Are we Ignoring the impact of noise? Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Georgina: And I'm Georgina. Neil: In this programme, we're talking about something that always surrounds us – noise. Georgina: Yes, whether it's the natural sounds of birdsong, the wind blowing, or man-made noise, like traffic or music – there's always something we can hear. Neil: Of course, there are sounds that we like to hear and then there are those sounds that really grate – annoy or irritate. Georgina: … like the beeping sound on a reversing lorry or someone drilling a hole in the road. Neil: Indeed. Soon we'll be looking at the language of noise and hearing about ideas for making the world a quieter place. But let's kick off with a question about the measurement of sound, which is in units called decibels. According to a guide by the World Health Organisation, what is considered the highest level we can be safely exposed to for a maximum of eight hours? Is it a) 55 decibels, b) 85 decibels, or c) 125 decibels? Georgina: I imagine it's quite low, so I'll go for a) 55 decibels. Neil: Well, as always, I'll reveal the correct answer later. Now, let's sound out what people know about sound, starting with Julian Treasure, the founder of The Sound Agency. He spoke to the BBC World Service programme, People Fixing the World. Georgina: He discussed why noise is a form of pollution. And it's bad for our health, but we don't always realise. Julian Treasure: Sound has powerful effects on us all the time, even though most of the time we're not conscious of it because we've kind of got into the habit of suppressing our listening. There's so much noise around us in cities that we get into the habit of ignoring it. Now that's not a great thing when the noise is having a bad effect on us. Neil: Julian makes a good point – that sounds affect us all the time, even when we don't realise. We're not conscious of it – so we're not aware of it, but it is there. It may be irritating us, but we don't stop to think what it is that's annoying us. Georgina: As Julian also said, we get into the habit of ignoring sounds. When you get into the habit of something, you start doing something regularly without even thinking about it. Neil: And another habit we get into is suppressing our listening – so, preventing or stopping ourselves from hearing the noises. But experts have found this isn't good for us. That noise in the background can lead to stress and mental health issues. Georgina: Yes, we all need some peace and quiet. Of course, there are many techniques for reducing and absorbing noise. For example, trees are grown by motorways to absorb the traffic noise. At a large rock concert, acoustic screens are put up to stop the sound being heard too far away. Neil: All sound ideas – I mean good ideas. But let's head to the world's noisiest city – Mumbai in India - where honking car horns are a big problem. Georgina: I love the sound of that word honk – a short, loud sound – but I don't like the actual noise. The People Fixing the World programme discussed this problem and met a woman who's been working for years to try and reduce noise levels and create quiet zones. Neil: She's Sumaira Abdul Ali from the Awaaz Foundation, and she explained why honking horns was a hard thing to control. Sumaira Abdul Ali: Honking and noise in general in India is a medium of expression, of sadness, of happiness, of every kind. This is what I was told when I started working, that these are all Western ideas to want to control noise – Indians love noise! And it's about the noise, it's about the colour, it's about the laughter and happiness, we don't want to be like the West – you know, those kind of dull, boring people, who don't express themselves the way we do! Georgina: I like how honking a horn isn't just for road safety – it's almost another language. People express themselves – or show how they feel – by sounding their car horn. To control this noise – to be quieter - is considered a Western idea. Neil: But Samaira is trying to change drivers' behaviour, and after much effort, even got the police to run a campaign. If noise levels at traffic lights went over 85 decibels, the lights would remain on red for longer! Georgina: Sounds like a good idea! There's much more about this on the BBC's Fixing the World webpage. So, Neil you just mentioned 85 decibels. Is that the answer to the question you asked earlier? Neil: Earlier I asked, according to a guide by the World Health Organisation, what is considered the highest level we can be safely exposed to for a maximum of eight hours? Georgina: I said 55 decibels. Neil: Ah Well, it is actually 85 decibels, Georgina. Bad luck. The permissible time for safe listening decreases as sound levels increase. 📝字数限制，完整文本，词汇表， 翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

How to take control of your emotions When your emotions cause you to fly off the handle, sob uncontrollably or seethe with envy, it can be hard to see the good in them. It's a common belief that there are 'good' and 'bad' emotions, and that for successful emotion regulation, we must live a life free of the bad ones. This is a misconception, according to Ethan Kross, world expert in the psychology of emotions. "In the right proportions" he says, "all emotions are useful." We can't control the thoughts and feelings that automatically pop up, but we can choose how to engage with them. Vicki Botnick, a therapist in Tanzana, California, agrees. She said we should aim for regulation, not repression. Instead of sweeping feelings under the rug, we should practise accepting them. Reframe them, not as 'good' or 'bad', but as messengers, giving you important information that you can use. This may sound easier