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AnnieMurphyPaul_2011G-_我们在出生前学到了什么_
My subject today is learning. 我今天要谈的是学习
And in that spirit, I want to spring on you all a pop quiz . 对此我想给各位做个小测验
pop quiz:n.(给学生的)突击小测验;
Ready? 准备好了吗？
When does learning begin? 我们从什么时候开始学习？
Now as you ponder that question, maybe you're thinking about the first day of preschool or kindergarten , the first time that kids are in a classroom with a teacher. 当你考虑这个问题的时候 大概会想学前班或者幼儿园的 头一天 那是孩子在教室见到老师的第一天
ponder:vt.仔细考虑;衡量;vi.考虑;沉思; preschool:adj.未满学龄的;就学前的,入学前的;n.幼儿园,育幼院; kindergarten:n.幼儿园;
Or maybe you've called to mind the toddler phase when children are learning how to walk and talk and use a fork. 也许你会想到小孩初习走路和说话时 的样子 和学习用叉子的时候
toddler:n.学步的小孩;幼童装; phase:n.阶段;时期;月相;(月亮的)盈亏;v.分阶段进行;逐步做;
Maybe you've encountered the Zero-to-Three movement, which asserts that the most important years for learning are the earliest ones. 也许你会想到0－3岁运动 那段被认为是最重要的学习阶段 这是最早开始学习的时候
encountered:v.遭遇,遇到;偶然碰到;意外地遇见;(encounter的过去分词和过去式) asserts:维护;
And so your answer to my question would be: 那么你的答案可能是:
Learning begins at birth. 从出生就开始学习
Well today I want to present to you an idea that may be surprising and may even seem implausible , but which is supported by the latest evidence from psychology and biology . 今天我要讲的观点就是 也许这很出人意料 并且似乎不太有说服力 但是根据最新的 心理学和生物学研究
implausible:adj.难以置信的,不像真实的; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; psychology:n.心理学;心理状态; biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学;
And that is that some of the most important learning we ever do happens before we're born, while we're still in the womb . 我们最重要的学习有一部分 在我们出生前就开始了 那时我们还在子宫里
womb:n.[解剖]子宫;发源地;vt.容纳;
Now I'm a science reporter. 我是一名科学记者
I write books and magazine articles. 写书和给杂志供稿
And I'm also a mother. 我也是一名母亲
And those two roles came together for me in a book that I wrote called " Origins ." 这两个角色 在我写的一本叫《源头》的书上合为一体
Origins:n.起源; (origin的复数)
'"Origins" is a report from the front lines of an exciting new field called fetal origins. 《源头》是一本关于 一个令人振奋的新领域－胚胎起源论的 纪实报道
fetal:adj.胎的,胎儿的;
Fetal origins is a scientific discipline that emerged just about two decades ago, and it's based on the theory that our health and well-being throughout our lives is crucially affected by the nine months we spend in the womb. 胚胎起源论是一个科学分支 出现于大约二十年前 其理论基础是 我们的终身健康和幸福 极大地取决于 在子宫中的九个月
scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; discipline:n.纪律;训练;自制力;风纪;v.训练;管教;惩罚;处罚; emerged:v.(从隐蔽处或暗处)出现;暴露;露出真相;显现;(emerge的过去分词和过去式) well-being:n.幸福;康乐; throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; crucially:adv.关键地;至关重要地;
Now this theory was of more than just intellectual interest to me. 我对这个理论不仅是知识上的兴趣
intellectual:n.知识分子;脑力劳动者;adj.智力的;脑力的;理智的;有才智的;
I was myself pregnant while I was doing the research for the book. 当我研究这本书的时候 我怀孕了
pregnant:adj.怀孕的;富有意义的;
And one of the most fascinating insights 我从研究中了解到的
fascinating:adj.极有吸引力的;迷人的;v.深深吸引;迷住;(fascinate的现在分词) insights:n.洞察力;眼力;深刻见解(insight的复数);
I took from this work is that we're all learning about the world even before we enter it. 最新奇的观点是 我们对世界的认知 在没有来到这个世界之前就开始了
When we hold our babies for the first time, we might imagine that they're clean slates , unmarked by life, when in fact, they've already been shaped by us and by the particular world we live in. 当我们怀孕的时候 也许以为他们只是白纸一张 没有标记的生命 但事实上他们已经开始接受 来自我们和我们生活的世界的影响
