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NinaFedoroff_2016X-_对付兹卡病毒和其他蚊虫衍生疾病的新秘密武器_

Zika fever: our newest dread disease . 兹卡病毒: 我们最新的可怕疾病。
dread:n.恐惧;可怕的人(或物);vi.惧怕;担心;vt.惧怕;担心;adj.可怕的; disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病;
What is it? Where'd it come from? 它是什么?从何而来?
What do we do about it? 我们该怎么应对?
Well for most adults, it's a relatively mild disease — a little fever, a little headache, joint pain, maybe a rash . 对多数成年人来说, 它只算是个轻微的小病── 只会微微发烧、头痛、 关节痛、可能会起红疹。
relatively:adv.相当程度上;相当地;相对地; mild:adj.温和的; n.(英国的一种)淡味麦芽啤酒; joint:n.关节; adj.共同的; v.连接,贴合; rash:adj.轻率的;鲁莽的;不顾后果的;n.[皮肤]皮疹;突然大量出现的事物;
In fact, most people who get it don't even know they've had it. 实际上,很多得过的人 根本就不知道自己得过这个病。
But the more we find out about the Zika virus the more terrifying it becomes. 但当我们越了解兹卡病毒, 它就变得越恐怖。
terrifying:adj.令人恐惧的;骇人的;极大的;v.使害怕,使恐怖;(terrify的现在分词)
For example, doctors have noticed an uptick of something called Guillain-Barré syndrome in recent outbreaks . 例如,最近医生发现 在近几次的疫情爆发中, 格林—巴利症候群患者 有急速增加的现象。
uptick:n.报升(股票成交价格比上一个交易的为高); syndrome:n.[临床]综合征;综合症状;并发症状;校验子;并发位; outbreaks:n.(战争的)爆发;(疾病的)发作;vi.爆发;
In Guillain-Barré, your immune system attacks your nerve cells it can partially or even totally paralyze you. 一旦得了格林—巴利症, 你的免疫系统就会攻击神经细胞, 它会使你部分或全身瘫痪。
immune system:n.免疫系统; nerve:n.神经;勇气;神经质;神经紧张;v.鼓足勇气;振作精神; partially:adv.部分地;偏袒地; paralyze:vt.使麻痹;使瘫痪;
Fortunately , that's quite rare, and most people recover. 还好,这样的现象很罕见, 大多数人都能痊愈。
Fortunately:adv.幸运地;
But if you're pregnant when you're infected you're at risk of something terrible. 但如果妳怀孕时染上病毒, 你会遭遇到很恐怖的风险。
pregnant:adj.怀孕的;富有意义的; infected:adj.带菌的; v.传染; (infect的过去分词和过去式)
Indeed, a child with a deformed head. 没错,小孩子的头部会畸形。
deformed:adj.畸形的; v.使...残缺,使...变形(deform的过去式和过去分词形式);
Here's a normal baby. 这是正常的小孩。
Here's that infant with what's called microcephaly . 这是患有小头畸形的小孩,
infant:n.婴儿;幼儿;未成年人;adj.婴儿的;幼稚的;初期的;未成年的; microcephaly:n.头小畸型(复数microcephalies,形容词microcephalic);
a brain in a head that's too small. 头骨对脑来说太小了。
And there's no known cure. 目前还没有治愈方法。
It was actually doctors in northeastern Brazil who first noticed, just a year ago, after a Zika outbreak,that there was a peak in the incidence of microcephaly. 其实这是由一群在巴西东北部的医生, 在去年兹卡病毒爆发后首度发现的。 小头畸形的案例突然攀升。
northeastern:adj.在东北的;东北方的;来自东北的; Brazil:n.巴西(拉丁美洲国家); peak:n.高峰; v.达到高峰; adj.最高度的; incidence:n.发生率;影响;[光]入射;影响范围;
It took medical doctors another year to be sure that it was caused by the Zika virus,but they're now sure. 医生们又用了一年 来确定是不是由兹卡病毒所引起的症状。 但他们现在已经非常肯定了。
to be sure:诚然;的确;哎呀(表惊奇);
And if you're a "bring on the evidence " type, check out this publication . 如果你是「实事求是」那一型的人, 可以来看看这篇公开的文章。
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; publication:n.出版物;发表;公布;发行;
So where did it come from,and how did it get here? 怎么会这样?到底怎么传到这里的?
