Episodi

  • Think of the wisest person you know. What is it that makes them wise? What qualities do they have? Does wisdom mean the same for you as it does for me? All cultures value wisdom, but not all cultures agree on its definition. For some, the focus is on intelligence, while others emphasise compassionate love for others. In some cultures, a spiritual component is required to be considered wise. Are there any aspects of wisdom that all cultures can agree on? 

    想想你认识的最聪明的人。是什么让他们变得聪明?他们有什么品质?智慧对你和对我来说意义相同吗?所有文化都重视智慧,但并非所有文化都认同智慧的定义。对于一些人来说,重点是智力,而另一些人则强调对他人的同情心。在某些文化中,需要精神成分才能被认为是明智的。智慧的某些方面是否是所有文化都能达成共识的? 


    A group of 34 researchers from all over the world and from fields like psychology, philosophy and anthropology got together to explore 'Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents'. The study found two characteristics that everyone – from urban university students in Peru to villagers in rural India – associated with wisdom. 

    来自世界各地心理学、哲学和人类学等领域的 34 名研究人员齐聚一堂,探索“五大洲 12 个国家的智慧感知维度”。研究发现,从秘鲁城市大学生到印度农村村民,每个人都与智慧相关的两个特征。


    The first quality a wise person must have is 'socio-emotional awareness'. This is about the ability to understand others' point of view and really care about their thoughts and feelings. However, this person must also have the second quality: 'reflective orientation', which is about using logic and past experience to make judgements. If you are mindlessly driven by emotions and don't think before you act, then you are unlikely to be perceived as wise. So, if you want to be wise, learn to both keep your cool and put yourself in others' shoes. 

    智者必须具备的首要品质是“社会情感意识”。这是关于理解他人观点并真正关心他们的想法和感受的能力。然而,这个人还必须具备第二个品质:“反思导向”,即运用逻辑和过去的经验来做出判断。如果你盲目地受情绪驱使,行动前不思考,那么你就不太可能被认为是明智的。所以,如果你想变得明智,就要学会保持冷静并设身处地为别人着想。 


    But, while this study helps us build a more unified definition of wisdom, the world is vast and cultures vary hugely. In 'The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom', the authors make an apple pie analogy, comparing pie to wisdom. Imagine your grandmother makes your favourite apple pie – she represents the wisdom you think is best. Now, imagine you take this apple pie to the Amazon rainforest, where apples don't grow. For the locals, the pie isn't as good as their own traditional desserts; they've grown up with different flavours and ingredients, just as different cultures have developed their own wisdom traditions. Ultimately, the way wisdom is experienced, shared, and valued depends on the cultural ingredients involved.

    但是,虽然这项研究帮助我们对智慧建立了一个更加统一的定义,但世界广阔,文化差异巨大。在《剑桥智慧手册》中,作者用苹果派来比喻,将馅饼与智慧进行比较。想象一下你的祖母做了你最喜欢的苹果派——她代表了你认为最好的智慧。现在,想象一下您将这个苹果派带到亚马逊雨林,那里不长苹果。对于当地人来说,馅饼不如他们自己的传统甜点;他们是在不同的口味和成分下长大的,就像不同的文化发展了自己的智慧传统一样。最终,智慧的体验、分享和价值方式取决于所涉及的文化成分。 


    词汇表

    quality (人的)品质
    compassionate 有同情心的
    spiritual 精神上的,心灵的
    anthropology 人类学
    perception 认知
    characteristic 特征
    awareness 意识,认知
    point of view 观点
    reflective 反思的
    logic 逻辑
    judgment 判断
    mindlessly 盲目地
    perceive 认为,视为
    keep one's cool 保持冷静
    put oneself in others' shoes 从他人的角度看问题



  • Jon Fosse began writing stories as a child. His breakthrough novel, Boathouse, was published in 1989. Having established himself as a novelist, poet and children's author, he then turned his attention to writing plays.

    约恩·福瑟从童年时就开始编写故事。他在1989年发表的小说《船屋》令他崭露头角。在以小说家、诗人及儿童文学作家的身份站稳脚跟后,他将注意力转移到戏剧剧本创作。


    His sparse, Pinteresque style brought him to international attention, though commercial success has eluded him in the UK. Jon Fosse was nominated for the Booker Prize, won the Ibsen Prize, and was awarded the French Order of Merit in 2007. He said he's overwhelmed and somewhat frightened at becoming a Nobel laureate.

    他的剧作中人物对话简短,颇有英国著名剧作家哈罗德·品特的风范,这令他受到了国际关注,尽管他的作品在英国并未取得商业上的成功。约恩·福瑟曾获得布克文学奖提名、获得过易卜生戏剧奖、并在2007年被授予法国国家功绩勋章。他说他对于自己成为诺贝尔奖获得者一事备感激动,同时也有些受宠若惊。


    His latest book, Septology, a semi-autobiographical magnum opus, is in seven parts spread across three volumes. It runs to 1,250 pages without a single full stop.