slates:n.[地质]石板(slate的复数形式); vt.用石板瓦盖…; unmarked:adj.无记号的;未被注意的;
Today I want to share with you some of the amazing things that scientists are discovering about what fetuses learn while they're still in their mothers' bellies . 今天我想与各位分享一些有趣的事实 是关于科学家发现的 胎儿在母亲子宫里的 学习到的东西
fetuses:胎;胎儿(fetus的复数); bellies:n.腹部; v.张满; (belly的第三人称单数和复数)
First of all , they learn the sound of their mothers' voices. 首先 他们会认知母亲的声音
First of all:adv.首先;
Because sounds from the outside world have to travel through the mother's abdominal tissue and through the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus, the voices fetuses hear, starting around the fourth month of gestation , are muted and muffled . 因为外界的声音 会穿过母亲的身体 和包裹着胎儿的羊水 胎儿从妊娠四个月开始 就能够听见的声音 是微弱低沉的
abdominal:adj.腹部的;有腹鳍的; tissue:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织; amniotic fluid:n.羊水; gestation:n.酝酿;怀孕;妊娠期; muted:adj.减轻的; v.消音; (mute的过去分词和过去式) muffled:adj.听不清的; v.使(声音)低沉(muffle的过去式);
One researcher says that they probably sound a lot like the the voice of Charlie Brown's teacher in the old " Peanuts " cartoon. 一个研究者说 那声音听起来就象那部老卡通片《花生米》里 查里?布朗的老师的声音
Peanuts:花生(peanut的复数)
But the pregnant woman's own voice reverberates through her body, reaching the fetus much more readily . 但是母亲的声音 经过自己身体的反射 可以很容易地到达胎儿
reverberates:v.回响;回荡;摇晃;产生广泛影响;(reverberate的第三人称单数) readily:adv.容易地;乐意地;无困难地;
And because the fetus is with her all the time, it hears her voice a lot. 并且因为一直相处 胎儿能一直听到母亲声音
Once the baby's born, it recognizes her voice and it prefers listening to her voice over anyone else's. 一旦出生,宝宝就能识别出母亲的声音 并且比起别人的声音 宝宝更喜欢母亲的
recognizes:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的第三人称单数) prefers:v.较喜欢;喜欢…多于…;(prefer的第三人称单数)
How can we know this? 我们是怎么知道这一切的呢？
Newborn babies can't do much, but one thing they're really good at is sucking . 新生儿不能做太多事情 但是他们很擅长吮吸
Newborn:adj.新生的;再生的;n.婴儿; sucking:adj.吮吸的;没有断奶的;v.吮吸;吸;咂;抽取;(suck的现在分词)
Researchers take advantage of this fact by rigging up two rubber nipples , so that if a baby sucks on one, it hears a recording of its mother's voice on a pair of headphones , and if it sucks on the other nipple, it hears a recording of a female stranger's voice. 研究者利用这一点 把两个橡胶乳头固定在一起 如果婴儿吮吸其中一个 就用耳机播放 他母亲的录音 如果吮吸另一个 就播放一个陌生女性的声音
take advantage of:利用; rigging:n.索具,绳索;装备,传动装置; rubber:n.橡胶;橡皮;v.涂橡胶于…; nipples:n.乳头;乳头状物品;(机器的)喷嘴;(nipple的复数) sucks:v.吮吸;吸;咂;啜;抽吸;抽取;(suck的第三人称单数) headphones:n.[电讯]耳机;听筒;[电子]头戴式受话器;(headphone的复数) female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物;
Babies quickly show their preference by choosing the first one. 婴儿很快表现出他们的偏好 他们选择第一个乳头
preference:n.偏爱;爱好;喜爱;偏爱的事物;
Scientists also take advantage of the fact that babies will slow down their sucking when something interests them and resume their fast sucking when they get bored . 科学家也发现 当婴儿被其他事物吸引的时候 吮吸的速度就会慢下来 或者当他们无聊了 也会放慢吮吸
resume:n.简历;v.继续;重返; bored:adj.无聊的;厌倦的;烦闷的;v.使厌烦;钻,凿,挖;(bore的过去分词和过去式)
This is how researchers discovered that, after women repeatedly read aloud a section of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" while they were pregnant, their newborn babies recognized that passage when they hear it outside the womb. 研究者通过这一点发现 如果母亲在孕期高声地 念一章苏斯博士的《帽子里的猫》 他们的新生儿在出生后 仍然能识别这一段
repeatedly:adv.反复地;再三地;屡次地; recognized:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的过去分词和过去式)