And it is here. 这里的确有病例。
Like many of our viruses, it came out of Africa, specifically the Zika forest in Uganda . 像其他许多病毒一样, 兹卡病毒是从非洲传出来的, 准确来说是乌干达的兹卡森林。
specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; Uganda:n.乌干达(非洲国家);
Researchers at the nearby 研究员在黄热病
nearby:adj.附近的,邻近的;adv.在附近;prep.在…附近;
Yellow Fever Research Institute identified an unknown virus in a monkey in the Zika forest which is how it got its name. 调查机构的附近发现, 确诊出兹卡森林里面的猴子有这个未知病毒。 这就是兹卡病毒命名的由来。
Yellow Fever:n.黄热病(热带疾病,可导致死亡); Institute:v.开始(调查);制定;创立;提起(诉讼);n.学会,协会;学院; identified:v.确认;认出;找到;发现;说明身份;(identify的过去式和过去分词)
The first human cases of Zika fever surfaced a few years later in Uganda-Tanzania. 人类的第一件兹卡病例, 是那之后几年 在乌干达坦尚尼亚间发现。
The virus then spread through West Africa and east through equatorial Asia — 之后这个病毒传到西非, 往东传到亚洲的赤道国家,
equatorial:adj.赤道的,近赤道的;中纬线的;n.赤道仪;
Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia . 像巴基斯坦、印度、马来西亚、印尼等国。
Indonesia:n.印尼,印度尼西亚(东南亚岛国);
But it was still mostly in monkeys and, of course, mosquitoes . 但这病毒仍大多存在猴子身上, 当然还有蚊子身上。
mosquitoes:n.蚊子(mosquito的复数);
In fact in the 60 years between the time it was first identified in 1947 and 2007 there were only 13 reported cases of human Zika fever. 其实在这 60 年间,也就是 1947 年第一次爆发到 2007 年, 人类染上兹卡病毒的纪录只有 13 例,
And then something extraordinary happened on the tiny Micronesian Yap islands. 之后,在密克罗尼西亚的雅浦岛上 发生了非常不寻常的事。
extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的; Yap:vi.狂吠;哇啦哇啦地瞎说;vt.瞎讲;n.狂吠声;废话;笨蛋;
There was an outbreak that affected fully 75 percent of the population. 有 75% 的人口都受到感染。
How did it get there? By air. 病毒怎么传到那里的?透过飞机。
Today we have two billion commercial airline passengers. 现在全球有 20 亿商業飞行旅客。
commercial:adj.贸易的;商业的;赢利的;以获利为目的的;n.(电台或电视播放的)广告; airline:n.航空公司;
An infected passenger can board a plane, fly halfway around the world before developing symptoms —if they develop symptoms at all. 一个受感染的乘客上了飞机, 就可以飞过大半个地球, 在这之前,不会有任何症状。
passenger:n.旅客;乘客;白吃饭的人;闲散人员; symptoms:n.症状;征候;征兆;(symptom的复数)
Then when they land, the local mosquitoes begin to bite them and spread the fever. 一旦他们抵达目的地, 当地的蚊子就会咬他们并扩散病毒,
Zika fever then next surfaced in 2013 in French Polynesia. 兹卡病毒接着于 2013 年 在法属玻里尼西亚爆发。
By December of that year, it was being transmitted locally by the mosquitoes. 当年12月病毒 就藉由蚊子传到各地,
transmitted:v.传送;输送;发射;播送;传播;传染;(transmit的过去分词和过去式) locally:adv.在本地;局部地;在地方上;