said than done, so when intense feelings make you feel overwhelmed, try the old classic: deep breathing. Breathe in slowly, hold the breath for three seconds, then breathe out slowly. For some, it may help to repeat a mantra, such as "I am calm." So, chronically avoiding your problems and negative feelings is not recommended, but that doesn't mean distraction is all bad. "We can be flexible and do both", says Ethan Kross. He uses the example of heightened emotions after a heated argument. It can be beneficial to sort it out in the moment, but it can also help to immerse oneself in something totally unrelated and return to the problem later, perhaps with a new perspective and a diminished temper. Another way to distract yourself is to change your environment. Anyone that's been on holiday will know that being in new surroundings, free of associations of work and usual routines, can help us de-stress and recharge. If you're unable to get away, try exploring locally. A 2024 review of research called 'The role of nature in emotion regulation processes' found all 27 of the reviewed studies reported positive impacts of nature on emotion regulation. If green spaces are hard to reach in your neighbourhood, try curating your home environment. Add house plants, pictures of landscapes, photos of loved ones, or any objects that bring you joy. Learning to accept, reframe and regulate your emotions puts you back in the driver's seat of your life. But if this feels hard, remember: no feeling lasts forever. 词汇表 fly off the handle [ˈhændl] 大发雷霆，情绪失控 sob [sɒb] 啜泣，呜咽，抽噎 seethe [siːð] 发怒，生闷气，怒火中烧 emotion regulation [ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃn] 情绪调节，情绪管理 misconception [ˌmɪskənˈsepʃn] 误解，错误观念 proportion [prəˈpɔːʃn] 比例，大小，程度 automatically [ˌɔːtəˈmætɪkli] 自动地，无意识地，不自觉地 pop up [pɒp] 突然出现，意外出现 repression [rɪˈpreʃn] 压抑，压制；抑制 sweep something under the rug [swiːp][rʌɡ] 掩盖，隐藏某事，置之不理 reframe [ˌriːˈfreɪm] 重新定义，重新审视；重新构建 messenger [ˈmesɪndʒə(r)] 信使，报信人 overwhelmed [ˌəʊvəˈwelmd] 被压垮的，不知所措的，不堪重负的 mantra [ˈmæntrə] 咒语，口号，反复念诵的话语 chronically [ˈkrɒnɪkli] 长期地，慢性地，习惯性地 heightened emotion [ˈhaɪtnd ɪˈməʊʃn] 情绪高涨，情绪激动 heated argument [ˈhiːtɪd ˈɑːɡjumənt] 激烈的争论 immerse oneself in [ɪˈmɜːs] 使自己沉浸在，专心于 diminished temper [dɪˈmɪnɪʃt ˈtempə(r)] 减弱的脾气，消了些的火气 de-stress [ˌdiːˈstres] 减轻压力，放松 recharge [ˌriːˈtʃɑːdʒ] 充电，恢复精力，重新振作 curate [ˈkjʊəreɪt] 仔细布置，组织，策划（展览等） in the driver's seat 处于控制地位，掌握着主动权 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】 00:00

UK's top court rules on definition of woman Host: It's been one of the most hotly contested cultural, social and political issues in recent years. The global question of how to define gender and biological sex and a landmark court ruling from the UK Supreme Court has now added to that debate. UK Supreme Court: The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. But we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another. Host: The ruling by Britain's highest court means that transgender people won't be identified under their chosen gender for legal purposes here in the UK. Effectively, the ruling says that trans women are not legally women, though the court also took pains to note that transgender people still have legal protections from discrimination. Our Europe regional editor Paul Moss outlined the background to this lengthy legal battle that has culminated in today's court judgment. Paul Moss: The strange thing is it begins with a relatively minor case. Britain has a national parliament but also a Scottish parliament which legislates on issues like crime and health and in 2018 the Scottish parliament passed a law which was trying to encourage the participation of women in public boards. That's the people who run cultural organisations, or it could be hospitals, and they've provided various incentives to encourage more recruitment of women. Cue the big question of our era. Do trans women count as women? Now, the Scottish Parliament said yes, when it came to encouraging this participation, trans women would be included. But a group called Women for Scotland challenged this legally. The case went all the way to the UK Supreme Court. And that led to the ruling which you just outlined, which says that for the purposes of the British Human Rights Act, the word women refers only to people who are born as a woman. Host: And tell us about the reaction. Well, not surprisingly, that campaign group Women for Scotland are delighted they were celebrating outside the court, singing a song to the tune of a very well-known Scottish song. Moss: So lots of delight there from the women who are campaigning for this. Obviously disappointment from the other side. As I said, it was a Scottish government which wanted to include trans women in the definition of women, but the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney, has now said he will accept the court's ruling. But real disappointment from people who campaign on trans rights issue. Now, we heard the court emphasising that trans people are still protected from discrimination. You can't say, well, I'm not giving you a job because you're trans. But that wasn't enough for people like Maggie Chapman. She's a member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the Green Party, and she said she's deeply concerned about the impact the ruling will have on trans people. Maggie Chapman: The protections that were mentioned in the judgment this morning, the protections against discrimination, against harassment, they do exist. but they are not currently protecting trans people who are suffering vilification, who are suffering attacks in the street, who are being demonised, who are being marginalised in so many different ways. Having spoken to a lot of trans people, the fear that they feel, the attacks that they feel has done serious damage to them. Host: And Paul, this is an issue that goes far beyond Scotland's borders. Moss: Indeed, something about the public bodies in Scotland now has had a ruling made by the British Supreme Court. So it will cover all spaces which are supposedly reserved for women in Britain. That could be hospital wards. That could be clubs which are designated for women. As a result of this ruling, people will say, look, only people who are born women will be allowed to be admitted. But I should say also that British court rulings can be cited by other countries when they're considering this issue. So I think the implications of today's ruling will be considered around the world. 