每日欣賞一篇英語美文
英語美文題材豐富,涉及面廣,大多蘊涵人生哲理。引導學生欣賞美文,不僅能提高他們的閱讀理解能力,而且能使他們得到美的薰陶,從而提高學生對周圍事物的認識。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!
篇一
Evolution of Sleep
睡眠的進化
Sleep is very ancient. In the electroencephalographic sense we share it with all the primates and almost all the other mammals and birds: it may extend back as far as the reptiles.
睡眠自古就有。從腦電圖上看，我們人類和所有靈長目動物以及幾乎所有的哺乳動物和鳥類都一樣需要睡眠;甚至爬行類動物也有睡眠。
There is some evidence that the two types of sleep, dreaming and dreamless, depend on the life-style of the animal, and that predators are statistically much more likely to dream than prey, which are in turn much more likely to experience dreamless sleep. In dream sleep, the animal is powerfully immobilized and remarkably unresponsive to external stimuli. Dreamless sleep is much shallower, and we have all witnessed cats or dogs cocking their ears to a sound when apparently fast asleep.
有證據顯示，有夢睡眠和無夢睡眠這兩種型別的睡眠取決於該動物的生活方式。從統計上看，食肉動物比被捕食動物有更多的有夢睡眠，而被捕食動物更多地無夢睡眠。動物在有夢睡眠時，被有效地解除動作能力，並且對外界刺激缺乏反應。無夢睡眠則要淺得多。我們都看到過貓和狗在顯然的酣睡中，有一點響動耳朵就會豎起來。
The fact that deep dream sleep is rare among prey today seems clearly to be a product of natural selection, and it makes sense that today, when sleep is highly evolved, the stupid animals are less frequently immobilized by deep sleep than the smart ones. But why should they sleep deeply at all? Why should a state of such deep immobilization ever have evolved? Perhaps one useful hint about the original function of sleep is to be found in the fact that dolphins and whales and aquatic mammals in general seem to sleep very little. There is, by and large, no place to hide in the ocean.
被捕食動物很少有深度的有夢睡眠，這看來顯然是自然選擇的結果。而且這一點是有道理的：當睡眠高度進化以後，愚笨的動物比聰明的動物更少在深度睡眠狀態下喪失動作能力。但是動物為什麼要進入深度睡眠呢?為什麼這樣的無動作狀態也會進化出來呢?海豚、鯨魚以及水生哺乳動物睡眠都極少，這一事實可以給睡眠的根本功能提供有用的線索。海洋中是沒有藏身之處的。
Could it be that, rather than increasing an animal's vulnerability, the function of sleep is to decrease it? Wilse Webb of the University of Florida and Ray Meddis of London University have suggested this to be the case. It is conceivable that animals who are too stupid to be quiet on their own initiative are, during periods of high risk, immobilized by the implacable arm of sleep. The point seems particularly clear for the young of predatory animals. This is an interesting notion and probably at least partly true.
會不會是這樣，睡眠不但不增加動物受傷害的可能性，反而是減少了這種可能性呢?佛羅里達大學的Wilse Webb和倫敦大學的Ray Meddis認為情況就是如此。可以想像得出，在危險的時刻，那些由於太愚笨而不能自動保持安靜的動物，會不由自主地變得動彈不得。這一點在食肉動物的幼獸身上表現得特別明顯。這是一個很有意思的看法，它至少是部分正確的。
篇二
世界上9種獨特的交通工具Venice – Traghetto
威尼斯擺渡船
Along the 3.5km stretch of Venice's Grand Canal there are just three bridges, so how do you get across? By Traghetto meaning 'ferry' in Italian, of course. The unglamorous sibling of the gondola; these no-frills boats get passengers from one side of the canal to the other for a meagre fee. You can pick up a Traghetto from any of the seven piers along the canal - just look for the yellow signs pointing you towards the landings. Each boat is rowed by two oarsmen - one at the bow and one behind the passengers, as in a gondola - if you want to ride like a Venetian, stand for the short journey.
總長3.5公里的威尼斯大運河上，一共只有三座橋樑，那你要怎麼過河呢?當然是坐Traghetto義大利語的“渡船”之意啦。這種擺渡船和著名的貢多拉很像，但是沒貢多拉那麼精緻迷人。這些無裝飾的船隻將乘客從運河的一邊送到另一邊，只收取很少的費用。你可以在運河沿岸七個碼頭中的任意一個搭乘Traghetto——會有一些黃色指示牌指示你在哪裡登船，只要找到它們即可。每艘船有兩個槳手，像貢多拉一樣，一個在船頭，一個在所有乘客身後。如果你想像威尼斯人一樣出行，那就忍受一下這趟短途旅程吧。
Pakistan - Tangah
巴基斯坦馬車
Save yourself a few bucks in Pakistan and ride on a Tangah, rather than the more commonly used rickshaws and taxis. A Tangah is a carriage, sitting atop two large wooden wheels not exactly designed for comfort, so expect a sore bottom on a long journey! , pulled by one or two horses. They have a low-glamour, but high fun factor and have become more widely used in Pakistan for enjoyment, rather than as a functional way of getting around. Just beware that they're not the speediest way to travel!