That led to an explosive outbreak in which almost 30,000 people were affected. 造成疫情大规模爆发, 近三万人遭到感染。
explosive:n.炸药;爆炸物;adj.易爆炸的;可能引起爆炸的;易爆发的;可能引起冲动的;
From there it radiated around the Pacific. 之后再扩散到整个太平洋地区。
radiated:adj.辐射的; v.辐射;
There were outbreaks in the Cook 传出疫情的地区有
Islands, in New Caledonia, in Vanuatu, in the Solomon Islands and almost all the way around to the coast of South America and Easter Island. 庫克群岛、新喀里多尼亚、 万那杜、所罗门群岛, 几乎整个南美沿岸和复活岛都爆发了。
South America:n.南美洲;
And then, in early 2015, there was an upsurge of cases of a dengue-like syndrome in the city of Natal in northeastern Brazil. 接着,在 2015 年年初, 在巴西东北部的城市纳塔尔, 出现了大量疑似染上登革热的病患。
upsurge:n.高潮,高涨;vi.涌起,高涨; Natal:adj.出生的;诞生的;分娩的;出生地的;
The virus wasn't dengue , it was Zika,and it spread rapidly — 那不是登革热病毒,是兹卡,而且传播非常迅速。
dengue:n.[内科]登革热;
Recife down the coast, a big metropolitan center, soon became the epicenter . 南岸的大都市勒西菲 也成了下一个疫情中心。
metropolitan:adj.大都市的;大主教辖区的;宗主国的;n.大城市人;大主教;宗主国的公民; epicenter:n.震中;中心;
Well people have speculated that it was 2014 World Cup soccer fans that brought the virus into the country. 有人猜测是 2014 年的足球杯球迷 把病毒带到巴西。
speculated:v.推测;猜测;推断;投机;做投机买卖;(speculate的过去分词和过去式)
But others have speculated that perhaps it was Pacific Islanders participating in championship canoe races that were held in Rio that year that brought it in. 但有其他人推测 有可能是太平洋岛居民 在里约举办的独木舟竞赛, 在当年把病毒带进来的。
Islanders:n.岛上居民,岛民(尤指小岛上的);(islander的复数) participating:v.参加;参与(participate的现在分词) championship:n.锦标赛;冠军称号;冠军的地位; canoe:n.独木舟;轻舟;vi.乘独木舟;vt.用独木舟运;
Well today, this is only a year later. 现在,才事隔一年。
The virus is being locally transmitted by mosquitoes virtually throughout South America, Central America , Mexico and the Caribbean Islands 病毒就在当地被蚊虫传播开来, 几乎整个南美洲、中美洲、墨西哥、 加勒比海群岛都被感染了。
virtually:adv.事实上,几乎;实质上; throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; Central America:n.中美洲(包括危地马拉、伯利兹、洪都拉斯、萨尔瓦多、尼加拉瓜、哥斯达黎加以及巴拿马); Caribbean:adj.加勒比海的;加勒比人的;加勒比语的;n.加勒比海;
Until this year, the many thousands of cases that have been diagnosed in the US were contracted elsewhere . 直到今年,已有数千起病例 在美国被确诊出来, 但却是在别处受到感染的。
diagnosed:v.诊断(疾病);判断(问题的原因);(diagnose的过去分词和过去式) contracted:adj.契约的; v.使收缩; elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处;
But as of this summer, it's being transmitted locally in Miami. 但今年夏天在迈阿密当地 已出现本土传播病例,
It's here. 就在这里。
So what do we do about it? 所以我们该怎么办?