    他的最新作品《七部曲》是一部半自传体巨著,分为七个部分,共三卷。这部作品长达1250页,其中没有一个句号。


    词汇表

    breakthrough 有重大进展的,突破性的
    novelist 小说家
    sparse 稀少的,零星的
    Pinteresque 与剧作家哈罗德·品特相似的,有品特作品风范的
    commercial success 商业上的成功,作品畅销、卖座
    eluded 未能达到,与(某人)无缘
    Booker Prize 布克文学奖
    Nobel laureate 诺贝尔奖获得者
    semi-autobiographical 半自传体的
    magnum opus (作家或艺术家的)最重要的作品,代表作
    volumes (文学作品的)册,卷
    full stop 句号

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  • A much-publicized art piece made up of a single banana taped to a wall has sold for $6.2 million. 

    一件广为人知的艺术作品,由一根用胶带粘在墙上的香蕉组成,售价为 620 万美元。 


    The sale happened Wednesday night during an auction in New York City at famous art seller Sotheby’s. The work, called Comedian, was sold to cryptocurrency businessman Justin Sun. He is a Chinese collector and founder of the cryptocurrency company Tron. Sun placed the winning bid over the phone and the sale was completed in cryptocurrency. 

    此次拍卖发生在周三晚上,纽约市著名艺术品卖家苏富比拍卖行举行的一场拍卖会上。这部名为喜剧演员的作品被卖给了加密货币商人孙宇晨。他是一位中国收藏家,也是加密货币公司Tron的创始人。Sun 通过电话中标,并以加密货币完成了销售。 


    Before the auction, Sotheby’s said the unusual art piece was expected to bring in at least $1.5 million. But the price quickly started rising after the auction began, with people bidding inside the auction room, as well as on the phone and online. 

    拍卖前,苏富比表示,这件不寻常的艺术品预计将带来至少 150 万美元的收入。但拍卖开始后,价格迅速上涨,人们在拍卖室内、电话和网上竞价。 


    The art piece had already sold three times for prices between $120,000 and $150,000, The Associated Press reported. 

    据美联社报道,这件艺术品已售出三次,售价在 12 万至 15 万美元之间。 


    Sun said in a statement after the auction that Comedian "is not just an artwork." He added that the piece "bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.” 

    孙在拍卖后的一份声明中表示,《喜剧演员》“不仅仅是一件艺术品”。他补充说,这件作品“架起了艺术、模因和加密货币社区之间的桥梁”。 


    Sun said he planned to eat the banana, as at least two onlookers did when the artwork was presented at places around the world. Sotheby’s says the fruit was always meant to be replaced repeatedly, along with the duct tape. 

    孙说,他打算吃香蕉,当这件艺术品在世界各地展出时,至少有两名旁观者这样做了。苏富比表示,水果和胶带总是需要反复更换。


    The work was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It was first presented in 2019 at the Art Basel Miami Beach show in Miami, Florida. The piece quickly led to much public discussion about what should be considered art. 

    该作品由意大利艺术家毛里齐奥·卡特兰创作。它于 2019 年在佛罗里达州迈阿密举行的巴塞尔艺术展迈阿密海滩展上首次亮相。这件作品很快引起了公众关于什么应该被视为艺术的广泛讨论。 


    Comedian belongs to a kind of art known as conceptual artwork. A conceptual piece is one in which the idea or meaning behind the work is more important than the finished object itself. 

    喜剧演员属于一种被称为观念艺术的艺术。概念性作品是指作品背后的想法或意义比成品本身更重要的作品。 


    The head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s is David Galperin. He told the AP he understands the piece’s popularity because it is highly provocative. Provocative describes something likely to produce a strong reaction and much public debate. 

    苏富比当代艺术主管是大卫·加尔佩林 (David Galperin)。他告诉美联社,他理解这部作品的受欢迎程度,因为它极具挑衅性。挑衅性描述的是可能引起强烈反应和大量公众辩论的事情。 


    “What Cattelan is really doing is turning a mirror to the contemporary art world,” Galperin said. He added that he thinks Comedian can cause people to question what values should be attached to artworks and what can be defined as artwork. 

    “卡特兰真正所做的是成为当代艺术世界的一面镜子,”加尔佩林说。他补充说,他认为喜剧演员可以让人们质疑艺术品应该赋予什么价值以及什么可以定义为艺术品。


    “What you buy when you buy Cattelan’s Comedian is not the banana itself, but a certificate of authenticity,” Galperin said. That document, he added, gives the owner permission to reproduce the banana and duct tape on their own wall as an original artwork by the artist. 

