评论
打印
1. Biological rhythms make us a different person at 9 a. m. than we are at 3 p. m. Here's a guide to when you work better, feel better, think better.
1、生物节奏（Biological rhythms）使我们在早上九点和下午三点判若两人。本文指导你何时工作效率较高，何时自我感觉较好，何时思维活动较佳（to when you work better, feel better, think better; 不定式做定语）。（接着举了两个例子……）
2. Every fall, Jane, a young mother and part-time librarian, begins to eat more and often feels sleepy. Her mood is also darker, especially when she awakens in the morning; it takes all her energy just to drag herself out of bed. These symptoms persist until April, when warmer weather and longer days seem to lighten her mood and alleviate her cravings for food and sleep.
2、简是一位年轻的妈妈和兼职的图书馆管理员(part-time adj.兼职的; adv. 兼职地；librarian n. 图书管理员)。每年一到秋天(fall n. 下降；秋天；瀑布)，她就开始食欲增强，而且常常昏昏欲睡（sleepy adj. 欲睡的；困乏的）。她的情绪（mood n. ）也比较消沉，尤其是早上一觉醒来之际(awaken vi. 醒来；意识到; vt. 唤醒；使…意识到)，几乎要鼓起全身精力才能勉强挣扎下床（to drag herself out of bed不定式做目的状语；drag vt. 缓慢而吃力地进行）。这些症状（symptoms）要持续到翌年四月(persist until April)，那时候，较暖的气候和较长的白昼仿佛使她的心情轻松起来，也不那么嘴馋和嗜睡了(lighten vt. 使轻松；alleviate vt. 减轻，缓和; craving n. 渴望)。
3. Joseph, a 48-year-old engineer for a Midwestern computer company, feels cranky early in the morning. But as the day progresses, he becomes friendlier and more accommodating.
3、48岁的约瑟夫是中西部(midwestern)一家计算机公司的工程师。每天清晨觉得爱发脾气(cranky adj. 暴躁的)，但到了白天，他却变得较为友善，容易和人相处了（friendly-friendlier adj. 友好的；亲切的; accommodating adj. 随和的；乐于助人的）。
4. All living organisms, from mollusks to men and women, exhibit biological rhythms. Some are short and can be measured in minutes or hours. Others last days or months. The peaking of body temperature, which occurs in most people every evening, is a daily rhythm. The menstrual cycle is a monthly rhythm. The increase in sexual drive in the autumn—not in the spring, as poets would have us believe—is a seasonal, or yearly rhythm.
4、一切生物体，从软体动物（mollusk n.）到人类的男男女女，无不表现出生物节奏(exhibit vt. 显示；展览)。有些节奏为时甚短，可以用分钟或小时(in minutes or hours)计量。另一些节奏要持续若干天，甚至几个月。多数人的体温每天傍晚达到他的最高点(which 引导非限制性定语从句；peaking n. 峰值)。这是一种每日一次的节奏(a daily rhythm; daily adj.每日的)。 月经周期是每月一次的节奏。性欲冲动（sexual drive）在秋季转旺——并非像诗人要我们相信的那样出现在春天——它是一种季节性的或每年一度的节奏(have us belive 中have 意为“让”，后跟不带to的不定式；在-……-之间的文字与,……,之间的文字一样，是补充说明的内容，省略它们不会影响句子的意思)。
5. The idea that our bodies are in constant flux is fairly new—and goes against traditional medical training. In the past, many doctors were taught to believe the body has a relatively stable, or homeostatic, internal environment. Any fluctuations were considered random and not meaningful enough to be studied.
5、认为我们的躯体经常处于不断变动的状态，这种想法是相当新颖的——它与传统的医学训练的观点相反（that our bodies are in constant flux定语从句，修饰the idea; constant adj. 恒定的；经常的; flux n. 变迁；不稳定；go against 违反）。过去，许多医生所受的教育使他们相信(were taught to believe)人体有一种比较稳定的或者说是体内平衡的内在环境(homeostatic, internal environment)。任何波动(any fluctuations)都被视为(were considered)事出偶然，没有值得研究的充分意义(meaningful adj. 有意义的)。
6. As early as the 1940s, however, some scientists questioned the homeostatic view of the body. Franz Halberg, a young European scientist working in the United States, noticed that the number of white blood cells in laboratory mice was dramatically higher and lower at different times of day. Gradually, such research spread to the study of other rhythms in other life forms, and the findings were sometimes startling. For example, the time of day when a person receives X-ray or drug treatment for cancer can affect treatment benefits and ultimately mean the difference between life and death.
