英语每日一听 | 每天少于5分钟

Many people with SAD respond to light therapy, said Dr. Paul Desan of Yale University’s Winter Depression Research Clinic. The therapy devices give off light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light. 

耶鲁大学冬季抑郁症研究诊所的保罗·德桑博士说，许多季节性情感障碍患者对光疗有反应。该治疗设备发出的光比普通室内光亮约 20 倍。 

“The first thing to try is light,” Desan said. “When we get patients on exposure to bright light for a half an hour or so every morning, the majority of patients get dramatically better. We don’t even need medications.” 

“首先要尝试的是轻，”德桑说。“当我们每天早上让患者接受强光照射半小时左右时，大多数患者的病情都会明显好转。我们甚至不需要药物。”

There is research that supports the idea that using a light that has a brightness of about 10,000 lux can be helpful. Lux is a measurement of brightness. 

有研究支持这样的观点：使用亮度约为 10,000 勒克斯的灯会有所帮助。勒克斯是亮度的度量。 

The research suggests that a person use it for 30 minutes every morning. Desan said this can help not only people with SAD but also those with less-severe, low moods in winter. 

研究表明，一个人每天早上使用它 30 分钟。德桑说，这不仅可以帮助患有季节性情绪失调的人，也可以帮助那些冬季情绪不太严重、情绪低落的人。

Experts suggest other forms of treatment. Doctors often suggest antidepressant medications as a first-line treatment for SAD. They also suggest going to bed and waking up at about the same time each day. Also, exercise such as walking outside, even on cloudy days, can help. 

专家建议采用其他形式的治疗。医生经常建议抗抑郁药物作为 SAD 的一线治疗方法。他们还建议每天大约在同一时间上床睡觉和起床。此外，即使在阴天，户外散步等锻炼也会有所帮助。 

Kelly Rohan is a researcher at the University of Vermont. Rohan said another treatment is talk therapy. Also called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, Rohan said it has been shown in studies to have more long-lasting effects. CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and change unhelpful thoughts. 

凯利·罗汉 (Kelly Rohan) 是佛蒙特大学的研究员。罗汉说另一种治疗方法是谈话疗法。罗汉说，这种疗法也被称为认知行为疗法（CBT），研究表明它具有更持久的效果。CBT 涉及与治疗师合作来识别和改变无益的想法。 

“A very common thought that people have is ‘I hate winter,’” Rohan said. She suggests that people instead say, “I prefer summer to winter.” 

“人们普遍的想法是‘我讨厌冬天’，”罗汉说。她建议人们改为说：“我更喜欢夏天而不是冬天。” 

Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Rohan said. Try planning undemanding but enjoyable activities to break out of a bad mood. Rohan said simply meeting a friend for coffee can help. 

罗汉说，与治疗师合作可以帮助人们迈出一小步，重新获得乐趣。尝试计划一些要求不高但令人愉快的活动来摆脱坏心情。罗汉说，仅仅和朋友一起喝杯咖啡就能有所帮助。 

People with SAD have half the year to create helpful methods. Some have found things that work for them -- although they might not be the subject of scientific research. 

患有 SAD 的人有半年的时间来创造有用的方法。有些人发现了对他们有用的东西——尽管它们可能不是科学研究的主题。 

For example, in Folsom, California, Elizabeth Wescott says she believes a kind of water therapy helps her. The 69-year-old uses water therapy used in sports medicine. When she showers, she changes between hot and cold water. She also uses a light box and takes an antidepressant. “I’m always looking for new tools,” Wescott said. 

例如，在加利福尼亚州福尔瑟姆，伊丽莎白·韦斯科特说，她相信一种水疗法对她有帮助。这位 69 岁的老人使用运动医学中使用的水疗法。当她洗澡时，她会在热水和冷水之间切换。她还使用灯箱并服用抗抑郁药。“我一直在寻找新工具，”韦斯科特说。 

In New York, Miriam Cherry grows the earliest blooming flowers. They bloom as early as February. 

在纽约，米里亚姆樱桃种植了最早开花的花朵。它们最早在二月就开花了。 

“That’s going to be a sign to me that this isn’t going to last forever,” Cherry said. “It will get better, and spring is on the way.” 

“这对我来说是一个信号，表明这种情况不会永远持续下去，”切里说。“一切都会好起来的，春天即将到来。” 

As fall and winter come to some parts of the world, daylight hours grow shorter. This lack of light can cause seasonal depression. 

