英语课程计划-World Kidney Day

World Kidney Day is on the 12th of March. It started in 2006 and has grown quickly. In its first year, 66 countries celebrated¹ it and two years later that number rose to 88. The day is a joint² venture of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation³ of Kidney Foundations. The aim of the day is to raise awareness⁴ about the importance of our kidneys. Campaigns and campaigners also want to highlight how harmful kidney disease is, and spread the message that most forms of kidney disease are treatable. Few of us ever stop to think about our kidneys. Perhaps even fewer know exactly what they are and what they do. Our two kidneys form an amazing organ that keeps our body healthy.

So just what are our kidneys and what do they do, exactly? They are (of course) kidney-shaped organs each about the size of an apple. They are located under our rib⁵ cage, deep in our abdomen⁶. Their main job is to keep our blood clean. They do this by filtering and removing poisons and excess water from our blood - 200 litres every day. They also help to control our blood pressure, and they produce red blood cells and keep our bones healthy. They’re pretty busy all the time. Kidney disease can affect anyone – about ten percent of us suffer from it. Most of us don’t know we have it because it rarely causes pain. If we have regular health and blood checks, doctors can quickly detect any disease early on and treat it.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

6 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。