英语课程计划-World Kidney Day（在线收听）

World Kidney Day is on the 12th of March. It started in 2006 and has grown quickly. In its first year, 66 countries celebrated it and two years later that number rose to 88. The day is a joint venture of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. The aim of the day is to raise awareness 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 rib cage, deep in our abdomen. 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.