Learning news language: lead poisoning text

[Scoobyqueen]

If anyone is interested in commenting on the following article from radio australia, which is accompanied with mp3, please feel free:

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/chinese/articles/s2667704.htm

I may post some comments/questions later. First comment: I find the tones in the following sentence really subtle (and pretty incidentally):

中度和重度铅中毒 –zhong1 du4 he2 zhong4 du4 zhong1 du2

Incidentally how would you translate that sentence: exposed to lead poisoning?

Context:

湖南和陕西两省两千多名儿童被查出中度和重度铅中毒，今晚节目的前半段，我们将一起关注这两起事件

[gougou]

zhong1 du4 he2 zhong4 du4 zhong1 du2

I think the last zhong should be 4th tone.

But yeah, excellent sentence for practicing tones.

[imron]

...medium and heavy levels of lead poisoning.

In context, I would translate the sentence as: Over 2,000 children in the provinces of Hunan and Shaanxi were discovered to have medium to heavy levels of lead poisoning.

And as gougou mentioned, the last 中 should be 4th tone.

Edited August 27, 2009 at 11:51 AM by imron
confused gougou with gato

[Scoobyqueen]

Thanks a lot for correcting the zhong. It didnt sound like the first tone but I think that often appears happens when two firsts come together. What was the reason for it being the fourth here? I know zhong can be first and fourth tone but not why that is.

[leeyah]

...because 中2 (zhòng) is a verb = 受到，遭受 same as >>中暑 suffer a sun-stroke + in more optimistic contexts =正对上 >>中的 hit a mark, 中奖 win a lottery.

It is also read zhòng when it is used as a complement, as in>>猜中了!

[imron]

中的 hit a mark

Also note that here, 的 is pronounced dì.