时差N小时 跑步机与意识

Lots of people these days get their exercise at gyms and health clubs, oftentimes by walking or running on treadmills—that is to say, running without going anywhere. If you've ever been on a treadmill¹ for some time and then suddenly stepped off it, you've probably experienced the weird² sensation that you are suddenly moving much faster than you think you should be. Why?

这些天很多人去健身房、健康俱乐部锻炼身体，时间大多花在跑步机上——也就是说原地不动行走或者跑步。如果你在跑步机上跑了一段时间，突然停下时，你心头可能会出现一种古怪的感觉：你移动得比实际要快。为什么？

This deceptive³ sensation is the result of sending your brain two different signals at once. The first signal is the one coming from your legs; during exercise they are in rapid, regular motion, and the brain understands by this fact that the body is moving through space. The second signal comes from the eyes, which are seeing that the objects around you are not passing by, and hence you are standing⁴ still. In a sense your eyes are disagreeing with your legs. The result is that after about ten minutes of this input⁵ disparity, the brain recalibrates its internal sense of motion.

这种欺骗性的感觉实际上是大脑一次传递两种不同信号的结果。第一种信号来自于你的双腿，在锻炼的时候它们快速，有规律地移动，然后大脑把这个事实理解成在空间里穿行。第二种信号来自于你的眼睛，眼睛看到的周围的物体并没有远去，因为你是站着不动的。在意识里，你的眼睛和你的腿是不一致的。结果，在这种输入分歧之后大约十分钟，大脑开始重新调整内心的动作感。

In simple terms, your brain tells itself: this is how fast objects move by when I'm walking at this rate, as opposed to what was formerly⁶ the case. That means when you step off the treadmill and begin actually moving through space again, your recalibrated brain is now sent the incorrect message that you have suddenly increased your speed significantly. Once again, what the legs say and what the eyes say is out of sync. The sensation of accelerated motion is only temporary, though, and the ever-adaptable brain soon readjusts itself once more—until the next time you step up on that rolling, immobile track.

单纯意义上来说，大脑告诉自己：当我以这样的速度行走时，身边的物体也以同样的速度在移动，不同于先前那种情况。这意味着，当你跳下跑步机再次开始真正的空间运动时，你调整过一次的大脑将会发送错误的信息：你突然加度了。腿和眼睛传达的信号再一次不同步。尽管加速运动的感觉只是暂时的，能不时顺应的大脑很快又会再次调整，直到下次你再踩在那滚动着但稳定的轨道上。

1 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

6 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。