Pregnancy Anomalies May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

    Certain abnormalities occurring in problem pregnancies are associated with a long-term reduction in risk of breast cancer, according to a study released on Tuesday that tracked women for four decades. Researchers led by epidemiologist Barbara Cohn of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley，California¹, examined records on 3,804 white women in the San Francisco² area who were pregnant during the period from June 1959 through April 1967.  

    The study found that three anomalies 一 two relating to the placenta and one involving the women"s blood pressure 一 were linked with a big decline in breast cancer occurrence. Cohn said changes in the levels of hormones and other substances in the body caused by the abnormalities may produce a protective effect. She also noted that most of the women who experienced the anomalies still gave birth to³healthy babies. "It"s more subtle than to say what"s bad for the baby is good for the mother.⁴ It"s really not quite like that⁵，” Cohn said in a telephone interview. "

    She said she was hopeful that researchers could nail down the exact mechanisms⁶ at work in providing the long-term cancer protection for the women who experienced these complications. "It"s certainly possible that one might be able to design a treatment or possibly a prevention that is related to these factors," Cohn said.

    She said scientists have known for many years that events that occur in pregnancy have an impact on the risk of breast cancer. Cohn said her study provides new details about some specific characteristics of pregnancies that may relate to long-term protection against breast cancer.

    A blood pressure increase experienced by the mother between the second and third trimesters of the pregnancy was associated with lower breast cancer incidence, the study found. Women whose increase was in the highest 25 percent of population studied had a 51 percent reduction in breast cancer rate.

    Women with a smaller placenta size (weight and diameter) also had lower breast cancer rates. The placenta, the tissue that connects the mother and fetus, produces hormones to help maintain the pregnancy and allows the exchange of oxygen, nutrients and waste materials.

    In addition, women who experienced a condition known as maternal floor infarction of the placenta 一 a serious abnormality that can block the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus 一 had a 60 percent reduction in breast cancer rate.

    All three risk factors in combination were linked with up to a 94 percent reduction in breast cancer incidence, the study concluded.

 

词汇：

anomaly / əˈnɒməli/ n.异常，反常

f(o)etus /ˈfi:təs/ n. 胎儿，胚胎

abnormality /ˌæbnɔ:ˈmæləti/ n. .异常

nutrient / ˈnju:triənt / adj. 营养物质；营养的

placenta /plə"sentə/ n. 胎盘 

maternal / məˈtɜ:nl / adj. 母亲的

complication /ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃn/ n.并发症

floor /flɔ:(r)/ n.底部

infarction /ɪnˈfɑ:kʃn/ n. 梗死

trimester /traɪˈmestə(r)/ n.  三个月期间

epidemiologist /ˌepɪˌdi:mɪ"ɒlədʒɪst/ n. 流行病学家

 

注释：

1.the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, California：(美国）加利福尼亚州伯克利市公共卫生研究所 Berkeley &伯克利市（美国港口城市） California n.加利福尼亚州（美国）

2.San Francisco： n.圣弗兰西斯科（即旧金山或三藩市）（美国港口城市）

3.give birth to ( =bear) (a baby, a child)：生产（婴儿）(比喻）give birth to (a poem, a dispute...)：产生，造成（写出一首诗，造成争端……)

4.It"s more sybtle... for the mother.这个问题并不像说对婴儿有害就是对母亲有利这么简单。 more subtle原意是“更加微妙”。

5. It"s really not quite like that:的确完全不是那么回事…… like在这里是介词,介同短语like that用做表语。

6.nail down the exact mechanisms:把确切的机理搞清楚。nail down ( =make final； settle once and for all)：使……明确，确定 nail作为名词用时是“钉子”的意思，故nail down类似汉语“敲定”的意思。 例如：nail down ah agreement敲定协议书。Nail it down before you sign anything.签字以前一定要把它搞清楚。

It seems that Cohn is____of finding out the exact mechanisms at work

A:confident B:proud C:sorry D:afraid

Humans are social animals. They live in groups all over the world. As these groups of people live apart from other groups, over the years and centuries they develop their own habits and ideas, which form different cultures. One important particular side of every culture is how its people deal with time.
Time is not very important in non-industrial societies. The Nuer people of East Africa, for example, do not even have a word TIME that is in agreement with the abstract thing we call time. The daily lives of the people of such non-industrial societies are likely to be patterned around their physical needs and natural events rather than around a time schedule based on the clock. They cook and eat when they are hungry and sleep when the sun goes down. They plant crops during the growing seasons and harvest them when the crops are ripe. They measure time not by a clock or calendar, but by saying that an event takes place before or after some other events. Frequently such a society measures days in terms of "sleeps" or longer periods in terms of "moons". Some cultures, such as the Eskimos of Greenland measure seasons according to the migration of certain animals.
Some cultures which do not have a written language or keep written records have developed interesting ways of "telling time". For example, when several Australian aborigines want to plan an event for a future time, one of them places a stone on a cliff or in a tree. Each day the angle of the sun changes slightly. In a few days, the rays of the sun strike the stone in a certain way. When this happens, the people see that the agreed-upon time has arrived and the event can take place.
In contrast, exactly correct measurement of time is very important in modern, industrialized societies. This is because industrialized societies require the helpful efforts of many people in order to work. For a factory to work efficiently (well, quickly and without waste), for example, all of the workers must work at the same time. Therefore, they must know what time to start work in the morning and what time they may go home in the afternoon. Passengers must know the exact time that an
Time is not very important in non-industrial societies. This is because people in those societies ______.