随着秋季和冬季的到来，世界上一些地区的白天时间变得越来越短。光照不足会导致季节性抑郁症。 

“It (is) a feeling of panic, fear, anxiety and dread all in one,” said Germaine Pataki. The 63-year-old woman living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is among the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. 

“这是一种恐慌、恐惧、焦虑和恐惧的感觉，”杰梅因·帕塔基说。这位居住在加拿大萨斯喀彻温省萨斯卡通的 63 岁女性是估计患有季节性情感障碍 (SAD) 的数百万人之一。 

To deal with her condition, Pataki uses yoga, walking, and an antidepressant medication. She is also part of a Facebook group for people with SAD and helps others deal with the condition. Pataki said, “This gives me purpose.” 

为了应对自己的病情，帕塔基使用瑜伽、步行和抗抑郁药物。她还是 Facebook 社交情感障碍患者小组的成员，并帮助其他人应对这种情况。帕塔基说：“这给了我目标。” 

People with SAD usually have depression that begins in the fall and eases in the spring or summer. Changing the clocks back to standard time, which happens in autumn in the United States, can also cause SAD to start. 

患有季节性情感障碍的人通常会在秋季开始抑郁，并在春季或夏季缓解。将时钟改回标准时间（在美国发生在秋季）也可能导致 SAD 启动。

Medical experts say there is a milder form, called subsyndromal SAD. There is also summer seasonal depression but less is known about that. 

医学专家表示，还有一种较温和的形式，称为亚综合征型季节性情感障碍 (SAD)。还有夏季季节性抑郁症，但人们对此知之甚少。 

In 1984, a team led by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, then a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, first described SAD. He invented the term. 

1984年，由时任美国国立卫生研究院研究员的诺曼·罗森塔尔博士领导的研究小组首次描述了季节性情感障碍（SAD）。他发明了这个词。

Scientists are still learning the causes of seasonal affective disorder. They have found that specialized cells in our eyes turn the blue wavelength of the light into neural, or brain signals. These signals affect mood and wakefulness, or alertness. 

科学家们仍在研究季节性情感障碍的原因。他们发现我们眼睛中的特殊细胞将蓝色波长的光转化为神经或大脑信号。这些信号会影响情绪和清醒度或警觉性。 

Sunlight has a lot of blue light. So, when the cells sense this blue light, the alertness centers of our brains turn on. We feel more alert and possibly even happier. 

阳光中含有大量蓝光。因此，当细胞感受到这种蓝光时，我们大脑的警觉中枢就会开启。我们感到更加警觉，甚至可能更加快乐。 

Kathryn Roecklein is a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. As a group, people with SAD were less sensitive to blue light than others, especially during winter months. That suggests a cause for wintertime depression. 

凯瑟琳·罗克林 (Kathryn Roecklein) 是匹兹堡大学的研究员。她测试了患有和未患有悲伤症的人，看看他们的眼睛对蓝光有何反应。作为一个群体，患有季节性情感障碍的人对蓝光的敏感度低于其他人，尤其是在冬季。这表明冬季抑郁症的一个原因。 

“In the winter, when the light levels drop, that, combined with a lower sensitivity, might be too low for healthy functioning, leading to depression,” Roecklein said. 

“在冬天，当光照水平下降时，再加上敏感度较低，可能对健康功能来说太低，从而导致抑郁症，”罗克莱因说。 

Miriam Cherry is 50 years old and lives in New York state. She spent the summer planning how she would deal with her winter depression. “It’s like clockwork,” Cherry said. “The sunlight is low. The day ends at 4:45, and suddenly my mood is horrible.” 

Miriam Cherry 50 岁，住在纽约州。她整个夏天都在计划如何应对冬季的抑郁症。“这就像发条一样，”切里说。“阳光很低。这一天在 4 点 45 分结束，突然我的心情很糟糕。” 

The basic building blocks of humans are cells. When embryos are first fertilised, they're all the same. But after three weeks, they begin to specialise and clump together to form the various bits of the body. 

人体结构最基本的组成是细胞。当胚胎刚受精时，它们的细胞是完全相同的。但三周后，细胞会开始分化并分别凝聚形成人体的各个部分。 

The secret to learning how humans are built [lies] deep in the heart of these cells. Specifically, the Human Cell Atlas project aims to find out which genes are turned on at what times and in which locations. Researchers have now published details of how this happens in skin. This raises the possibility of eventually slowing down the signs of ageing. 

