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Don’t Hold Back Your Tears 别把悲伤留给自己!

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

Crying is a normal, natural part of human life. The first sounds a newborn baby makes are cries, and crying is a baby’s only means of communicating until it begins to coo and babble at nine to twelve weeks of age.

哭泣是人类生活中正常且自然的一环。哭声是新生儿发出的第一个声音，而且是婴儿直到九至十二周大开始牙牙学语之前唯一的沟通途径。

Crying is most often associated with grief, rage, and sadness, but as many athletes will attest, frustration and joy can also trigger tears. The fact is, when faced with an overwhelming emotion, almost anyone will burst into tears. However, society is much more accustomed to seeing women weep, and in most cultures, men who cry are seen as unmanly. This, however, has not always been so.

哭泣最常被认为和悲痛、愤怒和哀伤有关，然而许多运动员能证实，挫折和喜悦也会使人落泪。事实上，面临强烈的感情时，几乎任何人都会哭出来。不过人类社会较习惯看到女性落泪，而在大多数文化中，男性落泪会被视为没有男子气概。但是这种看法并不是一向如此。

In ancient Greece, Aristotle believed that crying led to emotional cleansing. In Greek mythology, heroes shamelessly sob over their fallen comrades-in-arms, and fathers as well as mothers grieve their children’s deaths with tears rolling down their cheeks. But as early as the Industrial Revolution, tears became a sign of weakness, and men were seldom seen crying in public. This trend has continued into modern times. In the 1972 U.S. presidential primaries, Edmund Muskie was seen crying in front of the media while defending his wife from personal verbal attacks. Many believe that those tears lost him the election that year.

在古希腊时期，亚里士多德认为哭泣能达到净化情绪的功效。希腊神话里的英雄会不怕羞地为他们死去的战友啜泣，而父亲也会跟母亲一样因为悲恸孩子地死而流泪。但是早从工业革命时期开始，眼泪便开始成为懦弱的一种象征，男人也鲜少公开落泪，这个趋势一直延续到今日。1972年美国总统选举的初选大会上，候选人埃德蒙马斯基为了保护妻子免于受到人身攻击，而在媒体前留下了眼泪。很多人认为那些泪水造成了他当年的落选。

However, in a sign of how things have changed, Bill Clinton shed tears on a number of occasions during his term as President and even won support for showing his sensitive side to the nation. Perhaps society is beginning to recognize that crying may in fact be good for us.

不过，从下列这件事中可以看出趋势变化的征兆:柯林顿在总统任期内曾在好几个场合流过泪，向美国人展露他柔情的一面，甚至因此得到了支持。可能我们的社会已开始承认哭泣其实对我们是件好事。

Vocabulary

trigger [ˋtrɪgɚ] v. 触发，引起

cleansing [ˋklɛnzɪŋ] n. 净化；洗清

comrades-in-arms: 战友 a fellow soldier

grieve [griv] v. 悲伤；哀悼

verbal [ˋvɝb!] adj. 言辞上的；言语的

More Information

hold back 控制〔情感〕; 抑制

coo [ku] v. 咕咕地叫

babble [ˋbæb!] v. （婴儿）牙牙学语

associate [əˋsoʃɪɪt] v. 把……联想在一起[+with]

grief [grif] n. 悲痛，悲伤

attest [əˋtɛst] v. 证实，证明

accustomed [əˋkʌstəmd] adj. 习惯于...的

weep [wip] v. 哭泣，流泪

unmanly [ʌnˋmænlɪ] adj. 无男子汉气概的；怯懦的

mythology [mɪˋθɑlədʒɪ] n.（总称）神话

shamelessly[ˋʃemləslɪ] adv. 不知羞耻地; 不怕羞地

sob [sɑb] v. 呜咽；啜泣

primary [ˋpraɪ͵mɛrɪ] n. 候选人选拔会；初选

defend [dɪˋfɛnd] v. 保卫；保护

shed [ʃɛd] v. 流出；流下

occasion [əˋkeʒən] n. 场合，时刻

課文中英文講解

Almost all animals shed tears, but many believe that only humans shed tears under emotional duress. Although some claim other animals, like elephants and seals cry when they feel pain, there is little scientific proof that these tears are caused by emotions. They are most likely basal tears or reflex tears. Basal tears are tears that keep the eyes from drying up, and they fight bacterial infections. Reflex tears are created when eyes are bothered by irritants, like pollen or dust. While humans, of course, have these kinds of tears, we also have the unique ability to create emotional tears.

