SCIENCE IN THE NEWS #2125 - Digest

16 科技新闻摘要（五）

DATE=5-22-01
TITLE=SCIENCE IN THE NEWS #2125 - Digest
BYLINE=Staff

VOICE ONE:
This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty¹ with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments in science.  Today, we tell about the oldest city in the Americas. We tell about an (1)ancestor of a famous （2）dinosaur².  We tell about how the American space agency is helping³ coffee growers. And we tell about how drinking alcohol can help your heart. 
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
Scientists working in Peru's Supe Valley have identified what they say are ruins of the oldest city ever found in the Americas.  They say the ruins include six huge stone (3) structures that look like hills.  The scientists say the (4) mounds⁵ were built by people who lived more than 4,000 years ago. That would make the mounds as old as the great (5) pyramids of Egypt. 
 The (6) archeologists say the mounds are the oldest known man-made structures in North America, Central America or South America.  Archeologists from the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and Northern Illinois University announced the discovery. 
VOICE TWO:
The mounds are in Caral, 200 kilometers north of Lima, Peru.  Scientists first discovered the ruins in Nineteen-Oh-Five.  However, archeologists had not done much work there.  The area has no modern roads, electric power or clean drinking water.  Also, scientists have never found (7) ceramic⁶ containers in the area because the people who lived there did not make stoneware.  So archeologists had not been very interested in the area until now. 
VOICE ONE:
The scientists used (8) radiocarbon dating tests to (9) identify the age of the structures.  The method shows the level of a radioactive form of carbon in a substance.  The scientists tested the remains⁷ of plants used to make woven bags. They say the bags were important in building the mounds.  Workers filled the bags with rocks. Then they carried the bags to where the mounds were being built.  They placed the bags of rocks in the walls of the mounds. The tests showed the mounds were built as early as four- thousand, six- hundred years ago. 
The largest mound⁴ is eighteen meters high and one- hundred fifty meters wide.  The scientists say the six mounds and other structures were built around a huge public area. They say the mounds were probably used for (10) ceremonies and the administration of the city.  Steps and rooms were built on the top and sides of the mounds.  Scientists also found the ruins of small homes and larger buildings under sand and broken rock. 
VOICE TWO:
Until now, experts had believed that the first (11) settlements in the Americas were coastal⁸ fishing villages.  Caral, however, is about twenty kilometers from the Pacific Ocean.  The scientists say the economy of Caral was based on agriculture.  They discovered evidence of simple (12) irrigation systems to water crops. These may have been the first irrigation systems in the Americas. 
Jonathan Haas of the Field Museum was one of the researchers. Mister Haas says Caral was a complex and well-developed society. He says the leaders of the ancient city were powerful people. They probably forced citizens to provide labor⁹ for building projects. 
Other scientists dispute the idea.  But they do agree on the importance of the ruins.  Experts say Caral was important in the social, political and economic development of (13) civilization in South America. 
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Scientists have identified bones of a dinosaur found on the Isle¹⁰ of Wight, near the coast of England.  They believe the dinosaur is an ancestor of the fierce (14) Tyrannosaurus Rex.  But it is about two times older than the T-Rex. Experts say it is a new kind of dinosaur never（15）discovered before.  They say it is one of the most important discoveries of its kind ever made in Britain. 
A young collector found part of the foot of the dinosaur in Nineteen-Ninety-Seven.  Gavin Leng discovered this sharp, pointed¹¹ claw on a high point of land near Newport.  He took it to the Isle of Wight Museum of (16) Geology.
VOICE TWO:
Experts dug in the area where the claw was found.  They unearthed¹² about forty percent of the dinosaur. The experts call it Eotyrannus Lengi, in honor of the man who discovered it.  They say it is one of the most （17）complete and important dinosaurs¹³ of this age ever found. It provides a lot of new information about early tyrannosaurs. 
Scientists believe Eotyrannus Lengi lived about one- hundred- twenty- five- million years ago.  It was about four meters long.  Its large head was filled with sharp teeth.  Its head and shoulder were similar to tyrannosaurs that lived later. But those dinosaurs were much larger.  They lived about sixty- million years ago. Scientists have found evidence of about twenty kinds of dinosaurs on the Isle of Wight. 
 ((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
The American space agency is making plans to help coffee growers in the state of Hawaii.  NASA will send an aircraft high above fields where coffee plants are grown.  The aircraft will gather color images of the plants during the harvest season.  From this information, the (18) Hawaiian coffee growers will know exactly when to harvest their crops.
NASA will use a special aircraft that flies without a pilot.  Officials say the project will show that the aircraft can carry scientific observation equipment on long flights.  They say it can fly higher than a traditional aircraft with a pilot. 
VOICE TWO:
The aircraft is called Pathfinder-Plus.  It is powered by energy from the sun.The aircraft will fly over the largest coffee farm in the United States, the Kauai Coffee Company plantation¹⁴.  Researchers hope (19) Pathfinder-Plus will gather information the growers can use to select the best time to harvest the coffee beans.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Two new studies have added to the evidence that drinking a little alcohol each day is good for the heart.  Earlier studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol reduces the chances of suffering a heart attack or a stroke caused by thickening of the blood.
The new studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One group of researchers was from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.  They questioned almost two- thousand patients at forty-five hospitals.  All the patients had just suffered heart attacks. 
VOICE TWO:
The researchers asked them how much alcohol they drank in the year before the heart attack.  Those who had fewer than seven alcoholic¹⁵ drinks a week were considered light drinkers.  Those who had more than seven drinks a week were considered (20) moderate drinkers.
The researchers studied the patients' health for the next four years.  At the end of that time, the light drinkers had a twenty-one percent lower chance of dying from a heart attack than those who never drank at all.  The moderate drinkers had a thirty-two percent lower chance of dying than those who never drank.  The drinkers survived mostly because they had fewer additional heart attacks.
VOICE ONE:
The other study involved more than two- thousand older men and women.  Their average age was seventy-four. Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia asked them how much alcohol they drank.  The researchers studied the health of these people for up to fourteen years.  They found that those who had one or two drinks each day were twenty to fifty percent less likely to develop heart failure than those who did not drink. The studies found no difference in survival among people who drank beer, wine or liquor. 
VOICE TWO:
Arthur Klatsky is a heart doctor at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California. Doctor Klatsky said both studies strengthen the idea that drinking a small amount of alcohol each day can protect the heart.  Alcohol thins the blood and prevents clots¹⁶ that block (21) arteries¹⁷. It also increases the so-called good (22) cholesterol¹⁸ in the blood that helps keep arteries open. However, other health risks have been linked to moderate drinking.  And Doctor Klatsky said heavy alcohol drinking is a sure way to damage your health.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by George Grow, Jerilyn Watson and Nancy Steinbach. It was produced by Nancy Steinbach.  This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty.  Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

