Alice: and I'm Alice. Neil, what are you eating?

我是Alice；Neil，你在吃啥？

Neil: Peanuts.

Neil：花生

Alice: Hmm. Did you know that one of the producers, here, has an allergy to peanuts?

Alice：你知道這兒的某位製作人對花生過敏嗎？

Neil: No, I didn't – but they're not in the studio with us, so it doesn't matter, does it?

Neil：不，我不知道。不過他們沒跟我們一塊兒在錄音室，所以沒關係吧？不是嗎？

Alice: It only takes a tiny piece of peanut to cause a big allergic reaction in some people.

Alice：只要些微的花生碎屑就會在某些人身上引起很大的過敏反應

An allergy by the way, is a condition that makes you feel ill after eating, touching

順道一提，過敏是一種使你感到不適的狀況，在你食用、接觸

or breathing in a particular substance.

或吸入某種特定的物質後

Neil: And food allergies are the subject of today's show.

Neil：而食物過敏就是今天節目的主題

Alice: Alright, put your peanuts down, Neil and answer today's quiz question.

Alice：好吧，放下你的花生，Neil，並且回答今天測驗的問題

What substance is used to treat a severe allergic reaction? Is it...

什麼物質被拿來治療嚴重的過敏反應？它是...

a) penicillin? b) adrenalin?

a) 盤尼西林? b) 腎上腺素

Or c) aspirin?

或c) 阿斯匹林?

Neil: OK, well, I'm going to go for a) penicillin.

Neil：好的，我要選a) 盤尼西林

Alice: Well, we'll find out if that's the right answer later on.

Alice：待會兒我們就會知道答案是否正確

Now let's listen to Dr Marianne Williams talking about why being too clean may not be a good thing.

現在讓我們來聽Marianne Williams醫生談談為何過分清潔也許不是件好事

She is a dietician here in the UK.

她是英國的一位營養學家

Dr Marianne Williams: For roughly the first month of life the immune system is switched

Marianne Williams醫生：新生兒的第一個月大致上來說免疫系統是關閉的

off in essence and everything they [babies] get exposed to in that first month in life

而在他們生命的第一個月所接觸的一切

dogs, cats, aunts, uncles, grannies, grandpas, family, dirt – everything –

狗、貓、阿姨、叔叔、奶奶、爺爺、家人、灰塵，所有的一切

that is where they build up all the bacteria that are then going to colonize their gut in the future.

就是他們培植所有未來進駐在腸道裡細菌的地方

Now, if you're born into a very sterile environment,

現在，如果你出生在一個無菌的環境，

as is increasingly the case in the western world, everything's kept terribly clean,

如同在西方國家越來越多的例子，所有的東西都保持過分潔淨，

and one of the theories is that we just are not getting enough exposure

而其中的一種理論就是：在新生的第一個月的早期階段，我們並沒有足夠的時間暴露於

to a variety of bacteria at that very very early stage in that first month of life.

含有大量細菌的環境當中

Alice: Dr Marianne Williams. The immune system is our body's defence against infection.

Alice：Marianne Williams醫生。免疫系統是我們的身體抵抗感染的防禦機制

And it's switched off – or not working – for the first month of a baby's life.

而它關閉了，或不運作了，在新生兒的第一個月

Neil: And through exposure to lots of things in our environment – that's family, pets,

Neil：透過暴露在我們環境中的東西，也就是家人、寵物

dirt and so on – young babies meet different bacteria for the first time which colonise

灰塵等等。小寶寶第一次與不同種類的、將要移植

or live and grow in – their guts.

或居住並且生長在他們腸道裡的細菌相遇

Alice: Yes, but in a sterile environment babies don't get exposed to – or don't meet –

Alice：是的，但在一個無菌的環境裡小寶寶無法接觸或者遇見

a wide enough variety of bacteria.

足量的細菌

Sterile means completely clean and free of bacteria.

無菌意味著全然的潔淨並且沒有細菌

And there's a theory that being too clean and bacteria-free

有個理論是太乾淨或者無菌

now we have soap, antibiotics and better sanitation

我們現在有香皂、抗生素和更好的公共衛生

has lead to an increase in allergies.

已經引起了過敏人數的增加

Neil: So dirty play for babies is good – mud, pets, picking stuff up off the floor and eating it.

Neil：所以在骯髒的環境玩耍對小寶寶是好的；泥巴、寵物、撿起掉在地上的東西並且吃掉它

Alice: Did you use to eat food off the floor when you were little, Neil?

Alice：Neil，你小時候很習慣吃掉在地上的食物嗎？

Neil: Used to? I still do. I enjoy food from the floor!

Neil：以前嗎？我還是呀！我愛地上的食物

Alice: Well, Neil, what can I say? We're both lucky to be allergy-free.

Alice：Neil，我能說什麼呢？我們都很幸運沒過敏

I have a friend who has an allergy to gluten

我有個朋友對麩質過敏

a protein found in wheat and some other grains

一種在麥子或其他穀類中所發現的蛋白質

and she has to be very careful about what she eats so she doesn't get ill.