想在巴基斯坦省點錢，那就坐坐Tangah吧，而不要選擇更常用的人力三輪車或計程車。Tangah是架在兩個大木輪上木輪可不是為了舒適而設計的，所以做好心理準備，這趟漫長旅程中你的屁股可要受罪了!、由一兩匹馬拉的馬車。Tangah的樣子不怎麼迷人，但卻非常有趣。在巴基斯坦，它越來越多地作為一種娛樂方式被廣泛使用，而不是一個功能性的交通工具。只是要注意，它們可不是速度最快的旅行方式喲!
Cambodia - Bamboo train
柬埔寨竹火車
Those with a strong constitution may want to ride a Cambodian bamboo train - known locally as a nori. Passengers sit on a makeshift bamboo 'train' basically just a bamboo platform powered by an electric generator engine, travelling at up to 40km/h. The unmaintained railway tracks make for a bumpy ride and the closest you'll get to luxury is sitting on a grass mat. But the fares are low and this is a once in a lifetime experience, as all the locals use them for getting around..
體格強壯的人也許想要試試坐柬埔寨竹火車——也被當地人稱作nori。乘客坐在一個臨時搭建的用發電機引擎供電的竹“火車”上基本上是一個竹子平臺，以每小時40公里的速度行駛。無人維護的鐵路軌道讓旅途顛簸不平，而鋪上一張草墊子再坐在上面已經是最奢侈的方式了。但是竹火車的票價很低，而且這是一次千載難逢的經歷，所有的當地人都使用它們出行。
Philippines - Jeepney
菲律賓吉普尼
The exhaust-belching people-carriers powered by ancient diesel car engines that careen around Filipino city streets are actually pieced-together former World War II army Jeeps. Adorned with painted flags, eagles, and starbursts, jeepneys are traditionally given names such as "Taurus" and "Mr. Lover Boy." They travel at breakneck speed overloaded with people and produce, often failing to come to a complete stop for passengers to leap on and off. These dirty, decrepit workhorses and their doctored diesel are responsible for a particularly toxic form of air pollution as well as health problems.
這些採用古老的柴油發動機、在菲律賓城市街道上猛衝、一副噴氣都噴不動樣子的車，實際上是第二次世界大戰軍用吉普車的組裝車。裝飾著彩旗、鷹和四射亮光，吉普尼傳統上被賦予了"Taurus"和"Mr. Lover Boy"之類的名字。它們過度運載人和貨，並以極速執行，常常不能完全停下讓乘客們上下車。這些骯髒破舊的機器和它們所裝配的柴油機對一種特殊有毒氣體的產生負有主要責任，會造成空氣汙染和健康問題。
Thailand – Tuk Tuk
泰國嘟嘟車
Brightly colored, three-wheeled tuk tuks beetle about Bangkok, cramming passengers into their covered back seats as they battle insane traffic and hurtle about in the heat, humidity, and pollution. The impatient drivers of these rusting, souped-up golf carts hurtle from one lane of traffic to another, barely registering the presence of lumbering buses, thundering trucks, and the mosquito fleets of other tuk tuk drivers. As you idle, you'll have the chance to really enjoy how the noisy vehicles themselves contribute substantially to pollution. Tourists often find themselves delivered to an extra, unexpected stop en route as tuk tuk drivers attempt to get a cut of commission at stores where they happen to take a detour.
顏色鮮豔的三輪嘟嘟車在曼谷快速穿梭，將乘客都塞入其後排座位，和瘋狂的交通作鬥爭，在高溫、潮溼和汙染中橫衝直撞。沒耐心的司機駕駛著這些生了鏽的、加大了馬力的高爾夫球車從一條小巷猛衝到另一條小巷，幾乎無視笨重的巴士、雷鳴般的卡車、以及如蚊子艦隊般眾多的其他嘟嘟車的存在。當你無所事事，你將有機會真正體會到這些嘈雜的車輛本身是如何對汙染作出重大“貢獻”的。途中，遊客常常會發現自己在一個莫名其妙的地方停了下來，那是因為嘟嘟車司機帶他們走的彎路上碰巧有可以賺外快佣金的商店。
India - Elephant Howdah
印度象轎
"Howdah" translates as "throne," a throwback to the days when the ornate platforms transported India's royalty from one place to the next. These days, it tends to be an array of tourists rather than the traditional aristocratic loads with which these big beasts of burden are encumbered. Howdahs can range from a simple seat and canopy to an opulent, gilt and jewel-encrusted carriage, complete with windows.
