2007年VOA标准英语-Multi-Country Gene Study Points to Causes of Au
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：2007年VOA标准英语（二月）
By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
20 February 2007
watch Autism report
Scientists working to solve the mysteries of autism say their research points to genetic 2 causes. The results come from the largest study ever done on the disorder 3. The study looked at the genes 4 of almost 1,200 families. Each had at least two autistic children. VOA's Carol Pearson has more.
Autism was first believed to be caused by bad parenting
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder. It affects people throughout the world. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic 5, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls.
Theresa and Chris Waddell have two boys with mild autism. Theresa says they are both different. "Autism is such a wide spectrum 6. Every child presents [manifests the symptoms] differently."
Which is why it is really a group of disorders 7 called autism spectrum disorders, or ASD. ASD impairs 8 a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. Those most severely 9 affected 10 cannot even talk.
Scientists suspected a genetic cause -- and this may have been confirmed by a new international study. Computers that can read billions of DNA 11 signals in minutes showed specific genes and genetic abnormalities unique to these families.
Joseph Buxbaum
Geneticist Joseph Buxbaum is one of the principal investigators 12 in the study. He explains what they found. "A smoking gun that implicates 13 a series of genes that all work together, and may together cause autism."
The researchers say the new study also shows environmental toxins 14 do not cause autism spectrum disorders. Professor Buxbaum adds, "The evidence suggests autism is over 90 percent caused by genes."
And not by just one gene 1 but by combinations of genes that may cause the different degrees and kinds of autism.
Buxbaum says it is just the beginning, "We have the beginnings of the beginning, I would call it. The message here is that there is great hope now." The researchers say they hope their findings will lead to drugs that could reverse autism in five to 10 years.
The researchers will now focus on the many genes they've identified in the autism families hoping to find the exact roles of each gene or abnormality and how they interact.
- A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
- The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
- 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。
- When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
- It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。
- You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
- This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
- The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
- This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
- We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。
- Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Smoking impairs our health. 吸烟会损害我们的健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Almost anything that impairs liver function can cause hepatitis. 任何有损于肝功能的因素，几乎都会引起肝炎。 来自辞典例句
- He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
- He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
- DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
- Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
- This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
- The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- This confession implicates numerous officials in the bribery scandal. 这一供认会使许多官员牵连到受贿的丑事中。 来自辞典例句
- Did you tell him that the recording implicates President Logan in Palmer's assassination? 你有没有告诉他录音显示洛根总统跟帕尔默被杀有关？ 来自电影对白