而她對她吃的東西必須很小心這樣她才不會生病

Neil: The supermarkets are quite helpful, though, aren't they,

Neil：即便如此，超級市場也幫得上忙，他們不是

with products 'free from this' and 'free from that'?

有「這個不加」和「那個不加」的產品嗎？

Alice: This is helpful, yes. But the food industry is now marketing their products to

Alice：是沒錯啦。不過食品商現在都把他們的產品推銷

attract consumers who don't have a proven – or tested – allergy.

去吸引沒有被證實或經過測試有過敏反應的消費者群

Neil: Why would you buy free-from foods if you don't have a food allergy?

Neil：你為什麼要買免於過敏的食物如果你並沒有食物過敏呢？

Alice: Well, people have started to believe that certain foods

Alice：人們逐漸相信某些食物

like gluten or dairy are bad for us,

像是麩質或乳製品對我們不好

though there isn't any medical evidence to support this.

即使沒有任何的醫學實證支持這個說法

Let's hear about how rickets

讓我們來聽聽軟骨症

a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin D in the diet

一種在飲食中因缺乏維生素D所引起的疾病

is affecting some children in the UK.

正如何影響在英國的某些孩童

This is BBC reporter Mike Williams.

我是BBC記者Mike Williams

Mike Williams: Rickets is common in the developing world but this is London in the 21st century.

Mike Williams：軟骨症在開發中國家很普遍，但這裡是21世紀的英國

These children aren't malnourished because they're too poor to eat well ... it's the opposite.

這些孩子營養不良並非因為貧窮吃不起...正好相反

Their often middle-class parents are spending money to give them foods with ingredients taken out.

他們中產階級的父母常常花錢提供他們消除養分的食物

It's as if some of us have become unnecessarily frightened of our food.

它就好像部分的我們變得非必要地害怕我們的食物

Neil: Rickets usually affects malnourished childrenfrom poor countries– children who

Neil：軟骨症通常影響來自貧窮國家營養不良的兒童，孩童們

don't have enough to eat – and it makes their bones weak.

吃不起足夠的食物，而這使他們的骨頭脆弱

But here in London some parents are buying their children expensive free-from foods

然而在倫敦這裡有些家長正買給他們的孩子昂貴且免於過敏的食物

for example to avoid dairy

例如避免牛奶

and are sometimes making them very ill.

而且偶爾讓他們生病

Alice: It sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Alice：它聽起來真是瘋狂，不是嗎？

Neil: Yeah... it's nuts! Get it? Nuts.

Neil：是的...瘋了！懂了嗎？瘋子（註：英文裡，堅果和瘋子同為nuts）

Alice: Very good.

Alice：非常好

Neil: Yes. Nuts - that means crazy. Now I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.

Neil：就是啊！太瘋狂了，就是狂熱的意思。我想現在是公布測驗答案的時間了。

Alice: OK, then. So earlier in the show I asked:

Alice：好的，稍早我在節目中問到：

What substance is used to treat a severe allergic reaction?

「什麼物質被用來治療嚴重的過敏反應呢？」

Is it... a) penicillin? b) adrenalin? Or c) aspirin?

它是...a) 盤尼西林？b) 腎上腺素？或是 c) 阿斯匹靈？

Neil: I said a) penicillin.

Neil：我猜 a) 盤尼西林

Alice: And you were wrong, Neil! The correct answer is b) adrenalin.

Alice：而你錯了，Neil！正確答案是b) 腎上腺素

An injection of adrenalin can be used to treat anaphylaxis

注射腎上腺素能夠用來治療過敏症狀

or severe allergic reactions ... to insect stings,

或是嚴重的過敏反應...例如蟲咬，

foods, drugs, and other allergens.

食物、藥品到其他過敏原

Antibiotics such as penicillin treat bacterial infections

像盤尼西林這樣的抗生素治療細菌感染

and aspirin is a painkiller you might take for a headache.

而阿斯匹靈則是你頭痛時可能會服用的止痛藥

Neil: OK, can you tell us the words we heard today again please, Alice?

Neil：好，Alice，你可以再次覆誦我們今天所聽到的單字嗎？

Alice: Sure. They are:

Alice：當然。它們是：

allergy

過敏

immune system

免疫系統

switched off

關閉

colonise

移植

get exposed to

暴露於...

sterile

無菌的

gluten

麩質

proven

證實的

rickets

軟骨症

malnourished

營養缺乏的

nuts

瘋狂的

anaphylaxis

過敏症狀

Neil: Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English. Don't be afraid to join us again soon.

Neil：那今天六分鐘英語的到了尾聲了。別怕再次加入我們

Alice: You know where to find us, don't you? Go to bbclearningenglish.com where you'll

Alice：你知道哪裡能找到我們，不是嗎？就上 bbclearningenglish.com你將

find grammar points, vocabulary and more editions of 6 Minute English.

可以找到文法重點、字彙以及更多集的六分鐘英語

Both: Bye.

兩人：再會