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Handling the Hiccup 打嗝学问大

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You’re all set to deliver a speech in front of your class. As you walk to the front of the room, you feel ___1___ because you’re well prepared. But when you began to speak, you encounter an unpleasant surprise. ___2___ words, a loud sound comes out of your mouth as you abruptly inhale. And seconds later, you make it again … and then again! You’ve got a case of the hiccups – a typical harmless, yet annoying, phenomenon which occasionally affects us all.

你都做好万全的准备要在课堂上发表演讲。当你走到教室前，你觉得很有信心，因为你都准备好了。但是，当你要开始说话时，遇到一个令人不快的意外。从你嘴里冒出来的不是话，而是一声突然吸气所带来的怪响。过几秒钟之后，你又发出那个响亮的声音……然后又再次发生！你发生的只是个打嗝的案例，一个典型无害，但却又恼人、偶尔会影响到我们的现象。

The word hiccup is an onomatopoeic term, so it sounds ___3___ the sound that’s produced when we hiccup. It’s believed that hiccups are caused when something stimulates the nerve which controls our diaphragm. Scientists believe that this usually happens when we inadvertently swallow too much air by eating too fast, drinking carbonated drinks, or chewing gum. Unlike other autonomic bodily functions, hiccups don’t seem to serve any real ___4___.

Hiccup一字是一个拟声词，所以此字的发音听起来与我们打嗝时所产生的声音很相似。据信，打嗝的发生是由于某种事物刺激到控制我们横隔膜的神经。科学家认为打嗝通常发生在我们吃太快、喝碳酸饮料，或咀嚼口香糖时，而不经意地吞下过多空气的时候。打嗝不像其他身体的自律功能，似乎没有任何真正的目的。

Hiccups tend to ___5___ quicker if we can increase carbon dioxide levels in our blood. There are several home remedies which do this, including holding one’s breath and breathing into a paper bag. Others swear that eating a spoonful of honey or sugar will do the trick. Even without treatment, hiccups will usually ___6___ within minutes. However, if hiccups persist for several hours, medical intervention may be necessary, as this indicates that the person may have a lung ailment. But ___7___, prolonged hiccups are rare. For the most part, hiccups seem to be nature’s way of playing a little prank on us.

如果我们可以增加血液里二氧化碳的含量，打嗝会有较快消失的倾向。一些家传疗法可以治愈打嗝，像是暂时闭气和对着纸袋呼气。有的人发誓说，吃一勺蜂蜜或糖即可发挥效力。即使没有经过治疗，打嗝通常也会在几分钟之内消退。但是，如果打嗝持续了几个小时，医疗的介入可能是必要的，因为不停地打嗝表示可能有肺部相关病痛。但幸运的是，持续的打嗝相当罕见。在大多数情况下，打嗝似乎只是大自然对我们的小恶作剧。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音

encounter [ɪnˋkaʊntɚ] v. 遇到（困难，危险等）

abruptly [əˋbrʌptlɪ] adv. 突然地；意外地

inhale [ɪnˋhel] v. 吸入

phenomenon [fəˋnɑmə͵nɑn] n. 现象

onomatopoeic [͵ɑnə͵mætəˋpiɪk] adj. 拟声的；声喻的

inadvertently [͵ɪnədˋvɝtntlɪ] adv. 不慎地; 非故意地

autonomic [͵ɔtəˋnɑmɪk] adj.【生】自律的

swear [swɛr] v. 发誓

subside [səbˋsaɪd] v. 消退；消失

intervention [͵ɪntɚˋvɛnʃən] n. 介入

ailment [ˋelmənt] n.（尤指轻微的）疾病

prank [præŋk] n. 胡闹；恶作剧

Idiom

片语发音

all set 准备就绪 ready

do the trick 起作用; 奏效  to achieve the desired result

Why do you hiccup?

17 Hiccup Cures in 91 Seconds

Answer