词汇表 hotly contested [ˈhɒtli kənˈtestɪd] 激烈争论的，热烈竞争的 gender [ˈdʒendə(r)] 性别（尤指社会文化差异，非生理差异） biological sex [ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkl seks] 生理性别（指在出生时被赋予的性别） landmark court ruling [ˈlændmɑːk kɔːt ˈruːlɪŋ] 具有里程碑意义的法院裁决 UK Supreme Court [suːˈpriːm kɔːt] 英国最高法院（英国最高司法机构） unanimous decision [juˈnænɪməs] 一致决定，一致判定 Equality Act 2010 [ɪˈkwɒləti] 2010年《平等法案》（英国旨在保障不同群体平等权利的法律） counsel against [ˈkaʊnsl] 劝告反对，建议不要 triumph [ˈtraɪəmf] 胜利，成功 at the expense of [ɪkˈspens] 以…为代价 transgender people [trænzˈdʒendə(r)] 跨性别者 trans women [trænz ˈwɪmɪn] 跨性别女性（生理性别为男性，但自我认同为女性的人） discrimination [dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn] 歧视，区别对待 outline [ˈaʊtlaɪn] 概述，略述 lengthy [ˈleŋθi] 漫长的，冗长的 culminate [ˈkʌlmɪneɪt] 达到顶点，以…告终 national parliament [ˈpɑːləmənt] 国家议会（英国的最高立法机构） 🌟完整词汇表、翻译，pdf及更多文本内容见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可加入【打卡交流群】

The importance of having reasons to live When we are feeling well in our minds, we hardly notice that we might be harbouring in ourselves anything as formal or as dramatic-sounding as 'reasons to live.' We simply assume that we like life itself and that it must be natural and inevitable to do so. It's only when a crisis hits and our mood starts to drop that we may for the first time start to feel, with acute sorrow, what these 'reasons to live' might have been all along; it's as we lose our reasons that we understand them with uncommon clarity. We realise why we have for years bothered to rise out of bed with energy and relative good humour, put up with inconveniences, struggled to get ourselves across to others and looked forward to tomorrow – and wonder in dismay how we will from now on ever have the will and courage to continue. Our engagement with life might have been bound up with the enjoyment of work or of reputation, the companionship of a child or of a friend, the agility of our bodies or the creativity of our minds. Denied such advantages, we don't merely miss out on an aspect of life, the whole of it loses its purpose. Secondary satisfactions – whether from a holiday or a book, a dinner with an old acquaintance or a hobby – cannot compensate. The hedonic scaffolding of our lives disintegrates. We may not actively try to kill ourselves, but we can't count as quite alive, either. We are going through the motions: living corpses following a script drained of meaning. When we say that someone has fallen mentally ill, what we are frequently pointing to is the loss of long-established reasons to remain alive. And so the task ahead is to make a series of interventions, as what counts. We may need to forgive ourselves for a fearsome degree of idiocy, give up on a need to feel exceptional, surrender worldly ambitions and cease once and for all to imagine that our minds could be as logical or as reliable as we had hoped. We may continue to live simply because every human deserves understanding – and because we are trying our best in the only way we know how. If there is any advantage in going through a mental crisis of the worst kind, it is that – on the other side of it – we will have ended up choosing life rather than merely assuming it to be the unremarkable norm. We, the ones who have crawled back from the darkness, may be disadvantaged in a hundred ways, but at least we will have had to find – rather than assumed or inherited, some reasons why we are here. Every day we continue will be a day earned back from death and our satisfactions will be all the more, more intense and our gratitude more profound for having been consciously arrived at. The challenge from the present sickness can be mapped out in its essential form: one day to reach a small but robust and persuasive list of reasons to continue to be. 词汇表 harbour ['hɑːbə(r)] 心怀，怀有（想法、感情等） dramatic-sounding [drə'mætɪk] 听上去戏剧性的，听起来夸张的 assume [ə'sjuːm] 假定，认为，想当然地认为 inevitable [ɪn'evɪtəbl] 不可避免的，必然发生的 acute sorrow [ə'kjuːt 'sɒrəʊ] 极度的悲痛，深切的哀伤 uncommon [ʌnˈkɒmən] 罕见的，不寻常的 clarity [ˈklærəti]（思路）清晰，清醒 bother to do ['bɒðə(r)] 费心去做，特意做 humour ['hjuːmə(r)] 心情，精神状态 put up with 忍受，容忍 inconvenience [ˌɪnkən'viːniəns] 不便，麻烦 get ourselves across to others [ɡet ˌaʊə'selvz ə'krɒs tuː ˈʌðəz] 让别人理解自己，努力与他人沟通 in dismay [dɪs'meɪ] 郁闷地，沮丧地，惊慌地 be bound up with [baʊnd] 与…密切相关 companionship [kəm'pæniənʃɪp] 陪伴，交往；友谊，交情 agility [ə'dʒɪləti] （身体）敏捷，灵活 compensate ['kɒmpenseɪt] 弥补，补偿，赔偿 hedonic [hiː'dɒnɪk] 快乐的，享乐的 scaffolding ['skæfəldɪŋ] 基础，框架，支柱；脚手架 disintegrate [dɪs'ɪntɪɡreɪt] 瓦解，崩溃，破裂 go through the motions ['məʊʃnz] 装装样子，走过场，敷衍了事 living corpse [kɔːps] 行尸走肉，活死人 be drained of [dreɪnd] 失去（活力、精力等）；被耗尽，被抽干 fall mentally ill ['mentəli] 患上心理疾病，精神失常 long-established [ˌlɒŋ ɪ'stæblɪʃt] 长期存在的，由来已久的 intervention [ˌɪntə'venʃn] 干预，干涉，介入 a fearsome degree of idiocy ['fɪəsəm]['ɪdiəsi] 极度的愚蠢 exceptional [ɪk'sepʃənl] 卓越的，杰出的，非凡的 surrender worldly ambitions [sə'rendə(r) 'wɜːldli æm'bɪʃnz] 放弃世俗的野心 cease [siːs] 停止，终止，结束 once and for all 一劳永逸地，永远地，彻底地 unremarkable norm [ˌʌnrɪ'mɑːkəbl nɔːm] 平淡无奇的常态 crawl back from [krɔːl] 从…爬回来，从…艰难地恢复 