为什么笑是最好的良药 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English. 語氣意圖

大家好，这是 BBC Learning English 的六分钟英语。

I'm Sam.

我是 Sam。

And I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

Have you heard this joke, Neil? 語氣意圖

听过这个笑话吗，Neil？

Question:

提问：

what's a rat's favorite game?

老鼠最喜欢的游戏是什么？

I don't know, Sam.

我不知道，Sam。

What is a rat's favorite game?

老鼠最喜欢的游戏是什么？

Hide and squeak. 習語

Hide and squeak（捉迷藏和吱吱叫）。

Very funny.

很好笑。

Well, I'm glad you're laughing because, 表達脈絡

嗯，很高兴你笑了，因为，

as we'll be finding out in this program, 表達脈絡

正如我们将在本期节目中发现的那样，

laughter is good for you. 短語搭配

笑对你有好处。

In fact,

事实上，

laughter is often called the best medicine. 習語

笑常被称为最好的良药。

And it seems that's really true,

而且这似乎确实是真的，

medically speaking. 短語搭配

从医学上讲。

Laughing releases anti-stress endorphins into the body, 短語搭配

笑会在体内释放抗压的内啡肽，

and there's evidence that people who laugh recover more quickly from illness, 講解

而且有证据表明，爱笑的人从疾病中恢复得更快，

including COVID.

包括新冠肺炎。

Laughing is an essential part of what makes us human. 短語搭配

笑是让我们成为人类的重要部分。

Babies cry straight from birth, 短語搭配

婴儿一出生就会哭，

but the next sound they make,

但他们发出的下一个声音，

often as young as 2 or 3 months, 語法

通常在只有两三个月大的时候，

is laughter.

就是笑声。

And who can hear a baby laugh without laughing themselves? 語法

谁听到婴儿笑会不跟着笑呢？

Laughter is catching. 用詞

笑是会传染的。

But before we start tickling our funny bones, 習語

但在我们开始戳中笑点之前，

I have a quiz question for you, Neil,

我有个小测验给你，Neil，

and it's no laughing matter. 習語

这可不是开玩笑的事。

Laughter can be a serious business. 短語搭配

笑声可以是一件严肃的事。

In fact,

事实上，

there's a scientific field of study into laughter 短語搭配

有一门关于笑的科学研究领域

and its effects on the human body.

及其对人体的影响。

But what is this study called?

但是这个研究叫什么呢？

Is it

是

A, gigglology?

A，gigglology（咯咯笑学）？

B, gelotology, 用詞

B，gelotology（笑学），

or C, guffology?

还是 C，guffology（狂笑学）？

Did you make those words up, Sam? 短語動詞

这些词是你编的吗，Sam？

They sound a bit funny to me. 語氣意圖

它们听起来有点好笑。

I'll say the study of laughter is called 語氣意圖

我猜关于笑的研究被称为

B, gelotology.

B，gelotology。

Okay, Neil,

好的，Neil，

but you'll be laughing on the other side of your face if you're wrong. 習語

但如果你错了，你就会笑不出来了。

Anyway, we'll find out the correct answer later in the program. 短語動詞

无论如何，我们稍后在节目中揭晓正确答案。

Someone who's an expert in the study of laughing,

有一位研究笑的专家，

whatever it's called,

不管这门学科叫什么，

is cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott. 用詞

她是认知神经科学家 Sophie Scott 教授。

Here she explains to David Edmonds,

在这里，她向 David Edmonds 解释，

presenter of BBC World Service program The Big Idea,

BBC 世界台节目《The Big Idea》的主持人，

exactly how a laugh is produced. 語法

笑到底是如何产生的。

Laughing is a variation of breathing. 短語搭配

笑是呼吸的一种变化。

Like breathing,

像呼吸一样，

it involves the rib cage. 用詞

它涉及肋骨笼（胸腔）。

When you laugh,

当你笑的时候，

you get these very, very large, 短語搭配

你的肋骨笼会产生非常非常大的，

very fast contractions of the rib cage.