Well, preventing infection is either about protecting people or about eliminating the mosquitoes. 避免感染, 不是保护民众就是消灭蚊虫。
infection:n.感染;传染;(身体某部位的)感染;传染病; eliminating:v.排除;清除;消除;淘汰;(eliminate的现在分词)
Let's focus on people first. 我们先从人的面向来看。
You can get vaccinated . 你可以注射疫苗。
vaccinated:v.给…接种疫苗;(vaccinate的过去分词和过去式)
You can not travel to Zika areas. 不要去有兹卡疫情的地区。
Or you can cover up and apply insect repellent . 或是全身包起来噴防蚊液。
apply:v.申请;涂,敷;应用;适用;请求; repellent:adj.排斥的;防水的;弹回的;令人讨厌的;n.防护剂;防水布;排斥力;
Getting vaccinated is not an option , because there isn't a vaccine yet and there probably won't be for a couple of years. 注射疫苗不在考量的范围内, 因为根本就还没有疫苗。 且接下来几年也许都不会有。
option:n.选择;可选择的东西; vaccine:n.疫苗;牛痘苗;adj.疫苗的;牛痘的;
Staying home isn't a foolproof protection either because we now know that it can be sexually transmitted. 一直待在家里也不是个方法。 因为我们现在知道 它也可以透过性交传染。
foolproof:adj.十分简单的;十分安全的;不会错的;n.极简单;安全自锁装置; sexually:adv.性,性欲
Covering up and applying insect repellent does work ... 包得紧紧地跟噴防蚊液是有用的,
applying:v.申请,请求;使用;应用;(apply的现在分词)
until you forget. 除非你忘了。
(Laughter) (笑声)
So that leaves the mosquitoes, and here's how we control them now: spraying insecticides . 那就从蚊子下手吧, 我们控制的方法就是: 噴洒杀虫剂。
spraying:v.喷;喷洒;向…扫射(或抛洒);撒尿(以示领地占有);(spray的现在分词) insecticides:n.[农药]杀虫剂(insecticide的复数);
The protective gear is necessary because these are toxic chemicals that kill people as well as bugs . 防护员一定要穿防护衣, 因为那是有毒的化学物质, 它不只杀虫,也可以杀人。
protective:adj.防护的;关切保护的;保护贸易的; gear:n.齿轮; v.适合; toxic:adj.有毒的;中毒的; chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数) as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且; bugs:n.缺陷;虫子;窃听器;(bug的复数)v.窃听;使烦恼;(bug的第三人称单数)
Although it does take quite a lot more to kill a person than to kill a bug. 只是杀人的剂量比杀虫来的高很多。
These are pictures from Brazil and Nicaragua . 这是在巴西和尼加拉瓜的照片。
Nicaragua:n.尼加拉瓜(拉丁美洲一国家);
But it looks the same in Miami, Florida. 但看起来和佛罗里达的迈阿密一样。
And we of course can spray insecticides from planes. 当然我们也可以用飞机噴洒杀虫剂。
Last summer, mosquito control officials in Dorchester County , South Carolina , authorized spraying of Naled, an insecticide, early one morning,as recommended by the manufacturer . 去年夏天, 南卡州多彻斯特郡的蚊虫控制人员, 被授权准许噴洒一种 叫乃力松的杀虫剂。 制造商建议要在早上噴药。
Dorchester:n.多尔切斯特(英国英格兰南部城市); County:n.郡,县; Carolina:n.卡罗莱纳州(在美国东南部); authorized:adj.核准的;v.批准;授权;(authorize的过去式和过去分词) recommended:v.推荐;举荐;介绍;劝告;建议;(recommend的过去分词和过去式) manufacturer:n.生产商;生产者;制造者;
Later that day, a beekeeper told reporters that her bee yard looked like it had been nuked . 当天傍晚,有养蜂人跟记者说, 她的养蜂场看起来 像被轰炸过一样。
beekeeper:n.养蜂人; nuked:核武器;用微波炉煮;
Oops. 哇……
Bees are the good guys. 蜜蜂是好的昆虫。
The citizens of Florida protested , but spraying continued. 佛罗里达居民发起抗议, 当局却依然故我。
protested:v.(公开)反对;抗议;坚决地表示;申辩;(protest的过去分词和过去式)
Unfortunately , so did the increase in the number of Zika fever cases. 不幸的是,兹卡病例仍在增加。
Unfortunately:adv.不幸地;
That's because insecticides aren't very effective . 那是因为杀虫剂不够有效。
effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象;
So are there any approaches that are perhaps more effective than spraying but with less downsides than toxic chemicals? 那有什么方法 是比噴洒杀虫剂还有效, 但副作用比有毒的化学药剂小?
