In school, kids are told to drink water in class, tannoy announcers encourage us to remember our bottles on public transport, and we're reminded by experts that water will help us have glowing skin and regulate our weight. But how much should we actually be drinking? 

在学校里，孩子们在课堂上被告知要喝水，天朗播音员鼓励我们在公共交通工具上记住我们的瓶子，专家提醒我们，水可以帮助我们拥有容光焕发的皮肤并调节我们的体重。但我们实际上应该喝多少呢？ 

For many years, people have followed the unofficial advice of drinking eight glasses of water, eight times a day, known as the '8x8 rule'. According to Jessica Brown, writing for BBC Future, this seems to have partly come from not understanding guidance that was published almost 80 years ago. In 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board of National Research Council advised drinking one millilitre of liquid for every recommended calorie of food. This is equivalent to around two litres of water a day, or eight glasses per person. But, Jessica says, the reality is that individuals have different needs. Weight, age and activity level all affect how much water someone should drink. 

多年来，人们一直遵循每天八次喝八杯水的非官方建议，即所谓的“8x8 规则”。据 BBC Future 撰稿的杰西卡·布朗 (Jessica Brown) 表示，这似乎部分是由于不理解近 80 年前发布的指南。1945 年，美国国家研究委员会食品与营养委员会建议每摄入推荐热量的食物就喝一毫升液体。这相当于每天大约两升水，即每人八杯水。但是，杰西卡说，现实是每个人都有不同的需求。体重、年龄和活动水平都会影响一个人应该喝多少水。 

So, should we control our water intake at all? It's not that important, according to Dr Stanley Goldfarb from the University of Pennsylvania. He told BBC podcast More or Less that our body is very good at hydration control – it tells us when we are dehydrated. First, there is 'the thirst system, which tells us go drink because your body water content is slightly reduced. And secondly, we have the kidney system which helps to retain any water and kicks in well before we really sense any thirst'. 

那么，我们到底应该控制水的摄入量吗？宾夕法尼亚大学的斯坦利·戈德法布博士表示，这并不那么重要。他告诉 BBC 播客《或多或少》，我们的身体非常擅长控制水分——它会告诉我们何时脱水。首先是“口渴系统”，它告诉我们去喝水，因为你体内的水分含量略有减少。其次，我们的肾脏系统有助于保留水分，并在我们真正感到口渴之前就开始发挥作用。”

There are, of course, benefits to drinking water. It helps our bodies regulate temperature, flushes out toxins, aids digestion and acts as a shock absorber for our joints. It also contains essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium, which are important for bone strength. 

当然，喝水也有好处。它帮助我们的身体调节温度、排出毒素、帮助消化并充当关节的减震器。它还含有钙和镁等必需营养素，这对骨骼强度很重要。 

So, next time you feel thirsty, reach for a glass of water, but otherwise, don't worry about it! Your body knows what it's doing. 

所以，下次当你感到口渴时，就伸手去喝一杯水，但除此之外，别担心！你的身体知道它在做什么。 

词汇表

bottle 水瓶
glowing 容光焕发的，水灵的
millilitre 毫升
liquid 液体
calorie （热量单位）卡路里
litre 升
intake 摄入量
hydration control 人体内水分控制
dehydrated 缺水的 ，脱水的
thirst system 口渴感知系统
body water content 人体内水分含量
kidney system 肾脏系统
retain 保持，留存
kick in 开始起作用，见效
flush out 清除，排出
toxin 毒素
digestion 消化
shock absorber 起减震缓冲功能的物体
calcium 钙
magnesium 镁