国的计划建立在不断发展的经济的基础上。
All of the work we do is based on science.
我们所做的一切都是在科学的基础上完成的。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
在全世界很多地方，蚊子的声音都意味着麻烦。被蚊子叮咬可能会致命，这种虫子携带疟疾等严重疾病。世卫组织估计2012年有近63万人死于疟疾和疟疾相关疾病，大多数是在撒哈拉南部非洲国家。
在美国，科学家在寻找对付疟疾的新方法。加州的一批科学家努力开发有效和低成本的物质来保护人们免受蚊子叮咬。
研究者们就职于加州大学河滨分校，他们在研究蚊子的嗅觉，他们发现蚊子使用相同的感受器来识别人呼吸的气味和皮肤的气味。
Anandasankar Ray是这项调查的负责人，他说科学家化验了100多种化合物，然后发现名为丙酮酸乙酯的物质，他说丙酮酸乙酯使得蚊子的感受器不敏感。
“当我们把丙酮酸乙酯涂到人的胳膊上，放在关在笼子里的蚊子前面，很少有蚊子能被吸引过来，只有少数蚊子能闻出来。”
吉纳维夫·托克斯是加州大学河滨分校研究团队成员，她说能同时找到识别人类呼吸和皮肤的神经元并不容易，她描述了研究者用来研究蚊子的一种仪器。
“有了这种仪器，我们就能将很小的电极有效地注入蚊子鼻子内，蚊子的嗅觉神经元在这里，嗅觉是这里起作用的。”
科学家使用这种仪器来寻找蚊子在找到感兴趣的气味时神经元发向大脑的信号，电脑扫描图像显示这里感觉的强弱。
Anandasankar Ray说基于丙酮酸乙酯的一种产品的制造成本可能低于避蚊胺（DEET），后者是目前最有效的化学方法。他说对于很多居住在受疟疾困扰地区的人们来说，DEET的成本太高。
“也许通过寻找能攻击其他目标感受器的气味，我们就能在DEET的基础上进行改进，最终制造出下一代蚊虫控制产品。”
科学家认为他们很快就能找到办法生产对付蚊子的更廉价更有效的办法。
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道，我是克里斯多夫·克鲁斯。