approaches:v.靠近,接近; n.方式,方法,态度; downsides:下降趋势;消极面,缺点(downside的复数);
I'm a huge fan of biological controls, and I share that view with Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring," 我非常推崇生物控制这个方式。 我向瑞秋卡森分享我的想法, 她是《寂静春天》的作者。
biological:adj.生物学的;生物的;与生命过程有关的;加酶的;n.[药]生物制品;
the book that is credited with starting the environmental movement. 这本书促使了环境保护运动的抬头。
In this book she tells the story,as an example, of how a very nasty insect pest of livestock was eliminated in the last century. 她在书中以故事为例, 说明了一种非常讨人厌的牲畜害虫 是如何在上世纪灭绝的。
nasty:adj.极差的:令人厌恶的:不友好的:n.令人不愉快的事物: livestock:n.家畜;牲畜; eliminated:v.排除;清除;消除;(比赛中)淘汰;消灭;(eliminate的过去式和过去分词)
No one knows that extraordinary story today. 现在没人知道这个惊人的故事。
So Jack Block and I,when we were writing an editorial about the mosquito problem today, retold that story. 所以当时我和杰克布拉克就一起 藉由重述这个故事的方式, 写了篇有关蚊子问题的社论,
editorial:adj.编辑的;社论的;n.社论; retold:vt.再讲(retell的过去式和过去分词);
And in capsule form, it's that pupae — that's the immature form of the insect — were irradiated until they were sterile , grown to adulthood and then released from planes all over the Southwest, 简而言之, 在昆虫尚未成虫仍是蛹的时后, 就用放射线照射,使他们无繁殖能力, 牠们长大成虫后, 用飞机将牠们释放到西南部、
capsule:n.太空舱;荚;航天舱;(装药物的)胶囊;adj.简略的;小而结实的;v.节略; pupae:n.蛹; immature:adj.不成熟的;未成熟的;粗糙的; irradiated:adj.已辐照的;被辐射的;v.辐射(irradiate的过去分词);照耀; sterile:adj.不育的;无菌的;贫瘠的;不毛的;枯燥乏味的; adulthood:n.成年;成人期; released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式)
the Southeast and down into Mexico and into Central America literally by the hundreds of millions from little airplanes , eventually eliminating that terrible insect pest for most of the Western Hemisphere . 东南部、往下到墨西哥跟中美洲, 直接从小飞机放飞几亿只的蚊子, 最后将这糟糕的害虫 从西半球消失。
Southeast:adj.东南的;来自东南的;n.东南;东南地区;adv.来自东南; literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地: airplanes:n.(美)[航]飞机(airplane的复数); eventually:adv.最后,终于; Hemisphere:n.半球;
Our real purpose in writing this editorial was to introduce readers to how we can do that today — not with radiation but with our knowledge of genetics . 我们写这篇社论的用意, 是要告诉读者 我们现在可以怎么做── 不是靠放射线的方式, 而是靠我们对遗传学的知识。
radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法; genetics:n.遗传学;
Let me explain. 让我解释一下。
This is the bad guy: Aedes aegypti. 这个坏蛋 : 白线斑蚊。
Aedes:n.伊蚊(一种传染黄热病的蚊子);豹脚蚊;
It's the most common insect vector of diseases , not just Zika but dengue, 这个昆虫是最常见的疾病带原者, 不只是兹卡,还有登革热、
vector:n.矢量;带菌者;航线;vt.用无线电导航; diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类;
Chikungunya , West Nile virus and that ancient plague , yellow fever. 屈公热、西尼罗病毒 和那个古老的瘟疫黄热病。
Chikungunya:基孔肯雅病; plague:n.瘟疫;灾祸;麻烦;讨厌的人;vt.折磨;使苦恼;使得灾祸;
It's an urban mosquito, and it's the female that does the dirty work . 牠是一种都市型蚊子, 而且只有母蚊子会咬人。
urban:adj.城市的;都市的;城镇的;都市音乐的; female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物; dirty work:不法行为;卑鄙勾当;苦活;
She bites to get a blood meal to feed her offspring . 她咬人是为了吸血来喂食后代。
offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物;
Males don't bite; they don't even have the mouth parts to bite. 公蚊子不会叮人, 牠们甚至没有叮人的器官。
A little British company called Oxitec genetically modified that mosquito so that when it mates with a wild female, its eggs don't develop to adulthood. 一间名为 Oxitec 的英国生技小公司 修改了蚊子的基因, 让公蚊和野生母蚊子生下的卵 无法顺利成长至成年。
genetically modified:adj.(植物等)遗传修饰的; mates:n.朋友; v.交配;
Let me show you. 我秀给大家看。
This is the normal reproductive cycle. 这是正常的传宗接代周期,
reproductive:adj.生殖的;再生的;复制的;
Oxitec designed the mosquito so that when the male mates with the wild female the eggs don't develop. Oxitec 则是让公蚊子和 野生母蚊子交配后 产下的卵无法成长。
Sounds impossible? 听起来很不可思议?
