Task 2 Read More for Useful Information
Passage 2
Language points
1. boost vt.增强；促进
e.g. The win boosted the team’s confidence. 这场胜利增强了该队的信心。
The new resort area has boosted tourism. 新的旅游区促进了旅游业的发展。
2. dramatic adj.巨大的；突然的
e.g. Computers have brought dramatic changes to the workplace.
电脑给工作场所带来了巨大的变化。
Events took a dramatic turn in the weeks that followed. 在以后的几周里，事态急转直下。
3. battery n. (pl. batteries) 电池
e.g. You have to take the top off to change the batteries.
你必须把盖子拿掉才能换电池。
Before use, the battery must be charged.
电池使用前必须充电。
4. be implicated in涉及；与……有关
e.g. Three police officers are implicated in the cover-up. 三名警察涉嫌掩盖真相。
Viruses are known to be implicated in the development of some cancers.
已知病毒与某些癌症的发生有关。
5. pilot n. 试点
e.g. A pilot study is being carried out with Manchester University.
曼彻斯特大学正在进行一项试点研究。
The bills would start pilot projects within Medicare. 这些法案都会以医疗项目作为试点。
6. Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, whose ages ranged from 28 to 72.
Translation: 研究人员招募了12名男性和12名女性，他们的年龄在28岁到72岁之间。
Explanation: 此句中whose引导的是一个定语从句，先行词是12 men and 12 women。
recruit vt. 招募
e.g. The country’s first act would be to recruit for the navy.
国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
Most of the men in the village were recruited that day.
那天村子里的大多数人都被招募了。
range from...to... （范围）从……到……
e.g. Courses range from cookery to computing.
课程多种多样，从烹调到计算机操作应有尽有。
Madagascar’s ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert.
马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。
7. emit vt. (emitted, emitting) 发出；散发
e.g. The kettle emitted a loud whistle. 水壶发出响亮的哨声。
The moon is emitting cool light through clouds. 月亮透过云层放射出寒光。
8. visible adj. (OPP invisible) 看得见的；可见的
e.g. The outline of the mountains was clearly visible. 群山的轮廓清晰可见。
The address must be clearly visible through the window of the envelope.
从信封的透明窗必须能够看清楚地址。
be invisible to 看不见的；隐形的
e.g. Using a telescope, Galileo discovered stars that were invisible to the naked eye.
伽利略用望远镜发现了肉眼看不见的恒星。
The new fighter plane is designed to be invisible to radar.
新的战斗机被设计成让雷达探测不到。
9. Rods, which are much more plentiful, are retina cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light,according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Translation: 根据美国眼科学会，视锥细胞是可以察觉颜色的感光细胞，在光线明亮的情况下最能发挥作用。
Explanation: which are much more plentiful作为非限制性定语从句修饰主语rods。...that specialize in helping us see in dim light限制性定语从句修饰表语retina cells。
specialize in 专攻；专营
e.g. Simmons specialized in contract law. 西蒙斯专攻合同法。The store specializes in interior design books. 这家商店专营室内设计书籍。dim adj. 昏暗的
e.g. The reading light over her seat is dim. 她座位上方的阅读灯很暗。
She stood waiting, in the dim light. 她站在昏暗的光线下等待。
10. measure vt. 衡量
e.g. Doctors say it is too early to measure the effectiveness of the drug.
医生说现在衡量这种药物的有效性还为时过早。
Education shouldn’t be measured purely by examination results.
学历不应该单纯用考试成绩来衡量。
11. sensitivity n. (pl. sensitivities) 敏感；敏感性；敏感度
e.g. His comments show a lack of sensitivity. 他的评论显示出缺乏敏感性。
Some children develop a sensitivity to cow’s milk. 有的孩子对牛奶过敏。
12. From an evolutionary perspective, we fundamentally have never lived past 40.
Translation: 从进化角度来说，人类器官的使用寿命只有40年。
from a/an ...perspective n.从……角度
e.g. The novel is written from a child’s perspective. 这部小说是从一个孩子的角度写的。
We have to look at everything from an international perspective.我们必须从国际的角度看待一切。
参考译文
看红光可以延缓视力衰退
根据本周发表在《老年学杂志》上的一项新研究，只要凝视深红色光几分钟，就能有效地预防视力衰退。
该研究的首席作者、伦敦大学学院眼科研究所神经科学系教授格伦·杰弗瑞说：“你不用看很长时间红光，就能有立竿见影的效果。”杰弗瑞说，其科学原理在于红光可以增进线粒体的健康，线粒体就像我们身体细胞的电池。因为线粒体衰退牵涉到许多疾病，这样的发现可能有助于启发帕金森综合征和糖尿病等疾病的新疗法。
这项研究是一个小型的试点项目，旨在测试这一概念。研究人员招募了12名男性和12名女性，他们的年龄在28岁到72岁之间。每位参与者都分到了一个小手电筒，可以发出波长670纳米的红光。这种红光的波长接近可见光谱波长最长的一端，只有人眼通常看不见的红外线的波长才比它短。
在两周时间内，参与者每天花三分钟凝视红光。这种红光对眼睛的视锥细胞和视杆细胞都产生了作用。根据美国眼科学会，视锥细胞是可以察觉颜色的感光细胞，在光线明亮的情况下最能发挥作用。数量庞大得多的视杆细胞是视网膜细胞，主要功能是帮我们在光线昏暗时看见东西。
研究人员通过让参与者识别对比度低的有颜色的字母来衡量他们的视锥细胞功能，通过让参与者在黑暗中识别光信号来衡量他们的视杆细胞功能。
在24名参与者中，有14%的人辨认颜色的能力或视锥细胞颜色对比敏感度提高了。视力提高最显著的是40岁以上的参与者。在研究过程中，这一年龄段的人的视锥细胞颜色对比敏感度上升了20%。该年龄段的人的视杆细胞功能也显著增强了，也就是在弱光环境下看见东西的能力。40岁以下的参与者也经历了视力改善，但是没有年长者那么显著。年轻人的眼睛不像年长者的眼睛衰退得那么严重。
杰弗瑞说：“视网膜衰老的速度比人体的其他器官都要快。从进化角度来说，人类器官的使用寿命只有40年。”现在，一般人的寿命当然都会超过40岁，于是就需要各种方式来保养那些最早衰老的器官。
不过还需要更多研究才能证明红光对视力有帮助。
杰弗瑞说：“我们都将受到衰老的折磨。如果可以的话，让我们慢慢地老去。”
☛ Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the passage you’ve read.
(T) 1. Mitochondria are like batteries in our cells.
(F) 2. Rods are photo receptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations.
(F) 3. Researchers measured the cone function in participants’ eyes by asking them to detect light signals in the dark.
(T) 4. Improvement in the ability to see colors or cone color contrast sensitivity, was most significant in study participants over age 40.
(F) 5. The retina ages slower than any other organ in your body
After-reading Activity Build a Word Bank
☛ The following words are all about medical science. Read and match their meanings.
1. I 2. A 3. E 4. H 5. J 6. C 7. D 8. G 9.B 10. F
☛ Translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1. The light stimulates the health of mitochondria.
这种光可以增进线粒体的健康。
2. Insights like these could help lead to new treatments for diseases including Parkinson’s and diabetes.
这样的发现可能有助于启发帕金森病和糖尿病等疾病的新疗法。
3. That wavelength is toward the long end of the visible spectrum.
这种红光的波长接近可见光谱波长最长的一端。
4. The red lights work on both cones and rods in the eye.
红光对眼睛的视锥细胞和视杆细胞都产生了作用。
5. The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body.
视网膜衰老的速度比人体的其他器官都要快。