英语六级阅读训练

1、 The vocabulary(词汇) of babies who are bilingual两种语言的 remains flexible灵活的 as they grow up and boosts提高 their speaking ability as toddlers刚学步的小孩, a university study has found. Babies and children have a great ability to learn a second language but that begins to fade褪色、退化 as early as their first birth

2、days. 一项大学研究发现，接受双语教育的宝宝在成长过程中可以灵活地掌握两门语言的词汇，而且学步时期的口语表达能力也能有所提高。婴儿和儿童在学习第二门语言方面能力很强，但早在他们过第一个生日的时候，这种能力就开始逐渐退化。Now researchers at the University of Washingtons Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are investigating the brain mechanisms that contribute to infants prowess at learning languages, wi

3、th the hope that the findings could boost bilingualism in adults, too. 目前，华盛顿大学学习与脑科学研究所的研究人员们在对促进婴儿非凡的语言能力的大脑机制进行研究，他们希望研究结果也可以推动成人的双语教育。 In the research, the scientists report that the brains of babies raised in bilingual households show a longer period of being flexible to different languages, es

4、pecially if they hear a lot of language at home. 在研究中，科学家们报告说，成长在双语家庭中、特别是在家能听到大量语言交流的宝宝的大脑表现出更长时间的对不同语言的灵敏度。 The researchers also show that the relative amount of each language - English and Spanish - babies were exposed to affected their vocabulary as toddlers. 研究者们还揭示说，在婴儿时期接触到的各种语言（英语或西班牙语）的数量，会

5、影响到他们学步时期的词汇量。 The study, published in Journal of Phonetics, is the first to measure brain activity throughout infancy and relate it to language exposure and speaking ability. 这项发表在语音学期刊上的研究第一次对婴儿时期的大脑活动进行测量，并将其与语言环境和口语能力联系起来。 The bilingual brain is fascinating because it reflects humans abilities f

6、or flexible thinking - bilingual babies learn that objects and events in the world have two names, and flexibly switch between these labels, giving the brain lots of good exercise, said Patricia Kuhl, co-author of the study and co-director of the UWs Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. 帕特丽夏库尔是该

7、研究的合著者之一，也是华盛顿大学学习与大脑科学研究所的副主任，她说：“双语大脑很棒，因为它可以反映出人类灵活思维的能力。双语宝宝们认识到世界上的物体和事件都有两个名称，并能在不同的名称之间灵活转换，这给了大脑很多有益的锻炼。” Kuhls previous studies show that between 8 and 10 months of age, monolingual babies become increasingly able to distinguish speech sounds of their native language, while at the same time

8、 their ability to distinguish sounds from a foreign language declines. 库尔之前的研究显示，只接触一种语言的宝宝在8个月到10个月大的时候分辨母语语音方面能力会日益增强，但与此同时，分辨外语语音的能力却减弱了。 For instance, between 8 and 10 months of age babies exposed to English become better at detecting the difference between r and l sounds, which are prevalent in

9、 the English language. 比方说，接触英语的宝宝们在8个月至10个月大的时候会更容易分辨r和l两个音的区别，而这两个音在英语中很普遍。 This is the same age when Japanese babies, who are not exposed to as many r and l sounds, decline in their ability to detect them. 而同年龄的日本宝宝们没有接触到那么多的r和l，所以他们分辨出这两个音的能力也在下降。词汇学习：prowess: 非凡的能力；高超的本领label: 称号prevalent: 普遍的

10、Its official - women spend most of their time lying awake at night because of financial worries, while men are kept awake by. nothing. 这可是官方消息女人们晚上睡不着觉是大多是因为财务上的烦恼，而男人睡不着觉是因为根本没有什么事会让男人睡不着觉！ In a new survey, women were asked what keeps them up at night - and the number one answer, from 30 percent of

11、 the women, was financial worries. 35 percent of men, however, said nothing. 在一项新的调查中，女人们被问到什么会让她们晚上睡不着觉，排在第一的答案是财务上的烦恼，30%的女人因此而失眠，而35%的男人称没什么事会让他们睡不着觉。 The M study looked at the habits of 1000 average wage-earning women and men in the US. The second most common reason for women lying awa

