Fred外刊筆記

全國大學生英語競賽特等獎

CATTI筆譯口譯認證

寫在前面

不知道大家有沒有遇到這個問題：單詞背也背了（有時背得還很辛苦），但就是用不出來（口語&寫作中）

其實解決方式也不難：

1. 結合原文和大量例句看別人是怎麼用的（這個過程叫“輸入”）

p.s. 例句不要只看1個，否則自己還是學不到在【不同的語境中】該詞的用法，這也是我會一個單詞配好幾個例句的原因

2. 自己造句（這個過程叫“輸出”），通過造句，你就“逼”自己不得不思考“我可以把這個詞用在哪呢？”“用的時候要注意什麼？”等等問題，你在【主動學習】，那以後在口語或寫作中，

你當然就可以自然而然地用出來了，不需要在“用詞”上煩惱了，只需要focus在你口語/寫作的“內容”上，這才是核心，所以，記得完成頁面底部的“趁熱打鐵”部分，要學就學透了，要學就追求高質量！

原 文 泛 讀

有些人每天只要睡很少的時間，而有些人要睡很長的時間（像樹懶(๑>◡

最新研究，其中的秘訣可能在於基因的不同

那麼，

科學家們是用什麼實驗論證該想法的呢？

該實驗及其結果有什麼值得商榷的地方？

是不是可以通過某種方法改變人的基因，從而使人可以睡覺時間變短，而不影響正常生活呢？這種操作會帶來不好的影響嗎？

看完本文後，你要能回答出上面的問題哦！

讀外刊 · 看世界

Why Do Some People Need Less Sleep? It's in Their DNA

U.C.S.F researchers find a gene for flourishing with less shut-eye

We all wish we could get by on less sleep, but one father and son actually can—without suffering any health consequences and while actually performing on memory tests as well as, or better than, most people.

To understand this rare ability, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, first identified a genetic mutation—in both individuals—that they thought might deserve the credit. Then the scientists intentionally made the same small genetic spelling mistake in mice. The mice also needed less sleep, remembered better and suffered no other ill effects, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.

Although a medication with the same benefits will not be available anytime soon—and might never materialize—the idea is incredibly appealing: take a pill that replicates whatever the father and son’s body does and sleep less, with no negative repercussions.

“I find the concept of a gene product that might potentially provide protection against comorbid disorders of restricted sleep tantalizing,” says Patrick Fuller, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved with the work. “If true, this would indeed have ‘potential therapeutic implications,’ as well as provide another point of entry for exploring and answering the question ‘Why do we sleep?’ which remains [one] of the greatest mysteries in neuroscience.”

But as Jamie Zeitzer, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, notes, “There often are trade-offs.” Zeitzer says he worries that even if a drug like this could be produced without causing significant side effects, it would still have social consequences. Some individuals might be forced or pressured to take medication so they could work more hours. Even if people will not need as much sleep, they will still need downtime, he insists.

The study’s senior author, Ying-Hui Fu, a professor of neurology at U.C.S.F., says it is far too early for such fantasies. Instead she is interested in better understanding the mechanisms of healthy sleep to help prevent diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s.

“These people sleep more efficiently,” she says of the father-son pair. “Whatever function sleep is doing for us, it takes us eight [hours to feel rested], but it takes them six or four hours. If we can figure out why they are more efficient, we can use that knowledge to help everybody to be more efficient.”

The subjects, who live on the East Coast, reached out to Fu’s team after hearing about a previous publication of its work. She would not reveal any more information about them to protect their privacy, except that they are fully rested after four to six hours of sleep instead of the more typical seven to nine. Also, Fu says, the duo and others with similar mutations are more optimistic, more active and better at multitasking than the average person. “They like to keep busy. They don’t sit around wasting time,” she says.

If most people sleep less than their body needs, that deficit that will affect memory and performance, in addition to measures of health, Fu notes. Many think they can get away with five hours of sleep on weeknights and compensate for the loss on weekends—but few actually can. “Your perception is skewed, so you don’t really know your performance is not as good,” she says. “That’s why people think [adequate sleep] doesn’t matter. But actually, it does. If you test them, it’s obvious.”

