英語(yǔ)科普小文章
隨著科普教育的發(fā)展,科普閱讀也越來(lái)越受到重視。下面是學(xué)習(xí)啦小編帶來(lái)的英語(yǔ)科普小文章,歡迎閱讀!
英語(yǔ)科普小文章
我們會(huì)低估自己的重量
In a world full of mirrors, what I'm about to tell you may be a surprise. But many overweight people do not know they're obese. They underestimate their weight, according to a study in the journal Body Image.
在這如同明鏡一般的社會(huì)里,我即將告訴你的事情可能會(huì)讓你感到吃驚。《身體意象》雜志組織的研究顯示,許多超重的人都不知道他們自己過(guò)度肥胖,而是低估了自己的重量。
Researchers documented the height, weight and body mass index of more than 3,500 Mexican undergraduate students. Then they questioned the students about their weights. The reported poundage differed significantly from reality, especially among males.
調(diào)查人員記錄了3 500名墨西哥大學(xué)肄業(yè)生的身高、體重和體質(zhì)指數(shù)。然后他們向?qū)W生詢問(wèn)其體重。學(xué)生們的回答與真實(shí)情況相去甚遠(yuǎn),尤其是男性。
More than 33 percent of the males were overweight or obese but less than 17 percent characterized themselves as being in either category. And though more than 27 percent of the women were overweight or obese, only 21 percent believed they were. The heavier the student the more likely they were to underestimate their weight.
超過(guò)33%的男性超重或者是極度肥胖,然而如此描述自己的人低于17%。盡管超過(guò)27%的女性超重或者是過(guò)度肥胖,真正相信這一情況的只有21%。越胖的學(xué)生越容易低估自己的體重。
The study took place in Mexico because that country has the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world. But undergrads in the U.S. are even more likely to underestimate their weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers note that recognizing a weight problem early on is crucial for weight control as people age. Or you can wind up buying a bigger belt every year.
墨西哥擁有世界上最高的肥胖率和糖尿病率,因此研究特意選在墨西哥展開(kāi)。但是美國(guó)疾病預(yù)防控制中心顯示,美國(guó)的肄業(yè)生更容易低估他們的體重。研究者指出,及早地認(rèn)識(shí)到體重問(wèn)題對(duì)成長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中體重控制起到?jīng)Q定性作用。要不然你就年復(fù)一年“衣帶漸瘦終不悔”吧!
英語(yǔ)科普小文章2
記憶力不由年紀(jì)決定
Senior citizens, don't believe the hype. Because a new study finds that older folks who accept that seniors' memories get worse do worse on memory tests. The finding was published in the journal Experimental Aging Research.
老年人們,不要相信那些年紀(jì)越老記憶力越差的說(shuō)法,因?yàn)樽罱豁?xiàng)新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),那些接受這種說(shuō)法的老年人真的“自暴自棄”,在記憶力測(cè)試中一塌糊涂。這個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)表在《老齡化實(shí)驗(yàn)研究》這份期刊上。
Scientists interested in the effects of stereotype on memory enlisted 103 seniors between 60-and 82-years-old to take a memory test. Before the test, some subjects were told that the test checked the effects of age on memory. Researchers call this a threat—it reminds participants of the stereotype. That group was also asked to write down their age after reading the instructions, again homing in on the stereotype. The other group was told that the test controlled for biases. This could make them feel more secure. Researchers also gave participants a stigma consciousness questionnaire to test how strongly they bought into negative stereotypes.
一些關(guān)注老齡化對(duì)記憶力影響的科學(xué)家們邀請(qǐng)了103位年紀(jì)在60歲和82歲之間的老年人參與了一次記憶力測(cè)試。在測(cè)試前,一組老年人被告知這次實(shí)驗(yàn)的目的就是測(cè)試年齡對(duì)記憶力的影響??茖W(xué)家們把這個(gè)稱為“消極暗示”,讓參與者們把年齡和記憶力聯(lián)系到了一起。這組老年人也被要求在閱讀完測(cè)試說(shuō)明之后寫下自己的年紀(jì),再次強(qiáng)調(diào)了先前的暗示。另一組老年人則被告知,這次實(shí)驗(yàn)的目的是糾正年紀(jì)越大記憶力越差的說(shuō)法,這屬于“積極暗示”。科學(xué)家們也向參與者們提供了一份自我意識(shí)的測(cè)試問(wèn)卷,以調(diào)查他們對(duì)老齡化消極作用的看法。
The results: participants who got reminded of their age and the old age, poor memory stereotype did significantly worse. Those who say they feel stigmatized also performed more poorly. So your memory may function better just by believing that it will. In which case, you really will eventually figure out where you left your car keys.
