《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit 35 关于阿尔茨海默氏病

　　Unit 35
About Alzheimer's Disease¹
Dementia is a brain disorder² that seriously affects a person's  ability to carry out daily activities. The most common form of  dementia among older people is Alzheimer's disease (AD), which  involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and  language. Scientists think that as many as 4.5 million Americans  suffer from AD. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes  up with age.
AD is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor. In  1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue³ of a woman who  had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal⁴ clumps⁵.  Scientists also have found other brain changes in people with AD.  Nerve⁶ cells die in areas of the brain that are vital to memory and  other mental abilities.
Scientists do not yet fully⁷ understand what causes AD. Age is  the most important known risk factor for AD. Family history is another  risk factor. Scientists believe that genetics may play a role in many  AD cases. Scientists still need to learn more about what causes AD. In  addition to genetics, they are studying education, diet, and  environment to learn what role they might play in the development of  this disease.
AD begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild  forgetfulness. In this stage, people may have trouble remembering  recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things.  They may not be able to solve simple math problems. Such difficulties  may be a bother, but usually they are not serious enough to cause  alarm.
However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily  noticed. People in the middle stages of AD may forget how to do simple  tasks, like brushing their teeth or combing their hair. They can no  longer think clearly. They begin to ae problems speaking,  understanding, reading, or writing. Later on, people with AD may  become anxious or aggressive, or wander away from home. Eventually,  patients need total care.
AD is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and  ending with severe brain damage. No treatment can stop AD. However,  for some people in the early and middle stages of the disease, some  dugs may help prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited  time. Developing new treatments for AD is an active area of research.  Research has shown that vitamin E, estrogen, and ginkgo biloba slow  the progress of AD.

1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 tissue   

n.组织；薄纱，薄纸，手巾纸

参考例句：

• As we age we lose muscle tissue.肌肉组织会随着我们日趋衰老而萎缩。
• Athletes have hardly any fatty tissue.运动员几乎没有什么脂肪组织。

4 abnormal   

adj.反常的，不正常的，不规则的

参考例句：

• This warm weather is abnormal for February.二月里这种温暖的天气不太正常。
• That is simply abnormal.那简直是反常的。

5 clumps   

n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了，剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 nerve   

n.神经；勇气，胆量，沉着，果断

参考例句：

• Did he have the nerve to say that?他竟有脸说这话吗？
• He never got up enough nerve to meet me.他从没有足够的胆量来见我。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。