EZCNN 易英网

Newsworthy Clips: Hot drinks win by a nose 治感冒良方，热饮略胜一筹

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

Hot drinks win by a nose  治感冒良方，热饮略胜一筹

 

Ronald Eccles, who directs the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, Wales, rounded up 30 students and faculty members with colds or flu-like symptoms. Those folks reported just how stuffed-up their noses felt and how bad their other symptoms were. Researchers measured each person’s nasal airflow with a special device.

朗诺．伊克利斯是英国韦尔斯的「卡蒂夫大学」「感冒中心」主任，召集了卅位罹患感冒或类似流感症状的学生和教职员，这些人自诉自己鼻塞和其他症状的严重程度，研究人员用特殊器具测量每个人的鼻气流。（译注：标题中win by a nose形容「以极小差距险胜」，指研究结果显示，热饮只比冷饮的效果好一点，此外文中也描述热饮对「鼻」塞等症状的舒解，因此一语双关。）

 

Then each sniffling subject got a drink of blackcurrant-and-apple-flavored fruit cordial, a popular local remedy, Eccles says. Half drank it hot, the other half at room temperature.

然后每位猛吸鼻子的实验对象，会拿到一杯黑醋栗加苹果口味的果汁，伊克利斯说这是当地流行的治疗偏方。一半人喝热的，其余一半人则喝室温的。

 

The results, published in the journal Rhinology in December [2008]: Actual nasal airflow, measured by the researchers, did not improve in either group. Still, people who got cold drinks said three symptoms (runny nose, cough and sneezing) improved. And people who got hot drinks reported even more relief, saying those three symptoms, plus their fatigue, chilliness and sore throats, got better and, with the exception of fatigue, stayed better for 30 minutes.

研究结果发布在二００八年十二月号的《鼻科学》期刊中：研究人员测量了实际鼻气流之后发现，两组人都没有获得改善。不过，喝室温冷饮的人说，有三种症状（流鼻涕、咳嗽和打喷嚏）改善了。喝热饮者自诉症状减轻了更多，他们说，除了上述三种症状之外，还有疲倦、畏寒、喉咙痛等，也都获得改善，而且这几种症状改善的情形都维持了卅分钟，仅疲倦例外。

 

The fact that there was no measurable improvement in nose stuffiness is “pretty powerful evidence that there is no objective effect” of a hot drink, says Ronald Turner, a researcher at the University of Virginia. The other improvements, he says, could easily be explained by the placebo: People felt better because they expected to feel better.

「维吉尼亚大学」的研究人员朗诺．透纳指出，鼻塞症状测量不出有所改善的这个事实，是证明热饮「没有客观效果的有力证据」。他表示，其他症状的改善则可能解释成是出于安慰剂的心理作用：大家觉得症状改善了，是因为他们预期自己理当「会感觉比较舒服」。

 

Eccles agrees that a psychological effect is at work. But he suspects hot drinks have a little something extra that actually relieves symptoms. His best guess: It’s the taste. Heated drinks have a more intense taste, he says, which stimulates the flow of saliva and mucus – which “lubricate and soothe the nose and throat” and also may help clear bacteria and viruses.

伊克利斯也同意，这是出于心理因素作祟，但他猜测，热饮应该还是有多了那么一点点东西，所以真能减轻症状。他认为最有可能的原因就是口味。伊克利斯表示，加热后饮料的口味比较浓，因而刺激唾液和黏液的分泌，可以「润滑、舒缓鼻子和喉咙」，此外或许也有助于清除细菌和病毒。

 

−by Kim Paintwe

 

单词发音

 

More Information

win by a nose（赛马）仅以一鼻之差而获胜，险胜，侥幸取胜 to win by the slightest amount of difference

faculty [ˋfæk!tɪ] n.【主美】（大学或院，系的）全体教职员

stuffed-up [͵stʌftˋʌp] adj.（因感冒而）鼻塞的

blackcurrant [ˋblækˋkʌrənt] n. 黑醋栗

cordial [ˋkɔrdʒəl] n.【英】水果果汁 a sweet, fruit-based drink to which water is usually added

rhinology [raɪˋnɑlədʒɪ] n.【医】鼻科学

sneezing [ 'snizɪŋ] n. 打喷嚏

placebo [pləˋsibo] n. 安慰剂；宽心丸

saliva [səˋlaɪvə] n. 涎，唾液

 

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Cow care  照顾乳牛有妙方

 

Cows that are given names produce more milk than those that are not, says a new study out of England. The study, conducted by Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson at Newcastle University, discovered that more affectionate treatment of cattle – including giving cows names – could increase milk production by more than 68 gallons annually. An average cow produces about 2,000 gallons of milk a year.