了解人体构造的秘密就藏在这些细胞深处。具体来说，人类细胞图谱项目的目标就是找出基因会在何时何处被激活。研究人员目前已经公布了这一过程在皮肤中如何进行的细节。这一发现可能增加了最终延缓衰老迹象的可能性。

词汇表 

building blocks 基本组成 

cells 细胞 

embryos 胚胎 

fertilised 受精 

specialise （细胞）分化 

clump together 聚成一团 

Atlas 图谱 

genes 基因 

ageing 衰老，老化

Squashed noses, scratched cheeks and t-shirts covered in sticky drinks. These are just some of the things that people are complaining about following the introduction of a new style of plastic bottle lid. Regulations in Europe now require manufacturers to tether lids to plastic drink bottles, making them difficult to remove. 

鼻子被压扁，脸颊被抓伤，T 恤上沾满了粘稠的饮料。这些只是新型塑料瓶盖推出后人们抱怨的一些事情。欧洲的法规现在要求制造商将盖子拴在塑料饮料瓶上，使其难以移除。 

Of course, the reason behind this measure is not to make people annoyed. It's because when lids get separated from their bottles, they become a big problem. As they're small, bottle caps are easily discarded, representing a high percentage of the plastic waste found on beaches. UK surveys reported that bottle tops were the third most common type of waste found as litter. They're more buoyant than bottles and so can travel further once they're in the sea. They are then often mistaken for food by sea birds or other wildlife, endangering their health. Wildlife photographer Chris Jordan, documented how Midway Atoll in the Pacific was covered with the bodies of thousands of seabirds whose stomachs were full of plastic pollution, much of it plastic bottle tops. It's not just discarded lids that can be an issue. Carefully disposed of lids can present a problem in recycling plants. They are often too small for the machinery used to sort rubbish and end up being sent to landfill. 

当然，此举背后的原因并不是为了让人恼火。这是因为当盖子与瓶子分离时，就会成为一个大问题。由于瓶盖很小，很容易被丢弃，占海滩上发现的塑料垃圾的很大比例。英国的调查报告称，瓶盖是第三大最常见的垃圾类型。它们比瓶子更有浮力，因此一旦进入海中就可以游得更远。它们经常被海鸟或其他野生动物误认为是食物，从而危及它们的健康。野生动物摄影师克里斯·乔丹（Chris Jordan）记录了太平洋中途岛环礁如何布满了数千只海鸟的尸体，这些海鸟的胃里充满了塑料污染物，其中大部分是塑料瓶盖。造成问题的不仅仅是废弃的盖子。小心处理盖子可能会给回收厂带来问题。对于用于分类垃圾的机械来说，它们通常太小，最终被送往垃圾填埋场。 

Clever design could help reduce the scale of the problem. The way products are built can influence our behaviour. Consider a refrigerator that bleeps when left open too long. The alarm encourages us to close the door, saving energy. Renee Wever, writing in the International Journal of Sustainable Engineering highlights how metal drink can ring pulls were redesigned in the 1980s, to remain attached to the cans. This is the approach which has been taken with plastic bottles. 

巧妙的设计有助于减少问题的规模。产品的构建方式会影响我们的行为。考虑一台冰箱在打开时间过长时会发出蜂鸣声。警报鼓励我们关上门，节省能源。Renee Wever 在《国际可持续工程杂志》上撰文，重点介绍了 20 世纪 80 年代如何重新设计金属饮料罐拉环，以保持与罐子的连接。这是对塑料瓶采取的方法。 

If bottle tops are attached to bottles, they are more likely to be disposed of properly and less likely to present a problem to wildlife. Many recycling plants find it easier to recycle caps when they are attached to bottles. Could it be that making something slightly more difficult to use could make a real difference to solving our plastic waste problem. 

如果瓶盖附在瓶子上，则更有可能得到妥善处理，并且不太可能给野生动物带来问题。许多回收厂发现，当瓶盖附在瓶子上时，回收起来更容易。难道让一些东西稍微难用一点就能对解决我们的塑料垃圾问题产生真正的影响吗？ 

It would not be autumn without planting advice from Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano. 

