练习 | 科学美国人:健康行为也传染

练习 | 科学美国人:健康行为也传染

2.4分钟 6698 152wpm

健康行为也传染

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科学美国人60秒:健康行为也传染

燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写

◆TRANSCRIPT


This is Scientific American - 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.

If your friends are happy - turns out you're more likely to be happy too. If your friends are overweight, that too ups the odds you'll pack on pounds. Those effects have been shown in studies. And now researchers have identified another seemingly contagious quality: exercise.

The investigators analyzed the running activity of more than a million individuals worldwide who used an exercise tracking device for five years. And they used weather patterns as a way to randomly examine different parts of that global network.

"If it happens to be a really nice day out, sunny and not too hot, not too cool, that will induce people to run more." Sinan Aral, a computational social scientist at MIT. "If it's a rainy day and cold, that will induce people to stay in more on average." He says, and since different cities have different weather patterns, this natural experiment allowed them to ask: Does a rainy day in New York affect running in San Diego? "If the weather in New York causes changes in the running behavior in San Diego, it can really only be happening through peer influences of the friends who live between New York and San Diego."

And that is exactly what he and his colleague saw: that the behavior of one city's runners could indeed affect the behavior of runners in another socially connected city. The study is in the journal Nature Communications.

A few caveats: women tended to be influenced more by the female runners in their networks. And less active runners tended to influence more active runners to run more, but not so much the other way around. Still, this could be valuable intel for health professionals. "We have to start thinking about consumers and citizens as networked consumers and networked citizens. Where they are influenced by and influence their social network in very strong and dynamic ways, that will change the way a particular intervention succeeds or fails." In other words - if your prescription is more exercise? The doctors might want to write a prescription for your friends and family, too.

Thanks for listening for Scientific American - 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.

Adapted from健康行为也传染

◆VOCABULARY

1. up v. to increase the price or amount of sth. 提高…的价格(或数量)。   
  例如:The buyers upped their offer by £1 000. 买方把出价增加了1000英镑。

2. odds n. (usually the odds) the degree to which sth. is likely to happen (事物发生的)可能性,概率,几率,机会。例如:
○The odds are very much in our favour (= we are likely to succeed) . 我方胜算的几率极大
○The odds are heavily against him (= he is not likely to succeed) . 他成功的几率很小。
○The odds are that (= it is likely that) she'll win. 她有可能会赢。
○What are the odds (= how likely is it) he won't turn up? 他不会露面的可能性有多大?

3. contagious adj. a contagious disease spreads by people touching each other (疾病)接触传染的。例如:
○Scarlet fever is highly contagious. 猩红热的接触传染性很强。
○(figurative) His enthusiasm was contagious (= spread quickly to other people) . 他的热情富有感染力。
○a contagious laugh有感染力的笑声

4. caveats n. (formal, from Latin) a warning that particular things need to be considered before sth. can be done 警告;告诫

5. intel n. 情报

◆QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and check (?) the true or () false statements.


1. You're more likely to be happy if your friends are happy.

2. You'll more likely to be overweight if your friends are overweight.

3. Exercise is another seemingly contagious quality which researchers have identified.

4. The investigators analyzed the running activity of more than a million individuals worldwide who used an exercise tracking device for five years.

5. The investigators used weather patterns as a way to randomly examine different parts of that global network.

6. If it happens to be a really nice day out, that will induce people to run more.

7. If it's a rainy day and cold, that will induce people to stay in more on average.

8. The behavior of one city's runners could indeed affect the behavior of runners in another socially connected city.

9. Women tended to be influenced more by the male runners in their networks.

10. The doctors might want to write a prescription for your friends and family if their prescription is more exercise.

◆KEY

√1. You're more likely to be happy if your friends are happy.

√2. You'll more likely to be overweight if your friends are overweight.

√3. Exercise is another seemingly contagious quality which researchers have identified.

√4. The investigators analyzed the running activity of more than a million individuals worldwide who used an exercise tracking device for five years.

√5. The investigators used weather patterns as a way to randomly examine different parts of that global network.

√6. If it happens to be a really nice day out, that will induce people to run more.

√7. If it's a rainy day and cold, that will induce people to stay in more on average.

√8. The behavior of one city's runners could indeed affect the behavior of runners in another socially connected city.

×9. Women tended to be influenced more by the male runners in their networks. (male修改为female)

×10. The doctors might want to write a prescription for your friends and family if their prescription is more exercise. (their修改为your)
  • 时长:2.4分钟
  • 语速:152wpm
  • 来源:刘立军、宋葳 2017-09-20