    “当你购买卡特兰喜剧演员时,你购买的不是香蕉本身,而是一份真品证书,”加尔佩林说。他补充说,该文件允许所有者将香蕉和胶带复制到自己的墙上,作为艺术家的原创艺术品。 


    The sale of Comedian came shortly after Sotheby’s auctioned off a famed artwork in the Water Lilies series by French painter Claude Monet. That piece sold on Monday for $65.5 million. 

    在苏富比拍卖法国画家克劳德·莫奈的《睡莲》系列著名艺术品后不久,《喜剧演员》就被出售了。该作品于周一以 6550 万美元的价格售出。 


    When asked to compare Cattelan's simple wall art to major works like Monet's, Galperin said that form of art, called impressionism, was not taken seriously when that movement first began. 

    当被问及将卡特兰的简单墙壁艺术与莫奈等主要作品进行比较时,加尔佩林表示,印象派这种艺术形式在这场运动刚开始时并没有受到认真对待。 


    “No important, profound, meaningful artwork of the past 100 years or 200 years, or our history for that matter, did not provoke some kind of discomfort when it was first unveiled,” Galperin said. 

    加尔佩林说:“过去 100 年或 200 年的任何重要、深刻、有意义的艺术品,或者我们的历史,在首次亮相时都会引起某种不适。” 



  • People will no longer have to fight with monkeys in the historic Thai city of Lopburi. 

    在泰国历史名城华富里,人们将不再需要与猴子打斗。 


    That is because of new efforts to keep the animals from reproducing and to limit their movements. 

    这是因为人们采取了新的措施来阻止动物繁殖并限制它们的活动。


    Before public health measures to control COVID-19 closed businesses in Lopburi, about 3,000 long-tailed macaques lived there. The people of the city fed them and even had a yearly party for them. Tourists came to the city north of Bangkok to see the macaques in what was known as "Monkey City." 

    在控制 COVID-19 的公共卫生措施导致华富里府的企业关闭之前,大约有 3,000 只长尾猕猴居住在那里。城里的人们给他们食物,甚至为他们举办了一年一度的聚会。游客来到曼谷北部的城市,在被称为“猴城”的地方观赏猕猴。


    The macaques are believed to bring good luck. They live in the nearby forests and have long been a part of the city's history. But after Lopburi came out of the pandemic lockdown in the middle of 2022, people found that the monkeys had become unruly without people feeding them. 

    人们相信猕猴能带来好运。他们生活在附近的森林里,长期以来一直是这座城市历史的一部分。但2022年中华富里府解除疫情封锁后,人们发现,没有人喂猴子,猴子变得不守规矩。 


    Groups of macaques had taken over buildings. They stole food and caused accidents by walking in the streets. Groups of the monkeys also fought each other, shocking local people. Some of the townspeople put up cages around their homes to keep the monkeys out. 

    成群的猕猴占领了建筑物。他们在街上行走时偷窃食物并引发事故。成群的猴子还互相打斗,令当地人震惊。一些镇民在自家周围搭起笼子以防止猴子进入。


    Wisarut Somngam is a local researcher with the non-governmental organization, Ecoexist Society. He said the monkeys would steal from people by taking any container they thought might contain food. People began to carry slingshots, a small weapon that shoots stones, to protect against the monkeys.

    Wisarut Somngam 是非政府组织生态存在协会的当地研究员。他说,猴子会从人们那里偷走任何它们认为可能装有食物的容器。人们开始携带弹弓(一种发射石头的小武器)来防御猴子。 


    Earlier this year, officials began their efforts to catch the macaques. By May, they were increasing the effort to prevent the monkeys from reproducing that began during the pandemic. 

    今年早些时候,官员们开始努力捕捉猕猴。到了五月,他们加大了从大流行期间开始的防止猴子繁殖的力度。 


    "Our goal is to neuter all the monkeys, 100 percent of them," said local veterinarian Patarapol Maneeorn from the government wildlife department in September. The monkeys would then be put into an area where they will be looked after, he said. 

    “我们的目标是对所有猴子进行绝育,100%,”政府野生动物部门的当地兽医帕塔拉波尔·马尼奥恩 (Patarapol Maneeorn) 9 月表示。他说,然后这些猴子将被安置在一个地方接受照顾。


    Now, the situation in the city seems to be under control, as the officials have captured 1,600 of the monkeys. Some animal rights groups agree the monkeys should be neutered, but they do not want them to be kept in captivity. 

    现在,该市的局势似乎已经得到控制,官员们已经捕获了1600只猴子。一些动物权利组织同意这些猴子应该被绝育,但他们不希望它们被圈养。 


    Edwin Wiek is founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand. He said, “The monkeys are suffering because currently they're in a cage that is not designed for them.” Wiek pressed the government to increase funding for the government wildlife department to train people in animal care and treatment.