disadvantaged [ˌdɪsəd'vɑːntɪdʒd] 处于不利地位的，劣势的，贫困的 map out 概括，阐述；详细规划 robust [rəʊ'bʌst] 坚实的，稳固的，强健的 🏫翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Is there a best time to exercise? With our already busy lives, finding time to exercise can feel like one more thing on our 'to do' list. So maybe it would help if there was 'a best time' to exercise? Could exercising at certain times help maximise our fitness goals? The answer is 'yes', but it's easier than you think – no matter who you are, or when you like to work out. There are clear benefits to exercising in the morning. Many of us have more free time compared to later in the day, and it may therefore be easier for us to stick to a morning workout routine. A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that participants who exercised in the morning, increased their physical activity throughout the day, were less distracted by food, and slept better. Exercising on an empty stomach before breakfast could also burn more fat and increase metabolism, which means you'll continue to burn calories throughout the day. So, good news for early birds, but what if you're not a morning person? Working out in the afternoon or evening also has benefits, just different ones. For example, your body's ability to perform peaks in the afternoon, according to a 2010 study by the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. Also, in the afternoon and evening, your reaction time is quickest, and your heart rate and blood pressure are lowest, which reduce your chance of injury while improving performance. But does any of this change depending on whether you're a man or a woman? Our bodies are different, after all, so the best time to exercise may be different too. A 2022 study from Skidmore College, New York, looked at exactly this question and the results showed that there are some differences. Want to reduce your blood pressure and you're a woman? Exercise in the morning. Want to improve your heart health and you're a man? Evening is better for you. But, ultimately, the study found that there are clear benefits for both sexes to exercising at either time of day. So what time is best? It seems the answer is: whatever time is best for you! 词汇表 maximise fitness goals [ˈmæksɪmaɪz][ˈfɪtnəs] 最大程度地实现健身目标 workout routine [ˈwɜːkaʊt ruːˈtiːn] 锻炼计划，锻炼习惯 physical activity 体育活动，身体活动 burn fat 燃烧脂肪 metabolism [məˈtæbəlɪzəm] 新陈代谢 calorie [ˈkæləri] 卡路里（热量单位） throughout the day 一整天，全天 early bird 早起的人，早到的人 morning person 习惯早起的人，早晨精力充沛的人 peak [piːk] 达到顶峰，达到巅峰状态，达到最大值 Scandinavian [ˌskændɪˈneɪviən] 斯堪的纳维亚的；斯堪的纳维亚人 heart rate 心率 blood pressure 血压 Skidmore College [skɪdmɔː(r) ˈkɒlɪdʒ] 斯基德莫尔学院（位于纽约） 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Five Simple Ways to Optimise Your Diet When it comes to what you eat, there's no shortage of advice. TikTok is overflowing with it: a low-carb diet, raw food, cabbage soup, cucumber bagel diet, and on and on. If you're confused, it's no wonder. So here's five simple tips you can trust for healthy eating. 1. It's not just what you eat, but when. If you eat a treat – say, a slice of chocolate cake – it's much better to eat it after a meal than on its own. Why? It's all about keeping glucose spikes under control. Whenever you eat carbs, or sweet things, the level of glucose in your blood rises. If it rises very quickly and sharply, it will be followed by a crash. And that crash makes you feel tired, irritable, and hungry again. But there are ways to keep these spikes under control. Exercising after you eat is one. Eating foods higher in fibre – like vegetables or porridge oats – is another. But the order you eat your food matters too. If you're having something carb-heavy – like white rice or pasta – eating fat, protein, or vegetables before flattens that glucose curve. That's because having something in your stomach first slows down how quickly the carbohydrates reach the small intestine for digestion. 2. Calorie counting is not very useful. Why? Well, for a start, it's notoriously hard to do. Most people underestimate their calorie intake by about 25%. But also because not all calories behave in the same way, once inside your body. Foods in their natural state – like nuts, fruit, vegetables, and fish, or anything that's not been processed – require more energy from the body to digest them. This is called the thermic effect of food. And it means that things like nuts, which are high in calories, can still be a healthy option, as the body uses so much energy digesting them. 3. Give your gut microbiome some love. The gut microbiome is everything in the digestive tract. It's a huge ecosystem that contains trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and cells. And it can weigh as much as 2 kilos. Research suggests the make-up of your gut microbiome could have really profound effects on your physical health and potentially on your mental health too. For a healthy microbiome, and a healthy you, you should aim to eat a wide range of different foods. Seeds, fruit, vegetables, the yoghurt drink kefir and other fermented foods are particularly gut-friendly. 4. Limit ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods include, as you might expect, things like pizza, ready meals, biscuits, but also some quite surprising things, which tend to be thought of as healthy – like most supermarket breads, many breakfast cereals, and many milk and meat substitutes. UPF are not labelled. But a good a rule of thumb is to look for ingredients you don't recognize – things you'd never have in your own kitchen, like emulsifiers, sweeteners, colourings and preservatives. 