SSS 2012-04-12
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(四)月
英语课
This is Scientific American, 60-second science. I'm Cynthia Graber.This will just take a minute.
When an animal faces a predator 1, its senses go into overdrive. So scientists wondered, could human anxiety be an evolutionary 2 legacy 3 to protect us against potential threats? And if so, might anxious people have a heightened sense of smell, presumably to detect predators 4 or disease-carriers. Researchers repeatedly tested 14 men's perception of odors, including bad ones. In some trials, the men were in an MRI scanner, and odors were faint. Participants were simply asked if they could detect a scent 5, yes or no. They were also tested for anxiety, their breathing and skin electrical conductivity were measured, as in a lie detector 6. Subjects also estimated their anxiety on a 100 point scale. Turns out that the more anxious men were significantly better at detecting lower concentrations of scents 7, particularly nasty ones. They also were more likely to become emotionally aroused in the presence of bad smells. Research was published online in the journal Chemosensory Perception. So if you wig 8 out before say a driving exam, remember that anxiety may be part of constellation 9 of physical traits that evolved for survival when the threat was an odorous lion, not a onerous 10 licensor 11.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American, 60-second science. I'm Cynthia Graber.
n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者
- The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
- Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。
adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的
- Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
- These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西
- They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
- He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）
- birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
- The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉
- The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
- The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
n.发觉者，探测器
- The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
- Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。
n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉
- The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
- The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.假发
- The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
- He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。
n.星座n.灿烂的一群
- A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
- The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。
adj.繁重的
- My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
- This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。