2006年VOA标准英语-Methamphetamine Use a Danger to Oral Health

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
15 September 2006
 
watch Meth and Dental Care

Methamphetamine Ice   
  
Methamphetamine is an addictive¹ drug that can damage brain cells. It is suspected to cause a movement disorder² similar to Parkinson's disease. Meth use also can cause serious gum infections.  VOA's Carol Pearson looks at the prevalence of meth use and its affect on oral health.

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Federal authorities announced a methamphetamine bust³ valued at $50 million last month in the southern U.S. city of Atlanta, Georgia. The arrests of meth users and producers often leave members of the community stunned⁴.

Earlier this year an Arkansas elementary school teacher was arrested and charged with making methamphetamine in a shed behind her house. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports global users of methamphetamine outnumber cocaine⁵ and heroin⁶ users combined.

Authorities are finding that even countries such as China, that used to be merely transit⁷ points for illegal drug trade, are now consumers as well.

Melvyn Levitsky  
  
Melvyn Levitsky of the International Narcotics⁸ Control Board explains why.  "Methamphetamine is a kind of chemical crack, if you would look at it that way. (It is) very highly addictive, easy to produce, cheap."

 
Decayed and rotting teeth as a result of methamphetamine usage 
  
Dentists are concerned that meth is damaging teeth and gums. Using meth can cause black decay, rotting teeth, teeth that chip easily, extreme sensitivity and teeth leveled at the gum line -- problems Karen Brown endures as a former meth user.

"It's very uncomfortable," she says. "I can't eat anything I want to eat because the teeth are broken off and sensitivity and abscessing from the meth.  There were times when I would do a little bit of meth and my jaws⁹ would just start swelling¹⁰ up from the infection."

Dr. Keith Collins  
  
Infections are a major problem according to Dr. Keith Collins of the Partnership¹¹ For a Drug-Free America. "The worst thing you see is an infection that is really out of control, and people can even be infected enough that they require hospitalization."

Methamphetamine also can totally destroy the tooth structure, making removal the only solution. 

Some video courtesy: American Dental Association

1 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

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 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

6 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

7 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

8 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

10 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

11 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。