BBC媒体英语：人们“在潮湿天更容易感觉疼痛”

[图片来源: Getty Images]

　　一项研究显示，患有关节炎等长期健康问题的人在潮湿的天气里更容易感到疼痛。民间流传，寒冷会使疼痛更严重，但实际上人们对这类天气的影响研究甚少。曼彻斯特大学的这项研究分析了从2500人的智能手机上收集来的数据，结果发现，在温暖潮湿的日子里，疼痛的症状其实更严重。

　　Many people assume that it's temperature that influences the pain experienced by those who live with conditions such as arthritis.

　　许多人认为是温度影响了关节炎等疾病患者的疼痛感。

　　But researchers found that rather than a cold snap, participants felt the greatest pain on days during which there was high humidity. Low air pressure and windy conditions were also linked to painful days. Dry, still days were the least likely to be painful.

　　但研究人员发现，寒潮并非罪魁祸首，参与调查的人们在湿度较大的日子里感受到的疼痛最严重。低气压和多风的天气环境也与疼痛的程度有关。在干燥、平和的日子里，人们感到疼痛的可能性最低。

　　The researchers say their findings could help to develop a pain forecast, which would allow people to plan activities for the least painful days. It could also shine a light on the mechanisms of pain and lead to the development of new treatments.

　　研究人员表示，他们的发现可能有助于开发一种疼痛预测系统，使人们能在痛感最低的日子里安排活动。它还可能帮助人们进一步理解疼痛的机制并带动新治疗方法的发展。

　　词汇

　　temperature 温度

　　pain 疼痛

　　experienced 体会到的，感受到的

　　arthritis 关节炎

　　cold snap 寒潮，乍寒期

　　humidity 湿度

　　air pressure 气压

　　windy 多风的，刮风的

　　still （天气）平静的

　　forecast 预测、预报

　　shine a light on 为……提供解释

　　mechanisms 机制

　　阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

　　1. What do many people assume influences the pain experienced by those with arthritis?

　　2. Besides humidity, what weather conditions were also linked to the participants’ feeling pain?

　　3. True or false? According to the research, wet and cold days are the least likely to be painful.

　　4. Which word in the text means both ‘types of diseases’ and ‘states of the weather’?

　　答案

　　1. What do many people assume influences the pain experienced by those with arthritis?

　　Many people assume that it’s temperature that influences the pain experienced by those who live with conditions such as arthritis.

　　2. Besides humidity, what weather conditions were also linked to the participants’ feeling pain?

　　Besides humidity, low air pressure and windy conditions were also linked to painful days, according to the research.

　　3. True or false? According to the research, wet and cold days are the least likely to be painful.

　　False. According to the research, dry and still days are the least likely to be painful.

　　4. Which word in the text means both ‘types of diseases’ and ‘states of the weather’?

　　Conditions. (‘Many people assume that it's temperature that influences the pain experienced by those who live with conditions such as arthritis.’ ‘Low air pressure and windy conditions were also linked to painful days.’)

　　实习编辑：姚依明

　　责任编辑：潘程