All That Is Hot新闻微阅读四篇

2023-12-29 00:00:00王燕
疯狂英语·初中版 2023年11期

1 A hot online discussion—unreservedseats were priced the same as secondclassseats无座和二等座同价上热搜

An online discussion emerged[ 浮现] regarding the pricing andusage of unreserved seats on high-speed trains recently. Thecontroversy[争论;辩论] gained significant attention and sparked heateddebates among netizens. Many passengers voiced their frustration,pointing out that unreservedseats and second-class seatswere being sold at the sameprice. They expressed theirdissatisfaction with the situation,highlighting the stark differencein comfort between the twooptions. One netizen humorously remarked, “We’re paying the samefare, but one gets to sit comfortably while the other is squeezed[挤]near the restroom.”

In response to these concerns, the 12306 China railwaycustomer service provided an explanation. They stated thatcurrently, unreserved seats were priced the same as second-classseats. This pricing policy was established in accordance with theguidelines set forth by China’s National Development and ReformCommission, allowing railway transport companies to determinepricing independently. The pricing adhered to the relevant laws andregulations, including pricing and railway laws, while also consideringmarket conditions and implementing[执行] a flexible fare system.

最近,网上出现了一场关于高铁列车上无座的定价和使用的讨论。这一争议引起了极大的关注,并在网民中引发了激烈的辩论。许多乘客表达了他们的失望之情,他们指出,无座和二等座的票价是一样的。他们表达了对这种情况的不满,突显出这两种选择在舒适度上的巨大差异。一名网友幽默地评论:“我们付的是同样的车费,但一个可以舒适地坐着,另一个则挤在洗手间附近。”

针对这些疑虑,12306 中国铁路客服进行了说明。他们表示,目前无座与二等座的定价相同,这一定价政策是根据国家发展改革委文件精神,由铁路运输企业自行定价。按照价格法、铁路法等法律法规规定,同时会根据市场情况,实行多档次浮动票价体系。

Fill in the blanks:

Many passengers pointing out that unreserved seats and second-class seats were being sold at the __________ price.

2The benefits of laughter: smilingfor a healthy heart

开怀大笑的好处: 有利于心脏健康

The old adage that “laughter is the best medicine” may containan element of truth when it comes to heart health. A study hasdemonstrated[ 证明] that having a chuckle[ 轻声笑] causes the tissueinside the heart to expand and increases oxygen flow around thebody. “Our study found that laughter therapyincreased the functional capacity of thecardiovascular system,” said Prof MarcoSaffi, of the Hospital de Clínicas de PortoAlegre in Brazil.

In the trial, scientists carried out a first-ofits-kind study to examine if laughter therapy couldimprove symptoms of patients with heart disease. It involved26 adults with an average age of 64, all diagnosed with coronaryartery disease. At the end of the 12-week study period, the comedygroup improved by 10% in a test measuring how much oxygentheir heart could pump around the body. This study found thatlaughter therapy is a good intervention that could help reduce thatinflammation and decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke.

俗话说“笑是最好的良药”,这句话在心脏健康方面也许是有道理的。一项研究表明,笑能让心脏内部组织扩张,从而增加体内的氧气流量。巴西阿雷格里港医院的马克·萨菲教授表示:“我们的研究发现,大笑疗法能改善心血管系统的功能。”

科学家在这项研究中开展了一场史无前例的试验,看大笑疗法能否减轻心脏病患者的症状。平均年龄为64 岁的26 名成人参与了这个试验,他们全都确诊冠心病。在长达12 周的研究结束时,科学家对他们的身体进行检查后发现,观看喜剧的小组成员心脏供应全身的氧气流量增加了10%。这项研究发现,大笑疗法是很好的干预手段,有助于减轻炎症并降低心脏病发作和中风的风险。

Fill in the blanks:

Laughter therapy had reduced inflammation and decrease the risk of_________________and stroke.