Joking about her own academic experience, Fu adds, “All those nights that I stayed up to study, it would have been better to go to sleep.” That’s not true of the father and son, who genuinely needed just 5.5 and 4.3 hours of sleep each night, respectively, the new paper showed.

Stanford’s Zeitzer praises the study’s design, saying, “Starting with humans and going to rodents and then back is great.” Mice, he adds, are not ideal role models because they regulate sleep differently than humans. And many individuals believe they are short sleepers but, when put in a lab, turn out to slumber the typical seven to nine hours.

People are naturally short sleepers if they rest a relatively brief time even when given the chance to sleep in on weekends or vacations. “If you get extra sleep when you have the opportunity, it’s generally a good sign that you need more sleep,” Zeitzer says.

Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Sleep Research, says he is comfortable with Fu’s group’s main finding: that the neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) gene is important in regulating sleep. But it is likely only one small piece in a very complex process, he adds. And he is not convinced by the connection between sleep and memory the group claims. Sleep may have many functions, but there is no indication, he says, that needing less of it somehow boosts memory or cognition. “We consolidate memory while we sleep and while we’re awake, even when we’re anesthetized,” he says. “It’s not something that just occurs during sleep.”

The mechanism of action of the newly discovered mutation is not entirely clear. Fu and her team used a molecular probe to explore how the protein made by the father and son’s mutant NPSR1 gene differs from that made by a normal gene. The mutation, they found, makes the receptor more sensitive and active. The specifics of that process, Fu says, still have to be worked out.

Fu and her collaborators previously discovered two other genes involved in sleep. They are continuing to explore the mechanisms behind these genes, she says, adding that the speed of their work would be faster if they had more financial support.

Fu says once she and her colleagues can find about 10 pieces of the genetic puzzle, “each piece can serve as a point to build upon. And hopefully, someday we can know the whole picture.”

詞 匯 卡 片

1. get by

to be able to live or deal with a situation with difficulty, usually by having just enough of something you need, such as money

勉強過活，勉強對付過去

- How can he get by on so little money?

他是怎樣靠那麼一點兒錢維持生計的？

- We can get by with four computers at the moment, but we'll need a couple more when the new staff arrive.

我們眼下可以將就著用4臺計算機，但新職員到來時就需要再添置幾臺了。

2. mutation [mjuːˈteɪ.ʃən] UN

the way in which genes change and produce permanent differences

（基因的）變異，突變

- It is well known that radiation can cause mutation.

眾所周知，輻射可能造成基因突變。

3. credit UN

praise, approval, or honour

讚揚；讚許；榮譽

- She got no credit for solving the problem.

她沒有因為解決了這一問題而得到任何讚許。

- Her boss took credit for it/took (all) the credit instead.

她的老闆反倒為此贏得了聲譽／把一切全歸功於自己。

- To her (great) credit, she admitted she was wrong.

她承認自己錯了，這（很）值得稱讚。

- I gave him credit for (= thought that he would have) better judgment than he showed.

我高估了他的判斷力。

注：

1. 原文中的a genetic mutation might deserve the credit翻成“基因突變可能立了功”就行了，或者聯繫上文變化一下：“這有可能是基因突變引起的”

2. 除了上面例句中的劃線表達外，再補充幾個短語：

1. be a credit to sb/sth

to do something that makes a person, group, or organization feel proud or receive praise

是…的驕傲；是…的光榮

- She is a credit to her family.

她給家裡帶來了榮耀。

2. do your family, parents, teacher, etc. credit

to cause someone who has been or is responsible for you to receive praise by your good behaviour or successful actions

為家庭（父母，老師等）增光

- She does her teachers credit.

她給她的老師們增了光。

3. all credit to sb

used to show that you think a person deserves a lot of praise for something that they have done

…值得大加稱讚

- All credit to her, she did it all herself.

她值得大加讚賞，這都是她一個人完成的。

4. materialize [məˈtɪə.ri.ə.laɪz] vi.

If an idea or hope materializes, it becomes real.

實現，成為現實

- She was promised a promotion but it never materialized.

他們許諾會給她升職，但卻從未兌現過。

- Her hopes of becoming a painter never materialized.

