VOA标准英语2008年-Use Of Organic Dye Encourages Australian Skin C

Australian scientists say an organic compound used by Indian women to paint dots or bindi on their foreheads could hold the key to a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Rose Bengal was first used in the early 1900s as a dye for food, textiles and cosmetics¹. But now it is proving to be a useful weapon in the fight against skin cancer. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Television advertisements constantly warn of the dangers of overexposure to the fierce Antipodean sun. Among them is the possible contraction² of the disease melanoma, a type of skin cancer characterized by a dark tumor³ that can spread through the body. More than 1,200 Australians die every year from the disease.

Initial trials of a solution of Rose Bengal injected into some melanoma cells have had a 75 percent success rate in controlling the disease.

Professor John Thompson, the director of the Melanoma Unit at the University of Sydney, says this organic dye could become a powerful cancer-fighting treatment.

"We believe it works by getting into the tumor cells and causing them to self-destruct. But the exact mechanism⁴ by which it works is not totally clear. It's not useful for people who have a primary melanoma. The treatment of primary melanoma is surgical⁵ excision," he said. "It's useful to inject tumors for people who have recurrences⁷; when the primary treatment has failed and when recurrence⁶ in the area, or at more distant sites has occurred."

About 90 percent of Australians who develop melanoma survive thanks to early diagnosis⁸ and treatment. If left untreated, however, the disease can be fatal.

Convincing younger people in Australia about the dangers of over-exposure to the sun is a battle campaigners are constantly waging.

Veronica Manock, a 21-year-old student, had two major operations to remove a cancerous tumor from her leg.

"I've had a lot of friends who before this happened to me they just said 'I thought it was just, you know, I'll get a mole⁹ cut out and that's it,' whereas I don't think people realize how much danger they're putting themselves into and how easy it is to stop something like this happening to you just from doing little things," said Manock.

Other researchers in Australia are investigating genetic¹⁰ treatments to skin cancer.

There is a pressing need for such research to produce effective treatments. Australians, the majority of whom are fair-skinned, are four times more likely to develop a melanoma than people in Canada, the United States or Great Britain.

1 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

2 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

3 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

6 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

7 recurrences   

n.复发，反复，重现( recurrence的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It was a melancholy tempered by recurrences of faith and resignation and simple joy. 心中不时产生信念，乐天知命的情绪，单纯的欣悦，从而冲淡了忧郁的气质。 来自辞典例句
• The interval without tumor burden turned shorter after multiple recurrences. 多次复发者复发间期逐渐缩短。 来自互联网

8 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

9 mole   

n.胎块；痣；克分子

参考例句：

• She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
• The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

10 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。