在英格兰发布的一项新研究指出，有取名字的乳牛的产乳量，会比没取名字的乳牛多。这份由「新堡大学」的凯瑟琳．道格拉斯和彼得．罗林逊进行的研究发现，更有爱心呵护牛只──包括帮乳牛取名字──可望让每只每年增加六十八加仑以上的产乳量。每只乳牛平均每年可生产约两千加仑的牛乳。

 

Douglas says the positive effect of naming cows has always been a belief among farmers, but until now, there was no scientific evidence. “I think farmers have always thought that a good relationship with cows helped, but I don’t think they know how.”

道格拉斯表示，从事畜牧业的农民一直相信，帮乳牛取名字会带来正面效果，但直到如今才有了科学证据。她说，「我想，农民一直认为，和乳牛建立良好关系会有帮助，但我认为他们并不清楚个中原理。」

 

The reason behind named cows being more productive is chemical, says Douglas. If a cow is not given individual attention, they may not be comfortable around humans and may become stressed. This stress releases cortisol, a hormone that inhibits milk production.

道格拉斯指出，有取名的乳牛产乳量较高的原因，是出于化学作用。如果乳牛未受到个别关注，周遭有人出现就可能让牠们倍感不自在，便可能产生压力，而压力会释出抑制产乳的荷尔蒙──也就是皮质醇。

 

Cow-friendly farmers familiarize their cows with human contact from an early age, Douglas says. “They chat to them in passing, not just roll in on a tractor every now and then.”

对乳牛呵护备至的农民，会让牛从小就熟悉与人接触，道格拉斯指出，「他们会顺道和牛聊聊天，而不是偶而才开着牵引车进来。」

 

John Bansen, owner and operator of Double J Jerseys organic dairy farm near Portland, Oregon, knows each of his 165 cows by name, a practice he said was started by his grandfather.

强．班森是靠近奥勒冈州波特兰的「双」泽西乳牛有机酪农场」（译注：Jersey为泽西品种的乳牛）所有人兼经营者，他养了一百六十五头乳牛，每只他都叫得出名字来，据班森说，这种作法最早是从他祖父开始的。

 

Bansen, whose favorite cow names are Cinder, Ajax and Hawk, says there’s no question naming a cow can increase milk production. “A cow that is happy and calm is going to produce more milk,” he says. “So if you have your cows named and the people who are working with them understand the cows and their behavior patterns better, they’re going to get more milk out of them.”

班森最喜欢的牛，名字是辛德、阿杰斯和霍克，他说帮牛命名可以提高产乳量，这点毋庸置疑。「快乐平静的牛一定会产出更多牛乳，」班森表示，「所以，如果能帮牛命名，而且接触到牛的人也能更了解牛和牠们行为模式的话，那么他们一定能从这些牛身上获得更多牛乳。」

 

−by Jeanette Der Bedrosian

 

单词发音

 

More Information

cortisol [ˋkɔrtɪsɔl] n.【生化】可体松，皮质醇

familiarize [fəˋmɪljə͵raɪz] v. 使..熟悉；使..亲近[（+with）]

roll in 不慌不乱地来到; 姗姗来迟 Informal to arrive at one's destination

tractor [ˋtræktɚ] n. 牵引机；拖拉机

every now and then 偶尔, 有时; 时常; 间或 occasionally

 

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Habitat for Humanity pillar, philanthropist dies  「仁人家园」的柱石，慈善家富勒辞世

 

When Felicia Sewell heard that Millard Fuller died, she was taking her lunch break at her home in a neighborhood that Fuller helped build.

菲莉西亚．索尔听到米拉．富勒过世的消息时，是午餐休息时间，她人正在家里，她的家就位在富勒协助兴建的小区里。

 

“It was a shock. He was an awesome man,” said Sewell, 40, who lives with four of her six children in her four-bedroom home. “He was willing to take a chance on my family and many other families.”

四十岁的索尔表示，「这真令人震惊，他是个了不起的人。」索尔和六个孩子中的四个，住在有四间卧房的家里，「他愿意为我的家庭及其他许多家庭冒险一试。」

 

Fuller, 74, was the millionaire who, seeking deeper meaning for his life, gave away his fortune and founded Habitat for Humanity with his wife, Linda. He later created the Fuller Center for Housing. Both organizations, based on Christian principles, mobilize volunteers to build and rehabilitate homes. Low-income families work on their homes, then pay for them with no-interest loans.