Well let me show you just diagrammatically how they do it. 让我用图解的方式告诉各位 他们是怎么办到的。
Now this represents the nucleus of a mosquito cell, and that tangle in the middle represents its genome , the sum total of its genes . 这个代表蚊子细胞里的细胞核, 中间一坨一坨的代表牠的基因组, 也就是所有的基因。
represents:v.代表;维护…的利益;相当于;(represent的第三人称单数) nucleus:n.核,核心;原子核; tangle:n.纠纷;混乱状态;vt.使纠缠;处于混乱状态;vi.缠结;乱作一团; genome:n.基因组;染色体组; genes:n.基因;(gene的复数)
Scientists added a single gene that codes for a protein represented by this orange ball that feeds back on itself to keep cranking out more of that protein. 科学家插入了一个基因, 图中橘色球代表被编码过的蛋白质, 这蛋白质会被回植到细胞里, 然后开始持续大量增生出同样的蛋白质。
protein:n.蛋白质; represented:v.代表; (represent的过去式和过去分词) cranking:v.用曲柄转动(或启动);(crank的现在分词)
The extra copies, however, go and gum up the mosquitoes' genes, killing the organism . 然而,多余的蛋白质 会把蚊子的基因黏合在一起, 并摧毁有机体。
gum:n.牙龈;树胶;齿龈;树脂;v.在…上涂胶;用黏胶粘; organism:n.生物;有机体;有机组织;(尤指)微生物;
To keep it alive in the laboratory they use a compound called tetracycline . 为了让公蚊在实验室存活, 他们使用了一种合成物称作四环素。
laboratory:n.实验室,研究室; compound:v.合成; adj.混合; n.大院; tetracycline:n.[药]四环素(抗生素的一种);
Tetracycline shuts off that gene and allows normal development. 四环素会关掉那个基因, 并且让公蚊正常成长。
They added another little wrinkle so that they could study what happens. 他们也运用了一个小技巧, 来研究公蚊的变化。
wrinkle:n.皱纹;皱褶,皱痕;v.(使脸上)起皱纹;皱起;
And that is they added a gene that makes the insect glow under UV light so that when they released it they could follow exactly how far it went how long it lived and all of the kinds of data for a good scientific study. 他们插入了另一个基因, 让昆虫在紫外线灯底下成长, 在将来释放公蚊后, 好跟踪牠们飞了多远、 活了多久, 还有将来方便各种研究的资料。
glow:n.喜悦; v.发热; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的;
Now this is the pupal stage, and at this stage the females are larger than the males. 这是蛹的阶段,而在这个阶段, 雌性会比雄性来得大。
pupal:adj.蛹的;
That allows them to sort them into the males and the females and they allow only the males to grow to adulthood. 所以他们能将雄性和雌性区分开来, 而且他们只让公蚊长大至成蚊。
And let me remind you that males don't bite. 我再次提醒各位,公蚊不会咬人。
remind:v.提醒;使想起;
From there it's pretty simple. 这样就单纯多了。
They take beakers full of male mosquitoes, load them into milk cartons , and drive around the city, releasing them guided by GPS. 他们把装满蚊子的烧杯 装进牛奶箱子,然后开车绕市区, 并且根据卫星定位将牠们释放。
beakers:n.烧杯(beaker的复数形式); cartons:n.纸板盒; v.用纸板箱包装; releasing:n.释放;松释动作;脱扣释放;v.释放;排放;(release的现在分词);
Here's the mayor of a city releasing the first batch of what they call the "friendly Aedes." 这位市长释放了第一批蚊子, 他们称这些蚊子为「友善的埃及伊蚊」。
mayor:n.市长;镇长; batch:n.一批;一炉;一次所制之量;v.分批处理;
Now I wish I could tell you this is an American city, but it's not. 跟各位说,我希望 这是在美国的城市,但并不是。
It's Piracicaba, Brazil. 这是在巴西的皮拉西卡巴。