My favorite experiment of this kind is the one that showed that the babies of women who watched a certain soap opera every day during pregnancy recognized the theme song of that show once they were born. 我最喜欢的一个实验是 如果母亲在孕期 每天看同一个肥皂剧 婴儿就能够 在出生后识别出这个电视剧的 主题曲
soap opera:n.(美)肥皂剧; pregnancy:n.怀孕;丰富,多产;意义深长;
So fetuses are even learning about the particular language that's spoken in the world that they'll be born into. 婴儿甚至能够学习 出生环境中 使用的语言
A study published last year found that from birth, from the moment of birth, babies cry in the accent of their mother's native language. 去年发表的一个研究 说道从出生那一刻开始 婴儿就会用 母亲母语的口音啼哭
accent:n.口音;重音;强调;特点;重音符号;v.强调;重读;带…口音讲话; native:adj.本国的;土著的;天然的;与生俱来的;天赋的;n.本地人;土产;当地居民;
French babies cry on a rising note while German babies end on a falling note, imitating the melodic contours of those languages. 法国婴儿哭起来升调 而德国婴儿哭起来降调 就象模拟他们各自语言的 音律轮廓
imitating:v.模仿;仿效;冒充;(imitate的现在分词) melodic:adj.有旋律的;音调优美的; contours:n.轮廓(contour的复数); v.画等高线;
Now why would this kind of fetal learning be useful? 那么这些发现 都有什么用呢？
It may have evolved to aid the baby's survival . 这些是进化中帮助婴儿生存的技能
evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
From the moment of birth, the baby responds most to the voice of the person who is most likely to care for it -- its mother. 从出生那一刻起 婴儿就对最关怀他的人 也就是母亲的声音 反应最强
responds:v.(口头或书面)回答,回应;作出反应;响应;(respond的第三人称单数)
It even makes its cries sound like the mother's language, which may further endear the baby to the mother, and which may give the baby a head start in the critical task of learning how to understand and speak its native language. 甚至按照母亲语言的 腔调啼哭 这会让母婴关系更亲密 也帮助婴儿 开始重要的 母语理解 和学习
endear:vt.使…受钟爱;使…亲密; head start:领先;抢先起步的优势;有利的开端; critical:adj.鉴定的;[核]临界的;批评的,爱挑剔的;危险的;决定性的;评论的;
But it's not just sounds that fetuses are learning about in utero . 婴儿在子宫里 学习不仅是声音
utero:子宫;
It's also tastes and smells. 也学习味道和气味
By seven months of gestation, the fetus' taste buds are fully developed, and its olfactory receptors , which allow it to smell, are functioning. 妊娠七个月的时候 胎儿的味蕾已经完全发育 嗅觉器官的神经末梢 也能工作了
buds:[植]芽;蓓蕾;未成熟的人(bud的复数); olfactory:adj.嗅觉的;味道的;n.嗅觉器官; receptors:n.[生化]受体;接受器;神经末梢(receptor的复数);
The flavors of the food a pregnant woman eats find their way into the amniotic fluid, which is continuously swallowed by the fetus. 孕妇摄取食物的味道 通过羊水 被胎儿 吞食
flavors:n.风味调料(flavor复数);v.添加味道(flavor的三单形式); continuously:adv.连续不断地; swallowed:v.吞下;咽下;吞没;淹没;侵吞(swallow的过去分词和过去式)
Babies seem to remember and prefer these tastes once they're out in the world. 婴儿似乎能够在出生后仍然记住这些味道 并对其产生偏好
In one experiment, a group of pregnant women was asked to drink a lot of carrot juice during their third trimester of pregnancy, while another group of pregnant women drank only water. 在一个实验中,一组孕妇 被要求在晚期妊娠中 喝下许多胡萝卜汁 而另一组孕妇则 只饮水
trimester:n.三个月;一学期;
Six months later, the women's infants were offered cereal mixed with carrot juice, and their facial expressions were observed while they ate it. 六个月后 他们喂食新生儿含胡萝卜汁的麦片粥 并观察他们的面部表情
infants:n.婴儿(infant的复数);婴幼儿; cereal:n.谷物;谷类植物;adj.谷类制成的; facial:adj.面部的,表面的;脸的,面部用的;n.美容,美颜;脸部按摩; expressions:表达,表情(expression的复数) observed:adj.观察的;观测的;v.观察;遵守;注意到(observe的过去分词形式);
The offspring of the carrot juice drinking women ate more carrot-flavored cereal, and from the looks of it, they seemed to enjoy it more. 喝过胡萝卜汁母亲的孩子 会吃更多的胡萝卜汁味的麦片粥 他们看起来 更喜欢这个味道
offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物;
A sort of French version of this experiment was carried out in Dijon , France where researchers found that mothers who consumed food and drink flavored with licorice-flavored anise during pregnancy showed a preference for anise on their first day of life, and again, when they were tested later, on their fourth day of life. 法国也有一个类似的试验 是在法国第戎进行的 研究者发现 母亲在孕期摄取的食物和饮料 是甘草茴香味的话 婴儿从出生起 就偏好茴香味 其后第四天的测试中 也是这样
Dijon:n.第戎(法国东部城市); consumed:adj.沉迷…的; v.消耗,耗费; (consume的过去分词和过去式) flavored:v.调味;加味于;(flavor的过去式和过去分词) anise:n.大茴香;茴芹;
Babies whose mothers did not eat anise during pregnancy showed a reaction that translated roughly as " yuck ." 但是母亲没有在妊娠期食用茴香的婴儿 则表现出“恶心”的表情
reaction:n.反应,感应;反动,复古;反作用; roughly:adv.粗糙地;概略地; yuck:难吃;讨厌;恶心
What this means is that fetuses are effectively being taught by their mothers about what is safe and good to eat. 也就是说 婴儿强烈地受到母亲影响 哪些食物是安全好吃的
Fetuses are also being taught about the particular culture that they'll be joining through one of culture's most powerful expressions, which is food. 婴儿也被教授 他们出生地的文化 文化的一个重要内容 就是食物
They're being introduced to the characteristic flavors and spices of their culture's cuisine even before birth. 他们甚至在出生之前就尝试到这个文化的食物 具有的特定的 味道和香料
characteristic:n.特征;特点;品质;adj.典型的;独特的;特有的; spices:n.香味料,调味料(spice的复数); cuisine:n.烹饪,烹调法;
Now it turns out that fetuses are learning even bigger lessons. 不过胎儿学习的东西还有更多的
But before I get to that, 首先
I want to address something that you may be wondering about. 我想解释下你可能疑惑的地方
The notion of fetal learning may conjure up for you attempts to enrich the fetus -- like playing Mozart through headphones placed on a pregnant belly . 胎儿学习这个概念 可能会让你有胎教的想法－ 就像把耳机放在大肚子上 放莫扎特
notion:n.观念;信念;理解; conjure up:想起,使在脑海中显现;用魔法召唤; attempts:n.企图,试图;尝试(attempt的复数);v.试图;努力去做(attempt的三单形式); enrich:v.充实;使丰富;使富有;使富裕; belly:n.腹部;胃;食欲;v.涨满;鼓起;
But actually, the nine-month-long process of molding and shaping that goes on in the womb is a lot more visceral and consequential than that. 但是九个月的妊娠过程 子宫里的变化和发展 是更接近器官性的间接发生的一种关系
process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; molding:n.线脚;v.用可塑材料塑成;浇铸;发霉;(mold的现在分词) visceral:adj.内脏的;出于本能的;发自肺腑的;粗俗的; consequential:adj.间接的;结果的;重要的;随之发生的;自傲的;
Much of what a pregnant woman encounters in her daily life -- the air she breathes, the food and drink she consumes , the chemicals she's exposed to, even the emotions she feels -- are shared in some fashion with her fetus. 一个孕妇每天的生活中－ 她呼吸的空气 摄取的食物和饮料 接触到的化学物质 甚至是她的情绪－ 都会影响到胎儿
encounters:v.遭遇(encounter的第三人称单数);邂逅;n.遭遇战(encounter的复数);相见; consumes:v.消耗,耗费;吃;喝;饮;使充满(强烈的感情);(consume的第三人称单数) chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数) exposed:adj.无遮蔽的; v.暴露; (expose的过去分词和过去式) emotions:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感;(emotion的复数)
They make up a mix of influences as individual and idiosyncratic as the woman herself. 这些影响混合在一起 既是各自对婴儿的外界影响 也是母亲自己对婴儿的影响
influences:n.影响; v.影响; individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的; idiosyncratic:adj.特质的;特殊的;异质的;
The fetus incorporates these offerings into its own body, makes them part of its flesh and blood . 婴儿接受到 这些影响 成为他们自身的一部分
incorporates:组成公司; offerings:n.供品,供奉祖先神佛的菜等;奉献(物);样片;提供之物(offering的复数形式); flesh and blood:adj.血肉般的;
