The Human Body: Life Story 生命物语-11

But what's even more amazing to me is that although we've changed so little in so many thousands of years, each of us changes so much in just one lifetime. We tend to think of growing up as just getting older and bigger. But actually as we make our way through life, our bodies change much more significantly than we realize. In fact, we change just as dramatically as a caterpillar¹. A caterpillar is an eating machine and that's just what it needs to be to stockpile the energy it will need to reproduce. Yet, to meet a suitable mate, it may have to travel many miles and it's hardly equipped for that. But evolution has provided the caterpillar with a solution. One creature is recycled into another.

A new challenge has been met with a new answer. Our bodies too face different challenges in life. And we are reworked to cope with each of them. From the moment we are born, we are changing and adapting to life's demands. And every change we make follows a plan drawn² up for us by the millions of generations that have gone before. In this series, I'm going to show you the stunning³ science of these changes throughout life.

How our brain cells are wired up when we are children? How hormones⁴ transform us at puberty? What changes happen inside our bodies? How our muscles become stronger? How our brains mature as adults? And how our bodies continue to alter throughout our lives.

words and expressions

stockpile:To accumulate and maintain a supply of for future use.
积攒或保存…以供日后所需

puberty:The stage of adolescence⁵ in which an individual becomes physiologically⁶ capable of sexual reproduction.青春期

1 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

4 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

5 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

6 physiologically   

ad.生理上，在生理学上

参考例句：

• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder cannot be completely separated physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上不能完全分离。
• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder are closely related physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上紧密联系。