The amazing thing is that in just a year it brought down the cases of dengue by 91 percent. 最惊奇的是,仅仅才一年的时间, 登革热的案例下降了 91% 。
That's better than any insecticide spraying can do. 比噴洒任何杀虫剂 所得到的成果好太多了。
So why aren't we using this remarkable biological control in the US? 所以我们为何不在美国 使用这个卓越的生物防治方法呢?
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的;
That's because it's a GMO: a genetically modified organism. 那是因为牠是GMO: 基因改造生物。
Notice the subtitle here says if the FDA would let them they could do the same thing here, when Zika arrives. 注意看一下副标题写的, 如果美国食药管理局同意, 当兹卡病毒爆发时,他们可以在这里做同样的事。
subtitle:n.副标题;说明或对白的字幕;vt.在…上印字幕;给…加副标题;
And of course it has arrived. 当然兹卡的确来了。
So now I have to tell you the short form of the long, torturous story of GM regulation in the US 所以现在我用简短的方式, 来向各位说明
torturous:adj.折磨人的,痛苦的; regulation:n.规则;法规;控制;规章制度;adj.规定的;必须穿戴的;必须使用的;
In the US, there are three agencies that regulate genetically modified organisms : the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency , and the USDA, US Department of Agriculture. 这个在美国又臭又长的基因改造规范。 在美国,有三个机构在管理基因改造的生物: FDA ,食品药物管理局, EPA,国家环境保护局, 以及 USDA,美国农業部。
agencies:n.代理;代理处(agency的复数); regulate:v.调节;控制; organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体; Agency:n.代理,中介;代理处,经销处;
Took these folks two years to decide that it would be the FDA that would regulate the genetically modified mosquito. 这些单位花了两年的时间 才决定由食品药物管理局 来规范管理基因改造蚊子,
And they would do it as a new animal drug, if that makes any sense. 如果有效,他们会将它 看成是一种新的动物药品,
Took them another five years going back and forth and back and forth to convince the FDA that this would not harm people, and it would not harm the environment. 然后又花了五年的时间来来回回, 说服食品药物管理局 这不会对人类有害, 也不会对环境有害。
back and forth:前后移动的,来回的,反复的; convince:v.使确信;使相信;说服,劝说;
They finally gave them, this summer, permission to run a little test in the Florida Keys,where they had been invited years earlier when they Keys had an outbreak of dengue. 在今年夏天,他们终于同意 在佛罗里达群岛做一个小小的测试, 在几年前登革热爆发的时候, 他们就被邀请这么做了。
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地;
Would that it were that easy. 要是这么简单就好了。
When the local residents heard that there would be genetically modified mosquitoes tested in their community some of them began to organize protests . 当地的居民一听到, 会有基因改造的蚊子被释放到 他们的社区试验时, 部分居民就开始组织抗议行动。
residents:n.居民;住院医生;房客;(resident的复数) community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; organize:v.组织;安排;处理;分配;管理; protests:v.抗议;反对(protest的三单形式);n.抗议(protest的复数);
They even organized a petition on the internet with this cuddly logo , which eventually accumulated some 160,000 signatures 他们甚至在网上发送 有这个可爱标志的请愿书, 最终获得了 16 万人的签名联署。