注释：
（1） ancestor[ 5AnsistE ]n.祖先, 祖宗
（2） dinosaur[ 5dainEsC: ]n.恐龙
（3） structure[ 5strQktFE ]n.结构, 构造, 建筑物v.建筑, 构成
（4） mound[ maund ]n.土墩, 护堤
（5） pyramid[ 5pirEmid ]n.角锥，金字塔
（6） archeologist[9B:kI`ClEdVIst]n.考古学家
（7） ceramic[ si5rAmik ]adj.陶器的n.陶瓷制品
（8） radiocarbon[ 5reidiEu5kB:bEn ]n.放射性碳, 碳的放射性同位元素
（9） identify[ ai5dentifai ]v.识别, 鉴别
（10） ceremony[ 5serimEni ]n.典礼, 仪式
（11） settlement[ 5setlmEnt ]n.沉降, 解决
（12） irrigation[ 7iri5^eiFEn ]n.灌溉, 冲洗
（13） civilization[9sIvIlaI`zeIFLn;-lI`z-]n.文明, 文化
（14） tyrannosaurus[tIrAnE5sC:rEs]n.暴龙
（15） discover[ dis5kQvE ]v.发现, 发觉
（16） geology[ dVi5ClEdVi ]n.地质学, 地质概况
（17） complete[ kEm5pli:t ]adj.全部的, 完全的, 完成的v.完成, 使完善
（18） Hawaiian[ hB:5waiiEn ]n.夏威夷人, 夏威夷语adj.夏威夷的, 夏威夷语的
（19） pathfinder[5pB:WfaIndE(r)]n.探险者, 开创者
（20） moderate[ 5mCdErit ]adj.中等的, 适度的, 适中的v.缓和
（21） artery[ 5B:tEri ]n.动脉, 要道
（22） cholesterol[ kE5lestErEul, -rCl ]n.胆固醇

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

5 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？

6 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。

7 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。

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

13 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

15 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

16 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。