想知道飞机餐为什么如此难吃吗？

 　　From rubbery scrambled¹ eggs to lukewarm mashed² potato, airplane meals can be dire³.

　　从炒鸡蛋到微温的土豆泥，飞机餐真是难吃得丧病。

　　Now scientists think they know why food tastes so strange in the air – it’s down to sound.

　　科学家们现已了解了为啥飞机餐如此难吃了——飞机飞行噪音所致。

　　American researchers have discovered that deserts don’t taste as sweet on board a noisy airplane, while the taste of savoury food is intensified⁴ in the loud environment.

　　美国研究人员发现甜点在嘈杂的飞机上并不美味，在嘈杂的环境下即使是开胃类食物的口感也感觉有些重。

　　Experts hope this knowledge could be used to elevate airplane food to new heights and banish⁵ bad meals.

　　专家希望这些知识可以用于飞机餐，想办法把飞机餐的美味度提升到一个新的高度，别再让美食吃起来难吃。

　　想知道飞机餐为什么如此难吃吗？

　　‘Our study confirmed that in an environment of loud noise, our sense of taste is compromised,’said Robin⁶ Dando, assistant professor of food science at Cornell University.

　　“我们的研究证实，我们的味觉在噪音环境中不够灵敏，”康奈尔大学食品科学助理教授罗宾·丹多说。

　　‘Interestingly, this was specific to sweet and umami tastes, with sweet taste inhibited⁷ and umami taste significantly enhanced.’

　　“有意思的是，噪音环境对于甜味和鲜味的作用甚强，甜味颇失，鲜味却明显增强。

　　‘Airline cabins are an unusual environment, in which food is consumed routinely under extreme noise conditions, often over 85 dB, and in which the perceived quality of food is often criticised,’ the study says.

　　“航空公司客舱是个很不同寻常的环境，在飞机客舱的嘈杂环境下吃东西的噪音一般超过85分贝，所以感觉飞机餐难吃。”

　　Professor Dando added: ‘The multisensory properties of the environment where we consume our food can alter our perception of the foods we eat.’

　　丹多教授说：“环境的多重因素，会改变我们对吃的食物的口感。”

　　The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology⁸: Human Perception and performance, could help experts make airplane food taste better, by selecting foods that suit the noisy environment.

　　该研究发表在《实验心理学杂志》上：人类各感官的感知可以帮助专家通过选择适合吵闹环境食用的食物，使飞机餐变美味。

1 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mashed   

a.捣烂的

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 banish   

vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除

参考例句：

• The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。
• He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。

6 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

7 inhibited   

a.拘谨的，拘束的

参考例句：

• Boys are often more inhibited than girls about discussing their problems. 男孩子往往不如女孩子敢于谈论自己的问题。
• Having been laughed at for his lameness,the boy became shy and inhibited. 那男孩因跛脚被人讥笑，变得羞怯而压抑。

8 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。