如果没有美联社园艺专家杰西卡·达米亚诺的种植建议，就不会有秋天。 

Damiano recently wrote about her experience planting garlic cloves. She was concerned not just about protecting them from low winter temperatures. She was worried that animals would dig up her bulbs and eat them. 

达米亚诺最近写了一篇关于她种植蒜瓣的经历的文章。她关心的不仅仅是保护他们免受冬季低温的影响。她担心动物会挖出她的球茎并吃掉它们。

Tulips, daffodils and garlic, for example, produce bulbs that bloom in the spring in places that have four seasons and cold winters. 

例如，在有四个季节和寒冷冬季的地方，郁金香、水仙花和大蒜会产生在春季开花的球茎植物。 

To keep away animals, Damiano put netting over the soil and covered it with straw to a thickness of 10 centimeters. 

为了防止动物进入，达米亚诺在土壤上铺了网，并用稻草覆盖了 10 厘米厚。 

She said this is good to do with any bulbs, especially ones like garlic, tulips and crocuses. That is because animals like to eat the bulbs of these plants. 

她说这对任何球茎植物都适用，尤其是大蒜、郁金香和番红花等球茎植物。那是因为动物喜欢吃这些植物的球茎。

Netting or a kind of fencing called chicken wire can serve as a physical barrier that prevents animals from digging up plants. Such barriers do not block sunlight and water from reaching the soil. Damiano said they can be secured to the ground with pieces of wood or rocks. They can be removed in the spring. 

网或一种称为铁丝网的栅栏可以作为物理屏障，防止动物挖掘植物。这些屏障不会阻挡阳光和水到达土壤。达米亚诺说，可以用木头或石头将它们固定在地面上。它们可以在春天被移除。 

Straw is a good mulch material that helps keep the temperature of the soil from changing too much. That can help avoid damage to plants caused by freezing and thawing conditions. It also keeps the soil from drying out. Protecting soil is important during the winter when cold dry weather can damage even the strongest plants. 

稻草是一种很好的覆盖材料，有助于防止土壤温度发生太大变化。这有助于避免冷冻和解冻条件对植物造成的损害。它还可以防止土壤干燥。冬季保护土壤非常重要，寒冷干燥的天气甚至会损害最坚强的植物。

Damiano said it is important to use straw, not hay, in your garden. Hay is animal feed. It contains tall grass, alfalfa, clover and other seeds that will cause problems in your garden. 

达米亚诺说，在花园里使用稻草而不是干草很重要。干草是动物饲料。它含有高草、苜蓿、三叶草和其他种子，会给您的花园带来问题。 

She said straw is leftover material from crop harvesting. It is better because it has fewer seeds. 

她说，秸秆是农作物收割后的剩余材料。它更好，因为它的种子较少。 

Damiano also said straw is less likely to contain chemicals used for insect control on crops. Straw is also good for other purposes around your house, the gardening expert noted. 

达米亚诺还表示，秸秆不太可能含有用于农作物昆虫控制的化学物质。园艺专家指出，稻草还可以用于房屋周围的其他用途。

Damiano does not like to use some popular fertilizers such as bone meal, blood meal or fish fertilizers. She said hungry animals might find such fertilizers appealing. 

达米亚诺不喜欢使用一些流行的肥料，如骨粉、血粉或鱼肥。她说饥饿的动物可能会发现这种肥料很有吸引力。

She also advises not to leave parts of bulbs on the ground in your garden because they might be a sign to animals that there is food nearby. 

她还建议不要将部分球茎留在花园的地上，因为它们可能向动物发出信号，表明附近有食物。 

There are many products meant to keep away animals that eat bulbs, which include squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and others. Damiano does not use repellants because they must be must be replaced often. She said she does not like doing garden work when it is cold outside.

有许多产品可以防止吃球茎的动物，包括松鼠、兔子、花栗鼠等。达米亚诺不使用驱虫剂，因为它们必须经常更换。她说她不喜欢在外面寒冷的时候做园艺工作。 

Some repellants can be used to treat bulbs before planting. But, she said, they wear off over time. Damiano considered a physical barrier like netting or chicken wire to be the best defense. 

一些驱虫剂可用于在种植前处理球茎。但她说，随着时间的推移，它们会逐渐消失。达米亚诺认为，像网或铁丝网这样的物理屏障是最好的防御。 

But, she added, the repellants and other methods can be effective so long as you are diligent. 

但是，她补充说，只要你勤奋，驱虫剂和其他方法就可以有效。 

Researchers in Mexico have discovered a large, lost Mayan city. 

