英语听力文摘 English Digest 435、你怕了吗？

The Anatomy¹ of Fear

One nice day you’re walking along a wooded path. You come around a corner and there, coiled in the path, is a huge rattlesnake, its rattles² abuzz. You are deathly afraid of snakes.

Various parts of the brain signal the nervous systems and organs to prepare to take action. The pupils of the eyes dilate, the thyroid gland raises the resting metabolic³ rate. The bronchioles in the lungs dilate to admit more oxygen, hairs stand on end. Heart rate and blood pressure rise to supply the body and brain with fuel.

The liver begins to break down sugars for quick energy, blood vessels in the skin contract causing chills and sweating. The spleen pumps out white blood cells in case there is an injury. Stomach and intestine⁵ enzyme⁶ secretion⁷ and muscle activity needed for digestion⁸ stop, and blood vessels in the stomach and intestines⁹ contract to divert blood to the muscles.

The bladder and colon¹⁰ prepare to empty, the central portion of the adrenal medulla floods the bloodstream with adrenaline and noradrenaline, constricting¹¹ the blood vessels, breathing quickens. The entire body is in a state of high alert, ready to stay and fight or say “Feet don’t fail me now.”

Did you follow all that? Of course not, but all that, and more, happens in your body within seconds of your sensing a threat.

It makes us tired just to think about it!

天气不错的一天，你漫步在林荫小道。走到小道拐角一处，你突然发现一条巨大的响尾蛇就蜷缩在那！它还嘶嘶地吐着蛇信。你可是怕蛇怕得要死。

多个大脑部位传送出采取措施的信号给神经系统和各个器官：瞳孔放大，甲状腺加快新陈代谢，肺部的支气管扩张吸进更多氧气，毛骨悚然，心率加快，血压上升以便供给身体和大脑能量。

肝脏加速分解糖分供能。皮下血管收缩，身体发冷出汗。脾脏产生更多白细胞抵抗受伤。肠胃酶的分泌及肌肉活动引起食欲不振。肠胃的血管收缩，血液传输到肌肉组织。

大小便可能失禁哦。血液随肾上腺素和去甲肾上腺素汇聚到肾上腺髓质的中部，血管收缩，呼吸加快。整个人都处于高度戒备，要么呆在那不动，或者人蛇大战，再或者告诉自己“我一点都不怕”。

受到惊吓，身体会做出上述所有反应吗？当然不是所有咯！但是，当你遭遇惊吓，身体会在仅仅几秒内产生更多反应。
光是想想就怪累人的!

 

1 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

2 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。

3 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 intestine   

adj.内部的；国内的；n.肠

参考例句：

• This vitamin is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.这种维生素通过小肠壁被吸收。
• The service productivity is the function,including external efficiency,intestine efficiency and capacity efficiency.服务业的生产率是一个包含有外部效率、内部效率和能力效率的函数。

6 enzyme   

n.酵素，酶

参考例句：

• Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
• An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。

7 secretion   

n.分泌

参考例句：

• Is there much secretion from your eyes?你眼里的分泌物多吗？
• In addition,excessive secretion of oil,water scarcity are also major factors.除此之外，油脂分泌过盛、缺水也都是主要因素。

8 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

9 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

10 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

11 constricting   

压缩，压紧，使收缩( constrict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective To discuss the clinical characteristics and treatment of congenital constricting band syndrome(CCBS) and amputations. 目的探讨先天性束带症与先天性截肢的临床特点及治疗方法。