6、然而，早在上世纪40年代（as early as 早在……的时候），有些科学家就对体内平衡的观点（the homeostatic view of the body）提出质疑。一位在美国工作的(working in the United States现在分词做定语)年轻的欧洲科学家弗兰茨·哈尔伯格，曾注意到实验室里小白鼠的白血球数目（the number of white blood cells in laboratory mice; mice n. 是mouse的复数形式; white blood cells 白血球）的多寡在每天不同的时间里（at different times of day）有显著的差别(dramatically adv. 戏剧地；引人注目地)。这种研究逐渐扩大到（spread to）对其他生命形式的其他节奏的探讨，其结果有时是令人吃惊的（findings n. 调查结果; startling adj. 令人吃惊的）。例如，癌症患者每天接受X线治疗或药物治疗的时间（when a person receives X-ray or drug treatment for cancer是when引导的定语从句，修饰the time of day）会影响治疗的效果，并最终(ultimately)意味着生和死的差别。
7. This new science is called chronobiology, and the evidence supporting it has become increasingly persuasive. Along the way, the scientific and medical communities are beginning to rethink their ideas about how the human body works, and gradually what had been considered a minor science just a few years ago is being studied in major universities and medical centers around the world. There are even chronobiologists working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as for the National Institutes of Health and other government laboratories.
7、这门新兴的学科叫做计时生物学(chronobiology n. 时间生物学；生物钟学)，支持它的(supporting it现在分词做定语)证据已经变得越来越有说服力（increasingly adv. 越来越多地; persuasive adj. 有说服力的）。沿着这条思路，科学界和医学界人士（community n. 团体）正在开始重新考虑（are beginning to rethink）他们关于人体如何运转的（about how the human body works定语从句，修饰their ideas）观点。这一学科仅仅在几年前(just a few years ago)还被认为是微不足道的，如今在全世界一些主要的大学和医学中心，都己逐渐地有人在进行研究(what had been considered a minor science是名词从句做主语；minor adj. 次要的；较小的；二流的; major adj. 主要的；重要的; 可译为：仅仅在几年前，被认为是微不足道的这项学科现在正逐渐成为全世界主要大学和医学中心重点研究的学科)。甚至连国家航空和宇宙航行局，以及国立卫生研究所和其他的政府实验室，也有一些计时生物学家在工作着(working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration现在分词做定语; chronobiologist n. 时间生物学家; work for 为…工作; aeronautics n. 航空学; administration n. 行政机构；as well as 以及)。
8. With their new findings, they are teaching us things that can literally change our lives—by helping us organize ourselves so we can work with our natural rhythms rather than against them. This can enhance our outlook on life as well as our performance at work and play.
8、这些计时生物学家利用他们新的研究成果，正在给我们传授一些能够切实改变我们生活并帮助我们安排自己生活(that can literally change our lives—by helping us organize ourselves定语从句修饰things；literally adv. 逐字地；确实地，真正地)知识，使我们能符合而不是违背我们天然的节奏进行活动(work with 与…共事；rather than 而不是)。这样做，不仅能够提髙我们工作和娱乐的质量（performance n. 性能; 绩效），而且能够提高我们的人生观（outlook on life）。
9. Because they are easy to detect and measure, more is known of daily-or circadian (Latin for "about a day")-rhythms than other types. The most obvious daily rhythm is the sleep/wake cycle. But there are other daily cycles as well: temperature, blood pressure, hormone levels. Amid these and the body's other changing rhythms, you are simply a different person at 9 a. m. than you are at 3 p. m. How you feel, how well you work, your level of alertness, your sensitivity to taste and smell, the degree with which you enjoy food or take pleasure in music—all are changing throughout the day.
9、由于每天的（或circadian （拉丁语意为“大约一天的”))节奏比较容易被发现和测定，人们对这种节奏的了解多于其他类型的节奏（circadian adj. 生理节奏的；以24小时为周期的；-or circadian (Latin for "about a day")-是进一步说明daily的，省去而不会影响句子的意思）。睡和醒的周期是最明显的每日节奏（obvious adj. 明显的；显著的）。不过还有（as well）其他的每日节奏，如体温、血压、激素（荷尔蒙）水平等。当你处在人体的这些和其他不断改变的节奏中时（amid prep. 在其中，在之中），你在早上九点和下午三点简直（simply adv.）是判若两人。你的自我感觉、你的工作好坏、你的机警程度(alertness n. 机敏；警觉)、你的味觉和嗅觉的（to taste and smell不定式做定语，修饰sensitivity，）敏感性、你享受食物或欣赏音乐的（with which you enjoy food or take pleasure in music定语从句修饰the degree; enjoy with 乐在其中; take pleasure in 喜欢）快感——凡此种种在一天之内都不断地变化着（throughout the day 整天）。
10. Most of us seem to reach our peak of alertness around noon. Soon after that, alertness declines, and sleepiness may set in by midafternoon.
