VOA慢速英语2017 越来越多美国人死于毒品

More Americans Died From Drugs Than Ever Before

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语健康和生活报道。

In 2016, more than 60,000 people died in the United States because of drugs. That is the highest number of drug deaths and the fastest yearly increase in recorded history. Early data suggests that deaths from opioids and other drugs will continue to rise in 2017.

2016年，美国有6万多人因为毒品死亡。这是有记录以来最高的毒品死亡人数以及最快的年度增幅。初步数据显示，2017年阿片类药物等毒品造成的死亡人数将会继续上升。

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made this statement in June 2017 at a news conference with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials.

目前，吸毒过量是美国50岁以下人群死亡的主要原因。2017年6月,美国副总检察长罗德·罗森斯坦（Rod Rosenstein）同美国缉毒局官员出席一场新闻发布会时发表了上述声明。

Rosenstein called it a “horrifying 1 surge in drug overdoses." He added that drug abuse is wrecking 2 families and communities throughout the U.S.

罗森斯坦称其为“吸毒过量死亡人数可怕地急剧增长。”他补充说，滥用毒品正在破坏美国各地的家庭和社区。

More than two million Americans have some sort of physical dependence 3 on opioids. Opioids are a type of painkiller 4 that are legally prescribed to many people. Opioids are addictive 6 if people take too much of them or take them for a long period of time.

美国两百多万人对阿片类药物存在某种身体依赖。阿片类药物是一种合法开给大多数人服用的止痛剂。如果人们服用阿片类药物过量或长时间服用就会上瘾。

New types of illegal killer 5 drugs

新型的非法致命毒品

However, there is a new and even more dangerous part of the opioid crisis and it is happening much more often. This is the making and selling of extremely strong, illegal types of drugs that copy ones that already exist. One such drug is fentanyl.

然而，阿片类药物危机存在一种新型并且甚至更为危险的类型，并且发生得更为频繁。这就是仿现有毒品的极其强力的非法毒品的制造和销售，其中一种这样的毒品就是芬太尼。

Fentanyl is so strong that even the smallest amounts — as little as two or three grains — can kill. Police officers and other first responders who try to help drug overdose victims are often affected 7 by the drug themselves.

芬太尼非常强力，甚至极少量，少到只要两三粒就能致命。试图帮助吸毒过量受害者的警务人员和其它现场急救员自身就经常受到这种药品的影响。

DEA does not yet have data on this part the problem. However, officials say there is a clear increase in cases where first responders have become ill while handling evidence or helping 8 overdose drug victims.

美国缉毒局尚未有这部分问题的数据。然而，有关官员表示，现场急救员在处理证据或帮助吸毒过量受害者时致病的案例有明显增长。

Chuck Rosenberg is a high-level official at the DEA. He has warned emergency responders to take great care in drug-overdose cases. He advises them to wear protective gear such as masks and gloves.

查克·罗森伯格(Chuck Rosenberg)是美国缉毒局一名高级官员。他已经警告紧急救援人员在处理吸毒过量案例时要极度小心。他建议他们穿戴防护装备，例如面具和手套。

Even dogs trained to find illegal drugs are at risk. Their handlers have begun carrying antidotes 10 for both the animals and themselves. However, these new synthetic 11 drugs are so powerful that many doses of antidotes are sometimes needed to save the rescuers.

即使是经过训练用于搜寻非法毒品的警犬也有风险。警犬训练人员已经开始为警犬和自己都携带解毒剂。然而，这些新合成毒品效力如此之大，有时候需要很多剂量的解毒剂来解救救援人员。

Rosenberg summed up DEA advice to emergency teams at an overdose scene: "If you don't know what it is, assume there's something in it that will kill you.''

罗森伯格概括了美国缉毒局对应急小组在吸毒过量现场的建议：“如果你不知道它是什么，假定它里面有些东西会杀死你。”

Increasing danger in Europe

欧洲的风险加剧

The extremely fast rise in opioid problems is also happening in Europe. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction 12 reported in June 2017 that dangerous synthetic drugs similar to heroin 13 and morphine are a growing health threat in the European Union.

阿片类药品问题的急剧上升也发生在欧洲。欧洲毒品和毒品成瘾监测中心于2017年6月报告称，与海洛因以及吗啡类似的危险合成毒品在欧洲是一种日益增长的健康威胁。

Experts at the center say on its website that more than 8,000 people died from overdose in the EU in 2015. This is the third year in a row that the number of overdoses has increased in the EU. And the center warns that drug-related deaths in Europe could be much higher. For this, it blames delayed reporting and “under-reporting in some countries.”

该中心的专家在其网站上表示，2015年欧盟国家有8千多人死于吸毒过量。这是欧盟国家连续第三年吸毒过量人数出现增长。该中心警告说，欧洲与毒品相关人死亡可能会更高。对于这点，它将其归咎于报告迟缓以及“在某些国家报告不足。”

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

data – n. acts or information used usually to calculate, analyze 14, or plan something

opioid – medical n. possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics 15 but not derived 16 from opium 17

horrifying – adj. something that causes someone to feel horror

surge – n. a sudden, large increase

antidote 9 – n. a remedy to counteract 18 the effects of poison

sum up – phrasal verb to present a summary : to assess and then describe briefly 19

synthetic – adj. made by combining different substances : not natural