生活英语口语 第 12 课：Diseases & Social Problems 疾病和社会问题 - 2

B: No. What happened? 没有，什么事？

A: He overdosed on heroin. 他服用海洛因过量。

B: Oh my god. He used drugs? 哦，天。他吸毒？

A: I guess so. Supposedly, it was the first time he did heroin. 我想是。据称，这是他第一次吸食海洛因。

B: His poor family. 他的家人真可怜。

A: Yeah. 是呀。

A: I really think we should make sure we use a condom from now on. 我真的觉得从现在开始我们得用避孕套了。

B: Why? 为什么？

A: You don’t know how scared we were about getting pregnant last time. 你不知道上次怀孕我们是多么害怕。

B: I suppose that’s true. 那倒是。

A: We’re really stupid not to use one. 我们真是蠢，竟然没有用到。

B: I got tested for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) two months before we started dating. You know that. 你知道，在我们开始约会以前两个月，我就做过AIDS和STD的检查。

A: I know, but it can take up to six months for some STDs to show up on the test. We shouldn’t take any more chances. 我知道。但是有些STD的病毒要六个月才知道。我们不可以再冒险了。

B: All right, you’re right. 好的，你是对的。

A: O.K. 那就好。

Sexually transmitted disease, or STD, is a serious social problem facing the world today. 性传染疾病或者称之为STD，是当今世界面临的严重的社会问题。

Fortunately, education can do a lot to control this problem. 幸运的是，教育能在很大程度上对其进行控制。

Education is particularly important for diseases such as AIDS and herpes, for which no cure exists. 对于象艾滋病、疱疹这样的至今没有药物医治的疾病来说，教育尤为重要。

We must educate our society’s sexually active citizens to prevent the spread of these diseases.我们必须教育社会中进行性接触的市民对这些疾病进行预防。

At the very least, we should make it clear that the use of a condom during sex will keep people from getting these diseases. 至少，我们能够告知其明白在性行为过程中戴安全套可以防止感染疾病。

We should also try to calm people’s fears. For example, we must make it clear they cannot get AIDS by doing certain things, such as kissing or sharing a meal.我们也应该尽力消除市民的恐惧心理。比如说，我们必须使他们明白接吻或者共餐等特定活动并不会感染艾滋病。

We cannot guarantee that people will listen, but the effort must be made to let them know what the dangers are, and how to prevent them. 我们无法保证人人会听，但是付出一定努力告知他们什么是危险以及如何避免这种危险却是必要的。