5. Personalised nutrition could be the future. Another approach that's on the rise at the moment is that of personalised nutrition. And in 2014, two scientists, Eran Segal and Eran Elinav, found some really surprising results from an experiment. The blood glucose levels in their sample group varied widely after people ate the same food. The explanation? Well, it could be back to the make-up of our unique gut microbiomes. But nutritionists are keen to point out that some key messages still apply across the board. So, for a healthy diet, aim for foods which are close to their natural state. An orange instead of orange juice. Brown rice instead of white rice. Dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Aim for a wide variety of foods. Try not to eat too many ingredients you don't recognise. And remember, you are what you eat. But when you eat matters too. 词汇表 no shortage of [ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ] 不缺乏，大量的 overflow with [ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ] 充满，洋溢着 low-carb diet [kɑːb ˈdaɪət] 低碳水化合物饮食 bagel [ˈbeɪɡl] 百吉饼，贝果，硬面包圈 glucose [ˈɡluːkəʊs] 血糖，葡萄糖 spike [ spaɪk] 猛增，飙升 carb / carbohydrate [kɑːb / ˌkɑːbəʊˈhaɪdreɪt] 碳水化合物 crash [kræʃ] （这里指血糖）骤降，暴跌 irritable [ˈɪrɪtəbl] 易怒的，烦躁的 fibre [ˈfaɪbə(r)] （食物的）纤维素；纤维制品 porridge oat [ˈpɒrɪdʒ əʊt] 燕麦粥，麦片粥 carb-heavy [kɑːb -ˈhevi] 高碳水化合物的 pasta [ˈpæstə] 意大利面食 flatten glucose curve [ˈflætn ˈɡluːkəʊs kɜːv] 使血糖曲线趋于平缓 small intestine [ɪnˈtestɪn] 小肠 digestion [daɪˈdʒestʃən] 消化，消化能力 calorie counting [ˈkæləri ˈkaʊntɪŋ] 计算卡路里，卡路里计数 notoriously [nəʊˈtɔːriəsli] 众所周知地，声名狼藉地 underestimate [ˌʌndərˈestɪmeɪt] 低估，对…估计不足，轻视 intake [ˈɪnteɪk] 摄入量，吸入量 gut microbiome [ɡʌt ˈmaɪkrəʊbaɪəʊm] 肠道微生物群（消化道内的大量微生物群落，包含细菌、真菌、病毒等） digestive tract [daɪˈdʒestɪv trækt] 消化道 trillions of [ˈtrɪljənz] 数万亿的 bacteria [bækˈtɪəriə] 细菌（bacterium的复数） fungi [ˈfʌŋɡaɪ] 真菌（fungus的复数） virus [ˈvaɪrəs] 病毒 cell [sel] 细胞 make-up 组成，构成 💡完整词汇表、 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How to make your stress work for you Your eyes dilate as the room snaps into focus. Fatigue dissipates, leaving heart-pounding vigilance in its wake. Your muscles tense, injected with energy. And for a moment, time seems to slow down. The reason? You clumsily dropped your tray in the middle of the cafeteria. It's not unusual for our minds and bodies to have seemingly exaggerated responses to everyday situations. An upcoming project deadline, a fight with a family member, or even an embarrassing moment can easily trigger what's known as the body's fight or flight response. It's a set of hormonal and physiological changes that evolved to help our ancestors escape life-threatening situations, like avoiding a venomous snake or fleeing a charging hyena. Yet, this fight or flight response may feel less appropriate for the types of stressors we face today. When we perceive something as threatening, overwhelming, or even embarrassing, a signaling pathway known as the HPA-axis is triggered: the hypothalamus sounds the alarm, alerting the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands, leading to the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones travel through the bloodstream and relay all sorts of effects, like increasing heart rate to improve oxygen flow and boosting the amount of energy available to the brain. If this sounds like a good thing, that's because it can be! This stress response helps you react quickly and efficiently in the face of immediate danger, like dodging a swerving car. However, it can also be beneficial in less than life-threatening situations. For example, stress, in small doses, can be very motivating. Nothing quite drives you to practice a piano solo like the pressure of an upcoming recital. But if we face multiple or persistent stressors, day after day, the HPA-axis starts to adapt. Anticipating future stressful events, the HPA-axis stays activated for longer, and continuously releases stress hormones. This causes issues throughout the body and can lead to problems like sleeplessness, brain fog, digestive issues, and even heart disease. So how much stress is too much stress? It's difficult to say, as not everyone experiences stress in the same way. Different factors like your genetics, environment, and even your age, can influence the way your body responds. But no matter your situation, there are tools that can make dealing with stress a bit easier. Exercise, for example, is thought to prompt the production of new neurons, which may help our brains become more resilient to stress. A run through the park or a basketball game with friends can also be a great distraction from whatever's stressing you out. Speaking of friends, spending time with others can actually buffer your body's response to stress. This may be due to the actions of oxytocin, a hormone that helps us feel closer to others, and can also dampen activity of the HPA-axis. And simple actions, like pausing to breathe during stressful situations or journaling every day, can have a huge impact. These are also known as mindfulness practices, which can, over time, help you build a greater understanding of your thoughts and feelings and remain grounded in the present moment. We can't always control what life throws at us. But there are ways to better prepare our minds and bodies for the many deadlines, awkward conversations, and spills, ahead. 