12、ke at night, at 18 percent, was put down to to-do lists and work stress. 马尼拉网站的研究调查了1000位中等收入的美国男性和女性的睡眠习惯。导致女人晚上睡不着的第二大普遍的原因（18%）是老想着还要干什么和工作压力。 Linda Descano of Women & Co. told M: With todays busy lifestyles, keeping on top of ones personal finances can seem daunting in the face of the

13、many demands in life. And with 66 percent of women now serving as CFO of their household, according to Women & Co. research, its not surprising there is more to keep them up at night. Women & Co公司的琳达黛丝卡诺告诉马尼拉网站：“现在的人们都活得匆匆忙忙，面对那么多生活中的需求，要掌控个人财务是挺困难的一件事。而且根据Women & Co的调查来看，现在66%的女性是丈夫的首席财务官，所以她们有更多导致

14、失眠的烦心事也就不足为怪了。” The findings would come as no surprise to some social scientists - and, indeed, working mothers. Arlie Russell Hochschilds seminal 1989 work, The Second Shift, lifted the lid on theimbalance between womens and mens workloads. 对于一些社会科学家和职场母亲们来说，这一研究发现一点也不令人惊讶。阿莉罗塞尔 The study showed, f

15、or the first time, that household chores remained mainly the responsibility of working women. 该研究首次指出，职业女性还是家务活的主要承担者。 A recent Time study pointed out that household habits have changed to the advantage of women, and, according to The Huffington Post, yet other studies show that household chores are

16、 linked to high bloodpressure. 时代杂志最近发布的一项研究指出，家庭生活习惯已经变得有利于女性。此外，赫芬顿邮报刊载的其他研究结果显示，家务活与高血压有关。 Personal finance expert, Manisha Thakor, told M that the picture is greyer yet for women.The financial stresses they face are exacerbated by living an average of 5 to 7 years longer than men, earning

17、 just 77cents for each male dollar and working for 11.5 fewer years than men because of caring for babies and elderly parents, she said. 个人理财专家玛尼莎萨克尔告诉Mint网说，女性的前景还会更灰暗。女人平均比男人多活5到7年，但赚的钱只有男人的77%，而且由于要照顾老人和小孩，女人要比男人少工作11.5年，这都加重了女人的财务压力。 The new survey also revealed that women are more acutely affec

18、ted by being disorganised than men. 73 percent of women say they are frustrated by disorganization, compared to just 59 percent of men, said M. 新调查还揭示出，生活混乱对女性造成的影响要比男性更大。马尼拉网站说：“73%的女性说混乱无序的状态会令她们感到沮丧，相比之下，只有59%的男人会这样。” When organized, 50 percent of women say they feel relaxed and 40 perc

19、ent say they feel happy. That compares to 41 percent and 37 percent of men respectively, it said. 该网站称：“当一切正常有序时，50%的女性说她们觉得放松，40%说觉得快乐。而相比之下，分别只有41%和37%的男性这么认为。”词汇学习：keep on top of: 设法驾驭；处理daunting: 令人怯步的；使人气馁的seminal: 开创性的；有重大影响的；重要的to the advantage of: 对有利exacerbate: 使恶化；使加重霍克希尔德1989年的开创性著作第二次转移，

20、揭开了女人和男人工作负担的不平衡。 The nightmare of your mobile phone running out of power mid-conversation could be over, for researchers at the University of Wisconsin have invented a device that, placed in a shoe, can harvest the kinetic energy from walking to power a mobile phone. 通话时遭遇手机突然没电的经历或许就要成为历史。因为美国威斯康星

21、大学的研究人员研发了一种可以嵌入鞋子的装置，可从行走中获取动能从而为手机充电。 Scientists have been working for years on trying to harness the energy produced from walking, which theoretically is sufficient to power a light bulb, smart phone or even a laptop. 为了利用人们在走路过程中所产生的能量，科学家们已经探索了好多年。理论上讲，这种能量足以满足灯泡、智能手机甚至是一部笔记本电脑的工作需要。 But until

22、now their solutions have been too cumbersome, or have not produced enough power to be useful. 但是直到现在，他们的方案都太过繁琐，或者难以产生足够的可以使用的能量。 Now, engineering experts Tom Krupenkin and Ashley Taylor say they have come up with a technology which can produce as much as a hefty 10 watts of power. 如今，工程专家汤姆克鲁本勤和艾希莉