And often it does something more. 并产生更多的影响
It treats these maternal contributions as information, as what I like to call biological postcards from the world outside. 母亲传递这些内容对他们 是信息 我将其称为来自外界的 生物名信片
treats:v.以…态度对待; n.乐事; maternal:adj.母亲的;母性的;母系的;母体遗传的; contributions:n.捐款;捐资;定期缴款;贡献;促成作用;(contribution的复数) biological:adj.生物学的;生物的;与生命过程有关的;加酶的;n.[药]生物制品; postcards:n.明信片;(postcard的复数)
So what a fetus is learning about in utero is not Mozart's "Magic Flute " 所以婴儿在子宫里学到的 不是莫扎特的魔笛
Flute:n.长笛;细长香槟杯;v.吹笛子;给(衣服)加褶边,加荷叶边
but answers to questions much more critical to its survival. 而是对他们更重要的生存问题的解答
Will it be born into a world of abundance or scarcity ? 他出生的世界会资源充足 还是贫乏？
abundance:n.丰度;丰富;大量;富足; scarcity:n.不足;缺乏;
Will it be safe and protected, or will it face constant dangers and threats? 他能受到保护吗 还是得面对危险和威胁？
Will it live a long, fruitful life or a short, harried one? 他能生活得长久富足吗 还是短暂折磨的生活？
fruitful:adj.富有成效的;多产的;果实结得多的; harried:v.(不断)烦扰;折磨;反复进攻;不断袭击;(harry的过去分词和过去式)
The pregnant woman's diet and stress level in particular provide important clues to prevailing conditions like a finger lifted to the wind. 孕妇的食物和压力水平 就象标杆一样给出了 她所处环境的线索
in particular:尤其,特别; clues:n.(调查,研究等的)线索;迹象;(故事的)关键情节;(clue的复数) prevailing:adj.流行的;一般的;占优势的;v.盛行,流行;获胜;(prevail的现在分词形式)
The resulting tuning and tweaking of a fetus' brain and other organs are part of what give us humans our enormous flexibility , our ability to thrive in a huge variety of environments, from the country to the city, from the tundra to the desert. 对婴儿大脑和其他器官 影响的结果是 人类所处环境多样性的 部分结果 我们在各种各样环境中 生存的能力 从乡村到城市 从苔原到沙漠
tuning:n.调谐;收听;调音;v.(为乐器)调音;调节(发动机);调频道;(tune的现在分词) tweaking:v.捏,扭,拧;对…稍作调整(tweak的现在分词); organs:n.[生物]器官;机构;风琴(organ的复数); enormous:adj.庞大的,巨大的;凶暴的,极恶的; flexibility:n.灵活性;弹性;适应性; thrive:v.繁荣;茁壮成长;蓬勃发展;兴旺发达; variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化; tundra:n.[生态]苔原;[地理]冻原;冻土地带;
To conclude , I want to tell you two stories about how mothers teach their children about the world even before they're born. 总而言之我想说两个 母亲是怎样在孩子尚未出生之前 教他们认识世界的
conclude:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定)
In the autumn of 1944, the darkest days of World War II, 1944年秋天 二战进行最惨烈的期间
German troops blockaded Western Holland , turning away all shipments of food. 德国军队封锁了荷兰西部 截下所有运送食物的车辆
blockaded:挡住; Holland:n.荷兰; shipments:n.发货;运载的货物(shipment的复数);
The opening of the Nazi's siege was followed by one of the harshest winters in decades -- so cold the water in the canals froze solid. 纳粹围攻开始后 是十年间最难熬的一个冬天 运河全都冻住了
siege:n.围攻;包围;围城;不断袭击;长期努力;vt.围攻;包围; harshest:刺耳的(harsh的最高级);
Soon food became scarce , with many Dutch surviving on just 500 calories a day -- a quarter of what they consumed before the war. 食物紧缺 很多荷兰人每天只摄取500卡路里－ 只有战前的四分之一
scarce:adv.勉强;刚;几乎不;简直不;adj.缺乏的;不足的;稀少的; Dutch:adj.荷兰的; n.荷兰人; v.费用平摊地; calories:n.[物]卡路里(热量单位,calorie的复数);
As weeks of deprivation stretched into months, some resorted to eating tulip bulbs . 这样挣扎了几个月 一些人开始吃郁金香的球茎
deprivation:n.剥夺;损失;免职;匮乏;贫困; stretched:v.拉长;撑大;有弹性(或弹力);拉紧;(stretch的过去式和过去分词) resorted:n.凭借,手段;度假胜地;常去之地;vi.求助,诉诸;常去;采取某手段或方法; tulip:n.郁金香; bulbs:n.[电]灯泡;[植]鳞茎;大浇斗(bulb的复数);
By the beginning of May, the nation's carefully rationed food reserve was completely exhausted . 五月初 国家苦心经营的粮食配给 终于告罄
rationed:vt.配给;定量供应;n.定量;口粮;配给量; reserve:n.储备,储存; vt.储备; vi.预订; exhausted:adj.筋疲力尽的; v.使筋疲力尽; (exhaust的过去分词和过去式)