    埃德温·维克 (Edwin Wiek) 是泰国野生动物之友基金会的创始人。他说:“猴子们正在遭受痛苦,因为它们目前被关在不是为它们设计的笼子里。” 维克敦促政府增加对政府野生动物部门的资金,以培训人们进行动物护理和治疗。 


    The people of Lopburi are happy that the streets are safe again. Clock maker Chalit Nithiwkram said, "Things have become a little easier because most of the monkeys were captured. Life is easier." He said his business is improving because people are no longer afraid to park near his shop. 

    华富里府人民很高兴街道再次安全。钟表制造商 Chalit Nithiwkram 说:“事情变得容易了一些,因为大多数猴子都被捕获了。生活变得更容易了。” 他说他的生意正在改善,因为人们不再害怕在他的商店附近停车。 


    For others, the monkeys are important to Lopburi. Supaporn Reanprayoorn operates a store near a temple where monkeys often gathered. "Monkeys are part of Lopburi's identity," she said. She sometimes gave them a little food. "Let tourists take pictures with them - just a hundred or two," she joked. 

    对于其他人来说,猴子对华富里很重要。Supaporn Reanprayoorn 在一座猴子经常聚集的寺庙附近经营一家商店。“猴子是华富里府身份的一部分,”她说。她有时会给他们一点食物。“让游客和它们合影——就一百两张,”她开玩笑说。 

  • “We’re…used to bears so (when you see one) you don’t start to tremble,” Mayor Mike Spence said. “It’s their area too. It’s important how the community coexists with bears and wildlife in general to really get along. We’re all connected.” 

    “我们……已经习惯了熊,所以(当你看到熊时)你不会开始颤抖,”市长迈克·斯彭斯说。“这也是他们的地盘。社区如何与熊和野生动物共存才能真正和谐相处,这一点很重要。我们都是有联系的。” 


    Churchill residents show polar bear pride in a way that mixes terror and fun.

    丘吉尔居民以一种既恐怖又有趣的方式表现出北极熊的自豪感。


    “You know we're the polar bear capital of the world, right? We have the product, it's just about getting out there to see the bears safely,” said Dave Daley, who owns a gift shop, runs dog sleds and promotes the city. He also is a former president of the Chamber of Commerce, an office that supports business activity. 

    “你知道我们是世界北极熊之都,对吧?我们有产品,只是为了安全地看到熊,”拥有一家礼品店、经营狗拉雪橇并宣传这座城市的戴夫·戴利 (Dave Daley) 说。他还是商会的前主席,该商会是一个支持商业活动的办公室。 


    The former military base had a rocket launch area. It seemed to keep bears away. When it closed, the bears started entering the town more often, longtime residents said. So, Churchill and province officials “put together a polar bear alert program to make sure the community members were looked after, [and] protected,” said Spence who has been Churchill's mayor since 1995. 

    前军事基地有一个火箭发射区。它似乎可以让熊远离。长期居民说,当它关闭时,熊开始更频繁地进入该镇。因此,丘吉尔和省政府官员“制定了北极熊警报计划,以确保社区成员得到照顾和保护”,自 1995 年以来一直担任丘吉尔市长的斯宾塞说道。 


    The town's old curfew siren sounds nightly, warning people that it is time to go inside to be safe from bears. 

    镇上古老的宵禁警报每晚都会响起,警告人们是时候进屋以防熊了。 


    Georgina Berg recalls growing up in the 1970s near Churchill, where many First Nations people lived. “First Nations” is used in Canada to identify native people. 

    乔治娜·伯格 (Georgina Berg) 回忆起自己在 20 世纪 70 年代在丘吉尔附近长大的经历,那里居住着许多原住民。在加拿大,“原住民”被用来识别原住民。


    She remembers how differently her father and mother would react to seeing a bear in the past. She said her father would not pay attention to them. 

    她记得过去她的父亲和母亲看到熊时会有多么不同的反应。她说她父亲不会理会他们。 


    “He said, ‘If you don’t bother them, then they won’t bother you,’" she recalled.

    “他说,‘如果你不打扰他们,他们就不会打扰你,’”她回忆道。 


    When a bear came near in later years, after her father had died, her mom was frightened. 

    几年后,她父亲去世后,当一只熊靠近时,她妈妈感到害怕。 


    “Everybody was yelling, and all the kids had to come in and everybody had to go home. And then we stayed silent in the house for a long time until we knew for sure that bear was gone,” Berg recalled. 

    “每个人都在大喊大叫,所有的孩子都必须进来,每个人都必须回家。然后我们在屋子里沉默了很长一段时间,直到我们确信那只熊已经消失了,”伯格回忆道。 


    For Van Nest, the provincial officer, the recent meeting with a group of bear watchers was different. The group was about 100 meters away from the bear. He said the bear was “putting on a bit of a show” for the tourists.

    对于省官员范·内斯特来说,最近与一群熊观察者的会面是不同的。这群人距离熊约100米。他说这只熊正在为游客“表演一些节目”。 


    “This is a great situation to be in," he said. “The tourists are a safe distance away and the bear’s doing his natural thing and not being harassed by anybody.” 