墨西哥的研究人员发现了一座失落的大型玛雅城市。 

The major urban settlement, named Valeriana, is hidden deep in the southern forest of Campeche. 

主要城市定居点瓦莱里亚纳 (Valeriana) 隐藏在坎佩切南部森林深处。 

The discovery adds to existing knowledge about ancient Mayan settlements. 

这一发现丰富了有关古代玛雅定居点的现有知识。 

Valeriana was discovered by chance thanks to Lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging. It is a technology that uses lasers to map the Earth’s surface. 

缬草是通过激光雷达（即光探测和测距）偶然发现的。这是一项使用激光绘制地球表面地图的技术。 

The data used for the study came from around 122 square kilometers of high-quality Lidar data collected in 2013. 

该研究使用的数据来自 2013 年收集的约 122 平方公里的高质量激光雷达数据。 

The work, led by the Nature Conservancy in Mexico, was part of a forest monitoring project called Alianza. The project aimed to reduce emissions from tree cutting, or deforestation, and land damage. 

这项工作由墨西哥大自然保护协会领导，是名为 Alianza 的森林监测项目的一部分。该项目旨在减少砍伐树木、森林砍伐和土地破坏造成的排放。 

Researchers wrote in the study, published by Cambridge University Press, that "The discovery of Valeriana highlights the fact that there are still major gaps in our knowledge of the existence or absence of large sites within as-yet unmapped areas of the Maya Lowlands.” 

研究人员在剑桥大学出版社发表的研究报告中写道，“缬草的发现凸显了一个事实，即我们对玛雅低地尚未绘制地图的地区是否存在大型遗址的了解仍然存在重大差距。” 

Lidar technology revealed a major settlement, filled with buildings and agricultural infrastructure. 

激光雷达技术揭示了一个主要定居点，充满了建筑物和农业基础设施。 

The classical-era Maya civilization dates back to around 1800 to 1100 years ago. At the time, the Maya civilization grew its control over present-day southern Mexico and what are now Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. 

古典时期的玛雅文明可以追溯到大约1800至1100年前。当时，玛雅文明扩大了对现今墨西哥南部以及现在的伯利兹、萨尔瓦多、危地马拉和洪都拉斯的控制。 

In the study, the researchers identified a total of 6,764 structures, suggesting a populous ancient city. 

在这项研究中，研究人员总共发现了 6,764 座建筑，表明这是一座人口稠密的古城。 

The researchers will carry out further detailed study of the dataset – both remotely and in the field. The discovery serves as a way to better understand ancient Mayan urbanization and settlements. 

研究人员将对数据集进行进一步详细的研究——远程和现场研究。这一发现为更好地了解古代玛雅城市化和定居点提供了一种方式。 

British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, highly infectious version of mpox that first appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

英国卫生官员表示，他们已经发现了四例新型高传染性MPOX病例，该病例首次出现在刚果民主共和国。 

The announcement marks the first time the variant has caused a group of illnesses outside of Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public remains low. 

这一公告标志着该变种首次在非洲以外地区引发一系列疾病。科学家表示，公众面临的风险仍然很低。

Officials announced the first case of the new form of mpox in Britain last week. Officials said the person who was being treated at a London hospital had recently travelled to countries in Africa with ongoing outbreaks. 

官员上周宣布英国出现首例新型MPOX病例。官员们表示，在伦敦一家医院接受治疗的患者最近曾前往疫情持续爆发的非洲国家。 

This week, the British Health Security Agency said it had now identified three additional cases. All of them lived in the same household as the first patient. The new cases are also being treated at a hospital in London. 

本周，英国卫生安全局表示，现已发现另外三例病例。他们都与第一位患者住在同一户人家。这些新病例也在伦敦的一家医院接受治疗。 

Susan Hopkins is chief medical advisor of the British Health Security Agency. She said, “Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household." 

苏珊·霍普金斯是英国健康安全局的首席医疗顾问。她说：“痘痘在密切接触的家庭中具有很强的传染性，因此在同一家庭中出现更多病例也就不足为奇了。” 

The new variant of mpox was first reported earlier this year in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC. Scientists believe it causes milder symptoms that are harder to notice. As a result, it might be easier to spread because people may not know they are infected. Its spread in the DRC and in other parts of Africa caused the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in August. 