The specter of mass starvation loomed . 大片的饥荒开始蔓延
specter:n.幽灵;妖怪;恐怖之物; mass:n.块,团; adj.群众的,民众的; v.聚集起来,聚集; starvation:n.饿死;挨饿;绝食; loomed:n.织布机; vi.可怕地出现; vt.在织布机上织;
And then on May 5th, 1945, the siege came to a sudden end when Holland was liberated by the Allies . 后来1945年五月五号 包围突然结束 荷兰被盟军 解放
liberated:adj.不受传统思想束缚的,开放的; v.解放; (liberate的过去式和过去分词) Allies:n.盟友,支持者:v.与…结盟(ally的第三人称单数和复数)
The "Hunger Winter," as it came to be known, killed some 10,000 people and weakened thousands more. 这个“饥荒的冬天”里 大概有10,000丧生 上千人虚弱不堪
weakened:v.(使)虚弱,衰弱;减弱;削弱;动摇;(weaken的过去分词和过去式)
But there was another population that was affected -- the 40,000 fetuses in utero during the siege. 同时还有个群体也受到了影响－ 40,000名在围攻期间 还在母腹中的胎儿
Some of the effects of malnutrition during pregnancy were immediately apparent in higher rates of stillbirths , birth defects , low birth weights and infant mortality . 妊娠期间的营养不良 导致后来出现的 极高的死胎 出生缺陷 新生儿体重不足 和新生儿死亡
malnutrition:n.营养失调,营养不良; apparent:adj.显然的;表面上的; stillbirths:n.死产; defects:n.缺点;瑕疵;不合格品(defect的复数);v.叛变(defect的三单形式); mortality:n.死亡数,死亡率;必死性,必死的命运;
But others wouldn't be discovered for many years. 但还有一些影响很多年后才显现出来
Decades after the "Hunger Winter," “饥荒的冬天”数十年后
researchers documented that people whose mothers were pregnant during the siege have more obesity , more diabetes and more heart disease in later life than individuals who were gestated under normal conditions. 研究者纪录了 在包围期间怀孕的母亲产下的孩子 在其后的生活中比起其他 在正常怀孕状况产下的孩子 有更高的肥胖症,糖尿病和心脏病症状
obesity:n.肥大,肥胖; diabetes:n.糖尿病;多尿症; disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病; individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数); gestated:vt.使怀孕;vi.孕育,创案;
These individuals' prenatal experience of starvation seems to have changed their bodies in myriad ways. 这些人在胎儿期经历了饥荒 从而在诸多方面身体 受到了影响
prenatal:adj.产前的;胎儿期的;[医]出生以前的; myriad:adj.无数的;种种的;n.无数,极大数量;无数的人或物;
They have higher blood pressure , poorer cholesterol profiles and reduced glucose tolerance -- a precursor of diabetes. 他们的血压更高 高胆固醇 低葡萄糖耐量－ 糖尿病的前兆
blood pressure:n.[医]血压; cholesterol:n.[生化]胆固醇; profiles:n.配置文件; v.扼要描述; glucose:n.葡萄糖;葡糖(等于dextrose); tolerance:n.公差;耐量;宽容;容忍; precursor:n.先驱,前导;
Why would undernutrition in the womb result in disease later? 为什么母体中经历的营养不良 会引发这些疾病？
undernutrition:n.营养不良;营养不足;
One explanation is that fetuses are making the best of a bad situation. 一个解释是 婴儿会在恶劣环境下最大化生存可能
When food is scarce, they divert nutrients towards the really critical organ, the brain, and away from other organs like the heart and liver . 当食物紧缺 他们把营养留给最重要的器官－大脑 而减少其他器官诸如 心脏和肝脏的供给
divert:v.使转向;使绕道;转移;使分心;娱乐; nutrients:营养盐;[食品]营养素; liver:n.肝;(动物供食用的)肝;
This keeps the fetus alive in the short-term , but the bill comes due later on in life when those other organs, deprived early on, become more susceptible to disease. 这能让胎儿在短期内生存 但是影响在后来的生活中显现 当这些早期无法获得足够营养的器官 就变的更容易受到疾病影响
short-term:adj.短期的; deprived:adj.缺少食物的;缺乏足够教育的; susceptible:adj.易受影响的;易感动的;容许…的;n.易得病的人;
But that may not be all that's going on. 但是这还不能说明全部状况
It seems that fetuses are taking cues from the intrauterine environment and tailoring their physiology accordingly . 似乎婴儿在从 他们的子宫环境中获取信息 从而去适应
cues:n.开端,线索;提示,关键;球杆;诱因(cue的复数形式); intrauterine:adj.子宫内的; physiology:n.生理学;生理机能; accordingly:adv.因此,于是;相应地;照著;
They're preparing themselves for the kind of world they will encounter on the other side of the womb. 他们准备好自身 来面对母体外的 世界