非常快速的收缩。

And it's a very primitive way of making a sound. 用詞

这是一种非常原始的发声方式。

So you're really just squeezing air out in big bouts. 講解

所以你实际上只是大口地把空气挤出来。

Each of those individual squeezes gives you a ha sound. 短語搭配

每一次单独的挤压都会发出“哈”的声音。

The ha ha sound you make when you laugh

你笑时发出的“哈哈”声

comes from your rib cage,

来源于你的肋骨笼，

a structure made of bones called ribs 語法

一个由叫做肋骨的骨头组成的结构

in your chest,

位于你的胸部，

which protects the heart and lungs. 語法

它保护着心脏和肺部。

The rib cage works like a drum 習語

肋骨笼就像一面鼓

to amplify a laugh.

用来放大笑声。

It's the reason why jokes are sometimes called rib ticklers. 習語

这也是为什么笑话有时被称为 rib ticklers（令人捧腹的事）。

Professor Scott calls this a very primitive way of making sounds

Scott 教授称这是一种非常原始的发声方式，

because it's simple, natural, and essentially human.

因为它简单、自然，而且是人类本能。

The word primitive can be used to describe 短語搭配

primitive（原始的）这个词可以用来形容

anything relating to the basic way humans lived

与人类基本生活方式相关的任何事物，

at their early stages of development, 短語搭配

在他们早期的发展阶段，

before money, machines, or writing were invented.

在货币、机器或文字发明之前。

Primitive human noises,

原始的人类声音，

like crying and laughing,

比如哭声和笑声，

link to a universal human experience. 短語搭配

与普遍的人类体验联系在一起。

And this can be seen in the large number of words 語法

这从大量的词汇中可以看出，

we use to talk about them.

我们用来谈论它们的词。

In English,

在英语中，

chuckle, giggle, chortle, cackle, and guffaw 用詞

chuckle, giggle, chortle, cackle 和 guffaw

all describe different types of laughter.

都描述了不同类型的笑。

Right.

对。

So how would you describe a giggle, Sam? 語氣意圖

那么你会如何描述 giggle 呢，Sam？

I'd say a giggle is laughing in a quiet, 講解

我会说 giggle 是一种安静地笑，

but uncontrolled way,

但无法控制的方式，

like a child who finds something very funny 短語搭配

就像一个觉得某事很好笑的孩子，

or feels embarrassed.

或者感到尴尬。

Unlike a guffaw, 表達脈絡

不像 guffaw，

which is when you blast out a very loud laugh, 短語動詞

它指的是你爆发出非常响亮的笑声，

often at something stupid or rude someone has said.

通常是因为某人说了愚蠢或粗鲁的话。

But humans aren't the only animals to laugh. 語法

但人类并不是唯一会笑的动物。

We belong to the same family as other primates, 短語搭配

我们和其他灵长类动物属于同一科，

like chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans,

比如黑猩猩、大猩猩和红毛猩猩，

all of whom laugh. 語法

它们都会笑。

Even rats tickle each other and make squeaky noises like laughter 講解

甚至老鼠互相挠痒痒时也会发出像笑声一样的吱吱声，

when they play.

当它们玩耍时。

Here's Professor Scott again to take up the story 短語動詞

接下来再次请出 Scott 教授讲述这个故事，

for BBC World Service program The Big Idea.

在 BBC 世界台节目《The Big Idea》中。

Play is a very important behavior for mammals.

玩耍对哺乳动物来说是一种非常重要的行为。

All mammals play when they're juveniles, 用詞

所有的哺乳动物在幼年时期都会玩耍，

and some mammals play their whole lives.