10、我们大多数人最为机警的时间似乎是在中午前后；其后不久就开始（set in）迟钝(alertness declines 机敏度下降)，等到下午三时左右（midafternoon）就昏昏欲睡了。
11. Your short-term memory is best during the morning—in fact, about 15 percent more efficient than at any other time of day. So, students, take heed: when faced with a morning exam, it really does pay to review your notes right before the test is given.
11、你的短期记忆(short-term)在早上这段时间最佳——其效率实际上(in fact)比一天里的其他时间大约髙出15%。所以，学生们请注意(take heed 留意；heed n. 注意)：当遇到早上的考试时（face with 面临），你在快考试前不久（before the test is given）温习一下你的笔记确实是（does 强调作用）有好处的。
12. Long-term memory is different. Afternoon is the best time for learning material that you want to recall days, weeks or months later. Politicians, business executives or others who must learn speeches would be smart to do their memorizing during that time of day. If you are a student, you would be wise to schedule your more difficult classes in the afternoon, rather than in the morning. You should also try to do most of your studying in the afternoon, rather than late at night. Many students believe they memorize better while burning the midnight oil because their short-term recall is better during the wee hours of the morning than in the afternoon. But short-term memory won't help them much several days later, when they face the exam.
12、长期记忆（long-term memory）就不同了。对那些你想要在以后几天、几周或几个月回想起来的（that you want to recall days, weeks or months later定语从句修饰learning material）材料，最佳的学习时间是下午。政治活动家、工商企业经理或其他必须牢记演讲词的(who must learn speeches定语从句修饰others)人们，在下午这段时间进行记忆将是明智之举(smart adj. 聪明的；memorizing n. 记忆；熟记)。如果你是学生，那么，一个聪明的办法是你把较难的课程安排在下午（wise adj. 明智的; schedule vt. 安排；n. 时间表），而不是（rather than）安排在上午去做。你还应当力图把研读大部分功课的时间放在下午(try to do sth. 努力做某事)，而不是放在深更半夜(late at night)。许多学生因为短期记忆的效果在凌晨（the wee hours of the morning）比在下午好，就以为在挑灯夜读的时候（while burning the midnight oil）能记得更牢。但在他们几天以后面对考试时短期记忆帮不了多大的忙。
13. By contrast, we tend to do best on cognitive tasks—things that require the juggling of words and figures in one's head—during the morning hours. This might be a good time, say, to balance a checkbook.
13、与之相比 (by contrast)，我们在早上几个钟头里往往能够最有效地从事那些脑力工作（do best on cognitive tasks; cognitive adj. 认知的），即那些需要动脑筋仔细推敲文字和认真思考数字的事情（juggling adj. 变戏法的；figure n. 数字）。比如说，这个时候也许最适宜于核对支票簿（to balance a checkbook 不定式做定语，修饰a good time; balance vt. 使平衡；偏意：结算）。
14. Your manual dexterity—the speed and coordination with which you perform complicated tasks with your hands—peaks during the afternoon hours. Such work as carpentry, typing or sewing will be a little easier at this time of day.
14、在下午的几个小时你的双手最为灵巧（Your manual dexterity peaks during the afternoon hours，翻译时将-……-前后的句子合二为一；manual adj. 手工的; dexterity n. 灵巧; peak vi. 达到最高点；n. 峰值），而手的灵巧度表现为使用双手完成复杂工作的速度和协调能力（with which 引导的定语从句修饰其前置词; coordination n.协调；complicated adj. 复杂的）。在一天的这段时间里干木工活（carpentry n.）、打字或缝纫更为得心应手。
15. What about sports? During afternoon and early evening, your coordination is at its peak, and you're able to react the quickest to an outside stimulus—like a baseball speeding toward you at home plate. Studies have also shown that late in the day, when your body temperature is peaking, you will perceive a physical workout to be easier and less fatiguing—whether it actually is or not. That means you are more likely to work harder during a late afternoon or early-evening workout, and therefore benefit more from it. Studies involving swimmers, runners, shotputters and rowing crews have shown consistently that performance is better in the evening than in the morning.
