TED演讲:记忆是怎么形成和消失的(2)

 　　Another leading cause of memory problems is chronic¹ stress. 另一个引发记忆力问题的原因是长期压力。

　　When we're constantly overloaded² with work and personal responsibilities, our bodies are on hyper-alert. 当我们长期面对超负荷的工作和个人压力时，我们的身体就会报警。

　　This response has evolved from the physiological³ mechanism⁴ designed to make sure we can survive in a crisis. 这个反应源于我们身体为保证能在危机中生存而设计的生理机制。

　　Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness. 因为压力而产生的化学物质帮助身体调动能量和增加警戒。

　　However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, 但是，长期的压力让我们的身体里的这些化学物质泛滥了，

　　resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which affects our ability to retain new information. 导致脑细胞流失和制造新脑细胞能力衰弱，从而影响了我们记住新信息的能力。

　　Depression is another culprit. 抑郁是另一个罪犯。

　　People who are depressed⁵ are 40% more likely to develop memory problems. 40%抑郁的人更容易有记忆力问题。

　　Low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter connected to arousal, 激起兴奋神经传递的低水平血清素，

　　may make depressed individuals less attentive⁶ to new information. 可能让抑郁的人更不关注新信息。

　　Dwelling⁷ on sad events in the past, another symptom of depression, 抑郁的另一个症状，是沉浸在过去悲伤的事件中出不来，

　　makes it difficult to pay attention to the present, affecting the ability to store short-term memories. 这导致他们很难关注现在发生的事情，影响了存储短期记忆的能力。

　　Isolation⁸, which is tied to depression, is another memory thief. 与抑郁紧密联系的“ 孤立 ”是另一个记忆小偷。

　　A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that 哈佛大学公共健康学院的一项研究发现，

　　older people with high levels of social integration⁹ had a slower rate of memory decline over a six-year period. 在六年时间里，拥有更高社会融合能力的老人记忆衰退较慢。

　　The exact reason remains¹⁰ unclear, but experts suspect that social interaction gives our brain a mental workout. 虽然确切的原因还不清楚，但专家推测，社会交往使我们的大脑得到了锻炼。

　　Just like muscle strength, we have to use our brain or risk losing it. 就像肌肉力量的训练一样，我们必须使用我们的大脑，不然就有可能失去它。

　　But don't despair. 不过不要绝望。

　　There are several steps you can take to aid your brain in preserving your memories. 你可以用下面的几个步骤，去帮助你的大脑保存记忆。

　　Make sure you keep physically¹¹ active. 首先，确保你坚持锻炼。

　　Increased blood flow to the brain is helpful. 增加血液回流大脑是有益的。

　　And eat well. 然后好好吃饭。

　　Your brain needs all the right nutrients¹² to keep functioning correctly. 你的大脑需要所有的正确的营养物来保持功能正常。

　　And finally, give your brain a workout. 最后，给你的大脑一些锻炼。

　　Exposing your brain to challenges, like learning a new language, 让你的大脑应对新的挑战，比如学习一门新语言，

　　is one of the best defenses for keeping your memories intact. 这是保持记忆力的最好方法之一。

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

3 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

7 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

8 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

9 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

12 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》