Howdah被翻譯為“寶座”，把我們帶回過去印度王族乘坐這種華麗“工具”從一個地方去到另一個地方的日子。現在，這些龐然大物負載的往往是一群普通遊客，而不是什麼傳統貴族。 印度象轎可以是一個簡單的座椅和華蓋，也可以是一個鍍金並鑲有寶石、還帶有窗子的豪華車廂。
Alaska – Sled Dog
阿拉斯加雪橇犬
In Alaska or the Yukon, dog-pulled sleds have been replaced by snowmobiles in some communities. But hard-core husky enthusiasts still opt for canine power. Used in areas such as Denali National Park where motorized alternatives are illegal, deliveries, vet calls, and even Census visits in Alaska are still sometimes done by sled.
在阿拉斯加和育空加拿大一地區，一些社群已經用雪地車取代了狗拉雪橇。但是頑固不化的愛斯基摩犬愛好者仍然選擇用狗作為動力。在德納裡國家公園等地區，使用雪橇犬作為電動的替代品是非法的;但是在阿拉斯加，傳送貨物、呼叫獸醫、甚至是人口普查訪問，有時仍然用狗拉雪橇。
Peru – Barco de Totora
祕魯託托拉船
Totora is a reed which is grown in Peru, most notably on Lake Titicaca. The Uros are a group of people who live on the lake on floating islands fashioned from the reed. They also make Barco de Totora from bundles of the dried reeds, and these boats have become an icon of Peru. If you're visiting Lake Titicaca, the Barco de Totora is a wonderful, unique method of getting across the vast and beautiful stretch of water.
託托拉是一根生長在祕魯的蘆葦，是喀喀湖上最矚目的風景線。烏魯斯人是生活在喀喀湖中由蘆葦形成的浮島上的一群人。他們還可以用一捆捆的幹蘆葦製作託托拉船，這些船已成為祕魯的象徵。如果您正在喀喀湖遊覽，乘坐託托拉船是越過這片廣袤而美麗的湖水的獨特好方式。
London - DUKW
倫敦水陸兩用軍車
DUKW, widely pronounced 'duck', are amphibious trucks that were designed by the American military during World War II to transport equipment and troops over both land and water. Nowadays, you can take a trip in a DUKW in central London, on the aptly named Duck Tours. On a tour you'll drive past famous London landmarks like Big Ben, the London Eye and Trafalgar Square before dramatically launching into the River Thames to get a view from the water. They're the only way to experience the sights of central London by land and river - without leaving the comfort of your seat!
DUKW，通常發成'duck'的音，是第二次世界大戰期間由美軍設計的水陸兩棲車，可以在陸地也可以在水上運輸裝備或搭載部隊士兵。現在，你可以在倫敦市中心坐一回水陸兩用軍車，進行所謂的Duck Tours。途中你會經過倫敦著名的標誌性建築，如大本鐘、倫敦眼和特拉法格廣場，然後引人注目地開進泰晤士河，在河上觀賞風景。這是在倫敦市中心水陸兩地享受風景的唯一方式，而且都不用離開你舒適的座位喲!
篇三
人的左腦可以過濾噪音
An undated image of the human brain taken through scanning technology. Researchers from Japan, Canada and Germany have found that it is our left brain that picks out the desired sounds from a cacophony of loud, competing sounds.[Agencies]
Ever wondered how we are able to conduct a conversation at a noisy party? Researchers from Japan, Canada and Germany have found that it is our left brain that picks out the desired sounds from a cacophony of loud, competing sounds.
"In daily life, we are always exposed to several noises at the same time and we have to pick up important signals, for example, speech sounds, from the background noises," wrote researcher Ryusuke Amiga from Japan's National Institute for Physiological Sciences.
"We found that the left hemisphere is generally dominant for auditory processing in noisy environments," he wrote in an email response to questions from Reuters.
It is well known that speech signals are processed in the left brain.
But this study, led by Hidehiko Okamoto and Christo Pantev at the University of Muenster in Germany, furthers our understanding of how the human brain is able to zero in on the specific sounds it wants and process them.
In the latest issue of the online journal BMC Biology, the scientists said they used neuroimaging and observed neural mechanisms in volunteers who were exposed to different combinations of tests and background sounds.
"Test sounds were played either to the left or to the right ear, while the competing noise was presented either to the same or to the opposite ear," they wrote.
"By monitoring the brain's response to these different sound combinations, the team observed that the left hemisphere was the site of most neural activity associated with processing sounds in a noisy environment."