15、体育运动方面的情况如何呢？在下午和黄昏（early evening）来临时，你的协调能力处于顶峰状态，你能够以最快的速度(the quickest)对外界的刺激（to an outside stimulus）如对朝你本垒飞来的(speeding toward you at home plate现在分词做定语，修饰前置词a baseball)棒球做出反应（react vi.; be able to do sth. 能够做某事）。多项研究也已经证明，傍晚（late in the day）当你的体温升到最高时，不论实际情况是否如此（whether it actually is or not），你都会觉得（perseive）体育锻炼比较轻松(a physical workout to be easier不定式做宾语补足语; workout n. 锻炼)，不那么令人感到疲倦(fatiguing adj. 使人劳累的)。这意味着你在下午稍晚时或傍晚刚开始时锻炼起来比较有可能多加一把劲（be likely to do sth. 可能做某事），因此收获更大。涉及游泳、赛跑、推铅球和划船等运动员的（involving swimmers, runners, shotputters and rowing crews现在分词词组做定语，修饰studies）有关研究一致（consistently）表明，这样一些运动下午比上午易出成绩。
16. In fact, all of your senses—taste, sight, hearing, touch and smell—may be at their keenest during late afternoon and early evening. That could be why dinner usually tastes better to us than breakfast and why night lights irritate us.
16、事实上(in fact)，你的一切官能——味觉、视觉、听觉、触觉和嗅觉——都会在下午稍晚时和傍晚刚开始时最为敏锐(keen adj. 敏锐的)。这也许可以说明为什么我们通常觉得晚餐比早餐香，为什么夜间的灯光剌眼吧（irritate vt. 刺激）。
17. Even our perception of time changes from hour to hour. Not only does time seem to fly when you're having fun, but it also seems to fly even fester if you are having that fun in the late afternoon and early evening, when your body temperature is also peaking.
17、连我们对时间的感受(perception of time; perception n. 知觉；感觉)也是因时而异的。时光似乎过得飞快，这种感觉不仅出现在你正玩得兴高釆烈时(not only does time seem to fly ...是倒装句，does助动词提前，是主要考点之一)，而且这同样的欢乐如果是发生在下午稍晚和傍晚刚开始时，即你的体温正朝最高点上升时，你就会感到时间过得甚至更快(even fester)。(not only..., but also...不仅…，而且…)
18. While all of us follow the same general pattern of ups and downs, the exact timing varies from person to person. It all depends on how your "biological" day is structured—how much of a morning or night person you are. The earlier your biological day gets going, the earlier you are likely to enter—and exit—the peak times for performing various tasks. An extreme morning person and an extreme night person may have circadian cycles that are a few hours apart.
18、尽管我们的生物节奏上下起落（ups and downs n. 起伏；高低；盛衰）的总模式相同（follow vt. 跟随；偏意：遵循；直译为：尽管我们的生物节奏遵循着上下起落的相同的总模式），但确切的定时却因人而异(vary-varies vi. )。它完全取决于（depend on）你的“生物节奏”日的结构如何(biological adj. 生物学的；生物的; structured adj. 有结构的)——你是早晨活动得多还是夜里活动得多。你的生物节奏日开始得愈早，你就可能愈早地进入和退出完成各种工作的顶峰期(the + 形容词或副比较级 + 句子, the + 形容词或副比较级 + 句子, 也是主要考点之一；get going 开始；出发；)。一个完全(extreme adv.)在上午活动的人和一个完全在夜晚活动的人，他们的每日生物节奏周期可能相隔几个小时（that引导的从句做定语，修饰circadian cycles；直译为：一个完全早起的人（百灵鸟型的人）与一个完全晚睡的人（夜猫子型的人）存在着相隔几个小时的每日生物节奏）。
19. Each of us can increase our knowledge about our individual rhythms. Learn how to listen to the inner beats of your body; let them set the pace of your day. You will live a healthier—and happier—life.
19、我们人人都能增进自己对自己的生物节奏的了解。要学会如何倾听（how to listen to）你体内的节拍；根据它们来设定你的每日生活(let 后跟不带to的不定式做宾语，同样是热门考点)。这样，你将过一种更加健康、更加幸福快乐的生活。
