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Necessary Naps 上班小睡

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Scientific research has confirmed what we all already knew: sleep is the perfect antidote for sleep deprivation. In fact, taking a nap is medically superior in almost every way to the use of caffeine in fighting fatigue. However, stealing a few minutes of unscheduled shut-eye does have its drawbacks.

科学研究已经证实大家都知道的事：睡觉是治睡眠不足的良方。事实上，就医学上而言，小睡于各方面都比食用咖啡因更具对抗疲劳的疗效。然而，不固定地偷个几分钟，闭目养神，确实有其缺点。

Experiments created to replicate a medical resident’s night on call found that people actually become more drowsy if they take naps between tasks. The problem is that people who are tired fall into a deep sleep quickly and waking from that state causes them to feel inertia, a feeling of being dazed and confused that can slow or impair responses for up to thirty minutes.

在值夜班的驻院医生身上反复的实验中发现，如果他们在值勤空档小睡，实际上会觉得更昏昏欲睡。问题就出在那些累得很快就进入熟睡的人，从那种状态下醒来会觉得反应迟钝。那种感觉使人恍恍惚惚、头脑不清，因而降低或影响反应力长达三十分钟。

The time that a nap is most effective is when a person is not tired and is using the nap to prevent future fatigue. Researchers call this prophylactic napping. The reason this kind of napping works is because sleep deprivation is remedied most rapidly during the first hour of sleep. The only problem with implementing this solution at work is the time lost in the process. But if overall productivity is improved, most managers should be willing to welcome the sandman.

小睡最有效的时间是在还不觉得疲倦时，用小睡一下来预防疲劳。研究人员称这个为预防性小睡。这种小睡会有效是因为睡眠的不足可以在第一小时睡眠中得到最快的补偿。但实行小睡唯一美中不足的是在过程中会损失时间。但如果整体的生产力可以提升，大部分的管理者应该愿意接纳这些睡仙的。

Vocabulary

单词发音

confirm [kənˋfɝm] v. 证实；确定

antidote [ˋæntɪ͵dot] n. 解毒药，解毒剂; 【喻】对抗手段，矫正方法

deprivation [͵dɛprɪˋveʃən] n. 剥夺; 缺少﹐缺乏

shut-eye [ˋʃʌt͵aɪ] n.【非正式】睡觉

drawback [ˋdrɔ͵bæk] n. 缺点，短处，不利条件

resident [ˋrɛzədənt] n. 住院医生

drowsy [ˋdraʊzɪ] adj. 昏昏欲睡的；困倦的

inertia [ɪnˋɝʃə] n. 迟钝；懒惰

dazed [dezd] adj. 〔由于震惊﹑意外事故等而〕茫然的﹐ 迷乱的﹐ 恍惚的

impair [ɪmˋpɛr] v. 削弱；减少; 损害﹐损伤〔某物〕

prophylactic [͵profəˋlæktɪk] adj.【术语】预防〔疾病〕（性）的

remedy [ˋrɛmədɪ] v. 医治，治疗; 补救

implement [ˋɪmpləmənt] v. 履行；实施；执行

sandman [ˋsænd͵mæn] n.〔童话中能使儿童入睡的〕睡魔

Sentence of the Day

Why not lie down on the job?

偷个懒又何妨?

lie down on the job  磨洋工, 怠工

课文讲解

Frank and Veronica are talking by the coffee machine:  法兰克和维诺妮卡在咖啡机旁聊天：

F: Did you hear that a manager in Pittsburgh created a nap room for employees?

妳听说过匹兹堡有位主管为员工设了一间小睡室吗？

V: Yeah. Regardless of what people should used to think about sleeping on the job, companies are now supporting the idea because napping increases morale and productivity.

听过，不管人们从前对工作中小睡怎么想，公司现在支持这种想法，因为小睡可以提升士气和生产力。

F: But do you think nap rooms are really necessary?

但妳觉得我们真的需要小睡室吗？

V: Definitely, our society is chronically sleep deprived. The average American only gets seven hours of sleep a night. That’s over an hour less than suggested!

绝对需要。我们的社会正面临长期的睡眠不足。美国人平均一个晚上只睡七个小时，比建议所需要的睡眠还少一个多小时！

F: Then I guess the idea of napping on the job isn’t so crazy after all.

这样子的话，我觉得上班时间小睡的观念一点都不疯狂。

V: It sure isn’t. British Airways allows its pilots to do it, some companies in Silicon Valley have set up nap rooms and now even the army has endorsed napping.

当然不会。英国航空允许他们公司的机师这么做，在硅谷的一些公司已经设立了小睡室，而现在甚至军方也赞成小睡。

F: I’m just amazed that employers would support the idea of workers sleeping on the job.

我真的很惊讶雇主会支持员工在上班时间小睡的这种观念。

V: Well, I think that any boss is going to be worried about implementing any practice with goof-off potential. But the fact is that naps are necessary.

嗯，我想任何一个老板都会担心实行这项措施之后，可能会有员工打混。但事实上小睡是必要的。

F: And why’s that?

为什么呢？

V: Because drowsiness is part of our natural body rhythms, not just the result of a big lunch.

因为感到嗜睡是我们身体自然节奏的一部分，而不只是一顿丰盛的午餐所造成的结果。

F: Maybe so, but try telling that to the boss the next time he catches you nodding off!

或许如此，但是，下一次妳被老板抓到上班打盹的话，试着这样解释看看！

－by David Needham

Vocabulary

单词发音

regardless of 不管, 不顾

morale [məˋræl] n. 士气，斗志

chronically [ˋkrɑnɪklɪ] adv. 长期地; 慢性地

endorse [ɪnˋdɔrs] v. 赞同；认可

goof-off [ˋguf͵ɔf] n. 休息时间

potential [pəˋtɛnʃəl] n. 可能性

nod off  打盹﹐ 打瞌睡  to doze momentarily

Sentence of the Day

She opened his eyes.

她告诉他事实的真相。

open one’s eyes  使某人看清