今年早些时候，刚果民主共和国东部地区首次报道了mpox的新变种。科学家认为，它会导致较轻微的症状，较难注意到。因此，它可能更容易传播，因为人们可能不知道自己被感染了。它在刚果民主共和国和非洲其他地区的蔓延导致世界卫生组织于八月份宣布此次疫情为国际关注的突发公共卫生事件。

Britain recorded more than 3,000 cases of another version of mpox during a 2022 outbreak that affected more than 100 countries. 

2022 年，英国记录了 3,000 多例另一种 MPOX 病例，疫情影响了 100 多个国家。 

The new variant of mpox has also caused outbreaks in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Single cases in travelers have also been reported in Sweden, India, Germany and Thailand. 

新变种mpox也在布隆迪、肯尼亚、卢旺达和乌干达引发疫情。瑞典、印度、德国和泰国也报告了旅行者中的单例病例。 

To date, there have been about 43,000 suspect cases of mpox in Africa, including more than 1,000 deaths, mostly in the DRC. 

迄今为止，非洲已有约 43,000 例疑似 MPOX 病例，其中 1,000 多人死亡，其中大部分发生在刚果民主共和国。 

On Wednesday, the WHO said it had given about 900,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries struggling with mpox epidemics. 

周三，世界卫生组织表示，已向 9 个受 MPOX 疫情困扰的非洲国家提供了约 90 万剂疫苗。

The clear-winged, yellow-bellied moths made an improbable journey from the jungle of Guyana to Pontardawe in South Wales before being discovered. One was spotted on a windowsill at home by ecologist Daisy Cadet, whose mother had visited South America on a photography trip three months earlier. The pair later found the remains of two cocoons in the bag she'd used to carry her boots on the journey. 

这些翅膀透明、腹部呈黄色的飞蛾在被发现之前完成了一段不可思议的旅程：从圭亚那的雨林来到了南威尔士庞特道埃。生态学家黛西·卡德特在家中的窗台上发现了其中一只飞蛾，而她的母亲在三个月前曾前往南美洲旅行和摄影。此后，这对母女在母亲旅行中用来装靴子的袋子里找到了两个蛹的遗骸。 

With the help of the Natural History Museum, DNA analysis confirmed the moths were a previously unrecorded species – something Daisy struggled to comprehend. 

在自然历史博物馆的帮助下，遗传物质分析确认了这些飞蛾属于一种从未被记录过的物种，这让黛西感到费解。

Experts say clearwing moths are notoriously difficult to find, even by professionals. The fact that they survived a cold, Welsh winter after landing so far from home is even more remarkable. 

专家表示，众所周知，即便是专业人士也很难找到透翅蛾。而这些飞蛾在来到远离家园的地方后，在威尔士寒冷的冬季存活了下来这个事实更加引人注目。 

词汇表

clear-winged 翅膀透明的
yellow-bellied 腹部呈黄色的
spotted 发现了
windowsill 窗台，窗沿
remains 遗骸，残骸
cocoons 蛹
notoriously 众所周知的
remarkable 不寻常的，引人注意的

So, you've reached an intermediate level of English – congrats! You can understand most things about familiar topics and can express yourself in most situations. But maybe you've been here a while, and now you're stuck in what we call the 'intermediate plateau'. Often when we begin learning something, progress is fast and noticeable, but perhaps now it's difficult to see your improvements. Let's see if some new ideas can propel your learning forward. 

所以，您已经达到了中级英语水平 - 恭喜！您可以理解大多数熟悉主题的内容，并可以在大多数情况下表达自己。但也许你已经在这里有一段时间了，现在你陷入了我们所说的“中间高原”。通常当我们开始学习某些东西时，进步是快速且明显的，但也许现在很难看到你的进步。让我们看看一些新想法是否可以推动您的学习进步。 

If your study routine mostly consists of flash cards and grammar exercises, it's time to switch it up. In an article called 'The four strands' by Paul Nation, he suggests that while such exercises are important for building a strong foundation, we should also make time for more meaning-focused learning. That means lots of reading and listening, with a focus on gaining knowledge and enjoyment from the topic itself and learning new vocabulary through context clues. That way, you immerse yourself in the language and get a feel for how it's used in the real world. 