實(shí)驗(yàn)的結(jié)果是:那些被暗示“上了年紀(jì)記憶力就會(huì)變差”的人在記憶測(cè)試中明顯表現(xiàn)的更糟糕;那些覺(jué)得老齡化消極作用大的人也表現(xiàn)得比沒(méi)有這種看法的人更差。所以,你相信自己的記憶力能有多好,它就有多好。那么,下次你就不用為找不見(jiàn)車鑰匙而著急了,只要相信自己能想起來(lái),你最終會(huì)找到的。
英語(yǔ)科普小文章3
清新氣味讓你更慷慨
When you're done listening to this podcast, grab whatever product you use to clean. Maybe it'ssomething that smells really citrusy. Do a bit of cleaning. Then take a few deep breaths. Believeit or not the odds are now higher that you'll make decisions that are both more fair and moregenerous than you would have without smelling the cleanser. That's according to researchpublished in the journal Psychological Science.
當(dāng)你聆聽(tīng)這段音頻時(shí)(按:要收聽(tīng)原文音頻,請(qǐng)點(diǎn)擊原文鏈接),請(qǐng)隨手拿起你平時(shí)用來(lái)做清潔的物品,那上邊可能就帶著一種柑橘香。把它洗干凈,然后做幾次深呼吸。信不信由你,你現(xiàn)在做決定時(shí)會(huì)比沒(méi)聞到清潔劑味道之前更公正更慷慨,這是發(fā)表在《心理科學(xué)》雜志上的一篇研究報(bào)告宣稱的。
Study subjects were tested in two different rooms. One room had recently been spritzed withcitrus-scented glass cleaner. The first test evaluated fairness—how much real money theparticipants were willing to share with an anonymous partner in another room. Participants inthe clean-smelling room offered twice as much cash.
研究者讓實(shí)驗(yàn)志愿者們分別在兩個(gè)不同的房間接受測(cè)試,其中一個(gè)房間最近剛剛噴灑過(guò)柑橘味的空氣清新劑。第一項(xiàng)測(cè)試是用來(lái)評(píng)估這種氣味對(duì)受試者公正性和慷慨度的影響,問(wèn)題是——你愿意掏出多少現(xiàn)金送給另一個(gè)房間內(nèi)的實(shí)驗(yàn)搭檔?噴灑過(guò)空氣清新劑房間內(nèi)的受試者掏出的錢是另一個(gè)房間受試者提供的現(xiàn)金額的兩倍。
In the second test, subjects gauged how interested they were in volunteering for Habitat forHumanity and in donating money. Those in the clean-smelling room said they were significantlymore interested in volunteering and almost three times more likely to donate money.
在第二項(xiàng)測(cè)試中,實(shí)驗(yàn)志愿者們被問(wèn)及對(duì)做公益志愿者和慈善捐款的興趣如何。那些身處空氣清新房間內(nèi)的受試者表現(xiàn)得更積極主動(dòng),自稱愿意捐款的人數(shù)是另一個(gè)房間的三倍之多。
Researchers claim that clean smells thus promote moral behavior. And that schools,workplaces and stores could take advantage of the finding. So if you're being virtuous, maybeyou're following the rules because you're following your nose.
研究者們據(jù)此稱,清新的氣味有助于提高人們的道德情操。這樣,像學(xué)校、工作場(chǎng)所或是商店這樣的地方就能好好利用這一發(fā)現(xiàn)。如果有一天你變得高尚起來(lái),很可能是受了自己鼻子的指引。