美国国家公共电台 NPR Heart 2 Sizes Too Small? Mr. Grinch, See Your Cardiologist

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Let's talk about the Grinch. He's best known for his psychological problems.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH")

THURL RAVENSCROFT: (Singing) You're a foul¹ one, Mr. Grinch. You're a nasty-wasty (ph) skunk².

MARTIN: Definitely some anger and empathy issues there, and he did try to steal Christmas. But NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton wanted to understand the Grinch's physical challenge, a heart that was two sizes too small.

JON HAMILTON, BYLINE³: So I went to see a guy who specializes in hearts. His name is David Kass. He's a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, and he's been thinking about the Grinch.

DAVID KASS: Tough problem, tough problem 'cause heart at least reputedly is two sizes too small. We in fact don't see this very much.

HAMILTON: Kass says there are conditions that effectively reduce the size of the heart, and they're no fun.

KASS: You're just going to have to have that small heart beating twice as fast. So that means you're going to feel your heart racing⁴ all the time.

HAMILTON: Which could make you grumpy. And it would definitely make it hard to do physical labor⁵. So how did the Grinch shimmy up all those chimneys and carry off every Christmas present in Whoville? I ask Kass if that would have even been possible for someone whose cardiac output was so limited.

KASS: No. He would be doing more traditional grinchy things - just sitting around, moping.

HAMILTON: Anyway, from a cardiologist point of view, the story takes an even more remarkable⁶ twist.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!")

BORIS KARLOFF: (As Narrator) And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.

HAMILTON: Kass says this is possible, sort of.

KASS: There are situations where the human heart can fairly rapidly get large.

HAMILTON: Like when a valve suddenly ruptures⁷.

KASS: But you don't feel good when that happens. This couldn't be Grinch's issue.

HAMILTON: So Kass has a different explanation.

KASS: He's really a snake. I mean, not just any snake - he's a python.

HAMILTON: Specifically a Burmese python. That makes sense because the heart of a Burmese python is designed to grow rapidly after a big meal, like, say, a roast beast.

KASS: That would do it. His heart would get large, yeah.

HAMILTON: But Kass says the big meal hypothesis isn't perfect.

KASS: When a snake like a python has done that, does he, like, run around lifting sleds and doing - no. He looks like all of us after Thanksgiving. You know, we're on the couch. If we can watch TV, yeah, that's about it.

HAMILTON: So even a big-hearted Grinch probably would not have returned those toys to every family in Whoville. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WELCOME CHRISTMAS")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Welcome Christmas while we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. Fahoo fores, dahoo dores (ph) - welcome, welcome Christmas - Christmas Day.

1 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

2 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 ruptures   

n.（体内组织等的）断裂( rupture的名词复数 )；爆裂；疝气v.（使）破裂( rupture的第三人称单数 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• Fault ruptures may consist of a single narrow main break. 断层破裂可能只包括单独一条狭窄的主裂隙。 来自辞典例句
• The dry seed ruptures and the green leaf uncurls. 干瘪的种子裂开了，卷曲的绿叶伸展了。 来自辞典例句