时差N小时 为什么男孩会变声?

Why A Boy's Voice Changes

为什么男孩会变声

For adolescent boys, a changing voice that cracks in the middle of a sentence can be a great embarrassment¹. Though embarrassing, a cracking voice is a natural part of adolescent development. As a boy goes through adolescence², his secondary sex characteristics develop. One of these characteristics is the rapid growth of the larynx and vocal³ cords.

对于青春期的男孩来说，一句话说到一半突然变声确实令人尴尬。虽然如此，但这是青春期发育的一个自然的过程。当男孩进入青春期，就会出现第二性征。其中一个特点就是喉结快速增长，声带发生变化。

A boy's voice deepens as his larynx develops because the bigger the vocal cords, the deeper the voice. In fact, vocal cords are similar to other musical instruments in this regard. The longer the harp⁴ string, for instance, the lower the note it plays. Similarly, if you are blowing into a bottle to create a certain pitch, the larger the bottle, the lower the pitch. When it comes to voices, the bigger the vocal cords, the lower they resonate, and the deeper the voice will be.

随着喉咙的发育，男孩的声音变得低沉，因为声带越粗，声音越低沉。就这一点而言，声带其实类似于其它乐器。例如，竖琴的琴弦越长，演奏出来的音符就越低沉。同理，如果向瓶子吹气来创造音乐的话，瓶身越大，音高就越低。就说话而言，声带越大，共振的频率就越小，于是声音就越低沉。

But why does a boy's changing voice break and crack? For the same reason growing adolescents are often gangly and awkward: the brain is becoming accustomed to working with bigger body parts. Even for an adult, a consistent and even voice depends on the brain's ability to constantly monitor the sounds that come from the voice.

但为什么男孩会突然变声？成长中的青少年往往瘦削又笨拙，道理也一样：大脑还不习惯身体的某个部位变大。即使对于成年人来说，一致平稳的声音也取决于大脑对声音的监测和调控能力是否一致。

The brain can do this quite easily under normal circumstances. But, when a boy's vocal cords enlarge, the brain must relearn how to monitor and control the voice. A cracking voice is proof that an adolescent boy's brain hasn't become completely proficient⁵ at coordinating⁶ its careful monitoring of the sounds coming from the vocal cords.

在普通环境下大脑能非常容易地做到这一点。但当一个男孩的声带变大，大脑必须重新学着监控声音。突然变声就是青少年的大脑处理声音不协调的表现，这时大脑还不能很好地协调声带传出的声音。

1 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

2 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。

3 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

4 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

5 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

6 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白