on the other side:另一面;在另一边;
The fetus adjusts its metabolism and other physiological processes in anticipation of the environment that awaits it. 胎儿调整自身的新成代谢 和其他生理机能 来应对将到来的世界
adjusts:(改变…以)适应,调整,校正(adjust的第三人称单数); metabolism:n.[生理]新陈代谢; physiological:adj.生理学的,生理的; processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式); in anticipation of:期待,预期; awaits:v.等候;等待;期待;(await的第三人称单数)
And the basis of the fetus' prediction is what its mother eats. 而胎儿对此判断的依据 就是母亲的食物
prediction:n.预报;预言;
The meals a pregnant woman consumes constitute a kind of story, a fairy tale of abundance or a grim chronicle of deprivation. 一个孕妇的食物 形成了一个故事 一个富饶的童话 或者一个严酷挣扎的编年史
constitute:v.组成;构成;(合法或正式地)成立,设立; fairy tale:adj.童话的;童话式的; grim:adj.冷酷的;糟糕的;残忍的; chronicle:n.编年史,年代记;记录;vt.记录;把…载入编年史;
This story imparts information that the fetus uses to organize its body and its systems -- an adaptation to prevailing circumstances that facilitates its future survival. 婴儿从故事中获取 信息 并据此组织自身系统－ 这是对外部环境的适应 来保证自己的生存
imparts:v.传授;给予;告知(impart的三单形式); organize:v.组织;安排;处理;分配;管理; adaptation:n.适应;改编;改编本,改写本; circumstances:n.情况;环境;情形;(circumstance的复数) facilitates:v.促进;帮助;使…容易(facilitate的第三人称单数形式);
Faced with severely limited resources , a smaller-sized child with reduced energy requirements will, in fact, have a better chance of living to adulthood . 面对有限的资源 个头小的孩子能减少能源需求 从而增加长到成年的 几率
severely:adv.严重地;严格地,严厉地;纯朴地; limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式) resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数); adulthood:n.成年;成人期;
The real trouble comes when pregnant women are, in a sense , unreliable narrators , when fetuses are led to expect a world of scarcity and are born instead into a world of plenty. 真正的问题是 当怀孕的母亲是个不可靠的引导者 婴儿就会被引导了 去预期一个匮乏的环境 但是出生到一个丰足的环境里
in a sense:在某种意义上; unreliable:adj.不可靠的;靠不住的; narrators:n.叙述者;解说员;
This is what happened to the children of the Dutch "Hunger Winter." 这就是荷兰“饥荒的冬天”环境出生的孩子
And their higher rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease are the result. 他们的高肥胖率 糖尿病和心脏病 就是这样的结果
Bodies that were built to hang onto every calorie found themselves swimming in the superfluous calories of the post-war Western diet. 他们的身体准备寻找每一个卡路里 但是发现战后的西方饮食中 是卡路里的海洋
superfluous:adj.多余的;不必要的;奢侈的; post-war:adj.战后的;
The world they had learned about while in utero was not the same as the world into which they were born. 他们在子宫里对外界的认知 跟他们实际出生的世界 是不一样的
Here's another story. 还有一个故事
At 8:46 a.m. on September 11th, 2001, there were tens of thousands of people in the vicinity of the World Trade Center in New York -- commuters spilling off trains, waitresses setting tables for the morning rush, brokers already working the phones on Wall Street . 2001年9月11日早上八点四十六分 纽约的世贸中心 周边地区 有上万人－ 乘地铁上班的人 因为早晨高峰期忙碌的服务生 在华尔街开始工作的股票经纪人
vicinity:n.邻近,附近;近处; commuters:n.通勤者;每日往返上班者(commuter的复数); spilling:v.(使)洒出,泼出,溢出;涌出;(spill的现在分词) waitresses:n.女服务员;女侍者;v.做女服务生; brokers:n.[经]经纪人(broker复数); Wall Street:n.华尔街(美国纽约金融中心和证券交易所所在地);
1,700 of these people were pregnant women. 这些人里有1,700人是孕妇
When the planes struck and the towers collapsed , many of these women experienced the same horrors inflicted on other survivors of the disaster -- the overwhelming chaos and confusion , the rolling clouds of potentially toxic dust and debris , the heart-pounding fear for their lives. 当飞机撞向双子塔 很多女性经历了恐惧感 很多其他灾难幸存者也经历过的－ 这种无比巨大的混乱不堪 滚滚升起的浓烟 裹着可能有毒的烟尘和残骸 还有死亡的恐惧
