匹克球是一种用球拍击球的运动。这项运动使用的球身较轻,它被看作是网球、羽毛球和乒乓球运动的结合体。匹克球运动对身体的冲击较小,老少皆宜。也正是因此,这项运动在英国越来越受欢迎。本期 “随身英语” 介绍这个新兴运动以及它受欢迎的原因。
有没有某种气味一下就唤起了你对旧人旧事的记忆?气味与我们的性格和记忆之间似乎存在着心理层面的联系。我们出生时,大脑中处理气味的区域是空的,人们对气味的反应是后天习得的,因此也就各不相同。有一些研究甚至表明,某些气味会影响我们的认知。本期节目探讨气味的力量。 词汇:smell 气味 Have you ever caught a whiff of something and been strongly reminded of a person or place? It seems there is a deep psychological link between smells, our personality and our memory. Some research even suggests that smells can influence our cognition. So, why do smells take us back? Roja Dove, a perfumer, told the BBC that when we are born, the olfactory bulb, which is the area in our brain that processes smell, is empty. Therefore, our responses to smell are learnt and very personal to the individual. This means that when we smell an odour again, the original and unique memory comes flooding back because of the association. Our awareness of smells is primarily unconscious, according to Andreas Keller from the Department of Philosophy at City University of New York. This means we are not actively aware of them unless they are extremely strong. But, low-level smells are still picked up because the scent receptors in our brain are so powerful that we unconsciously register them. In fact, various studies have found the olfactory bulb sends more neurons to more areas of our brain than our hearing or vision. Research suggests that the power of smell can also affect how the brain performs, especially when it comes to the aroma of essential oils. Mark Moss, from the Department of Psychology at Northumbria University, found that sage and peppermint show general positive effects on cognition while the smell of rosemary can enhance our memory. He also investigated lavender which he says "tends to impair memory and slow down reaction time. But research by others have [has] shown it to be useful in reducing pre-treatment anxiety in dental and medical situations". So, don't take your nose for granted. It really is powerful! 词汇表whiff (一股)气味 测验与练习1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 1. Why are responses to smell so personal? 2. True or False? The olfactory bulb helps us process smells. 3. Why are we not actively aware of smells unless they are extremely strong? 4. True or False? Rosemary and lavender can help our memory. 5. How can lavender help in dental and medical situations? 2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。 1. He has worked as a _______ since the 90s. whiff scent aroma perfumer 2. Memories _______ when I saw my childhood home again. picked up smelled took back flooded back 3. This song has a very _______ meaning to us. We danced to it at our wedding. psychological unconscious low-level personal 4. My _______ is getting worse. I think I need new glasses. cognition receptor hearing vision 5. We noticed a really horrible _______ as we entered the room. peppermint odour lavender rosemary 答案1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 1. Why are responses to smell so personal? When we are born, the olfactory bulb is empty. Therefore, our responses to smells are learnt. 2. True or False? The olfactory bulb helps us process smells. True. The olfactory bulb is the area in our brain that processes smell. 3. Why are we not actively aware of smells unless they are extremely strong? Because our awareness of smells is primarily unconscious. 4. True or False? Rosemary and lavender can help our memory. False. Rosemary can enhance our memory but lavender "tends to impair memory and slow down reaction time". 5. How can lavender help in dental and medical situations? Mark Moss said that research by others has shown it to be useful in reducing pre-treatment anxiety. 2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。 1. He has worked as a perfumer since the 90s. 2. Memories flooded back when I saw my childhood home again. 3. This song has a very personal meaning to us. We danced to it at our wedding. 4. My vision is getting worse. I think I need new glasses. 5. We noticed a really horrible odour as we entered the room. |