如果您的学习日程主要由闪存卡和语法练习组成，那么是时候改变它了。在 Paul Nation 撰写的一篇名为“四股线”的文章中，他建议虽然此类练习对于打下坚实的基础很重要，但我们也应该腾出时间进行更注重意义的学习。这意味着大量的阅读和听力，重点是从主题本身中获取知识和乐趣，并通过上下文线索学习新词汇。这样，您就可以沉浸在该语言中并了解它在现实世界中的使用方式。 

But don't stop there! Next, you've got to actually produce the language in a purposeful way. According to Merrill Swain's 'Output Hypothesis', speaking helps us to notice holes in our knowledge that we can then work on. Speaking also gives us the chance to experiment with language and, following feedback, either correct or maintain it. What about fluency? Fluency is using what you already know smoothly and quickly, without focusing on learning new words. Set a timer and talk to yourself about a topic, then repeat, setting a shorter timer each time. 

但不要就此止步！接下来，您必须以有目的地的方式实际生成该语言。根据梅里尔·斯温（Merrill Swain）的“输出假说”，说话可以帮助我们发现知识中的漏洞，然后我们可以进行弥补。口语还让我们有机会尝试语言，并根据反馈纠正或维持语言。流畅度怎么样？流利度是指流畅、快速地使用你已经知道的东西，而不是专注于学习新单词。设置一个计时器并与自己谈论一个主题，然后重复，每次设置一个较短的计时器。 

Breaking through the intermediate plateau is tricky. But, the key is not to rely on just one type of activity. Experiment with a well-balanced approach, varied materials, and above all, enjoy yourself, and you'll start seeing incremental improvements that'll send you on your way to master English at a higher level. 

突破中间平台是很棘手的。但是，关键是不要仅依赖一种类型的活动。尝试平衡的方法、不同的材料，最重要的是，享受自己，你会开始看到渐进的进步，这将让你走上更高水平掌握英语的道路。

词汇表

stuck 难住了，卡住了
intermediate plateau 中级瓶颈期，长期处于学习的中级阶段
propel 推进，推动
flash card （有单词或图片的）教学卡片
switch it up 改变做法从而获得提升
strong foundation 坚实的基础
context clue 语境提示
immerse oneself in 将自己沉浸在…中
get a feel for (something) 通过体验感受（某事）
output 输出
fluency 流利程度
break through 突破
tricky 困难的
incremental 逐步增加的
master 熟练掌握

Fruit flies can walk, hover and the males can even sing love songs to woo females. All this, and these flies have a brain that's tinier than a pinhead. Researchers have taken a closer look and found that it's a tangle of more than 130,000 separate wires called neurons – all packed together, making more than 50 million separate connections to each other. 

果蝇能行走和盘旋，雄性果蝇甚至能够通过唱 “情歌” 来追求雌性的芳心。果蝇虽然具备这些能力，它们的大脑却比针头还小。研究人员通过更进一步的观察发现，果蝇的大脑是一团缠结在一起的 13 万个独立 “导线”，即神经元。这些神经元之间形成了超过 5000 万个独立的连接。 

It's taken them ten years, using advanced artificial intelligence systems, to identify its detailed structure, composition and connections. In essence, a wiring diagram, scientifically called the fly connectome. 

科学家们花了十年的时间，使用先进的人工智能系统辨认出了果蝇大脑的详细结构、组成部分和连接方式。从本质上说，科学家们建立了一个接线图，科学上称之为苍蝇脑连接组。 

Even though human brains are a million times larger than a fly's, Dr Gregory Jefferis of the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge says that the new connectome is the first step in truly understanding, not just how fly brains work, but ours, too. That's because there are likely to be similarities in the way they're both wired. 

虽然人类大脑比苍蝇大脑大 100 多万倍，但位于剑桥的医学研究委员会分子生物学实验室的格雷戈里·杰弗里斯博士表示，这次研究建立的苍蝇脑连接组是真正理解大脑运作机制的第一步，不论是对于苍蝇大脑还是人类大脑来说。这是因为这两种大脑的神经连接方式很可能有相似之处。 

It will take decades to have a complete map of the human brain. But this analysis of fruit flies is the start of a new, deeper understanding of our own minds. 

绘制人类大脑的完整图谱还需要几十年的时间。但对果蝇大脑的分析是一个起点：我们对自身的大脑也将有一个更新、更深刻的认识。 

词汇表

hover 盘旋
woo 追求
pinhead 针头
tangle 缠结的一团
neurons 神经元
in essence 本质上
molecular biology 分子生物学