词汇表 dilate [daɪˈleɪt] 扩大，膨胀，扩张 snap into focus [snæp] 突然聚焦，突然成为焦点 fatigue [fəˈtiːɡ] 疲劳，劳累 dissipate [ˈdɪsɪpeɪt] 消散，消失，驱散 heart-pounding [ˈhɑːt ˈpaʊndɪŋ] 心跳加速的，惊心的 vigilance [ˈvɪdʒɪləns] 警惕，警觉，警戒 in its wake 随之而来，紧跟其后 inject with [ɪnˈdʒekt] 注入，注射 clumsily [ˈklʌmzɪli] 笨拙地，粗陋地 cafeteria [ˌkæfəˈtɪəriə] 自助餐厅，自助食堂 exaggerated [ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪtɪd] 夸张的，言过其实的 fight or flight response 战斗或逃跑反应（一种应对压力或威胁的生理反应） hormonal [hɔːˈməʊnl] 激素的，荷尔蒙的 life-threatening [ˈlaɪf ˈθretnɪŋ] 危及生命的 venomous snake [ˈvenəməs] 毒蛇 flee [fliː] 逃离，逃避 charging hyena [ˈtʃɑːdʒɪŋ haɪˈiːnə] 扑来的鬣狗 stressor [ˈstresə(r)] 压力源，应激源，紧张性刺激 signaling pathway [ˈsɪɡnəlɪŋ ˈpɑːθweɪ] 信号通路 HPA-axis [eɪtʃ piː ˈeɪ ˈæksɪs] 下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴 hypothalamus [ˌhaɪpəˈθæləməs] 下丘脑（大脑的激素控制中心） pituitary gland / adrenal gland [pɪˈtjuːɪtəri][ɡlænd] [əˈdriːnl] 垂体和肾上腺（内分泌腺） stress hormones [stres ˈhɔːməʊnz] 应激激素，压力激素 adrenaline / cortisol [əˈdrenəlɪn] [ˈkɔːtɪsɒl] 肾上腺素和皮质醇（应激激素） bloodstream [ˈblʌdstriːm]（体内循环的）血流，血液 dodge [dɒdʒ] 躲开，避开，逃避 swerving car [ˈswɜːvɪŋ] 突然转向的汽车 in small doses [ˈdəʊsɪz] 小剂量地，少量地 recital [rɪˈsaɪtl] 独奏会，独唱会；朗诵会 persistent [pəˈsɪstənt] 持续的，持久的；坚持不懈的 anticipate [ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt] 预期，预料，期望 brain fog [fɒɡ] 脑雾（指思维不清晰、记忆力下降等状态） digestive [daɪˈdʒestɪv] 消化的，与消化有关的 genetics [dʒəˈnetɪks] 基因学，遗传学 prompt [prɒmpt] 促使，推动；提示 neuron [ˈnjʊərɒn] 神经元，神经细胞 buffer [ˈbʌfə(r)] 缓冲，减轻；缓冲物 oxytocin [ˌɒksɪˈtəʊsɪn] 催产素（帮助和他人感觉更亲近的激素） dampen [ˈdæmpən] 抑制，减弱；使潮湿 mindfulness practices [ˈmaɪndflnəs ˈpræktɪsɪz] 正念练习 remain grounded [rɪˈmeɪn ˈɡraʊndɪd] 专注于当下，脚踏实地 throw at 使面对，使遭受 spill [spɪl] 溢出，洒出；（本文指）意外状况 🎬翻译、视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1" 可加入【打卡交流群】

From FOMO to JOMO "They're all at that party without me… I've got such bad FOMO." The fear of missing out, or 'FOMO', is what you might feel when you aren't present when something exciting or enjoyable is happening. This anxiety is rife in the age of social media, where we're exposed to an avalanche of updates about other people's holidays, social events and achievements. Many find themselves comparing their lives to others', forgetting that social media is often a smokescreen, where we only see the highlight reel and a veneer of perfection. As an antidote to this constant pressure, many are embracing 'JOMO' – the joy of missing out. According to Svend Brinkmann, author of 'The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-Restraint in an Age of Excess', the difference is that where FOMO gets us to worry about things outside of the present moment, JOMO brings us back to the here and now, encouraging us to enjoy life offline with people we truly care about. Embracing JOMO means switching off outside noise and focusing on what really brings us happiness. So, how can we stop FOMO from rearing its ugly head? In her book 'The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less', Tanya Dalton suggests making a list of activities that bring you joy and displaying them somewhere obvious to remind you to include them in your day. She also suggests a regular digital detox and carving out time for self-care, whether that's a warm bath, a solo nature walk or your favourite movie. Kristen Fuller, a physician and mental health writer, says it's about being intentional with your time. This involves scheduling activities which are important to you and practising saying "no" to people if you feel like their request will have a negative impact on you. A 2019 article by Ana Jorge, published in Social Media + Society looked into the experiences of people who purposefully disconnect from social media. Some of them felt they were living more mindfully, and that the disconnection allowed them to be more creative and productive. About JOMO, one participant told researchers, "I don't have to be everywhere, I don't have to be with everyone and I don't have to know everything." Perhaps it's time to unplug and try living life in the slow lane. 词汇表 FOMO (fear of missing out) [ˈfəʊməʊ] 害怕错过，错失恐惧症 JOMO (joy of missing out) [ˈdʒəʊməʊ] 享受错过，错失的快乐 rife [raɪf] 普遍的，盛行的，猖獗的 an avalanche of [ˈævəlɑːnʃ] 铺天盖地的，大量的，雪崩般的（形容大量的事物或情况突然而来） smokescreen [ˈsməʊkskriːn] （掩盖真实意图的）烟幕，烟雾弹，障眼法，幌子 highlight reel [ˈhaɪlaɪt riːl] 精彩片段，精华集锦 veneer [vəˈnɪə(r)] 虚假的外表，虚饰 antidote [ˈæntidəʊt] 解药，对策，矫正方法 self-restraint [ˌself rɪˈstreɪnt] 自我克制 the here and now 此时此刻，当下 offline [ˌɒfˈlaɪn] 离线的，线下的 switch off outside noise [swɪtʃ] 屏蔽外界的纷扰 rear its ugly head [rɪə(r)] （令人不快的事情）出现，发生，抬头 digital detox [ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˈdiːtɒks] 数字排毒，电子脱瘾（指一段时间内不使用电子设备） carve out time [kɑːv] 抽出时间，腾出时间 self - care [ˌself ˈkeə(r)] 自我关爱，自我照顾 solo [ˈsəʊləʊ] 独自的，单独的 intentional [ɪnˈtenʃənl] 有意的，有意识的，故意的 disconnect from [ˌdɪskəˈnekt] 与…断开连接，与…分离 mindfully [ˈmaɪndfəli] 专注地，留心地，有意识地 unplug [ˌʌnˈplʌɡ] 关闭电子设备，拔掉插头 live life in the slow lane [leɪn] 过慢节奏的生活，不慌不忙地享受生活 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Is technology harmful to youngsters? Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Sam: And I'm Sam. Neil: When you were a teenager did your parents worry that you were watching too much television, Sam? Sam: They used to tell me that watching too much TV would turn my eyes square - but they were only joking. Neil: When I was growing up there were only three or four television channels. For parents today, there are hundreds of TV channels to worry about, not to mention the internet, video games and social media – and all of it is accessible through a smart phone. No wonder parents are worried about the impact of technology on young people! Sam: I don't think it's all bad news, Neil. In fact, in this programme we'll be taking a look at a new report which finds little evidence to link technology with mental health problems in adolescents – that's young people who are in the process of developing from children into adults. Neil: I'm not convinced, Sam. Think about how much time youngsters spend staring at screens every day. Sam: True, but unlike passively watching television today's technology is interactive, connecting teenagers to their friends around the world. Neil: Well, maybe my quiz question will change your mind. Are you ready? On average how many hours per day do British