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This is a download from BBC Learning English. To find out more, visit our website. 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.com.
本文来自BBC Learning English。如需获得更多内容请访问我们的网站。BBC Learning English.com 英语六分钟节目。
Dan: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English– the show that brings you an interesting topic, authentic listening practice and six new items of vocabulary. I'm Dan…
大家好，欢迎收听英语六分钟。该节目向你呈现有趣的话题，纯正的听力练习和单词来帮助你提高语言技能。我是丹。
Neil: And I'm Neil. We'll be discussing dogs being used in cancer detection.
我是尼尔。在今天的节目中我们将讨论用于探测癌症的狗狗。
Dan: Everything ok, Neil?
一切还顺利吗，尼尔？
Neil: I am so tired. One of my children is as sick as a dog. I didn't sleep all night long looking after them.
我太累了。我的一个孩子病得很重。我整晚都没睡一直在照顾他们。
Dan: As sick as a dog is an expression meaning very ill. I'm sorry to hear it. Try and hold on if you can.
As sick as a dog 是指病得很重。听到这个消息我很难过。尽可能的撑下去吧。
Neil: Don't worry. There's life in this old dog yet.
别担心。生活中总会遇到这样的问题。
Dan: Good. It's funny that you mention dogs because the UK's National Health Service is currently assessing whether dogs can be used to detect early stage prostate cancer.
好的。有趣的是，你提到了狗。因为英国国民医疗保健制度现在在测试狗狗能否用于探测早期的前列腺癌。
Neil: Amazing. Any success?
太让人难以置信了。有成功的案例吗？
Dan: Let me ask you in this week's question. In what percentage of cases were dogs able to detect the presence of cancer in urine? Is it a) 50%? b) 70%? c) 90%?
我先问问你今天的问题吧。在多少比例的案例中，狗狗能够探测出尿液中存在癌症？a) 50%? b) 70%? c) 90%?
Neil: I'm going to guess a) 50%.
我猜是a) 50%。
Dan: We'll find out later if you're right or wrong. So, Neil, I say dog, what do you think?
稍后我们再看你的回答是否正确。尼尔，说说你对狗的印象吧？
Neil: A wet nose, four paws, which is what we call the feet of certain animals, a fluffy coat and a waggy tail? Man's best friend? But I've never heard of cancer dogs. I wonder what makes them suitable?
湿湿的鼻子，四只爪子，爪子是指某些动物的脚，蓬松的毛，还有一条摇晃的尾巴？它还是人类最好的朋友？但我从来没听说过癌症狗。我在想它们为什么适合做这项工作呢？
Dan: Well, I'll let Dr Claire Guest, CEO of the charity Medical Detection Dogs take that one.
我们让克莱尔·格斯特，慈善组织医疗探测狗的首席执行官来解释一下吧。
Although the dog has a fluffy coat and a waggy tail, he is in fact a highly sophisticated bio-sensor. You know, evolution has given him this highly sensitive nose, going down to parts per trillion. People board planes every day that have been screened by detector dogs to see if there are explosives on board. Why do we rely on them there and yet not in assisting us with health?
尽管狗狗有蓬松的毛，摆动的尾巴，事实上它是一个高度复杂的生物传感器。你知道的，进化让狗的鼻子极其灵敏，能够发现万亿分之一的气味分子。人们每天等飞机前都需要经过探测狗的检测，以便查出是否有爆炸物存在。我们能在这方面依赖狗狗，为什么不让他们也在健康方面给予我们帮助呢？
Dan: So, dogs have evolved to have a highly-developed sense of smell that allows them to act as a bio-sensor, a sensor which uses a living thing to detect chemicals.
狗狗经过进化后，有了高度发达的嗅觉，这让他它们成为了生物传感器。传感器是指能够探测化学物的生物。
Neil: Yes, and she mentioned that humans have a history of using dogs in security to screen, or examine for suitability, for explosives and bombs.
没错。她提到人类有使用狗狗筛选、检测爆炸物和炸弹的历史。
Dan: Yep! Can you think of any other places that dogs are used to support humans?
没错。你还能想到狗狗在哪些其他方面给予了人类帮助吗？
Neil: Well, there's guide dogs, or seeing-eye dogs as they're known in North America. They help people who are blind to avoid danger.
还有导盲犬，它们在北美很有名。他们帮助盲人规避危险。
Dan: Nice. Any more? Maybe around the home?
很不错。还有呢？也许他们在家里也有很大用处呢？
Neil: Are you referring to guard dogs, meaning a dog which keeps a house or place safe from burglary, theft or trespassing.
你是说看门狗吗，帮人们看家护院以防入室盗窃、偷盗和非法侵入。
Dan: Yep. Ex-burglars have often said that they're a much bigger deterrent, or reason not to do something, than an alarm system.
没错。有入室盗窃前科的人说，狗狗比警报系统更具威慑力，威慑力是不做某事的原因。
Neil: Oh and there's rescue dogs. They are trained to search and find victims of natural disasters such as avalanches or earthquakes.
还有救援狗。受过训练的狗狗被用于搜寻自然灾害中的遇难者，例如雪崩或地震。
Dan: Exactly, dogs are perfect for situations where people may be buried under the earth or the snow. A human can't see them but a dog can still smell them.
是的，当有人被埋在土下或雪下时，狗狗是最有用的。人类看不到他们，但狗狗可以闻出来。
Neil: Do you think our National Health Service will employ them as full time biosensors then?