organized:adj.有组织的; v.组织; (organize的过去分词和过去式) petition:n.请愿;请愿书;祈求;[法]诉状;vi.请愿;请求;vt.请愿;请求;恳求; cuddly:adj.令人想拥抱的;喜欢搂搂抱抱的;逗人喜爱的; logo:n.标志; accumulated:v.积累;积聚;(数量)逐渐增加;(accumulate的过去式和过去分词) signatures:n.签名;鲜明特征(signature的复数);
And they demanded a referendum which will be conducted in just a couple of weeks about whether the trials would be permitted at all. 他们要求公投, 并且会在几个礼拜内就举行, 决定这个试验是否应该被批准。
referendum:n.公民投票权;外交官请示书; conducted:v.组织;安排;实施;执行;指挥;带领;引导;(conduct的过去分词和过去式)
Well it's Miami that really needs these better ways of controlling insects. 但其实迈阿密才是真正需要 这个方法来控制蚊虫的地方。
And there the attitudes are changing. 那边的态度正在改变。
attitudes:n.态度,看法(attitude复数);
In fact, very recently a bipartisan group of more than 60 legislators wrote to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell asking that she, at the Federal level, expedite access for Florida to this new technology . 事实上,最近一个包含 60 多个立法委员的两党组织 写信给美国公卫部部长希尔维雅布尔维尔, 要求她在联邦高层 加速完成佛罗里达 对这项科技的请求。
recently:adv.最近;新近; bipartisan:adj.两党连立的;代表两党的; legislators:n.立法委员;(legislator的复数) Federal:adj.联邦的;同盟的;联邦政府的;联邦制的;adv.联邦政府地; expedite:vt.加快;促进;发出;adj.畅通的;迅速的;方便的; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
So the bottom line is this: biological control of harmful insects can be both more effective and very much more environmentally friendly than using insecticides, which are toxic chemicals. 所以结论是: 利用生物控制来控制害虫, 远比使用有毒的化学药物杀虫剂 来得有效,且对环境也比较友善。 这在瑞秋卡森的时代是正确的,
the bottom line:底线;本质内容;最底线; environmentally friendly:adj.对环境无害的;保护生态环境的;
That was true in Rachel Carson's time; it's true today. 在我们的时代也是。
What's different is that we have enormously more information about genetics than we had then, and therefore more ability to use that information to affect these biological controls. 不一样的是,我们比当时的人 拥有更多基因学方面的知识, 因此我们拥有更多的能力来运用那这些资讯, 来影响控制这些生物。
enormously:adv.巨大地,庞大地;非常地,在极大程度上;
And I hope that what I've done is aroused your curiosity enough to start your own inquiry — not into just GM mosquitoes but to the other genetically modified organisms that are so controversial today. 我希望我有引起各位的好奇心, 让各位开始进行研究── 不只是基因改造蚊子, 还有其它当今仍备受争议的 基因改造生物。
aroused:v.激起,引起;激起性欲;使行动起来;激发(arouse的过去分词和过去式) curiosity:n.好奇,好奇心;珍品,古董,古玩; inquiry:n.询问;查询;打听;调查; controversial:adj.有争议的;有争论的;
I think if you do that, and you dig down through all of the misinformation ,and the marketing on the part of the organic food industry and the Greenpeaces and find the science,the accurate science, you'll be surprised and pleased. 我想如果你开始研究, 并往下挖掘所有的误导资讯, 以及有机食品产業和 绿色和平组织的市场手段, 去寻找科学、正确的科学, 那你会感到非常震惊且高兴的。
misinformation:n.误报;错误的消息; on the part of:就...而言;由...所作出的;在...一边;由...所表现出的; organic:adj.有机的;不使用化肥的;绿色的;有机物的;n.分子有机体; accurate:adj.精确的;
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) (掌声)