享年七十四的富勒是百万富豪（译注：此百万指美金），他为了追寻更有意义的人生，而捐出了财产，和太太琳达创立「仁人家园」，他后来又成立了「富勒住屋中心」，这两个依据基督教精神所成立的组织，动员了志工来建造、整修住屋。低收入家庭因此得以盖自己的住家，然后以无息贷款方式偿付。

 

“It was amazing all the lives he impacted,” said Fuller’s son, Chris, 48, one of four children. “It’s not just a roof over their head and warm walls. It improves a person’s health. It improves their stability.”

富勒共有四个孩子，四十八岁的儿子克利斯表示，「他对许多人的人生所带来的影响，实在很惊人，」他继续说道，「这不只是让人有遮风避雨的地方而已，还能改善人们的健康，使他们能更为安定。」

 

Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 homes worldwide, spokesman Duane Bates said. The Fuller Center has built or renovated 1,000 homes, said Holly Chapman, a center vice president.

「仁人家园」发言人杜安．贝兹指出，「仁人家园」在全世界建造了超过卅万栋住屋；「富勒中心」副总裁荷丽．查普曼则表示，「富勒中心」建造、整修了一千栋住屋。

 

All 38 houses in Sewell’s neighborhood were built by the Fuller Center. Sewell, an Army veteran who works as an administrative assistant for the city, said she and her children installed siding, painted, landscaped and did other work. The payment on her 20-year mortgage is $375 a month.

索尔住家附近的卅八栋房子全都是由「富勒中心」所盖的。陆军退役的索尔目前在市府担任行政助理，她说，她和孩子们自己安装壁板、上油漆、庭园造景和其他工作，廿年贷款的月付额是三百七十五美元。

 

Fuller created Habitat for Humanity with his wife in 1976, giving up a lucrative career as an entrepreneur and attorney. Fuller and his wife were planning to celebrate their 50th anniversary in August, Chapman said. “He has told us time and time again, ‘If I’m not here, carry on.’ That is what we’re doing.”

富勒放弃了企业家暨律师的大好事业「钱途」，和妻子在一九七六年创办了「仁人家园」。查普曼表示富勒和妻子原本计划在八月庆祝结婚五十周年，「他不断告诉我们，『如果我不在了，还是要继续下去』，我们正是这么在做。」

 

−by Emily Bazar

 

单词发音

 

More Information

philanthropist [fɪˋlænθrəpɪst] n. 慈善家 a person who helps poor people, especially by giving them money

take a chance 冒险试做某事, 碰运气[（+on）] to gamble that something good might happen or that someone might do well; to take a risk that something would go wrong or that someone would do badly

impact [ɪmˋpækt] v. 产生影响[（+on）]

roof over one's head 栖身之处

siding [ˋsaɪdɪŋ] n.【美】墙板，壁板 material which covers the surface of the outer walls of a building, usually in sloping layers

mortgage [ˋmɔrgɪdʒ] n. 抵押借款; 抵押

 

 

 

 

单词发音

 

Vocabulary Focus

round up 集拢(分散的人或物); 集中 to gather people, cattle or things together in a group

sniffle [ˋsnɪf!] v. 吸鼻涕; 以（鼻子）频频吸气 to breathe in quickly and repeatedly through the nose, usually because of sickness or emotion

fatigue [fəˋtig] n. 疲劳，劳累 extreme tiredness

objective [əbˋdʒɛktɪv] adj. 客观的 based on real facts and not influenced by personal beliefs or feelings

affectionate [əˋfɛkʃənɪt] adj. 充满深情的，温柔亲切的 showing feelings of liking or love

inhibit [ɪnˋhɪbɪt] v. 抑制 to prevent from doing something, or to slow down a process or growth

in passing 顺地道; 碰巧地; 顺便地 while doing something else or while going by; incidentally

mobilize [ˋmob!͵aɪz] v. 动员；调动 to organize or prepare something, such as a group of people, for a purpose

rehabilitate [͵rihəˋbɪlə͵tet] v. 恢复原状, 修复, 使恢复 to return someone or something to a good or healthy condition, state or way of living

renovate [ˋrɛnə͵vet] v. 翻新; 修复; 修补 to repair and improve something, especially a building

lucrative [ˋlukrətɪv] adj. 赚钱的，有利可图的 producing a lot of money

 

 

Millard Fuller Legacy Video