teenagers spend on their screens? Is it: a) 5 and a half hours? b) 6 and a half hours? or c) 7 and a half hours? Sam: I'll say it's b) 6 and a half hours. Neil: That sounds a lot to me! Sam: Well, whatever Neil thinks, a new study from the Oxford Internet Institute paints a more hopeful picture. The study analysed data from over 400,000 British and American teenagers and found little or no link between adolescents' tech use and mental health problems. Neil: Listen to Gareth Mitchell and Ghislaine Boddington, co-presenters of BBC World Service's, Digital Planet, as they discuss the report's findings: Gareth Mitchell: Ghislaine Boddington - you've been looking at some of the findings yourself, haven't you? So, what's your response so far? Were you expecting, Ghislaine, to see some kind of smoking gun? Some kind of link that would say, 'Here we are. Here are the harms'? Ghislaine Boddington: Not really, because I think we're at a point where teenagers are much more savvy than many adults think, so we are at risk, all of us as journalists and research community to assume, maybe, this is a more a terrible terrible problem than we understand… because I know the teenagers around me and one thing that they do all have is app blockers on their sites and they are actually quite aware of the addiction problem - the design - you know, designed for addiction. Neil: Many people assume that social media harms teenagers, so Gareth asks Ghislaine whether she was expecting to find a smoking gun in the report. Sam: The expression a smoking gun means evidence that proves something is true, for example, evidence proving that technology is harmful to young people. Neil: But Ghislaine doesn't think this is true. Actually, she calls teenagers savvy, meaning that they have practical knowledge of technology and a good understanding of how to use it. Sam: One example of teenagers being technologically savvy is their use of app blockers - software that prevents unwanted apps and websites from popping up and allows users to set timers which limit screen time. Neil: And reducing screen time is important because nowadays most video games and social media are designed for addiction – intended to manipulate human psychology to make the user want to keep playing. Sam: But it seems that today's adolescents are savvy enough to know how to use electronic devices sensibly. How else can we explain the fact that, according to this research, there's no clear link between using tech and mental health problems? Neil: Yes, that's certainly the view of the research team leader, Dr Matti Vuorre. Here he is speaking with BBC World Service programme, Digital Planet, about an interesting and very modern term – see if you can hear it: Dr Matti Vuorre: We often hear the term, digital native, you know you grow up with a device in your hand almost, and then it's not a surprise that you are skilled in using those technologies to your benefit. Neil: Did you hear the expression Dr Vuorre used, Sam? Sam: Yes. He called teenagers digital natives, meaning someone who is very familiar and comfortable using computers and digital technology because they've grown up with them. Neil: So maybe there are benefits to spending hours looking at screens, after all. In my quiz question I asked Sam about the average daily screen time for British teenagers. Sam: I said it was b) 6 and a half hours. 📝字数限制，完整文本，词汇表，翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

Why Small Pleasures Are a Big D. .e al? We're surrounded by some powerful ideas about the sort of things that will make us happy. We tend to think that really to deliver satisfaction, the pleasures we should aim for need to be rare – we've inherited a romantic suspicion of the ordinary, which is taken to be mediocre, dull and uninspiring, and work with a corresponding assumption that things that are unique, hard to find, exotic, or unfamiliar are naturally fitted to delight us more. Then we want things to be expensive, we like economic endorsement. If something is cheap or free, it's a little harder to appreciate. The pineapple, for instance, dropped off a lot of people's wish list of fruit when its price fell from exorbitant (they used to cost the equivalent of hundreds of pounds) to unremarkable. Caviar continues to sound somehow more interesting than chicken eggs. Then we want things to be famous. In a fascinating experiment, a celebrated violinist once donned scruffy clothes and busked at a street corner and was largely ignored, though people would flock to the world's great concert halls to hear just the same man play just the same pieces. Lastly, we want things to be large-scale. We are mostly focused on big schemes that we hope will deliver enjoyment: marriage, career, travel, getting a new house. These approaches aren't entirely wrong, but unwittingly, they collectively exhibit a vicious and unhelpful bias against the cheap, the easily available, the ordinary the familiar and the small-scale. And yet, the paradoxical and cheering aspect of pleasure is how weird and promiscuous it can prove to be. It doesn't neatly collect in the most expensive boutiques. It can refuse to stick with us on fancy holidays. It is remarkably vulnerable to emotional trouble, sulks and casual bad moods. A fight that began with a small disagreement about how to pronounce a word can end up destroying every benefit of a five-star resort. A pleasure may look very minor – eating a fig, having a bath, whispering in bed in the dark, talking to a grandparent, or scanning through old photos of when you were a child, and yet these pleasures can be anything but small: if properly grasped and elaborated upon, these sort of activities may be among the most moving and satisfying we can have.