A:don’t have the word "time" in their languages B:don’t get used to using clocks and other timepieces C:don’t measure time in their daily-lives around an exact time schedule D:don’t need to plan their daily lives around an exact time schedule

The exact year of Christ’s birth is not recorded, but the calendar began on the supposed date divides time into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (in the year of our Lord). Nor was the exact day of his birth known. For the first 300 years his birthday was celebrated on different days. It was not until the year 354 that December25^th was chosen.
Christmas music is loved by all who hear and sing it every year. Carols, bells, and merry music have been a part of Christmas for centuries. Every Christmas Eve the bells ring to call people to church services. The most famous sleigh bells in the world belong to Santa Claus.
Christmas is a family festival. In the United States, no distance seems too great if it enables one to join the family circle for the holiday. All schools close for two weeks, parents welcome home their children and grandchildren and often open their doors to friends and strangers.

The calendar began （　）

A:in the exact year of Christ’ birth B:on the exact date which divides time into and C:on December 25^th D:on the chosen date

The exact year of Christ’s birth is not recorded, but the calendar began on the supposed date divides time into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (in the year of our Lord). Nor was the exact day of his birth known. For the first 300 years his birthday was celebrated on different days. It was not until the year 354 that December25^thwas chosen.
Christmas music is loved by all who hear and sing it every year. Carols, bells, and merry music have been a part of Christmas for centuries. Every Christmas Eve the bells ring to call people to church services. The most famous sleigh bells in the world belong to Santa Claus.
Christmas is a family festival. In the United States, no distance seems too great if it enables one to join the family circle for the holiday. All schools close for two weeks, parents welcome home their children and grandchildren and often open their doors to friends and strangers.
The calendar began ______.

A:A．in the exact year of Christ’ birth B:B．on the exact date which divides time into C:C．and D:D． on December 25^th on the chosen date

Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh. The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21. Hundreds more are missing or feared dead.
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country.
The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season.
One of the ferries, MV Mitali, was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300, police said. The second ferry carried about 100 passengers.
"The number of deaths is certain to rise." said an official in charge of the rescue work. "No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived.
Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board.
Besides the ferry accidents, at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes, falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats.
Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, as are boating accidents. Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people.
Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions.
Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh. It is a country covered by about 230 rivers. Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s Waterways every year. And many of them are dangerously overcrowded.
Since 1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents.
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters

A:They were overcrowded. B:They sank on April 21. C:The exact number of deaths could be easily determined. D:They sank somewhere near Dhak

No one knows the exact origin of this custom.

A:nature B:reason C:beginning D:result

Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh. The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21 Hundreds more are missing or feared dead.
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhaka as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country. The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from travelling at night during the April-May stormy season.
One of the ferries, MV Mitali, was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300, police said The second ferry carried about 100 passengers. "The number of deaths is certain to rise, " said an official in charge of the rescue work. "No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived. " Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board. Besides the ferry accidents, at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes, falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats.
Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, as are boating accidents. Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people. Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions. Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh. It is a country covered by about 230 rivers. Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s waterways(水路)every year. And many of them are dangerously overcrowded (过度拥挤). Since1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents.
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters

A:They traveled during the April-May stormy season B:They sank on April 21 C:The exact number of deaths could be easily determined D:They sank somewhere near Dhaka

Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh. The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21. Hundreds more are missing or feared dead.
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhaka as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country.
The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season.
One of the ferries, MV Mitali, was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300. Police said the second ferry carried about 100 passengers.
"The number of deaths is certain to rise, "said an official in charge of the rescue work, "No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived. "
Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on hoard.
Besides the ferry accidents, at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes, falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats.
Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, as are boating accidents. Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people.
Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough cheeks on weather conditions.
Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh. It is a country covered by about 230 rivers. Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s waterways(水路) every year. And many of them are dangerously overcrowded (过度拥挤).
Since1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents.
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters

A:They traveled during the April-May stormy season. B:They sank on April 21. C:The exact number of deaths could be easily determined. D:They sank somewhere near Dhak

Humans are social animals. They live in groups all over the world. As these groups of people live apart from other groups, over the years and centuries they develop their own habits and ideas, which form different cultures. One important particular side of every culture is how its people deal with time.
Time is not very important in non-industrial societies. The Nuer people of East Africa, for example, do not even have a word TIME that is in agreement with the abstract thing we call time. The daily lives of the people of such non-industrial societies are likely to be patterned around their physical needs and natural events rather than around a time schedule based on the clock. They cook and eat when they are hungry and sleep when the sun goes down. They plant crops during the growing seasons and harvest them when the crops are ripe. They measure time not by a clock or calendar, but by saying that an event takes place before or after some other events. Frequently such a society measures days in terms of "sleeps" or longer periods in terms of "moons". Some cultures, such as the Eskimos of Greenland measure seasons according to the migration of certain animals.
Some cultures which do not have a written language or keep written records have developed interesting ways of "telling time". For example, when several Australian aborigines want to plan an event for a future time, one of them places a stone on a cliff or in a tree. Each day the angle of the sun changes slightly. In a few days, the rays of the sun strike the stone in a certain way. When this happens, the people see that the agreed-upon time has arrived and the event can take place.
In contrast, exactly correct measurement of time is very important in modern, industrialized societies. This is because industrialized societies require the helpful efforts of many people in order to work. For a factory to work efficiently (well, quickly and without waste), for example, all of the workers must work at the same time. Therefore, they must know what time to start work in the morning and what time they may go home in the afternoon. Passengers must know the exact time that an
Time is not very important in non-industrial societies. This is because people in those societies ______.

A:don’t have the word "time" in their languages B:don’t get used to using clocks and other timepieces C:don’t measure time in their daily-lives around an exact time schedule D:don’t need to plan their daily lives around an exact time schedule