23、泰勒表示，他们已经研发了一项技术，可以产生高达10瓦的能量。 After testing various liquids, the researchers chose a metal alloy called Galinstan. Used in thermometers, it is similar to mercury but not poisonous. 在测试过不同的流体后，研究人员选择了一种名为Galinstan的合金。将其注射进温度计后，研究人员发现它与水银很相似，不过没有毒性。 Two small pouches, placed in the bottom of a shoe,

24、are filled with the fluid and generate a currentwhenever they are compressed by the foots up and down motion. 当他们将两个装有该流体的小袋子置于鞋内时，它们就会因人脚抬升和下落的动作而受到挤压，从而产生电流。 Transferring the energy from a device in a foot to a phone in the hand presents an obvioushurdle. 而如何将装置内的能量从脚部传输给手上的手机明显就成了难题。 Rather than

25、plugging a cable into a shoe, the Wisconsin researchers suggest installing a wireless transmitter in the heel. This could make radio contact with mobile phone base stations. 威斯康星的研究人员用安装在脚后跟的无线发射机取代了需要塞进鞋子里的数据线。这样能量就可以与手机基站取得无线电联系。 Professor Krupenkin said: Humans were very powerful energy-producing

26、 machines that could produce as much as a kilowatt of power while sprinting. 克鲁本勤教授说：“人类是非常强大的能源生产器，人在疾跑时可以产生上千瓦的电量。” Women may be doing better than men in the broader economy, but theyre still under-represented at the very top. 从更广泛的经济层面来看，女性的表现可能比男性出色。但相比男性，登上富人阶层最顶层的女性仍然不多。 As weve written before

27、, the number of women on the Forbes list of richest Americans has fallen by half since 1986. And of the 1,000 people on Britains Rich List, only 105 are women. It seems more likely that a woman will become President before a woman tops any of the worlds rich lists (the former being far more importan

28、t than the latter). 正如我们之前写过的，登上福布斯最富有的美国人排行榜的女性数量自1986年以来下降了一半。登上英国富豪榜的1000人中，只有105个是女性。似乎女性成为美国总统比女性登顶世界任何一个富豪榜的可能性要大（当然前者的重要性远比后者来得大）。 Yet now comes news that the richest person in the world may one day soon be a woman. More specifically, an Australian woman. 但现在传来消息说，一个女人可能很快会成为全球最富有的人。更具体地说，是一个

29、澳大利亚女人。 According to a report from Citigroup cited in the Australian press, mining heiress Georgina Gina Rinehart is on course to overtake Carlos Slim as the richest person in the world ifcommodity prices keep rising. 据澳大利亚媒体援引花旗集团（Citigroup）的一份报告说，如果大宗商品价格继续上涨，采矿业女继承人乔治娜吉娜莱因哈特（Georgina Gina Rinehar

30、t）可能取代卡洛斯斯利姆（Carlos Slim）成为世界上最富有的人。 The report, which mainly looks at 400 of the worlds top mining projects, says that Ms. Rineharts three coal and iron ore projects are among the 10 most promising mining projects in the world, and could catapult her to the top of the rich heap. 在全球顶级采矿项目中，这份报告主要研究

31、了其中400个项目。报告说莱因哈特的三个煤炭和铁矿石项目位居全球前10大最有前途的采矿项目之列。凭借这三个项目莱因哈特可能成为全球首富。 An Australian business website said that if Ms. Rineharts private company - Hancock Prospecting - were publicly traded, she could have a current net worth of $30 billion, putting her in the top 10 globally. Based on the mine output

32、s and commodity prices, her annual profits could reach $10 billion a year and her net worth could approach $100 billion, according to the analysis. 澳大利亚的一个财经网站说，如果莱因哈特的私人公司Hancock Prospecting公开上市的话，她目前的资产净值可能达到300亿美元，可以跻身全球十大富豪之列。据分析，基于矿山产出以及大宗商品价格，她的年度利润可能达到100亿美元，她的资产净值可能达到1,000亿美元。 Ms. Rinehart w

33、ould make for an interesting world leader in wealth. Her dad, who founded the company, was an eccentric, swashbuckling prospector. Ms. Rinehart won control of the mining empire after a bitter family feud with her stepmother, a Filipina nurse. 莱因哈特可能成为财富世界的一个有趣领袖。她的父亲创建了Hancock Prospecting。其父是一个脾气古怪、

