英语杂谈：06 The power of curry

   If you like curry¹ then you must be delighted to learn that scientists in Ireland have found a certain type of curry spice can kill off cancer cells. The chemical – curcumin – can be found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric. It’s long thought to have healing powers. Tests by a team at the Cork² Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab. The cancer cells began to digest themselves after the curcumin triggered lethal³ cell death signals. And this process started within 24 hours. Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is an interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.” Cancers of the oesophagus kill more than 500,000 people across the world each year. It's the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK. The tumours⁴ are especially deadly, with five-year survival rates of just 12 to 31 percent. However Dr Sharon McKenna, lead researcher on the study says turmeric is broken down in the blood once ingested. A way is needed to be found to ensure it stayed in the circulatory system for longer to give it time to kill cancer cells. Asked if people with oesophageal cancer should now start eating lots of curries⁵, she said turmeric was just one spice that was found in curry. “A curry contains a lot of other heavy spices that would not necessarily be good for you at all,” she said. “When you eat it, you are not applying it directly to the cancer cells as we were in the laboratory.” So there’s no excuse to binge on curry meals after you’ve read this. Maintaining a balanced diet remains⁶ our best option to a healthy lifestyle.

 

1 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

2 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

3 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

4 tumours   

肿瘤( tumour的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Blood vessels develop abnormally in cancer tumours. 在癌肿瘤中血管出现不正常。
• This apparatus scans patients' brains for tumours. 这台仪器扫描检查病人的脑瘤。

5 curries   

n.咖喱食品( curry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries. 椰子是多种咖喱菜的基本成分。
• Coriander is used in Indian curries, gin, American cigarettes, and sausage. 胡荽多被用在：印度咖哩粉，杜松子酒，美国香烟，香肠。 来自互联网

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。