    “这是一个很好的情况,”他说。“游客们都在安全距离之外,熊正在做他自然的事情,没有受到任何人的骚扰。” 



  • Churchill, Manitoba is a small, rural Canadian town that lives with neighboring predators and loves it. That is because the predators — a polar bear population — attract the visitors who saved the town’s economy after a military base there closed. Tourists wanting to see the bears bring millions of dollars into the local economy. 

    马尼托巴省的丘吉尔是加拿大的一个乡村小镇,与邻近的掠食者一起生活并热爱它。这是因为掠食者——北极熊种群——吸引了游客,在军事基地关闭后,游客拯救了该镇的经济。想要观赏熊的游客为当地经济带来了数百万美元的收入。 


    However, the bears are entering the town more often in search of food. Researchers say the sea ice where the bears normally hunt is shrinking. 

    然而,熊越来越频繁地进入城镇寻找食物。研究人员表示,熊通常捕食的海冰正在缩小。 


    Geoff York is with Polar Bears International, a nonprofit environmental group based in Manitoba. York said: “You're seeing more bears because there are more bears on the land for longer periods of time to be seen” and they are willing to take more risks, getting closer to people. 

    杰夫·约克 (Geoff York) 就职于北极熊国际组织,这是一家总部位于马尼托巴省的非营利性环保组织。约克说:“你会看到更多的熊,因为陆地上有更多的熊,而且可以看到的时间更长”,而且它们愿意承担更多的风险,与人类更加亲近。 


    There are about 600 polar bears in this Western Hudson Bay population. Environmentalists say that is about half what it was 40 years ago. Humans in Churchill outnumber the bears although not by very many. 

    西哈德逊湾地区约有 600 只北极熊。环保人士称,这大约是 40 年前的一半。丘吉尔的人类数量超过了熊,尽管数量不多。 


    It has been more than 10 years since a polar bear attacked anyone in Churchill. But townspeople look out for each other and tourists with a warning system and guards. There is even a polar bear jail.

    丘吉尔地区已经有十多年没有北极熊袭击任何人了。但镇上的人们通过警报系统和警卫互相照顾和照顾游客。甚至还有北极熊监狱。


    Sergeant Ian Van Nest is a Manitoba province conservation officer. He recently guarded the streets of Churchill in his truck. It was the beginning of polar bear season in Churchill. 

    伊恩·范·内斯特中士是马尼托巴省的一名保护官员。他最近开着卡车守卫着丘吉尔的街道。这是丘吉尔北极熊季节的开始。 


    The vehicle is equipped with a rifle and a barred back seat to hold anyone he might have to arrest. 

    这辆车配备了步枪和一个带铁栅栏的后座,可以容纳他可能需要逮捕的任何人。


    Van Nest saw a crowd of people who were watching a bear. He looked around for trouble in the area and then quietly spoke to the group's leader. 

    范内斯特看到一群人正在观看一只熊。他环顾四周是否有麻烦,然后小声地与该组织的领导交谈。 


    “How are you today?” Van Nest asked. The group leader answered that they were all right and then asked if their gathering place is acceptable to Van Nest. 

    “你今天怎么样?” 范内斯特问道。领队回答说没问题,然后询问范内斯特是否可以接受他们的聚集地。 


    “You’re good,” the officer answered. “You [have] got a lot of distance there,” he added. So, the tour group continued to watch a polar bear on some nearby rocks. 

    “你很好,”军官回答。“你在那里有很长的距离,”他补充道。于是,旅行团继续在附近的一些岩石上观看北极熊。


    Visitors interested in seeing the polar bears saved Churchill from shrinking out of existence when a military base there closed in the 1970s. The closure led to a drop in Churchill’s population, from a few thousand residents to about 870. 

    20 世纪 70 年代,那里的一个军事基地关闭后,对观赏北极熊感兴趣的游客使丘吉尔免于消失。关闭导致丘吉尔的人口从几千人减少到约 870 人。 


    A 2011 government study found that the average polar bear tourist spent about $5,000 per visit. The tourism adds more than $7 million yearly to the economy of the little town. Churchill has a few nice restaurants and more than 25 places where visitors can stay. 

    2011 年的一项政府研究发现,北极熊游客每次参观的平均花费约为 5,000 美元。旅游业每年为这个小镇增加超过 700 万美元的经济收入。丘吉尔拥有几家不错的餐厅和超过 25 个可供游客住宿的地方。 



  • 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


  • Think of the wisest person you know. What is it that makes them wise? What qualities do they have? Does wisdom mean the same for you as it does for me? All cultures value wisdom, but not all cultures agree on its definition. For some, the focus is on intelligence, while others emphasise compassionate love for others. In some cultures, a spiritual component is required to be considered wise. Are there any aspects of wisdom that all cultures can agree on?

