(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.
Regulators in the United States are asking companies that make antibiotic drugs to tell farmers to stop using some of the drugs on livestock. Antibiotics are medicines use to fight bacteria and infections.
Large animal farms around the world often use small amount of antibiotics to help healthy animals grow faster with less feed. They put the antibiotics in the food and water they give to cows, chickens and pigs.
Livestock huddle as they feed in an open field covered in ice, Dec. 7, 2013, near Corinth, Texas.
Opponents of this use of antibiotic say it adds to worldwide resistance to such drugs. Public health experts say, using an antibiotic on an animal gives bacteria the chance to built double defense against the drug. This makes antibiotics less effective when they are used to fight diseases in humans.
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked drug companies to voluntarily change the words on the containers of antibiotics so far use in farm animals.
Michael Taylor is the agency's Deputy Commissioner.
"With these changes, there will be fewer approved uses, and the remaining uses will be under tighter control to minimize the impact on resistance," said Taylor.
The decision by the FDA to ask rather than order the drug companies to make the changes has angered some activists. But the FDA said, changes would be made more quickly if it ask the drug companies to voluntarily change how they use antibiotics.
Dimitri Drekonja is a doctor with the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He supports the FDA's decision to ask for voluntary changes, but he is not sure the drug companies will do what the agency has asked.
"If this voluntary effort is taken up by the entire industry and everybody goes along with it, then it will actually be a needed first and potentially last step. Will that happen? I have my doubts," Drekonja added.
Some large drug companies have already agreed to make the changes. Liz Wagstrom is the Chief Veterinarian at the National Pork Producers Council. She says the pig farming industry is preparing for a change in the way it uses antibiotics, even it will cost some farmers money.
"We may lose some efficiency. We may have some animals that may not grow quite as quickly or take more grain to reach their full weight, " said Wagstrom.
She also says the changes may mean farmers will have more sick animals.
Doctor Drekonja says it may be difficult to measure how the new policy affects drug resistances.
"It would be great if there was sort-of like a dashboard and you could watch the needle drop in the amount of antibiotics used and then watch the next gauge, which is the national resistance and see what happens there. We don't have two simple gauges like that," Drekonja says.
He says there is a lack of good information on the amounts of antibiotics used on farms, as well as by doctors.
Some bacteria have continued to be resistant to drugs for years even after they have been banned from animal use. But doctor say they have been taking more steps to limit their use of antibiotics with humans, and they believe farmers should do the same.
And that's the Agriculture Report. I'm Bob Doughty.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.livestock n. 牲畜；家畜
The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.
大雨和洪水淹死了许多家畜。
2.voluntarily adv. 自动地；以自由意志
We prefer you to work voluntarily rather than by coercion.
我们宁愿你工作出于自愿，而不是被迫。
3.dashboard n. 汽车等的仪表板；马车等前部的挡泥板
The clock on the dashboard said it was five to two.
汽车仪表板上的时钟显示当时1：55。
4.gauge n. 计量器；标准尺寸；容量规格
This apparatus consists essentially of a flow meter, a pressure gauge.
这个装置有一个必不可少的流量计，一个压力表。
内容解析
1.Opponents of this use of antibiotic say it adds to worldwide resistance to such drugs.
add to 加入，加到；增添，添加(某物)；加强：
Add the second total to the third.
把第二笔总额加在第三笔总额上。
The bad weather added to the shipwrecked sailors’ difficulties.
恶劣的天气增加了失事船只的船员们的困难。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
美国监管部门要求抗生素制药厂告诉农场主停止对牲畜使用某些药物，抗生素是用来对付细菌和感染的。
全世界的大型动物农场通常都使用少量的抗生素来帮助健康的动物更快生长，而不需要喂太多饲料。他们将抗生素放在食物和水中，然后给牛、鸡和猪吃。
抗生素的反对者称这都会增加全世界对此类药物的抗药性，公共卫生专家称对动物使用抗生素可能使得细菌具有两倍的抗药性，这样在治疗人类疾病时抗生素效果就降低了。
上月，美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)要求制药公司自愿修改目前动物农场中使用的抗生素的包装上的文字。
迈克尔·泰勒是管理局副局长。
“有了这样的修改，被批准的使用就会减少，其他的用途将受到更严格的控制，从而将抗药性的影响最小化。”
FDA要求而不是命令药物公司做出修改的做法惹怒了部分活动人士，但FDA称如果要求制药公司自愿改变对抗生素的使用，那么会更快奏效。
Dimitri Drekonja是美国感染病协会的一名医生，他支持FDA要求做出自愿修改的做法，但他不确定制药公司会执行该要求。
“如果整个行业和每个人都遵守这个要求，那么这只是必须的第一步，也可能是最后一步，但我怀疑会这样吗？”
有的大型制药公司已经同意做出修改，Liz Wagstrom是美国猪肉生产商委员会的主治兽医，她说生猪农场业准备改变对抗生素的使用方式，即使这会让一些农场主付出成本。
“我们可能会失掉一些效率，可能会有些动物长的不会那么快，或者需要吃更多谷物才能重量达标。”
她说这些改变可能意味着农场主会有更多生病的动物。
Drekonja医生说要衡量新政策将如何影响要抗性可能会很难。
“如果能有像仪表盘样的东西，能看到抗生素量的指针在下降，那就很棒了，然后看全国耐药性的仪表，看下一步会怎样。我们并没有这么简单的两个仪表。”
他说目前缺少农场使用抗生素量的数据，也缺少医生使用量的数据。
即使是禁止适用于动物多年，有的细菌仍对药物存有抗药性。但医生说他们必须采取更多措施来限制人类对抗生素的使用，他们认为农场主也应该这么做。
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道，我是鲍勃·多迪。
