打倒拳王的帕金森病，看人家英美媒体如何报道

小白老师说：今天是世界帕金森日。提起帕金森就不得不提拳王阿里，去年这位伟大的运动员病逝的时候几乎所有主流媒体都作了报道，今天我们从外媒报道的视角来透视一下这个神经功能障碍疾病，顺便学点英语。

欧洲帕金森病联合会从 1997 年开始，将每年的 4 月 11 日定为“世界帕金森日”（World Parkinson's Disease Day），以此纪念最早描述这种疾病的英国内科医生詹姆斯·帕金森博士，这天是他的生日。（World Parkinson’s Disease Day marks the birthday of Dr. J Parkinson.）▼

帕金森病（PD）是一种常见的神经功能障碍疾病（degenerative disorder of the central nervous system），主要影响中老年人，多在 60 岁以后发病。其症状表现为静止时手、头或嘴不自主地颤抖（tremor），肌肉僵直（rigidity）、运动缓慢（slowness of movement）以及姿势平衡障碍（problems with balance）等，导致生活不能自理。▼

许多国家的政府部门和社会各界都选择在 4 月 11 日这天举办帕金森病主题活动。世界卫生组织还与一些国家政府部门、国际和地区医学团体合作，共同推动帕金森病的研究与治疗。（On this day there are efforts made to increase the public awareness of this terrible disease, as well as all the good works put forth by the worlds organizations dedicated to eradicating this disease. There are activities to promote this the entire world over, and the opportunity to participate is open to any and all who want to help in this effort.）

众所周知，美国前拳王阿里就是帕金森病患者，他于 2016 年 6 月 3 日病逝，享年 74 岁。阿里是历史上首位 3 次夺得重量级拳王称号的运动员，被认为是 “20 世纪最伟大的运动员” 之一。他在 1984 年被诊断出患上了帕金森病，在之后的 32 年里饱受该病的折磨。

拳王和帕金森，我们一起来看外媒如何报道。

 The Guardian 英国卫报  ▼

标题：Why Parkinson's was Ali's geatest battle

导语：After being diagnosed in 1984, Muhammad Ali raised public awareness of Parkinson’s – and millions of dollars

 知识点 

在这段导语中，值得注意的是 raise 的用法，作者巧妙地利用了 raise 的一词多义。

1. raise public awareness 唤起公众对帕金森病的注意

raise 作动词，可以表示“唤起，激起，提高”

例：This book raised my interest in the study of history.

这本书引起了我研究历史的兴趣。

2. raise millions of dollars 筹集了数百万美元

raise 还可以表示“集资，筹款，募捐”

例：Events held to raise money for flood victims.

人们举行的活动为水患灾民募捐。

 BBC News ▼

标题：Muhammad Ali: Septic shock caused boxing legend's death

导语：Boxing legend Muhammad Ali died of "septic shock due to unspecified natural causes", his family has said.

 知识点 

1. Septic shock 感染性休克

例：Corticosteroid replacement therapy is currently one of the standard treatments for sepsis and septic shock patients. 

糖皮质激素替代治疗目前是全身性感染和感染性休克治疗的主要手段之一。

2. unspecified natural causes 未指明的自然原因

unspecified adj. 未指明的，未详细说明的

例：He was arrested on unspecified charges. 

他遭到逮捕，但未透露具体罪名。

 AARP Bulletin ▼

标题：Caring for The Greatest, Muhammad Ali

导语：Boxing champion’s caregiving wife, Lonnie, shows what it means to go the distance with Parkinson’s disease

 知识点 

1. caregiving  看护

相关的一个词是 caregiver  n. 看护的人

例：Love involves three neural system functions: attachment, caregiving and desire.  

爱体现在三个神经功能中: 附属、关心和欲求.

2. go the distance 永不放弃；去向远方；继续跑完全程

例：Would you like to cut the baloney and get to the one thing that will enable you to go the distance and win the game of life? 

