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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Voice 2
And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The lion roars3 in pain. This wild animal has stepped on a small, sharp thorn4. He is hurt, but he cannot remove the thorn himself. He searches for someone to help. Finally, he sees a boy watching over sheep. The lion says to the shepherd5, “Do not be afraid. Please, help me.” The boy can see pain in the lion’s eyes. He pulls out the thorn.
Voice 2
Years later, a king arrests the shepherd for a crime6 he did not do. The king declares that the shepherd will be killed. The king releases7 a lion to kill the shepherd. But suddenly, the lion stops. He walks slowly towards the shepherd. The lion puts his foot gently on the shepherd. This is the same lion the boy helped years before. The king is amazed8 by their story. And he releases both the boy and the lion.
Voice 1
This ancient story was written by the Greek9 writer Aseop. The story shows how the shepherd’s life was saved because of his past kindness. Today’s Spotlight is on how modern science is supporting this old idea - that doing good is good for you.
Voice 2
People have long understood that kindness is good for the person receiving help. For example, when a person gives food to a hungry person, the hungry person is blessed. His stomach is no longer empty and he has received a good gift. However, scientists have recently begun to study the effect acts of kindness have on the person doing them. What they have found is that doing good is, in fact, good for the doer. Acts of kindness can improve health, help a person reach goals and even add years to a person’s life.
Voice 1
Many scientific studies have shown the connection between doing good and long life. The first study to show this connection was a study on aging. Beginning in 1956, scientists studied a group of married mothers for 30 years. They thought the women with the most children would die first. But what they found surprised them. The number of children a woman had did not matter. Wealth did not matter. Education did not matter. Class did not matter. What did matter was if they volunteered - if they gave their time to help other people. Women that volunteered had fewer major diseases11 during their life. This helped them live much longer than the women who did not volunteer.
Voice 2
Since that first study, many other studies have found the same positive effects. Helping12 other people improves long-term13 health. It works14 even better than exercising 4 times a week.
Voice 1
The gains are the same for men, women, old people and young. In fact, many different studies have been done with older adults over the age of 65. Each time, the study showed the same results. Those people who volunteered had fewer major sicknesses than those who did not volunteer. This included sicknesses like heart attack, cancer or stroke15. One study, done in 1995, had a surprising result. It found that volunteering often reduced an older adult’s chance of dying16 by 44%.
Voice 2
But why would this be? Scientist are researching many possible causes. They want to answer this question.
Voice 1
One possible cause is an increase in antibodies. Antibodies are made by the body to fight against disease10. One study showed a strong link between showing kindness to other people and an increase in antibodies. The body produces more antibodies after an act of kindness. This increase in antibodies can last nearly an hour after the act of kindness is finished. Scientists think these antibodies might have an effect on long term health. However, antibodies are not the only possible cause.
Voice 2
Another possible cause is an increase in a chemical that fights the effects of stress or pressure from life. Normally, the body produces chemicals when stressed17. Over time, these stress chemicals can lead to many diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. But scientists have found a link between being kind to people and an increase in the chemical oxytocin. Oxytocin is a chemical produced in the brain. It reduces many of the harmful chemicals the body produces under stress.
Voice 1
There is another positive change in the body that scientists have found in many studies. Doing kind acts also releases endorphins in a person’s brain. Endorphins are the body’s natural drug. They reduce pain and produce pleasant emotions. Negative emotions can lead to poor health. When a person feels good more often, they are likely to have better health.
Voice 2
Health and long life are just two positive effects of doing good. Researchers believe that doing kind acts can also help people perform better in life.
Voice 1
In 2010, three studies were done by Harvard University scientist, Kurt Gray. The studies tested to see if kindness had any effect on physical strength. They found that it did. People were stronger while they helped other people. They worked harder, too. In a study report, Gray said,
Voice 3
“Doing good gives people the strength to act more effectively18 and better achieve their goals.”
Voice 2
Science is still discovering positive effects from acts of kindness. This idea is new to the world of science, but not to the world of faith. For thousands of years, religions have encouraged people to love and care for those around them.
Voice 1
In the Christian19 faith, God promises to bless the people who care for other people in need. Proverbs20 is a list of wise sayings in the Christian Bible21. One of these sayings is, “The person who blesses other people is richly blessed; those people who help other people are helped themselves.”
Voice 2
For now, researchers are still working to understand the science of doing good. But there is one thing they do know from all of the evidence22. Doing good things for other people is good for you, too.
Voice 1
Why do you do good things for other people? Do you feel better when you are kind? Do you think it helps your health? How does your religion affect how you treat others? You can email your thoughts to [email protected].
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Ann Wilds. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices were from the United23 States. All quotes24 were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.RadioEnglish.net This .program is called, “Doing Good is Good for You.”
Voice 1
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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roars
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| n.吼叫声，咆哮声，呼啸声( roar的名词复数 )v.咆哮( roar的第三人称单数 )；大笑；大哭；熊熊燃烧 | |
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thorn
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| n.刺，荆棘，带刺小灌木 | |
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shepherd
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| n.牧羊者，牧师，指导者；v.看守，领导，指导 | |
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crime
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| n.犯罪，罪行，罪恶 | |
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releases
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| v.释放( release的第三人称单数 )；放开；发布；发行 | |
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amazed
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| adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Greek
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| adj.希腊(人)的，希腊语的；n.希腊人；希腊语 | |
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disease
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| n.疾病，弊端 | |
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diseases
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| n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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long-term
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| adj.长远的，长期的 | |
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works
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| n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件 | |
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stroke
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| n.笔画，击打，连续的动作，中风，心跳；vt.奉承，轻抚； vi.击打，心跳... | |
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dying
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| adj.垂死的，临终的 | |
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stressed
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| adj.紧张的，有压力的 | |
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effectively
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| adv.有效地，有力地，实际上 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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proverbs
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| n.谚语，格言( proverb的名词复数 ) | |
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bible
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| n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍 | |
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evidence
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| n.明显，显著，明白，迹象，根据，[物]证据，证物 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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quotes
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| v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价 | |
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