34、恃强凌弱的探矿者。在和继母（一位菲律宾护士）长期激烈的家庭斗争之后，莱因哈特赢得了这个采矿帝国的控制权。 Ms. Rinehart is famously reclusive and has only given a few interviews in her life. That may change, of course, if she takes the title from Mr. Slim. 莱因哈特出了名的深居简出，此生只接受过少数采访。当然，如果她取代斯利姆成为全球首富，这种情况可能改变。 Do you think a woman will ever be the richest

35、 person in the world? Why arent there more women on the rich lists? 你认为女性有朝一日会成为全球首富吗？为什么没有更多的妇女登上富豪榜？ Five foods can be used to help women delay the aging of their skin and leave their skin appearing bright, firm and elastic. 五种食物能够帮助女人保持肌肤的光泽、韧度和弹性。1. Rice Ball 米团 Applying a rice ball can remove e

36、xcess oil and dirt from the pores and make the skin smoothand clear. Cook the rice and knead the rice into a ball, put it on your face and knead it until it is dirty. 米团能够去除毛孔中过量的油脂和灰尘，使皮肤光滑、清爽。将米蒸熟，揉成团状并在脸上来回揉搓，直至米团变脏。2. Pig Hooves 猪蹄 Put the paste of boiled pig hooves on your face before sleeping

37、and clean it off the next morning. Anti-wrinkle effects can be seen if you use this method for at least half a month. 睡觉前把熟猪蹄中的胶状皮盖在脸上，第二天早上拿掉。至少坚持半个月就能见效。3. Chicken Skin and Gristle Soup 鸡皮软骨汤 Chicken skin and gristle contain a good deal of Chondroitin Sulfatewhich which can nourish the skin. Drink

38、ing chicken skin and gristle soup often can also delay the aging of skin. 鸡皮和软骨含有大量能够滋养皮肤的硫酸软骨素。经常喝鸡皮软骨汤能够延缓肌肤衰老。4. Banana 香蕉 Many fruits have anti-aging effects. For example, banana paste with olive oil, or a towelsoaked in a juice mix including alcohol and honey, can remove the wrinkles on your sk

39、in. 很多水果都有抗衰老功效。比如，涂有橄榄油的香蕉皮。用酒精和蜂蜜混合汁浸泡过的毛巾也能去除皮肤上的皱纹。5. Tea 茶 As a natural and healthy beverage, tea is rich in polyphenol, theine, aromatic hydrocarbons,carbohydrate, protein, multiple amino acids, vitamins, minerals and pectin. This is why tea can help women delay their skin from aging and preve

40、nt many kinds of skin diseases. 茶是一种富含多元酚、咖啡碱、芳香烃、碳水化合物、蛋白质、多种氨基酸、维他命、矿物质和果胶的天然饮料。因此茶不仅能够延缓皮肤衰老，还预防多种皮肤病。 Many employees these days eat lunch at their desks, because it seems like a harmless way to cram more work into the day. 现在，许多员工都在办公桌上吃午餐，因为这样可以挤出时间干更多工作，而且似乎也无甚大碍。 They might not be so casual a

41、bout it if they knew the habit was helping them pack on extra pounds. A study in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people who ate while distracted ate more, and felt less full after lunch, than those who focused on eating. 如果他们知道这个习惯会让他们变得肥胖，可能就不会如此满不在乎了。临床营养学杂志二月期上的一篇研究报

42、告称，与专心吃东西的人相比，吃东西时分心的人会吃得更多，而且在午餐后的饱腹感较低。 Researchers served a nine-item lunch to 44 participants who were split into two groups. One group was asked to eat lunch while playing a computer game of solitaire. The second group ate lunch without distractions. 研究人员将44名参与者分为两组，让他们吃了一顿含有九种食物的午餐。他们要求一组在吃饭时玩

43、电脑上的纸牌游戏，另一组则专心吃饭。 The participants who were distracted by the game felt less full after lunch, according to the study, led by Rose E. Oldham-Cooper, a researcher in experimentalpsychology at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Even 30 minutes later, the solitaire-players gobbled down m

44、ore snacks when they were offered, compared to those who had focused on eating. Worse yet, when researchers asked the participants to remember what they had eaten for lunch, those who had been playing solitaire had a much harder time remembering what they had consumed. 该项研究的主持者、英国布里斯托尔大学（University

