英語流利閱讀 帶在水邊的快樂秘訣

2024年2月13日發(作者：買路錢)

2020,2,10 流利閱讀

今日導讀

不管是度假還是享受蜜月，許多人的第一選擇都是去海島。陽光、沙灘、海浪、椰林、日落、比基尼、熱帶水果......一片簡簡單單的海灘仿佛充滿了無數令人快樂的元素。沖浪和潛水等各種水上活動讓我們緊張的身心得到釋放，即使只是躺在沙灘上聽聽海浪聲也足以讓人感到愜意。你有沒有思考過這是為什么？為什么大海總能帶給我們愉悅的感受？為什么泡在水里，你就可以忘記一切煩惱？今天的文章就從科學的角度帶我們來理解這種由水帶來的簡單快樂。

正文 Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the cret of happiness

In recent years, stresd-out urbanites have been eking refuge in green spaces for the proven

positive impacts on physical and mental health, but the benefits of “blue space” — the a and

coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains — are less well publicized, yet

the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.

“Many of the process are exactly the same as with greenspace — with some added benefits,”

says Dr Mathew White, a nior lecturer at the University of Exeter（埃克塞特大學）.

White says there are three established pathways by which the prence of water is positively

related to health and happiness. First, there are the beneficial environmental factors, such as less

polluted air and more sunlight. Second, people who live by water tend to be more physically

active.

Third — and this is where blue space ems to have an edge over other natural environments —

water has a psychologically restorative effect.

When you are sailing, surfing or swimming, says White, “you’re really in tune with natural forces

there.” By being forced to concentrate on the qualities of the environment, we access a cognitive

state honed over millennia（打磨了數千年的認知狀態）. Water is, quite literally, immersive.

Catherine Kelly is a wellness practitioner（健康專家） who teaches class in “mindfulness by the

a”. She says the a has a meditative quality.

“To go to the a is synonymous with letting go,” says Kelly. “It could be lying on a beach or

somebody handing you a cocktail. For somebody el, it could be a wild, empty coast. But there is

this really human n of: ‘Oh, look, there’s the a’ — and the shoulders drop.”

全文翻譯： 藍色空間：為什么說待在水邊是快樂的秘訣

近年來，因為綠色空間已被證實對身心健康有積極影響，“壓力山大”的都市人一直在逃往綠色空間，但“藍色空間”（包括海洋和海岸線、以及河流、湖泊、運河、瀑布，甚至噴泉）的好處卻沒有得到很好的宣傳，然而科學界其實有著長達至少十年的共識：待在水邊對人的身心也有好處。

埃克塞特大學的高級講師馬修·懷特博士說：“藍色空間和身心健康相關聯的過程與綠色空間完全一致，甚至還有一些額外的好處。”

懷特說，水的存在與人的健康和幸福感呈正相關，目前有三種已被確認的相關性。第一，有利的環境因素，比如較少的空氣污染和較多的陽光；第二，靠水生活的人往往會進行更多的運動。

第三，水有調節心態的作用，這也是藍色空間似乎比其他自然環境更具優勢的地方。

懷特說，當你在航海、沖浪或游泳時，“你會真實地感到與大自然的力量融為一體。”當我們被迫將注意力集中到環境的特點上時，我們會進入一種被打磨了數千年的認知狀態。水使人沉浸其中，不論身體還是心靈。

凱瑟琳·凱莉是一名健康專家，她教授一門叫“海邊正念”的課程。她說大海有一種適合冥想的特質。

“去海邊就等同于忘掉煩心事，”凱莉說。“去海邊可能等同于躺在沙灘上，或是有人遞給你一杯雞尾酒。而對于另一些人來說，去海邊可能等同于探索荒無人煙的海岸。但這些人都會不約而同地感嘆：‘啊，你看，是大海！’然后緊張的肩膀瞬間就放松了。這種人性深處的共鳴是一樣的。”

重點詞匯

stresd-out adj. 緊張的，焦慮的，擔心的 同義詞：stresd

urbanite/???.b?n.a?t/ n. 都市人；城市居民；喜歡城市生活的人 urban（adj. 都市的）

refuge/??d?/ n. 避難所；庇護所 refugee（n. 難民）

英文釋義：A refugee is someone who has taken refuge.

have an edge over ...比...更占優勢 相關詞匯：edge（n. 刀刃；優勢）

restorative/r??st??r.?.t??v/ adj. 促進精力復元的；促進健康恢復的

n. 使健康或精力恢復的東西

restore（v. 恢復）having the ability to restore health, strength, or a feeling of well-being

搭配短語：restore order

例句：After a hard day at the office, a hot bath is a welcome restorative.

in tune with與…協調，與…相契合 in tune with times（順應時勢）

cognitive/?kɑ?ɡ.n?.t??v/adj. 感知的；認知的

搭配短語：cognitive ability/development

hone/ho?n/ v. 磨礪； v. 把...磨快，訓練 n. 磨石

英文釋義：to make an object sharp /to sharpen skills

例句：She honed her debating skills at college.

millennium/m??len.i.?m/ n. 一千年 復數變換：millennia/millenniums

immersive/??m??.s?v/ adj. 帶來沉浸感的；身臨其境的

immer v. 浸泡；專心做... immer onelf in sth.

例句：She would immer herlf in books whenever she can.

practitioner/pr?k?t??.?n.?/ n. 從業人員 a medical practitioner (= a doctor)

mindfulness/?ma?nd.f?l.n?s/ n. 正念

英文釋義：a mental state achieved by concentrating on the prent moment, while calmly

accepting the feelings and thoughts that come to you, ud as a technique to help you relax

例句：I have been practicing mindfulness for 6 months.

meditative/?med.?.te?.t??v/ adj. 冥想的 meditate v. 冥想 meditation n. 冥想

synonymous/s??nɑ?.n?.m?s/ adj. 同義的，等同的 synonym n. 同義詞

搭配短語：be synonymous with

human/?hju?.m?n/ adj. 人本性的；通人情的

英文釋義：showing the weakness that are typical of people, which means that other people

should not criticize the person too much

搭配短語：human weakness/failings

英文釋義：having the same feelings and emotions as most ordinary people

例句：The public is always attracted to politicians who have the human touch.

拓展閱讀

文化補充：奧斯卡王爾德（Oscar Wilde）

1854 年 10 月 16 日，奧斯卡·王爾德生于都柏林，是一位風格浮夸、炫耀、機智的劇作家、詩人和評論家。他的創作生涯始于十九世紀的最后十年，并發表小說《道林·格雷的畫像》，以及隨后三部獲得高度關注和巨大成功的喜劇：《溫夫人的扇子》、《理想丈夫》和《不可兒戲》。1895 年，在他聲望的頂峰，王爾德因同性戀行為而入獄，后為此經歷發表作品《雷丁監獄之歌》。以下節選部分奧斯卡·王爾德語錄:

The only thing wor than being talked about is not being talked about.

世上只有一件事比被人議論更糟糕，那就是沒有人議論你。

Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative

談論天氣是無趣人類最后的避難所。

Men marry becau they are tired; women becau they are curious; both are disappointed.

男人因疲倦而結婚，女人因好奇而結婚；最終他們都會失望。

The happiness of a married man depends on the people he has not married.

已婚者的快樂來自那些他沒有娶的人。

Men become old, but they never become good.

人們越長越老，但絕不會越變越好。