VOA慢速英语:奥巴马加入关于运动脑损伤的辩论

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

美国之音，英语教学，这里是健康报道。

A debate has continued for years in the United States about sports-related brain injuries, or concussions. Conflicting studies add fuel to arguments on both sides.

在美国，一场与体育运动有关的脑损伤或者脑震荡的辩论持续了多年，冲突的报告更为双方的冲突添油加料。

Now the U.S. President has stepped into the middle of the debate. BarackObama held an informational meeting on the subject last month at the White House. He gathered representatives of professional sports groups, coaches,parents, young athletes and medical professionals to discuss the issue.

现在美国总统也参与进来。上个月奥巴马在白宫就这一问题举行了信息会议。与会的代表有专业的运动团队，教练员，父母，年轻的运动员和专业医疗团队。

American football is the sport often at the center of the concussion debate. But, a high school soccer player opened the meeting. Tori Bellucci is a skilled athlete. But she had to reject a college scholarship to play soccer after experiencing five concussions.

美式足球这项运动是脑震荡辩论的中心。但是，一名高中足球运动员为会议做了开幕词。Tori Bellucci是一名优秀运动员。但是她在经历了5次脑震荡后为了继续踢球，不得不拒绝奖学金。

“The reason we’re here today though is, all across the country parents are also having a more troubling conversation and that’s about the risks of concussions. There’s a lot of concern but there’s a lot of uncertainty. And as Tori’s story suggests, concussions are not just a football issue. Every season you’ve got boys and girls who are getting concussions in lacrosse and soccer and wrestling and ice hockey as well as football.”

“我 们今天在这里的原因是，来自全国各地的父母也有一个更让人烦恼的话题那就是关于脑震荡的风险。有许多的顾虑，也有许多的不确定性。Tori的故事告诉我 们，脑震荡并不止发生于足球运动中。每个赛季都有男孩子和女孩子遭受到脑震，而这些来自长曲棍球，英式足球，摔跤，冰上曲棍球，也有来自美式足球的”

Mr. Obama notes that sports-related head injuries are increasing each year among young people. He suggests that one reason for the rise could be that parents, teachers and coaches now better recognize the signs of a concussion. These signs include lack of balance, unclear thinking, head pain and problems with eyesight.

奥巴马指出在年轻人中与运动有关的头部损伤每年都在增加。他表示其中一个原因可能是父母，老师和教练员们现在可以更好的识别脑震荡的迹象。这些迹象包括缺乏平衡感，思维不清晰，头痛和视力问题。

The president says he does not want young people to avoid sports. Instead he is calling for more research.

总统先生表示，他并不是不想让年轻人参加体育运动。而是他呼吁更多的研究。

“We want our kids participating in sports. I’d be much more troubled if young people were shying away from sports. As parents though, we want to keep them safe and that means we have to have better information. The fact is, we don’t have solid numbers. And that tells me that at every level we’re still trying to fully grasp what’s going on with this issue.”

“我们想让我们的孩子参与到运动中来。如果年轻人都回避运动的话，我会更加困扰。然而作为父母，我们想让我们的孩子们平平安安的，这就意味着我们必须要有更好的信息。事实上我们没有确切的数字。这就告诉我我们仍在试着领会这个议题到底会怎么样。”

Mr. Obama says that there is one thing all sides can agree on -- the fact thatsports are very important, or vital, to American culture, identity and economy. But, he warns that sports need to be as safe as possible for young people to play.

奥巴马先生表示，有一样东西所有人意见是统一的，那就是体育运动对美国文化，认知和经济是至关重要的。但是他警告说，体育对年轻人来说必须要尽可能的做到安全第一。

“The one thing we can agree on is that sports are vital to this country. And it’s a responsibility for us to make sure that young, talented kids like Tori and ableto participate as safely as possible. And that we are doing our job both asparents, school administrators, coaches ... to look after them.”

“一件事我们的意见是统一的那就是体育对国家来说是至关重要的。那我们的责任就是确保那些像Tori一样年轻的有天赋的孩子们在运动中尽可能的安全。我们作为父母，学校管理方，教练员就要尽职尽责的去照顾他们。”

To help reach that goal, he announced a joint effort from the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association and the Department of Defense. He said the $30 million project will carry out the widest study ever of concussions.

为了达到这一目标，他宣布全国大学体育协会和国防部联合起来，共同努力。他表示将投入3000万美元用来全面研究脑震荡。

And that’s the Health Report. I’m Anna Matteo.

这就是今天的健康报道。我是Anna Matteo。
（本文由chinavoa翻译整理！！）