    想想你认识的最聪明的人。是什么让他们变得聪明?他们有什么品质?智慧对你和对我来说意义相同吗?所有文化都重视智慧,但并非所有文化都认同智慧的定义。对于一些人来说,重点是智力,而另一些人则强调对他人的同情心。在某些文化中,需要精神成分才能被认为是明智的。智慧的某些方面是否是所有文化都能达成共识的? 


    A group of 34 researchers from all over the world and from fields like psychology, philosophy and anthropology got together to explore 'Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents'. The study found two characteristics that everyone – from urban university students in Peru to villagers in rural India – associated with wisdom. 

    来自世界各地的心理学、哲学和人类学等领域的 34 名研究人员齐聚一堂,探索“五大洲 12 个国家的智慧感知维度”。研究发现,从秘鲁城市大学生到印度农村村民,每个人都与智慧相关的两个特征。 


    The first quality a wise person must have is 'socio-emotional awareness'. This is about the ability to understand others' point of view and really care about their thoughts and feelings. However, this person must also have the second quality: 'reflective orientation', which is about using logic and past experience to make judgements. If you are mindlessly driven by emotions and don't think before you act, then you are unlikely to be perceived as wise. So, if you want to be wise, learn to both keep your cool and put yourself in others' shoes. 

    智者必须具备的首要品质是“社会情感意识”。这是关于理解他人观点并真正关心他们的想法和感受的能力。然而,这个人还必须具备第二个品质:“反思导向”,即运用逻辑和过去的经验来做出判断。如果你盲目地受情绪驱使,行动前不思考,那么你就不太可能被认为是明智的。所以,如果你想变得明智,就要学会保持冷静并设身处地为别人着想。 


    But, while this study helps us build a more unified definition of wisdom, the world is vast and cultures vary hugely. In 'The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom', the authors make an apple pie analogy, comparing pie to wisdom. Imagine your grandmother makes your favourite apple pie – she represents the wisdom you think is best. Now, imagine you take this apple pie to the Amazon rainforest, where apples don't grow. For the locals, the pie isn't as good as their own traditional desserts; they've grown up with different flavours and ingredients, just as different cultures have developed their own wisdom traditions. Ultimately, the way wisdom is experienced, shared, and valued depends on the cultural ingredients involved. 

    但是,虽然这项研究帮助我们对智慧建立了一个更加统一的定义,但世界广阔,文化差异巨大。在《剑桥智慧手册》中,作者用苹果派来比喻,将馅饼与智慧进行比较。想象一下你的祖母做了你最喜欢的苹果派——她代表了你认为最好的智慧。现在,想象一下您将这个苹果派带到亚马逊雨林,那里不长苹果。对于当地人来说,馅饼不如他们自己的传统甜点;他们是在不同的口味和成分下长大的,就像不同的文化发展了自己的智慧传统一样。最终,智慧的体验、分享和价值方式取决于所涉及的文化成分。 


    词汇表

    quality (人的)品质
    compassionate 有同情心的
    spiritual 精神上的,心灵的
    anthropology 人类学
    perception 认知
    characteristic 特征
    awareness 意识,认知
    point of view 观点
    reflective 反思的
    logic 逻辑
    judgment 判断
    mindlessly 盲目地
    perceive 认为,视为
    keep one's cool 保持冷静
    put oneself in others' shoes 从他人的角度看问题



  • Researchers at Michigan State University recently found that bees’ sense of “smell” is sensitive enough to identify chemical smells of cancer. 

    密歇根州立大学的研究人员最近发现,蜜蜂的“嗅觉”足够灵敏,可以识别癌症的化学气味。 


    Bees sense chemicals in their environment using antennae, structures on their heads, which serve as “noses” to sense smells. 

    蜜蜂使用触角来感知环境中的化学物质,触角是它们头部的结构,充当感知气味的“鼻子”。 


    The researchers wrote in a study published last month that honeybees can sniff out lung cancer on a patient’s breath. 

    研究人员在上个月发表的一项研究中写道,蜜蜂可以通过病人的呼吸嗅出肺癌。


    Debajit Saha is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Michigan State University. He was part of a team that published the research. 

    Debajit Saha 是密歇根州立大学生物医学工程助理教授。他是发表该研究的团队的一员。 


    “Our world is visual. [The] insects’ world is all based on smell, so their sense of smell is very, very good,” Saha said. 

    “我们的世界是视觉的。昆虫的世界都是基于嗅觉的,所以它们的嗅觉非常非常好,”萨哈说。 


    “There is quite a bit of research that shows that when some cancer grows inside our body, our breath actually changes. Our research does show that honeybees can detect lung cancer and possibly other diseases based on the smell of those cells.” 

    “大量研究表明,当某些癌症在我们体内生长时,我们的呼吸实际上会发生变化。我们的研究确实表明,蜜蜂可以根据这些细胞的气味来检测肺癌和可能的其他疾病。


    ”Saha and his team placed bees in small harnesses and attached small wires to their brains. The insects were then placed near chemicals that are like the breath of a person with lung cancer. 

