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An Oversized Epidemic 「特大号」传染病

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An Oversized Epidemic   「特大号」传染病

You would never suspect it, but it is spreading. Your friends got it from their friends, and now you might get it too. It’s …… obesity?

你可能从未察觉它，但它却在蔓延，你的朋友被他们的朋友传染，而现在你也可能感染。它是……肥胖吗？

It isn’t caused by a virus, but according to recent research, potbellies can be contagious – like a virus. Dr. Christakis and his team studied the medical and personal information of people from Framingham, Massachusetts. They found that neighbors’ and family members’ weights had a relatively small influence on people’s weight gain. However, if a person’s close friend plumped up, it was 171 percent more likely the person would also gain weight. It also worked the other way: friends who slimmed down saw their friends do the same. Their research explains why Americans have become obese. Each obese person is likely to drag along some friends.

尽管不是由病毒引起，但最近的研究显示，大肚皮可能具有传染病──就跟病毒一样。克里斯塔基医师的团队研究麻州佛莱明翰居民的医疗及个人信息。他们发现，邻居与家人的体重对一个人变胖的影响没那么大。但如果一个人的好友体重增加，那么这个人体重跟着增加的机率将上升171%。反之亦然，变瘦的人会发现，朋友也跟着瘦下来。该研究解释了美国人过胖的原因，每一位过胖者都可能拖朋友下水。

According to Dr. Christakis, this is probably because “You change your idea of what is an acceptable body type based on the people around you.” Therefore, if your friend gets a little heavier, it doesn’t seem so bad.

克里斯塔基医师表示，这可能是因为「你对适中体型的观念，会随周遭的人而改变。」因此即使朋友变胖了点，看起来也没那么糟。

This doesn’t mean that we should avoid our thickset friends, though. Instead, make a new slim one. Your other friends just might thank you.

但这不表示我们应该躲避大块头朋友，反倒是应该结交苗条的新朋友。你的其他朋友也可能因此感激你。

Vocabulary

单词发音

epidemic [͵ɛpɪˋdɛmɪk] n. 流行病; 传染病

obesity [oˋbisətɪ] n. 肥胖；过胖

contagious [kənˋtedʒəs] adj. 感染性的

relatively [ˋrɛlətɪvlɪ] adv. 相对地,比较地

slim [slɪm] v. 体重减少，缩减[（+down）]

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单词发音

potbelly [ˋpɑt͵bɛlɪ] n.（因肥胖而挺出的）大肚皮

plump up 变圆, 变丰满 to make well-rounded or full in form

drag along 拖累

thickset [ˋθɪkˋsɛt] adj. 体格粗壮的；矮胖的

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A Warm, Furry Goodbye  毛茸茸的温暖道别

Padded feet softly make their way through the halls of a nursing home in Providence, Rhode Island. Oscar the cat is checking on the patients just like the nurses who work here.

覆着肉垫的脚，轻柔地穿梭在罗得岛帕维敦斯市一所赡养中心的走廊，这只名为奥斯卡的猫，像护士般巡视病患。

Oscar was adopted from a shelter as a kitten to provide companionship to the residents. The staff soon discovered that when he sensed people dying, he would curl up with them and purr to comfort them. So far, he has accurately predicted the deaths of 25 patients to within a couple of hours. Most families are thankful for his ability, and are grateful for his company.

奥斯卡小时候被该中心从收容所领养出来，希望牠能陪伴病患。工作人员不久便发现，当牠感觉到病患即将死亡时，牠会窝在他们身旁，低鸣安慰他们。至今牠已正确预测廿五名病患将于数小时内去世。多数家属对牠这种能力都心存感恩，且感谢牠的陪伴。

Nobody knows how Oscar makes his predictions. Some have suggested that there might be a special smell he picks up on. Others think he notices the same signs of death as a doctor does, such as labored breathing.

没人知道奥斯卡如何作出预测。有人推测牠可能是闻到某种特殊气味；有人则认为，牠跟医师一样，注意到相同的死亡征兆，好比呼吸困难。

The doctors and nurses who take care of Oscar have come to rely on him. He has helped many families get the chance to say a final goodbye to their loved ones. As one mother explained to her son, “He is here to help Grandmother get to heaven.”

照顾奥斯卡的医师和护士越来越依赖牠。牠已协助许多家庭把握向亲人道别的最后机会。正如一位母亲向儿子解释的：「牠是来帮助祖母上天堂的。」

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Vocabulary

单词发音

shelter [ˋʃɛltɚ] n. 收容所

companionship [kəmˋpænjən͵ʃɪp] n. 友谊；伴侣关系

predict [prɪˋdɪkt] v. 预料; 预测

grateful [ˋgretfəl] adj. 感谢的，感激的

pick up on【美】【口】了解到; 注意到  to take into the mind and understand

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单词发音

padded [ˋpædɪd] adj.（动物）脚底有厚肉的

make one’s way  向前走

nursing home  私立护老院; 私立疗养院

adopt [əˋdɑpt] v. 收养

curl [kɝl] up (躺或坐)蜷作一团  to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved

purr [pɝ] v.（猫等满足地）呜呜叫

company [ˋkʌmpənɪ] n. 陪伴；友情

labored [ˋlebɚd] adj. 吃力的

come to 变成, 达到(某种状态) [L]