collapsed:v.倒塌,坍塌;倒下,昏倒;坐下;(collapse的过去分词和过去式) horrors:n.震惊;恐惧;厌恶;;令人厌恶的性质;(horror的复数) inflicted:把…强加给;使承受(inflict的过去式和过去分词); disaster:n.灾难,灾祸;不幸; overwhelming:adj.势不可挡的; v.压倒; (overwhelm的现在分词) chaos:n.混沌,混乱; confusion:n.困惑;混淆;混同;困窘; potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地; toxic:adj.有毒的;中毒的; debris:n.碎片,残骸;
About a year after 9/11, researchers examined a group of women who were pregnant when they were exposed to the World Trade Center attack. 911事件一年后 研究者调查了一组 是在经历世贸中心袭击事件 怀孕的女性
In the babies of those women who developed post-traumatic stress syndrome , or PTSD , following their ordeal , researchers discovered a biological marker of susceptibility to PTSD -- an effect that was most pronounced 这些女性 在精神创伤后表现出了创伤后应激障碍 研究者发现了她们孩子身上有对PTSD敏感的 生物学标志 母亲在晚期妊娠期间经历的
post-traumatic:adj.受伤后的; syndrome:n.[临床]综合征;综合症状;并发症状;校验子;并发位; PTSD:abbr.创伤后精神紧张性精神障碍(post-traumaticstressdisorder); ordeal:n.折磨;严酷的考验;痛苦的经验; marker:n.记分员;书签;标识物;作记号的人; susceptibility:n.敏感性;感情;磁化系数;
in infants whose mothers experienced the catastrophe in their third trimester. 孩子表现出最显著的这种 特征
catastrophe:n.大灾难;大祸;惨败;
In other words, the mothers with post-traumatic stress syndrome had passed on a vulnerability to the condition to their children while they were still in utero. 也就是说 有创伤后应激障碍的母亲 把对环境的脆弱性 也传递给了还在子宫中的孩子
vulnerability:n.易损性;弱点;
Now consider this: post-traumatic stress syndrome appears to be a reaction to stress gone very wrong, causing its victims tremendous unnecessary suffering. 那么 创伤后应激障碍 是一种对压力的过度反应 导致受害者遭受不必要的痛苦
tremendous:adj.极大的,巨大的;惊人的;极好的;
But there's another way of thinking about PTSD. 但是也可以从另一个角度看PTSD
What looks like pathology to us may actually be a useful adaptation in some circumstances. 从病理学角度的一个解释 也许在某种情况下 这是一种有用的适应
pathology:n.病理(学);(比喻)异常状态;
In a particularly dangerous environment, the characteristic manifestations of PTSD -- a hyper-awareness of one's surroundings , a quick-trigger response to danger -- could save someone's life. 在一个危险的环境中 PTSD的特征表现－ 对环境极度敏感 对危险快速反应 能救一个人的命
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; manifestations:n.临床表现(manifestion的复数);显示;证明; surroundings:n.周围的环境;环境;(surrounding的复数) response:n.响应;反应;回答;
The notion that the prenatal transmission of PTSD risk is adaptive is still speculative , but I find it rather poignant . 产前PTSD母婴遗传的概念 仍然在研究中 但我发现重要的是
transmission:n.传输;传染;播送;发射;广播;传动装置; adaptive:adj.适应的,适合的; speculative:adj.投机的;推测的;思索性的; poignant:adj.尖锐的;辛酸的;深刻的;切中要害的;
It would mean that, even before birth, mothers are warning their children that it's a wild world out there, telling them, "Be careful." 这意味着在出生之前 母亲就在警告孩子 世界很危险 告诉他们“要小心”
Let me be clear. 整理一下
Fetal origins research is not about blaming women for what happens during pregnancy. 胚胎起源论不是责备母亲 发生在孕期的事情
It's about discovering how best to promote the health and well-being of the next generation. 而在于发现怎样才能提高 下一代的身心健康
promote:v.促进;推动;促销;提升;晋升;
That important effort must include a focus on what fetuses learn during the nine months they spend in the womb. 这个努力与 胎儿在 子宫的九个月是分不开的
Learning is one of life's most essential activities, and it begins much earlier than we ever imagined. 学习是生命最重要的活动之一 并且比我们想像的 早就开始了
essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的;
Thank you. 谢谢
(Applause) （掌声）