有些哺乳动物一生都在玩耍。

And laughter is a sort of an invitation to play, 短語搭配

笑声是一种玩耍的邀请，

it's a sign that you're playing. 短語搭配

这是你在玩耍的一个标志。

Professor Scott says laughter is an important social tool for all mammals, 習語

Scott 教授说，笑是所有哺乳动物的重要社交工具，

animals, including humans,

动物，包括人类，

dogs, and whales,

狗和鲸鱼，

which give birth to live young, 用詞

它们胎生幼崽，

rather than laying eggs, 語法

而不是产卵，

and who feed their young with milk.

并用母乳喂养幼崽。

By laughing, young mammals, 語法

通过笑声，年轻的哺乳动物，

sometimes called juveniles,

有时被称为 juveniles（幼体），

signal that they want to play. 用詞

发出它们想玩的信号。

And young rats who don't laugh back 短語動詞

没有笑声回应的小老鼠

are more likely to get a bite than a giggle. 語法

更有可能被咬一口，而不是得到一个咯咯笑。

And a rat bite is nothing to laugh about. 習語

另外，被老鼠咬可没什么好笑的。

What a lot of facts we've learned about laughter, Neil. 語法

我们了解了好多关于笑的事实，Neil。

Yes, we could almost be experts on laughter.

是的，我们简直可以成为笑的专家了。

'Guffologists', isn't that what you called them, Sam? 語氣意圖

“Guffologists（狂笑学家）”，你是不是这么叫他们的，Sam？

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

In my quiz question,

在我的测验问题中，

I asked you to name the scientific study of laughter

我让你说出研究笑的科学名称

and its effects on the body.

及其对身体的影响。

I'm almost certain it's not 'gigglology' or 'guffology'! 語氣意圖

我几乎可以肯定它不是 'gigglology' 或者 'guffology'！

So the answer must be Gelotology. 語法

所以答案肯定就是 Gelotology。

The correct answer.

正确答案。

Well done, Neil.

干得好，Neil。

I knew you were good for a laugh. 習語

我就知道你很懂幽默。

Okay.

好的。

Let's recap the vocabulary from the program 表達脈絡

让我们回顾一下本期节目的词汇，

before you think up any more terrible jokes. 短語動詞

在你想出更多糟糕的笑话之前。

First, we had rib cage,

首先，我们有 rib cage（肋骨笼），

the structure in your chest,

位于你胸部的结构，

which is made of ribs,

它由肋骨组成，

and produces the sound of a laughter.

并产生笑的声音。

The adjective primitive relates to the simple,

形容词 primitive（原始的）涉及简单、

natural way humans lived

自然的人类生活方式

in their early stages of development.

在他们早期的发展阶段。

There are different types of laughter,

有各种不同类型的笑，

including giggles,

包括 giggles（咯咯笑），

childlike laughter in a quiet,

安静的孩童般的笑声，

but uncontrolled way.

但无法控制。

And guffaws,

还有 guffaws（狂笑），

when you laugh out loud, 短語搭配

当你大笑出声的时候，

often at something someone has said.

通常是因为有人说了什么。

Mammals are animals, including humans,

Mammals（哺乳动物）是包括人类在内的动物，

which give birth to live young

它们胎生幼崽

and feed them with milk.

并用乳汁喂养它们。

And finally,

最后，

a young animal,

年幼的动物，

which is not fully grown, 短語搭配

还没有完全长大，

can be called a juvenile.

可以被称为 juvenile（幼体）。

Well, it's been a laugh for minute, 習語

好了，这一分钟笑得真开心，

Sam, but unfortunately, our 6 minutes are up. 短語搭配

Sam，但遗憾的是，我们的六分钟时间到了。

Join us again soon for more trending topics, 用詞

请很快再次加入我们，了解更多热门话题、

useful vocabulary,

实用词汇，

and who knows, 語氣意圖

还有谁知道呢，

maybe some terrible jokes

也许还有一些糟糕的笑话，

here at Six Minute English.

就在六分钟英语。

Bye for now.

先说到这里了。

Goodbye.

再见。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

来自 BBC 的六分钟英语。