英语听力文摘 English Digest 444、杯满了吗？

How Full Is That Glass? 杯有多满？

How does the shape of a glass affect how much you drink? A scientist set out to examine just this, and the results are rather astounding.

Whatever the age of the subjects, they consistently poured more juice into short, wide tumbler-type glasses than into tall, slender glasses. But they perceived the opposite that they were pouring more into tall, slender glasses.

Psychologist Jean Piaget claimed that children overestimate¹ the volume of vertical dimensions, but that as their brains mature, they develop the capacity to more accurately² compare vertical and horizontal dimensions.

The results of this study do support Piaget’s idea to a certain extent in that the differential between the amount of juice adults poured into the two different glasses was less than the difference in what teenagers poured.

While adults poured about twenty percent more liquid into short, wide glasses, teenagers poured a whopping seventy-five percent more into short, wide glasses. Adults do seem to be better at comparing the volumes of different shapes, but they still overemphasize the volume of vertical shapes.

Even experienced bartenders, though to a lesser³ degree than the rest of us, still pour a little bit more into short, wide tumbler glasses than into taller, more slender glasses.

Who cares? If what you’re pouring is medicine or if you’re watching your weight, you might care. The teenagers in this study were at a camp where they were learning about portion control and dieting in order that they might lose weight. And yep the kids with the short, wide juice glasses were consuming significantly more calories than they realized.

水杯的形状是怎样影响喝水量的呢？一位科学家打算调查一下，调查结果相当令人惊讶。

不管被试者年龄如何，他们都一致地往宽的平底型杯里倒的橘汁比往高细杯里倒的多。但是他们自己所感知的却刚好相反。他们认为往高细杯里倒的更多。

心理学家珍.皮亚杰声称孩子们会高估垂直方向的容器容量，但是当他们大脑成熟时他们就会具备准确区分垂直向和水平向容量的能力。

该研究结果在某种程度上支持了皮亚杰的观点——成人倒往不同杯子里相差的橘汁少于青少年倒往不同杯子里相差的橘汁。

成人往矮宽杯里多倒20%的橘汁时青少年却要多倒高达70%的橘汁。成人看起来确实更善于区分不同形状容器的容积，但他们仍然会高估垂直容器的容量。

即使是经验丰富的调酒师，虽然比我们普通人强，但倒往宽的平底型杯里的酒也比倒往高细杯里的多。

谁在乎呢？如果你倒的是药或你很在意你的体重，也许你会在乎。参加此次研究的青少年是在一个营地上，在那里他们学会了节食减肥。而且拿着矮宽橘汁杯的孩子消耗的热量比他们意识到的多。
 

 

1 overestimate   

v.估计过高，过高评价

参考例句：

• Don't overestimate seriousness of the problem.别把问题看重了。
• We overestimate our influence and our nuisance value.我们过高地估计了自己的影响力和破坏作用。

2 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

3 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。