50% adults overweight or obese by 2050: Global study What's described as one of the most comprehensive global studies of the rise in unhealthy weights, published in the journal The Lancet, makes for grim reading. The proportion of people who are overweight or obese has more than doubled in the past 30 years, but it's predicted that by 2050, this will include well over half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents. Obesity rates are surging right now. By the end of the decade, more people are forecast to be classed as obese than overweight. The picture is wildly uneven across the globe, with some of the biggest increases seen in lower- and middle-income countries. But the study doesn't take into account the impact that new weight loss medications might have. And experts say if governments take urgent action now, there's still time to prevent what they describe as "a profound tragedy". 词汇表 comprehensive [ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪv] 全面的，综合的 The Lancet [ˈlɑːnsɪt] 《柳叶刀》（英国医学刊物） make for grim reading [ɡrɪm] 读起来令人担忧（或悲观），情况严峻 overweight [ˌəʊvəˈweɪt] 超重的，过重的 obese [əʊˈbiːs] 肥胖的，臃肿的 obesity rate [əʊˈbiːsəti] 肥胖率 surge [sɜːdʒ] 激增，急剧上升 forecast [ˈfɔːkɑːst] 预测，预报 wildly uneven [ˈwaɪldli ˌʌnˈiːvn] 极不均衡的 lower - and middle - income countries [ˈɪnkʌm] 低收入和中等收入国家 take into account [əˈkaʊnt] 考虑到，顾及 weight loss medication [weɪt lɒs ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃn] 减肥药 profound tragedy [prəˈfaʊnd ˈtrædʒədi] 重大悲剧 🗒️翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

What happens inside us when we sing? | BBC Ideas Your first communication with the outside world is sound and that's why I think it gets all of those hormones going because it's the first communication you ever have. So all the emotions that music can show to people are in those first moments. I often feel that my voice is stuck, when I'm having conversations or I don't know what to say or I'm shy. With the singing, it just cuts through all this. I'm quite a fragmented person but somehow I just keep coming back to this. You're aligning your voice, your inner self with lots of other people that you may not even know. Your voice is so personal to you compared to an instrument. That's why we're so sensitive about singing in front of people but it's also why it gives us such a buzz because we are being watched for exactly who we are, no holds barred. If you're really low and down, then singing could be scariest thing you could think of doing. So if you can get over that fear by having a supportive environment like a choir, then you're off. I was happily married with three children for 20 years and then the wife turned round and divorced me, and I was thrown out with no money, no job, no children, nowhere to live. We're all different people, with different problems and when we're there we're all one. We've got to all depend on each other. Music accesses more parts of the brain than nearly any other activity. They're also making pathways between each side. It fires off so many different parts of the brain that surely things are going to be starting to change. We've evolved to be a species who want to be in communication with other people. Music has actually evolved to be a tool to do that. It's like a biotechnology. You have to breathe together, you have to sing in tune. Well, you don't have to. But you have to sing in rhythm with each other, you might move together. You're suddenly in it together and that builds trust because you know that everyone is doing it for the group. This particular choir is unique because it gives you courage. It makes you feel connected. It's a bit like having a hug I suppose, it brings you back to being a human being. Singing is an unusual expression, it sort of throws your insides out. It doesn't bother me now that I am not a perfect musician. It just matters that I can actually stay alive. I found that so much working in the mental health world is that somebody would be very happy to sing a very intensely emotional song, but to talk about anything afterwards would be really difficult because they don't know where it's going to go, but they know the song is going to end. When I had a spine problem, I had chronic depression. Your physical health can lead to your mental health. You don't have to be good. First thing you have to feel that I want to sing and that's it. You know you don't have to be 100% because you don't have to be a hero in a day. In philosophy, there's epistemological solipsism, your brain makes up your world. So we've all got our own little worlds in our head. And so we're all very individual because all our brains are not linked by the internet. That's where music is such an important, vital tool, because if we're all individual we could just say, "I want your cheese sandwich, I'm just going to take it." Or "I want your house, I'm just going to move in." Or "Actually I want your wife, I might just kill you." These are the animalistic kind of things that an individual, primal being would do. So the way that we can then process these primal feelings, is to do it through a safe way, sublimate it and do it through music. 词汇表 hormone [ˈhɔːməʊn] 激素，荷尔蒙 stuck [stʌk]（读书或回答问题等）卡壳的，难住的，答不上来的 cut through 穿透，克服（困难等） fragmented [ˈfræɡmentɪd] 破碎的，分裂的，不完整的 align with [ə'laɪn] 与…一致，使对齐 buzz [bʌz] 兴奋，快乐 no holds barred [bɑːd] 毫无保留，不受限制 be low and down 情绪低落，意志消沉 choir [ˈkwaɪə(r)] 合唱团，唱诗班 throw out 赶走，抛弃 pathway [ˈpɑːθweɪ] 路径，通路 fire off 激发，触发 biotechnology [ˌbaɪəʊtekˈnɒlədʒi] 生物技术 sing in tune [tjuːn] 唱得合拍，唱歌不走调儿 sing in rhythm 节奏一致地唱，按节奏唱歌 feel connected 感到紧密联系，感到共鸣 inside out 彻底地，全面地，由内而外 intensely emotional [ɪn'tensli] 情感强烈的，情绪激烈的 spine problem [spaɪn] 脊椎问题 chronic [ˈkrɒnɪk] 慢性的，长期的，习惯性的 be a hero in a day 短期内成为佼佼者，一日成名 epistemological solipsism [ɪˌpɪstɪməˈlɒdʒɪkl ˈsɒlɪpsɪzəm] 认识论上的唯我论 animalistic [ˌænɪməˈlɪstɪk] 动物的，兽性的 primal [ˈpraɪml] 原始的，最初的 sublimate [ˈsʌblɪmeɪt] 使升华，使高尚 💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】