3Childhood amnesia: the inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories

童年失忆症:成年人无法回忆的情景记忆

Childhood amnesia, also called infantile[ 幼儿的] amnesia, is theinability of adults to retrieve episodic[ 插曲式的] memories (memoriesof situations or events) before the age of 2 to 4 years. It may alsorefer to the scarcity or fragmentation[ 破碎] of memories recollectedfrom early childhood, particularly occurring between the ages of 2and 6. Childhood amnesia is a normal part of brain development.Episodic memories involve the hippocampus, a part of the brainfound in the temporal lobe, which is not fully developed at birth. Thehippocampus should be ready at about the age of 4. Memories thatare not repeatedly retold and strengthened become lost over time.

For a long time, scientists thought childhoodamnesia occurred because the brains ofyoung children simply couldn’t formlasting memories of specific events.More studies provided evidence thatat some point in childhood, peoplelose access to their early memories.And they found that children as old as7 could still recall more than 60 percentof those early events, while children whowere 8 or 9 recalled less than 40 percent. Onaverage, this fragmented period wanes off at around 4.7 years. Around5 or 6 years of age in particular is thought to be when autobiographicalmemory seems to stabilize and be on par with adults.

童年失忆症,也称为婴儿健忘症,指的是成年人无法回忆起自己2岁或者4 岁之前的情景记忆;也指在2 至6 岁之间,童年早期记忆的碎片化。童年失忆症是大脑发育的正常现象。人的记忆需要大脑颞叶中海马体的协助,而婴儿刚出生时,海马体尚未发育完全,在4 岁左右渐趋成熟。没有被反复讲述和强化的记忆会随着时间的推移而消失。

长期以来,科学家们认为童年失忆症是因为幼儿的大脑根本无法形成对特定事件的持久记忆。更多的研究提供了证据,表明在童年的某个时候,人们就失去了早期记忆。他们发现7 岁的孩子仍然可以回忆起自己幼儿时期60% 以上的事件,而8~9 岁的孩子只能回忆起不到40%的事件。平均而言,童年失忆症的平均年龄在4.7 岁左右。当儿童到了五六岁之后,他们的自传体记忆逐渐稳定,几乎与成年人相当。

Fill in the blanks:

Childhood amnesia, also called ____________ amnesia, is a normal part of brain development.

4 When hair standing on end—don’t run头发突然竖起——专家:不能跑

A video clip showing a group of tourists traveling in the desert with theirhair standing on end, sparked heated discussion on social media. Manynetizens said the phenomenon[现象] is a sign of an approaching storm andsuggested that the group should have run away as soon as possible.

However, Feng Minxue, directorfrom the Lightning Prevention andDisaster Reduction Institution inJiangsu Province noted that runningaway is not the best measure to adoptin such a circumstance. Accordingto Feng, “If an individual’s hair is dryand there is a little too much staticelectricity, there is still time to leave. However, if the hair has alreadystood on, people should not run. Running can form step voltage whichis more dangerous. The correct approach is to lower one’s body height.If they can’t leave the mountain top in time, they should quickly crouchdown on the spot, bring their feet as close together as possible, and usetheir hands to shield[ 保护] their heads, avoiding touching the ground,”he said.

近日,一个视频片段显示,一群游客在沙漠中旅行时头发竖起,这在社交媒体上引发了热烈讨论。许多网民表示,这一现象是暴风雨即将到来的迹象,并建议这群人应该尽快跑。

然而,江苏省防雷中心主任冯民学介绍,大家遇到类似的情况赶紧跑并非上策。他说:“如果头发仅仅是干燥,静电有点多,那还有时间离开;然而,如果头发已经竖起来了,就不能跑了。而且跑会形成跨步电压,反而更危险。正确的做法应该是首先降低自己的高度。如果来不及离开山巅,赶紧就地蹲下,双脚尽量并拢,双手避免触地,抱头藏膝间。”

Fill in the blanks:

If the hair has already stood on, people should not_________________