ractopamine n. 萊克多巴胺: 一種飼料添加劑，用以輔助家畜(如豬、牛、火雞等)生長出瘦肉的藥物，俗稱「瘦肉精」
。許多業者為了降低飼養的成本，而使用這類「受體素」藥物，提高飼養的效率及減少家畜的死亡。然而有許多研
究報告指出，這類添加劑會導致豬隻死亡，另外還有藥物殘留是否會造成人體健康的疑慮及相關爭議。
Ractopamine: Questionable Ingredients in Dispute ( 萊克多巴胺 仍有爭議的問題成分)
Taiwan’s ban on the use of ractopamine, a drug that enhances leanness in pigs and cattle, has strained the country’s trade
relationship with the United States over the past several months. Ractopamine is also banned in the European Union and
China, but 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the United States are regularly fed the drug. Taiwan is the sixth largest market for
American pork and beef exports, and the United States government has pushed for a lifting of the ban. Although its
effects on humans is unclear, an investigation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA 美國食品藥物管理局) once showed
that ractopamine is the drug most often identified as the cause of sickness and death in American pigs.
台灣對於萊克多巴胺這種促進豬、牛瘦肉生長藥物的禁令，已經讓台美貿易關係在過去的幾個月以來呈現緊繃狀態
。雖然萊克多巴胺在歐盟、中國大陸也被禁止使用，但美國6到8成的豬隻仍慣於被餵養這種藥物。由於台灣是美國
豬肉、牛肉外銷第6大市場，美國政府竭力促使解除禁令。雖然它對人體的影響還不明確，但根據美國食品藥物管
理局的一份報告指出，萊克多巴胺確實最常被檢驗出造成美國豬隻生病或死亡的元兇。
The American push to lift the ban on ractopamine is driven by the potential of markets in Taiwan, China, and the European
Union. According to statistics released by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), American beef exports are soon
expected to reach $5 billion in 2012. Ractopamine works by increasing heart rate and dilating blood vessels in pigs and
cattle, which increases the production of lean meat in those animals by about 10 percent. Although ractopamine is said to
be quickly excreted, opponents of the drug say that low levels can still be found up to a week after ingestion. Last June,
Taiwan began rejecting American beef found to have trace levels of ractopamine and pulled meat that had already
reached store shelves.
美國催促解除萊克多巴胺禁令是因為台灣、中國大陸、歐盟這些潛在的市場所驅使。根據美國農業部統計數字顯示
，美國豬牛的外銷金額可望在2012年間能達到50億美元。萊克多巴胺利用增快心跳速率、擴張血管的方式讓豬、牛
增加約1成的瘦肉。雖然據稱萊克多巴胺會迅速地排出體外，但這種藥物的反對者說動物在使用後1周仍可以發現少
量殘留。去年6月，台灣開始拒絕被驗出含有萊克多巴胺的美國牛肉並將其下架。
Despite the ongoing controversy, the Council of Agriculture (COA 行政院農業委員會(簡稱農委會) is currently leading
toward conditionally lifting the ban on ractopamine after consulting with some scientists who believe that trace amounts
of the drug pose no threat to humans. Opponents of lifting the ban argue that the drug is potentially harmful to certain
groups of people, including pregnant women, young children, and those with heart problems. More importantly, some
experts also criticized the safety of ractopamine for lacking of clinical trials. For the time being, ractopamine warrants its
continued ban until its safety in humans is definitively established.
儘管爭議持續著，農委會在諮詢過有些認為微量殘留不足以傷害人體的科學家後，目前朝向有條件開放萊克多巴胺
。反對解除禁令的人則主張該藥物對特定族群如孕婦、小孩和心臟疾病患者有潛在危害。更重要地是，許多專家也
批評萊克多巴胺缺乏臨床實驗來保證其安全。暫且在尚未證明該藥物對人體完全無害前，應當維持這項禁令。
衝字站:
1. ingredient n.[C] 成份 2. in dispute 爭論中
3. ban v. (明文)禁止 n. [C] 禁止; 禁令 4. leanness n. [U] 瘦肉;清瘦 lean adj. 脂肪少的
5. strain v. 使(關係)緊張 6. push for 竭力要求; 施壓爭取
7. lift v. 解除;撤銷;停止限制 8. identify v. 確認
9. potential n. [U] 潛在性 potentially adv. 潛在地; 可能地 10. statistic n. [C] 統計數據
11. opponent n. [C] 反對者; 對手 12. trace n. [C] 微量; 少許
13. ongoing adj. 進行中的 14.controversy n. [U] 爭議 15. conditionally adv. 有條件地
16. consult vi./vt. 與…商討(以尋求解決) 17. pose no/a threat to 對…不/造成威脅
18. for lack of 由於…缺乏/不足 19. clinical adj. 臨床的
20. trial n. [C] 試驗; 測試 21. for the time being 現在; 暫時
22. warrant v.使有必要 23. establish v. 證實; 確認; 建立
24. heart rate n. 心率= 每個單位時間(分鐘)內心跳的次數 beats per minute(bpm)
25. ingestion n. [U](食物)攝取 the ingestion of alcohol/food 飲酒/食物攝取
26. excrete v. 排泄 excrete sweat/toxins 排汗/毒素
27. dilate v. 擴張 dilate blood vessel/nostrils/pupils 使血管/鼻孔/瞳孔擴張放大
28. blood vessel n.[C]血管 blood vessel/eyes/pupils dilate 血管/眼睛/瞳孔擴張放大
閱讀測驗Reading Comprehension:
1. The article is mainly about ___________.
(A) the controversy over the use of ractopamine in imported beef
(B) the cause of sickness and death in American pigs
(C) when to lift the ban on ractopamine and whether to import American beef or not
(D) what the investigations of FDA and USDA have shown
2. What does the phrase “push for” mean in the first paragraph?
(A) To keep doing something even though you don’t have much time.
(B) To keep telling someone what to do.
(C) To try to make someone to do something for you.
(D) To try hard to achieve something.
3. The word “trace” in the second paragraph refers to “__________.”
(A) a sign that someone has been there
(B) a small amount of a certain substance
(C) a process of finding something or somebody
(D) a medical record shown on the screen
4. According to the article, which of the following statements about ractopamine is true?
(A) Ractopamine is still banned in Taiwan, China, and the European Union.
(B) Ractopamine warrants its safety in humans after clinical trials in United States.
(C) The statistics released from FDA has proved that ractopamine dose no harm to humans.
(D) The investigation of USDA showed that ractopamine may lead to the death of pigs.
5. The last paragraph of this article leads us to infer that ____________________.
(A) the COA will not lift the ban on ractopamine until the clinical trials prove its safety
(B) scientists actively support the COA’s decision of lifting the ban on ractopamine
(C) it’s better not to lift the ban unless the safety of ractopamine is definitely proved
(D) the policy of lifting a ban on ractopamine is supposed to be established despite the controversy
解答：1. A 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. C
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