評論
打印
Workout music
運動音樂
Why do we like to listen to tunes when we exercise? Psychologist Tom Stafford searches for answers within our brains, not the muscles we are exercising.
為什么當我們鍛煉時喜歡聽音樂？心理學家湯姆·斯塔佛德在我們的大腦中尋找答案，并非鍛煉的肌肉里。
Perhaps you have a favourite playlist for going to the gym or the park. Even if you haven't, you're certain to have seen joggers running along with headphones in their ears. Lots of us love to exercise to music, feeling like it helps to reduce effort and increase endurance. As a psychologist, the interesting thing for me is not just whether music helps when exercising, but how it helps.
也許去健身房或公園時，你有自己最愛的一些歌曲。即使沒有，你肯定看到過慢跑的人耳朵里塞著耳機跑步。我們大家都愛邊聽音樂邊鍛煉，感覺這樣會有助于減輕難度，增加耐力。作為一名心理學家，對我來說，有趣的不是僅僅知道音樂是否有助于鍛煉，而是它是如何起作用的。
One thing is certain, the answer lies within our brains, not the muscles we are exercising.The benefit of thinking about the movement can account for over half of the benefit of practice. So asking people to carry out an imaginary practice task allows us to see the benefit of just thinking about a movement, and separates this from the benefit of making it.
有件事是可以確定的:答案就在于我們的大腦，而非我們所鍛煉的肌肉。思考該動作所得的益處能占實踐該動作所得益處的一半還要多。因此，讓人進行想象力練習可使我們明白僅僅思考一項運動的好處，與實踐該動作所得益處區分開來。
lie with ：在于；取決于 It lies with the you to make the decision. 由你決定。
Imaginary practice helps because it increases the strength of the signal sent from the movement areas of the brain to the muscles. Using electrodes you can record the size of this signal, and demonstrate that after imaginary practice people are able to send a stronger, more coherent signal to the muscles.
想象力練習有益，是因為它能增強源自大腦運動區發送的控制肌肉的信號強度。通過使用電極，就能記錄信號的大小，并在練習人員有能力向肌肉發送一個更強、更連貫的信號時展示出來。
The signals to move the muscles start in an area of the brain called, unsurprisingly, the motor cortex. It's in the middle near the top. Part of this motor area is known as the supplementary motor cortex. Originally thought to be involved in more complex movements, this area has since been shown to be particularly active at the point we’re planning to make a movement, and especially crucial for the timing of these actions. So, this specific part of the brain does a very important job during exercise, it is responsible for deciding exactly when to act. Once you've realised that a vital part of most sporting performance is not just how fast or how strong you can move, but the effort of deciding when to move, then you can begin to appreciate why music might be so helpful.
不出所料，讓肌肉運動的信號源自大腦中一個叫“運動皮質”的區域。它位于靠近大腦頂端的中部。這個運動區的一部分是人類已知的“運動輔助區”。最初被認為是和更多復雜動作有關。人類已經證明，此區域會在我們打算做出動作時表現得異常活躍，同時也控制著這些動作的時間。因此，在運動時，大腦的這個特殊部分起著非常重要的作用。它決定了行動的確切時間點。一旦你已經意識到運動行為最重要的部分不僅僅是你有多快多強，還有為決定什么時候行動所做的努力。這樣你就可以漸漸領會為何音樂如此有益了。
motor cortex：運動皮質
The benefits of music are largest for self-paced exercise – in other words those sports where some of the work involved is in deciding when to act, as well as how to act. This means all paced exercises, like rowing or running, rather than un-paced exercises like judo or football. My speculation is that music helps us perform by taking over a vital piece of the task of moving, the rhythm travels in through our ears and down our auditory pathways to the supplementary motor area. There it joins forces with brain activity that is signalling when to move, helping us to keep pace by providing an external timing signal. Or to use a sporting metaphor, it not only helps us out of the starting blocks but it helps to keep us going until we reach the line.
得益于音樂最主要的是有自我節奏的運動——換句話說，就是那些要決定什么時候做動作，以及如何做動作的運動。這也就是指所有有節奏的運動，比如劃船、跑步，而不是無節奏的運動，比如柔道、足球。我的推測是：音樂會通過接管一項重要的運動任務，有助于我們的表現。這種節奏游走過我們的耳朵，順著我們的聽覺系統，一路直達“運動輔助區”。有一種與大腦活動聯合的力量，它發出決定運動時間的信號。通過提供一種外部時間信號，幫助我們保持步伐節奏。或者運用一種運動的暗喻，它不只幫助我們起跑，也讓我們一路向前，直到終點。
paced ：節奏的 eg：This excellent thriller is fast paced and believable. 這部杰出的驚悚片節奏快且真實可信。
starting blocks ：起跑架 注：此處再次證明翻譯時不能死板，幫助我們離開起跑架 ，也就是幫助我們起跑。
Of course there are lots of other reasons we might exercise to music. For example, a friend of mine who jogs told me: "I started running to music so I didn't have to listen to my own laboured breathing." He might well have started for that reason, but now I'll bet the rhythm of the music he listens to helps him keep pace through his run. As one song might have put it, music lets us get physical.
當然，我們在運動時聽音樂還有很多其它的原因。比方說，一位經常慢跑的朋友曾告訴我：“我在跑步時聽音樂是因為我不必要去聽自己困難的呼吸聲。”他的確有可能是出于這個原因開始在跑步時聽音樂的，但是如今我敢打賭，他所聽音樂的節奏在跑步時會幫助他保持步調。就像一首歌曲里唱的那樣：音樂讓我們律動。
laboured breathing ：勉力呼吸（因為不常用，所以用困難的呼吸代替） might well ：很可能；或許 eg：He might well have died.他很可能已經死了。
補充：拆句法和合并法
這是兩種相對應的翻譯方法。拆句法是把一個長而復雜的句子拆譯成若干個較短、較簡單的句子，通常用于英譯漢；合并法是把若干個短句合并成一個長句，一般用于漢譯英。漢語強調意合，結構較松散，因此簡單句較多；英語強調形合，結構較嚴密，因此長句較多。所以漢譯英時要根據需要注意利用連詞、分詞、介詞、不定式、定語從句、獨立結構等把漢語短句連成長句；而英譯漢時又常常要在原句的關系代詞、關系副詞、主謂連接處、并列或轉折連接處、后續成分與主體的連接處，以及意群結束處將長句切斷，譯成漢語分句。這樣就可以基本保留英語語序，順譯全句，順應現代漢語長短句相替、單復句相間的句法修辭原則。
如：
（1） Increased cooperation with China is in the interests of the United States.
同中國加強合作，符合美國的利益。 （在主謂連接處拆譯）
（2）I wish to thank you for the incomparable hospitality for which the Chinese people are justly famous throughout the world.
我要感謝你們無與倫比的盛情款待。中國人民正是以這種熱情好客而聞明世界的。（在定語從句前拆譯）
（3）This is particularly true of the countries of the commonwealth, who see Britain’s membership of the Community a guarantee that the policies of the community will take their interests into account。
英聯邦各國尤其如此，它們認為英國加入歐共體，將能保證歐共體的政策照顧到它們的利益。（在定語從句前拆譯）
（4）中國是個大國，百分之八十的人口從事農業，但耕地只占土地面積的十分之一，其余為山脈、森林、城鎮和其他用地。 China is a large country with four-fifths of the population engaged in agriculture, but only one tenth of the land is farmland, the rest being mountains, forests and places for urban and other uses.（合譯）