你觉得接下来我们的国家卫生保健系统会把狗狗用作全职的生物传感器吗？
Dan: Well, I don't know, but here's what Jeremy Hunt, the UK Health Secretary had to say on the matter.
我不知道，但英国卫生大臣杰里米·亨特会就这一问题进行进一步的解释。
One of our jobs as MPs is sometimes to question orthodoxies, so if this research is good then I want to know about it, and I will certainly look at it carefully.
作为国会议员，我们的工作有时是质疑正统观念，所以如果研究结果不错的话，我就会去了解，然后认真考虑这件事。
Dan: He mentions that this type of research goes against orthodoxies, or generally accepted way of doing things. But he also mentions that he will be looking at it carefully. So let's hope so.
他提到这项研究与正统观念相悖，也就是和普遍被接受的做法相悖。但他也提到他会认真考虑这件事。希望如此。
Neil: Yes I wouldn't mind having a dog doctor! And speaking of research, there was a question I need to know the answer to.
我不介意有一个狗狗医生。提到研究，我还想知道今天问题的答案。
Dan: Oh yes. I asked you in what percentage of cases were dogs able to detect the presence of cancer in urine? a) 50% b) 70% c) 90%
好的，我问你在多少比例的案例中，狗狗能够探测出尿液中存在癌症？a) 50% b) 70% c) 90%？
Neil: And I said 50%.
我选的是50%。
Dan: It's a dog's life, Neil. I'm sorry. The answer was c) 90%.
很遗憾，尼尔，正确答案是 c) 90%。
Neil: Wow! 90%! That's amazing.
天啊！百分之九十！太厉害了！
Dan: Isn't it?
谁说不是呢？
Neil: Shall we go through the vocabulary?
我们现在一起回顾一下今天学到的单词吧？
Dan: OK. The first expression we had was as sick as a dog. If you are as sick as a dog it means that you're very sick indeed. When was the last time you were as sick as a dog, Neil?
好的。第一个表达是as sick as a dog，是指病得很厉害。你上一次病重是什么时候呢，尼尔？
Neil: Just after Christmas I caught a bug from my kids. I was as sick as a dog. Next we had paws. Paws are the feet of certain animals. They have pads and claws. Can you give us a few examples, Dan?
就在圣诞节后，我受孩子传染生病了。病得很厉害。下一个单词是爪子。爪子是指一些动物的脚。他们有肉垫和爪子。丹，你可以举几个例子吗？
Dan: Well, dogs have paws. So do cats, rabbits, bears and mice. But not horses, sheep or pigs. They have hooves. After paws, we had biosensor. A biosensor is a combination of the words biology and sensor. It is a sensor which uses a living thing to detect chemicals. Can you think of a famous historical example, Neil?
狗狗有爪子。还有猫、兔子、熊和老鼠。但马、羊和猪没有爪子。它们有蹄子。说完爪子，我们还提到了生物传感器。生物传感器是由生物和传感器这两个单词合成的。是指能够探测到化学物质的生物。你能想出一个历史上很有名的例子吗？
Neil: Well, Miners in danger of a highly toxic but invisible gas called methane used to carry a canary in a cage down the mine with them. If the canary became ill or died, they knew that the air was toxic. Then we had screen. If you screen something, it means you examine it for its suitability, such as luggage going through an airport – where they would screen for explosives. How else can it be used, Dan?
甲烷是一种看不见的气体，带有剧毒，矿工们通常会处于这种危险之中，所以他们会带着一只放在笼子里的金丝雀下矿。如果金丝雀生病或死亡，他们就知道空气中有毒。接下来我们提到了screen这个词。检查某物是说检测它的适用性。例如行李经过机场时，要进行审查筛选，看其中是否有爆炸物。这个词还能用于什么地方呢？
Dan: Well, these days you can get an ad-blocker on your computer that will screen out those annoying pop-up adverts. I hate those! After that was deterrent. A deterrent is a thing which stops a person from doing something, such as the fear of punishment for a crime. How do you deter your children from being naughty, Neil?
如今你可以在电脑上安装一个广告拦截软件，该软件可以筛选出烦人的弹出式广告。我讨厌这种广告！接下来还有威慑一词。威慑物是指阻止某人做某事的东西，例如害怕因犯罪而受到惩罚。孩子们淘气时，你是怎样震慑住他们的？
Neil: That's easy. I just threaten to remove a sticker from their sticker chart.
这很容易。我就威胁他们说撕掉一张贴纸。
Dan: Good idea!
好主意！
Neil: Finally, we heard orthodoxies. An orthodoxy is a generally accepted way of doing things. Its adjective is orthodox and we often hear its opposite word – unorthodox, meaning unusual. Do you do anything unorthodox, Dan?
最后我们提到了正统观念。正统观念是指普遍被接受的做事方式。它的形容词形式是orthodox，我们经常听到它的反义词unorthodox，是指不寻常的。你会做一些非正统的事吗？
Dan: Well I love to combine hot sausages and cold vanilla ice-cream. It's delicious! But no one will trust me enough to try!
我喜欢将热香肠和香草冰淇淋一起吃。非常美味。但没有人相信我！
Neil: I don't blame them! Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English. Please join us again soon!
我不怪他们！今天的英语六分钟节目就到这里了。下期见！
Dan: And we are on social media too - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. See you there.
社交媒体上也有我们的节目，欢迎大家在Facebook、Twitter、Instagram 和YouTube上收听我们的节目。再见。
Both: Bye!
再见！
6 Minute English from the BBC.
BBC英语六分钟。