45、of Bristol）的实验心理学研究员罗斯E.奥尔德姆-库珀（Rose E. Oldham-Cooper）称，分心玩游戏的参与者在午餐后的饱腹感较低。即使在30分钟之后，与专心吃饭的人相比，玩纸牌的人吃掉的零食也更多。更糟糕的是，当研究人员要参与者回想他们午餐吃了什么时，玩纸牌的人要花长得多的时间才能想起来。 The findings may help to explain the well-documented association between sedentaryscreen-time activities and overweight, the study says. In add

46、ition to crowding out physical exercise, working or playing games on a computer may also cause us to gobble down larger amounts of food without thinking about it or even remembering that we have eaten. 该研究称，这些结论或许“有助于解释久坐电脑前与超重之间证据充分的关系”。除了挤占锻炼身体的时间以外，在电脑上工作或玩游戏也可能导致我们不过脑子就吃掉更多食物，甚至记不起我们吃过什么。 The fi

47、ndings hold true for me. If I make the mistake of putting a bag of chips or a box of crackers on my desk at deadline time, I often pack in the whole thing without even realizing it. If multitasking makes our minds wander from the tasks we think we are getting done, as we have posted in the past, the

48、n why should eating be any exception? 这些结论对我来说也成立。如果我错误地在工作任务截止期限前把一袋薯片或一盒饼干放在办公桌上，就经常会在不知不觉中吃光它们。我们之前的文章中曾有指出，一心多用会让我们的思维从自己正在做的事情上分心，既然如此，吃东西也不会例外。 Readers, do you notice your eating habits, or the amount you eat, changing when you eat at your desk? Do you tend to pack on pounds when you lunch whi

49、le working? Have you found any good ways to avoid the perils of distraction while dining? 读者们，你们注意到自己在办公桌上吃东西时，进食习惯或进食量有所改变吗？你在工作时吃午餐会容易变胖吗？你有没有找到避免在吃饭时分心的害处的好方法呢？ Every hour spent watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces life expectancy by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV

50、 for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years. 一项研究指出，成年人每看一小时电视、DVD或视频就会减少22分钟的寿命。每天平均看6小时电视会减寿5年。 The research claims that a sedentary lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers posed by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offer

51、s for unhealthyeating. 该研究称，久坐的生活方式就跟抽烟和肥胖一样有害身体健康。因为久坐会对健康造成威胁，也会增加不良饮食的机率。 The academics conducting the study set out to calculate the overall risk to life expectancy from watching television. Their research involved more than 11,000 people over the age of 25. 学者们开展此项研究的目的是为了估算看电视对寿命的总体风险。他们的研究对象涵

52、盖了年龄在25岁以上的1.1万多人。 Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they concluded:TV viewing time may be associated with a loss of life that is comparable to other majorchronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivityand obesity. 他们在英国运动医学杂志上的文章得出结论说：“看电视的时间长短可能与寿命减少有关，而且这一因素并不亚于其他导致慢性疾病的

53、主要风险因素，例如缺乏运动和肥胖。” The researchers, from the University of Queensland, used information from the AustralianDiabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, together with population and death rate data. 昆士兰大学的研究人员采用了来自澳大利亚糖尿病、肥胖和生活方式研究的数据，以及澳洲人口和死亡率的数据。 But they said: While we used Australian data, the effects

54、 in other industrialised and developing countries are likely to be comparable, given the typically large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns. In the UK, the average amount of time spent watching TV is four hours a day compared with five hours in the United States.

55、他们说：“尽管我们用的是澳大利亚的数据，但其影响同样适用于其他工业化和发展中国家，因为这些国家的人们通常看电视的时间也很多，疾病类型也比较相似。”在英国，人们平均每天花4小时的时间看电视，而美国人则每天看5小时电视。 Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, said it was biologicallyplausible that prolonged TV viewing results in disease and premature death. Other work suggests that sede

56、ntary behaviour is linked to obesity, high levels of bad blood fats and other heart disease risk factors, and more opportunities for grazing on junk foods. 位于波士顿的哈佛公共健康学院的研究人员说，看电视时间过长会导致疾病和早死，这在生物学上是讲得通的。其他研究也显示，久坐这一行为方式与肥胖、高血脂等多种心脏病风险因素相关，还会让人摄入更多垃圾食品。Earlier this year, a separate study suggested the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, or dying prematurely, rises by as much as 20 percent after just two hours a day in front of the box. 今年早些时候的一项独立研究发现，每天坐在电视机前2小时，患