那么，你是否愿意抛弃掉那些没用的，而专注于那唯一能引导你，使你走得更远，最终赢得生命这场竞赛的事物呢？

 美国 Fox News  ▼

Fox 的这篇报道详细介绍了打倒拳王的帕金森病，深入浅出，附上全文，同学们有兴趣可以读一下▼

ATLANTA, GA – Boxing legend Muhammad Ali died Friday at age 74 after a lengthy battle against Parkinson’s disease. Ali was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, three years after he retired.

In the following years, Parkinson’s began to take away Ali’s motor skills and his ability to speak coherently（条理清楚地）, but he never strayed from the spotlight.

“Even though Muhammad has Parkinson’s and his speech isn’t what it used to be, he can speak to people with his eyes. He can speak to people with his heart, and they connect with him,” wife Lonnie Ali said.

非常有力的排比

She said doctors told her the disease was not the result of absorbing too many punches（以拳猛击） but a genetic condition.

Ten weeks before Ali’s match in 1980 against Larry Holmes, a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic submitted a medical report to the Nevada State Athletic Commission describing a small hole in his brain’s outer layer and noting that the boxer reported a tingling（麻刺感） sensation in his hands and slurred speech. He retired permanently in 1981.

tingling n. 麻刺感

例：Its effects on the nervous system include weakness, paralysis, and tingling in the hands and feet.

它对神经系统的影响包括虚弱、麻痹和手脚的略微刺痛感。

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system, according to the Mayo Clinic. It primarily affects a patient’s movement, often starting with a small tremor in the hand or muscle stiffness and getting worse over time. There is no test for Parkinson’s, so it is occasionally misdiagnosed.

Parkinson’s patients often have trouble walking and talking. Symptoms include slowness of movement, a loss of balance and slurred（发音含糊的） speech. With the disease, “you may have a decreased ability to perform unconscious movements, including blinking, smiling or swinging your arms when you walk,” the Mayo Clinic says. The symptoms are often worse on one side of the body.

Whom does it affect?

Approximately 1 million people have Parkinson’s disease in the United States, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Men are more likely to get it than women, and it usually affects people over 50.

What causes Parkinson’s disease?

Your body uses a chemical called dopamine to control movement, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dopamine is produced by neurons in the brain, which begin to die with Parkinson’s disease. With fewer live cells, a dopamine（多巴胺） deficit occurs, causing movement issues.

Scientists don’t know what exactly causes these cells to start to deteriorate （恶化，变坏）but believe it’s a combination of genes and environmental causes. About 15% to 25% of Parkinson’s patients have a family member with the disease, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation says.

In some cases, researchers have identified a single gene mutation（基因突变） that’s passed from generation to generation, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. “Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are the greatest genetic contributor to Parkinson’s disease discovered to date,” the site states. But in most cases, the cause is probably a combination of gene mutations.

Studies have also linked chemicals like TCE and PERC to Parkinson’s, though the relationship has not been proved. “A simple exposure to an environmental toxin is never enough to cause Parkinson’s,” the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation states. “In fact, there is no conclusive evidence that any environmental factor, alone, can be considered a cause of the disease.

Can you treat it?

There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, according to the National Institutes of Health, but doctors can help patients cope with symptoms.

A medication called levodopa is often given to patients to help their brains make more dopamine. It’s often prescribed with carbidopa（卡比多巴）, which helps bring the levodopa into the brain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved deep brain stimulation, which is also used to treat depression, to reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s patients. Electrodes are implanted into the brain and connected to a small device that emits（发射） programmed pulses to help control movement.

Other patients prefer less invasive forms of therapy like tai chi.

A recent study by Harvard University found that patients with Parkinson’s improved after researchers transplanted tissue from fetal dopamine cells into their brains. Patients with severe symptoms experienced 50% fewer symptoms in the years after surgery. People who had been taking medication to control their Parkinson’s but found that the medicine no longer worked also saw significant improvements after surgery.

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