她當畫家的願望一直未實現。

注：

可以用來替代come true

5. repercussion [ˌriː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən] CN

the effect that an action, event, or decision has on something, especially a bad effect

（尤指壞的）影響，反響；惡果

- Any decrease in tourism could have serious repercussions for the local economy.

旅遊業只要出現任何一點兒衰退，都可能會給當地經濟帶來嚴重影響。

- President Kennedy's assassination had far-reaching repercussions.

肯尼迪總統遇刺產生的影響是深遠的。

注：

1. 該詞通常以複數形式出現

2. 可以用來替代bad/ negative consequences

6. comorbid [kəʊˈmɔːbɪd] disorders

併發疾病

7. tantalize [ˈtæn.təl.aɪz] vt.

If someone or something tantalizes you, they make you feel hopeful and excited about getting what you want, usually before disappointing you by not letting you have what they appeared to offer.

使（某人）想要卻得不到（某物）；逗引；挑逗；撩撥

- the dreams of democracy that have so tantalized them

他們可望而不可及的民主夢想

- A tantalizing aroma of roast beef fills the air.

空氣中充滿誘人的烤牛肉香味。

- a tantalizing glimpse of the future

對未來令人嚮往的展望

注：

本文中的tantalizing是該詞的動名詞形式

8. an associate professor

副教授

注：

在明天的文章中，我們會學到“副教授”的另一種表達

9. downtime UN

time when you relax and do not do very much

休養期

- We had a busy weekend so I'm planning to have some downtime tomorrow.

我們忙了一個週末，所以我計劃明天要休息放鬆一下。

10. duo [ˈdʒuː.əʊ] CN

two people, especially two singers, musicians, or other performers

（歌手、樂手等的）二人組合，一對搭檔

- the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy

勞雷爾和哈迪這對喜劇搭檔

注：

1. duo和本段句首的the subjects都是指的這對父子

2. duo的複數為duos

11. get away with

to do something successfully although it is not the best way of doing it

將就著做成；勉強應付過去

- Do you think we could get away with just one coat of paint on that wall?

你覺得那牆就刷一遍漆能行嗎？

注：

在明天的文章中，我們會學到該短語另外的一個意思

12. skewed [skjuːd] adj.

not accurate or exact

不準確的，不確切的

- Maybe your world view is a little skewed.

也許你對世界的認知有點不準確。

- The media's coverage of the election has been skewed from the very beginning.

媒體對此次大選的報道從一開始就有偏頗。

- skewed statistics

不準確的統計

13. rodent [ˈrəʊ.dənt] CN

any of various small mammals with large, sharp front teeth, such as mice and rats

齧齒動物（如老鼠等）

14. slumber [ˈslʌm.bə(r)] vi.

to sleep

睡覺

- The children quietly slumbered.

孩子們安靜地睡著了。

15. sleep in

to sleep until later in the morning than you usually do

睡懶覺

- I usually sleep in on Saturdays.

我通常星期六都要睡到很晚才起床。

16. anesthetize [əˈniːs.θə.taɪz] vt.

to make a person unable to feel pain, etc., especially by giving them an anaesthetic before a medical operation

使麻醉；使麻木

17. picture

a situation

情況；局面；事態

- After watching the news, I had a clearer picture of what was happening.

看完新聞後，我進一步瞭解到當時發生的事。

- The picture emerging in reports from the battlefield is one of complete confusion.

據報道，戰場上的局面一片混亂。

注：

該詞在該意思下通常以單數形式出現哦

語法/長難句分析

Sleep may have many functions, but there is no indication, he says, that needing less of it somehow boosts memory or cognition.

自己先試著分析：

1. 整句話的框架是什麼？

2. 加粗的成分是什麼？

整句話的框架：

Sleep may have many functions, but there is no indication, + 插入語, + that 同位語從句

加粗成分分析：

1. he says是插入語（記得在插入語的前後用逗號哦）

2. “that...”是indication的同位語從句，用來指出indication的具體內容，該同位語從句就是很簡單的主（needing less of it）謂（somehow boosts）賓（memory or cognition）結構

趁 熱 打 鐵

任選上面17個詞中的1個造句，下方評論告訴我哦，會一一回復噠～

Fred英語筆記

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