(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Dogs Trained to Smell Low Blood Sugar Levels May Save Lives
Dogs can be trained to use their sense of smell to recognize illegal drugs and explosives. So Mark Ruefenacht wondered if the animals also could recognize changes in the blood sugar level of people with diabetes.
Ruenfenacht has had the disease for much of his life. In 1999, he almost died while training a young dog to be a guide dog for the blind. Without any warning, his blood sugar suddenly dropped to a dangerously low level.
Ruefenacht said the dog stayed with him, and tried to keep him awake.
"More than likely, I had a seizure, from the low blood sugar. The dog liked me, and he stuck with me and I was able to get my blood sugar up."
When talking about a drop in blood sugar, doctors use the term hypoglycemia. Ruefenacht said his near death experience made him wonder if dogs could be trained to identify the chemical changes that happen during an attack, and then inform their owners.
Dogs4Diabetics begins
Ruefenacht worked with scientists and financed research which found that the "smell" of hypoglycemia appears in both breath and sweat. He also worked with and studied animal trainers who teach dogs to recognize everything from explosives to cancer.
In addition, Ruefenacht started training a yellow Labrador retriever named Armstrong to tell him when he had a dangerously low blood sugar level.
The training was successful. Armstrong is now listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the world's first diabetes-detection dog.
Armstrong died in 2012.
Ruefenacht noted that after his early training successes, several organizations offered him a lot of money for the rights to his discoveries. He told VOA he refused those offers. Instead, in 2004, he created a group called Dogs4Diabetics, where he trains dogs to help people with diabetes.
Ruefenacht says training for a diabetes detection dog and its owner can cost up to $50,000. His organization raises money to cover the costs, so they can provide dogs for free to those in need.
The smell of hypoglycemia
To train the animals, Ruefenacht uses bottles containing swabs of sweat from a diabetic with low blood sugar, and containers of other smells, such as peanut butter, dog food, or plants. The dogs are given a treat when they choose the correct jar.
This "sweat jar" method for training diabetes detection dogs has been approved scientifically.
The next step is to teach the dog to alert the owner. The dogs are trained to use subtle signs at first. However, if those signals are ignored, the animals then put their paws on the owner's legs or shoulders. They learn to lick and put their nose in the owner's face, and make noises. If none of these methods work, the dogs are then trained to find someone else to help.
Ruefenacht says the dogs can often detect blood sugar dropping long before electronic systems send a warning sound.
Dogs4Diabetics has placed more than 100 dogs with diabetics. The group hopes to expand the program -- training people's "most loyal friend" to save lives and help diabetics around the world.
I'm Phil Dierking.
重点解析
1.illegal drugs 违禁药品；毒品
I have never taken illegal drugs.
我从未使用过违禁药品。
2.blood sugar 血糖
Hunger is the body's signal that levels of blood sugar are too low.
饥饿感是身体发出的信号，表示血糖水平太低。
3.peanut butter 花生酱
I had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
我吃了两个放了花生酱和果酱的三明治。
4.at first 起先；最初
At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt
起初，我姑且相信了他。
5.Ruefenacht said the dog stayed with him, and tried to keep him awake.
keep awake 保持清醒
Can you will yourself to keep awake?
你能以意志力使自己保持清醒吗？
I was so tired that I couldn't keep awake.
我太疲倦，因此不能保持清醒。
6.In addition, Ruefenacht started training a yellow Labrador retriever named Armstrong to tell him when he had a dangerously low blood sugar level.
In addition 另外
In addition, the respondent disclosed professional confidences to one of the patients.
另外，被告还向其中一位病人透露了行业机密。
In addition, interest on Treasury issues isn't subject to state and local income taxes.
另外，国债利息不需缴纳政府和地方所得税。
参考译文
受训的血糖检测犬可挽救生命
经过培训的狗能够利用它们的嗅觉识别毒品和爆炸物。因此，马克·鲁芬纳克特（Mark Ruefenacht）好奇，这种动物是否能识别出糖尿病患者的血糖变化。
鲁芬纳克特这大半辈子都饱受糖尿病的折磨。1999年，他在训练年幼的导盲犬时差点丧命。在丝毫没有预警的情况下，他的血糖突然下降到危险的低水平。
鲁芬纳克特表示，这只狗一直陪着他，并且尽力让他保持清醒。
他说：“很有可能是我的低血糖突然发作。这只狗喜欢我，它守护着我，我的血糖指数逐渐回升。”
说到血糖下降，医生们会用到专业术语——低血糖。鲁芬纳克特表示，那次濒死的经历让他好奇狗是否也可以接受训练，识别发病期间任何的化学变化，然后告知主人。
创办Dogs4Diabetics组织
鲁芬纳克特与科学家合作并资助了一项研究，该研究发现，呼吸和汗液里都会出现低血糖“气味”。他还与动物训练员一起合作，后者可以训练狗狗识别从爆炸物到癌症等一切事物。
此外，鲁芬纳克特开始训练一只名为“阿姆斯特朗”的黄色拉布拉多犬，以便及时获悉危险的低血糖预警。
这次训练很成功。阿姆斯特朗现被列入吉尼斯世界纪录大全，成为全球首只糖尿病检测犬。
2012年，阿姆斯特朗死亡。
鲁芬纳克特指出，早期的训练成功后，有几家组织为他的发现提供了大量资金。他告诉美国之音，自己拒绝了这些资金。相反，他于2014年创立了Dogs4Diabetics组织，以便帮助糖尿病患者训练检测犬。
鲁芬纳克特表示，训练一只糖尿病检测犬（培训其主人）的费用可能高达5万美元。他的组织筹集资金来支付这些费用，这样可以为有需要的人免费提供检测犬。
低血糖的气味
为了训练这些检测犬，鲁芬纳克特使用含有低血糖糖尿病患者汗液拭子的瓶子，以及沾染花生酱、狗粮或植物等气味的容器。当狗选出正确的罐子时会得到食物奖励。
这种培训糖尿病检测犬的汗液罐方法获得了科学认可。
接下来是训练检测犬提醒主人。最初，训练这些狗使用细微的信号。但是，如果这些信号被忽视，那么狗会把爪子放在主人的腿上或肩上。它们会学习舔舐，把鼻子凑到主人脸上并且发出声响。如果以上方法仍不奏效，那么接受过训练的狗会向其他人求助。
鲁芬纳克特表示，检测犬通常能在电子系统发出警告很久之前检测出血糖下降。
Dogs4Diabetics组织为糖尿病患者提供了100多只检测犬。该组织希望扩大该项目，训练“人类最忠实的朋友”来挽救生命并帮助全球各地的糖尿病患者。
菲尔·迪尔金为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