几乎所有的动物都会流泪，但是许多人认为只有人类才会因为情绪压力而流泪。虽然有些人声称像大象和海豹之类的其它动物在感到疼痛时会流泪，但是却没有什么科学证据能证明这些眼泪是由情感所引发的，这些眼泪非常有可能是基础性眼泪或反射性眼泪。基础性眼泪的作用是防止眼睛干燥并且抵抗细菌感染，而反射性眼泪是在眼睛受到花粉或灰尘等物刺激时所制造出的泪水。我们人类当然有这两种泪水，而且我们还具有制造情绪性泪水的独特能力。

Emotional tears differ from basal or reflex tears in their chemical composition. They contain far more toxins and hormones than other kinds of tears. This fact had led scientists to believe that crying emotional tears provides a cleansing and curative effect, as well as an emotional outlet, much as Aristotle believed 2,500 years ago.

情绪性泪水和基础性或是反射性泪水不同的地方在于它们所含的化学成分。情绪性泪水中所含有的毒素和贺尔蒙远超过其他种类的泪水。这项事实使科学家相信，流情绪性泪水有净化及治疗的效果，并可得到情绪上的纾解，跟2500年前亚里士多德所认为的差不多。

By crying, we vent our anguish and grief. This, combined with the fact that the tears themselves are carrying poisons and toxins out of our bodies, makes crying an important part of dealing with stress. It’s important to realize that holding back valid tears may be damaging to good mental health.

我们藉由哭泣得以纾解痛苦和悲痛，并加上泪水本身会从体内带走有毒物质的这项事实，哭泣成为了我们对抗压力很重要的一部份。强忍该流的泪水可能会危害良好的心理健康，了解这一点是很重要的。

With more public figures forgoing “a stiff upper lip” of the past and a growing sensitivity to people’s emotional needs, society is beginning to recognize that crying is a natural way of coping with pain, stress, and sorrow. Nowadays, “putting on a brave face” may not always be the best or healthiest response.

随着愈来愈多的公众人物扬弃过去那种「紧抿上唇」的习惯，而大众也对人们的情感需求变得愈来愈敏感，社会便开始认同哭泣是对抗痛苦、压力和悲伤的一种自然方式。现今，「充硬汉」恐怕不再是最适当或最健康的反应了。

－By Ben Andrews

Vocabulary

infection [ɪnˋfɛkʃən] n. 传染；侵染

irritant [ˋɪrətənt] n. 刺激物

curative [ˋkjʊrətɪv] adj. 有疗效的

vent [vɛnt] v. 泄露；发泄感情

valid [ˋvælɪd] adj. 有根据的; 正当的,正确的

forgo [fɔrˋgo] v. 放弃，抛弃

More Information

duress [ˋdjʊrɪs] n. 束缚；监禁

basal [ˋbes!] adj. 基础的；基本的

dry up 干涸

pollen [ˋpɑlən] n. 花粉

toxin [ˋtɑksɪn] n. 毒素，毒质

hormone [ˋhɔrmon] n. 荷尔蒙

outlet [ˋaʊt͵lɛt] n. （感情，精力等的）发泄途径

much as 非常像; 正如同...

anguish [ˋæŋgwɪʃ] n. 极度的痛苦

stiff [stɪf] adj. 拉紧的; 刚强的，倔强的

cope with 巧妙处理; 设法解决

put on a brave face  强装勇敢

Reading Questions 

1. How did the ancient Greeks view crying?

A. Crying was considered a healthy thing to do, and both men and women cried openly.

B. It was viewed as a weakness, and heroes were never seen doing it.

C. Children were expected to cry sometimes, but adults were supposed to hide their tears.

D. Women would weep openly, but only when there was a death in the family.

2. What do the articles in the unit say about emotional tears?

A. They contain poisons and toxins that came from our bodies.

B. They keep our eyes from becoming too dry.

C. They protect our eyes from becoming infected.

D. They have the same chemicals in them as other kinds of tears.

3. Based on the articles, which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. Before a baby is nine to twelve weeks old, they can only communicate by crying.

B. In the Industrial Revolution, crying was seen as something that men should do.

C. All animals can shed tears, but only humans shed emotional ones.

D. Bill Clinton cried as president of the United States, and people supported him for it.

4. How does the author of these articles feel about crying?

A. He thinks that crying has been acceptable historically, but men should still avoid it.

B. He thinks that holding back your tears might actually damage your health.

C. He thinks that too much crying can result in certain eye diseases.

D. He thinks that more politicians should be unafraid to cry in public.

Answer