    萨哈和他的团队将蜜蜂放入小挽具中,并将小电线连接到它们的大脑上。然后将这些昆虫放置在类似于肺癌患者呼吸的化学物质附近。 


    The scientists said that the bees could tell the difference between the cancer breath and the laboratory copy of the healthy human breath 93 percent of the time. The scientists added that the bees could also tell the difference between different kinds of lung cancer. 

    科学家们表示,蜜蜂在 93% 的情况下可以区分癌症呼吸和健康人类呼吸的实验室副本。科学家们补充说,蜜蜂还可以区分不同类型的肺癌。 


    The discovery could help doctors detect many cancers, including lung, breast, head and neck, and colorectal cancers, earlier than other methods. Saha says detecting cancers this way would be an improvement. “The reason is, many times we detect the cancer late,” when a growth has become too big to control easily. But, he added, when cancer starts growing the breath starts changing much earlier. 

    这一发现可以帮助医生比其他方法更早地发现许多癌症,包括肺癌、乳腺癌、头颈癌和结直肠癌。萨哈说,以这种方式检测癌症将是一种进步。“原因是,很多时候我们发现癌症已经很晚了”,此时肿瘤已经变得太大而难以控制。但是,他补充说,当癌症开始生长时,呼吸就会更早地开始发生变化。 


    He hopes to develop a system that a patient will be able to breathe into and which can be carried around easily. This would deliver test results immediately. 

    他希望开发一种患者能够呼吸并且可以轻松携带的系统。这将立即提供测试结果。


    “Hopefully, within the next five years, we'll have something to show that humans can be diagnosed using these insect brain disc sensors,” Saha said. 

    “希望在未来五年内,我们能够证明人类可以使用这些昆虫脑盘传感器进行诊断,”萨哈说。


    Using animals to detect cancer is not a new idea. At the Penn Vet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers are training dogs to smell some kinds of cancer. 

    利用动物来检测癌症并不是一个新想法。在宾夕法尼亚大学宾夕法尼亚兽医工作犬中心,研究人员正在训练狗闻出某些癌症的气味。 


    Cindy Otto is executive director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center in Philadelphia. She said many other animals also have very good senses of smell. “But part of what makes dogs so good is that they cooperate with humans, and so, they communicate that information,” she added. 

    辛迪·奥托是费城宾夕法尼亚州兽医工作犬中心的执行董事。她说许多其他动物也有很好的嗅觉。“但狗如此优秀的部分原因是它们与人类合作,因此它们传达了这些信息,”她补充道。 


    The dogs are in a program where they live with families and are brought to “work” each day. Not all dogs can do this work. Otto said,

    这些狗参加了一个项目,它们与家人住在一起,每天都被带到“工作”。并不是所有的狗都能胜任这项工作。奥托说, 


    “They need to love it to be engaged. And so, it's a really fun game for them.”

    “他们需要热爱它才能订婚。所以,这对他们来说是一个非常有趣的游戏。


    ”Some researchers say that dogs detect cancer better than machines. They note that a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times sharper than that of humans.

    一些研究人员表示,狗比机器更好地检测癌症。他们指出,狗的嗅觉比人类灵敏 10,000 到 100,000 倍。 


    Amritha Mallikarjun is another postdoctoral researcher at the center. She said dogs are more sensitive to smells than any machines sold today. But the scientists hope to create a machine that will identify disease just as well as dogs. 

    Amritha Mallikarjun 是该中心的另一位博士后研究员。她说,狗对气味比当今出售的任何机器都更敏感。但科学家们希望创造一种能够像狗一样识别疾病的机器。


    Otto said doctors in ancient Greece and Rome used odor as a tool to identify disease. She hopes the researchers can build on that “and advance the health of not only humans, but dogs and other species as well.” 

    奥托说,古希腊和罗马的医生使用气味作为识别疾病的工具。她希望研究人员能够在此基础上“不仅促进人类的健康,也促进狗和其他物种的健康。” 



  • Technology company Microsoft is working with the Roman Catholic Church to create a detailed, digital version of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. 

    科技公司微软正在与罗马天主教会合作,创建梵蒂冈城圣彼得大教堂的详细数字版本。 


    The project aims to give people a new way to experience the famous building, which sits in the Catholic Church’s spiritual and administrative center in Rome. 

    该项目旨在为人们提供一种新的方式来体验这座位于罗马天主教堂精神和行政中心的著名建筑。 


    Roman Catholic leaders recently joined Microsoft’s President Brad Smith to present the new digital creation to the public. The official launch of the system has been set for December 1. It will permit individuals to explore St. Peter’s Basilica online and provide interactive experiences for all visitors to the Vatican. 

