From VOA Learning English, this is Science in
the News. I’m Bob Doughty.
And I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. Drinking alcohol1
is a socially acceptable behavior2 in many parts
of the world. Some medical experts3 say light4
drinking may even be good5 for your health,
especially for the heart. But they say such health benefits6 should
be7 compared to the many health risks connected with alcohol
use. Today we report on some of the issues7 involving
alcohol use.
Millions of people around the world have
a glass of wine8 with dinner9,
drink a beer at a sporting event, or accept alcoholic drinks at a party10.
The use of alcohol dates back11
more than 10,000 years. From then until now12,
alcohol has played13 an important part in human
civilization. It is used in cultural and religious ceremonies, at social
gatherings14, and even for medical purposes15.
Records of alcohol’s effects date back to ancient
times16. Alcohol has been called17 both
a tonic and a poison18. And medical experts continue
to debate its value.
Alcohol is created through a process19
called fermentation. During20 this process, yeast21
is used to turn sugar into22 a simple
molecule – ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol. Different kinds of sugar are
used to make different alcoholic drinks. For example, the sugar from grapes23
is used to make wine24. Sugar from grain25
is used to produce vodka and gin. And sugar from sugarcane26
or molasses27 can produce rum.
Alcohol affects every organ in the body. When
alcohol enters the body, some of it goes immediately to the stomach and the bloodstream28.
The rest of it, about29 80 percent, goes to the small
intestine30 and is released into31 the
bloodstream. Once32 alcohol enters the blood, it is pumped
throughout the body33 by the heart.
A large amount of34 beer
is usually drunk35 during Oktoberfest.
The liver36 is
responsible for detoxifying37 the alcohol and removing
it from the blood. But, the liver can only process a small amount of alcohol at
a time38. The rest continues to move throughout the body. It
mixes with39 the water in tissue40.
It also enters the central nervous system and the brain41.
Ethanol acts as a drug, affecting coordination, emotions and the ability to
think.
There has been42 a large amount of research done43 on alcohol
and its effects on human health. Much of the research has examined the harmful
effects44. But, some research suggests that having one to
two drinks of alcohol a day may offer45 some health
benefits.
Several46 large studies have shown47 that this type of
moderate drinking may lower the risk48 of coronary heart
disease49, cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke50
and diabetes. Moderate drinking has also been linked to51
a reduced risk of death from heart attack and a decreased risk of
Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Vocabulary
1. socially acceptable behavior = comportamento socialmente aceitavel
2. medical experts = especialistas médicos
3. light = leve
4. may even be good = pode até mesmo ser bom
5. such health benefits = tais beneficios à saude
6. should be = deveria ser
7. issues = questões
8. have a glass of wine = tomam um copo de vinho
9. dinner = jantar
10. party = festa
11. dates back = remonta a
12. From then until now = desde então até agora
13. has played = tem desempenhado
14. social gatherings = reuniões sociais
15. purposes = propositos
16. ancient times = épocas antigas
17. has been called = tem sido chamado
18. poison = veneno
19. through a process = através de um processo
20. During = durante
21. yeast = fermento, levedura
22. turn sugar into = transforma açucar em
23. grapes = açúcar de uvas
24. wine = vinho
25. grain = cereal
26. sugarcane = cana de açúcar
27. molasses = melados
28. bloodstream = corrente sanguinea
29. about = aproximadamente
30. small intestine = intestino delgado
31. released into = lançado dentro de
32. Once = uma vez que
33. pumped throughout the body = bombeado por todo o corpo
34. large amount of = grande quantidade de
35. is usually drunk = normalmente é bebida
36. liver = fígado
37. detoxifying = desintoxicar
38. at a time = de cada vez
39. mixes with = mistura-se com
40. tissue = tecido
41. brain = cérebro
42. There has been = tem havido
43. done = feito
44. harmful effects = efeitos prejudiciais
45. may offer = pode oferecer
46. Several = vários
47. have shown = tem mostrado
48. lower the risk = diminuir o risco
49. heart disease = doença cardíaca
50. stroke = derrame
51. linked to = relacionado a