    罗马天主教领袖最近与微软总裁布拉德·史密斯一起向公众展示了新的数字创作。 该系统定于 12 月 1 日正式启动。它将允许个人在线探索圣彼得大教堂,并为所有梵蒂冈游客提供互动体验。 


    The effort involved drones flying around the empty basilica for four weeks to capture images of all parts of the building. The drones – equipped with many cameras and lasers – took more than 400,000 high-quality pictures.

    这项工作涉及无人机在空荡荡的大教堂周围飞行四个星期,以捕获建筑物所有部分的图像。 这些无人机配备了许多相机和激光器,拍摄了超过 400,000 张高质量照片。


    The process used artificial intelligence (AI) methods to create a complete 3D copy of the basilica. One goal of the project was to provide a way for anyone in the world to have the chance to “visit” the church and learn about its history. 

    该过程使用人工智能 (AI) 方法创建大教堂的完整 3D 副本。 该项目的一个目标是为世界上的任何人提供一种方式,让他们有机会“参观”教堂并了解其历史。 


    Microsoft chief Smith told a press conference at Vatican City the project represented “one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated projects of its kind” ever carried out. 

    微软首席执行官史密斯在梵蒂冈城举行的新闻发布会上表示,该项目是“同类项目中技术最先进、最复杂的项目之一”。 


    Cardinal Mauro Gambetti is the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. He praised the new technology at the press conference. Gambetti compared the highly detailed digital experience to looking up at a “starry sky on a summer night.” He added, “The new tools act like a telescope or spaceship for better viewing.” 

    毛罗·甘贝蒂枢机主教是圣彼得大教堂的大祭司。 他在新闻发布会上赞扬了这项新技术。 甘贝蒂将高度详细的数字体验比作仰望“夏夜的星空”。 他补充说:“新工具就像望远镜或宇宙飞船一样,可以更好地观察。”


    The project was launched ahead of the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee celebration. This marks a holy year at the Vatican when more than 30 million worshippers are expected to visit the basilica. This will be in addition to the 50,000 people who visit on a normal day. The basilica will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2026. 

    该项目是在梵蒂冈 2025 年周年庆典之前启动的。 今年标志着梵蒂冈的圣年,预计将有超过 3000 万信徒参观大教堂。 这还不包括平日参观的 50,000 人。 大教堂将于 2026 年庆祝其成立 400 周年。 


    The Associated Press reported Pope Francis visited Smith and the project’s development teams at the Vatican. He said the effort should help everyone “feel welcome in this great house.” 

    据美联社报道,教皇弗朗西斯在梵蒂冈拜访了史密斯和该项目的开发团队。 他说,这一努力应该有助于每个人“在这座伟大的房子里感到受欢迎”。 


    The pope added that the project was a way to recognize and continue to celebrate the Vatican’s rich spiritual history. “…It is a gift and a task to care for it, in both a spiritual and material sense, even through the latest technologies,” he said. 

    教皇补充说,该项目是认识并继续庆祝梵蒂冈丰富的精神历史的一种方式。 “……从精神和物质意义上来说,即使是通过最新的技术来照顾它,也是一份礼物和一项任务,”他说。 


    Pope Francis has warned that AI should only be used in ethical ways. In his World Message of Peace this year, he proposed an international treaty to control, or regulate, the technology. He argued that AI systems lack human values and could cause great harm. 

    教皇弗朗西斯警告说,人工智能只能以合乎道德的方式使用。 在今年的《世界和平讯息》中,他提出了一项控制或规范该技术的国际条约。 他认为人工智能系统缺乏人类价值,可能会造成巨大伤害。


    The digital system permits visitors to request entry times to the basilica. This could be a welcome change for visitors used to waiting in lines for hours to get into the basilica, which is one of the world’s most visited buildings. 

    数字系统允许游客询问进入大教堂的时间。 对于习惯了排队几个小时才能进入大教堂的游客来说,这可能是一个可喜的变化,大教堂是世界上参观人数最多的建筑之一。 


    The collected images have already identified structural damage and signs of deterioration. Experts said the technology can find such problems much faster and more effectively than human workers. Vatican officials plan to use the images to continually identify areas needing repairs. 

    收集到的图像已经发现了结构损坏和恶化的迹象。 专家表示,该技术可以比人类更快、更有效地发现此类问题。 梵蒂冈官员计划使用这些图像来不断识别需要维修的区域。 


    Smith did not say how much Microsoft had invested in the project. But he said the idea came after Pope Francis urged technology companies in 2018 to come together to use AI for cultural purposes. 

    史密斯没有透露微软在该项目上投资了多少。 但他表示,这个想法是在教皇弗朗西斯于 2018 年敦促科技公司联合起来将人工智能用于文化目的之后产生的。 


    Smith noted his company had also completed similar AI projects at Mont Saint-Michel in France and for Ancient Olympia in Greece. 

    史密斯指出,他的公司还在法国圣米歇尔山和希腊古奥林匹亚完成了类似的人工智能项目。 

  • 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