英語文化隨身帶

電臺節目“英語文化隨身帶”文章短小精悍，內容包羅萬象。將英語文化裝進口袋里，利用閑散的時間隨身翻閱，英語學習者可以在潛移默化中了解當代英語世界的生活和文化。

也許我們都清楚“一見鐘情”只是小說和影視作品中用來制造浪漫氣氛的慣用手法，但很多人還是希望在現實生活中能夠遇上這種情節吧（偶爾發發白日夢、花癡一下很正常啦）！這種因為看見漂亮的陌生人而產生的興奮感可靠嗎？科學家給出了以下解釋——

“Love at first sight” is an English expression which means to fall in love with someone instantly[立即地]， after just looking at him or her for the first time. Whether you believe this is real love or just shallow[膚淺的] desire[渴望]， it’s a 1）scene in today’s books， movies， and television shows.

According to this old idea， falling in love is a matter of fate. When love strikes[來到]， we’re helpless to 2）our feelings. Indeed， according to some modern brain research， seeing an attractive person can jolt[震搖；震驚] your 3）. This shows up on MRI （magnetic resonance[共振] imaging） scans[掃描]. But what does that jolt really mean？

In one British study， volunteers wore special helmets that scanned their brains as they looked at photos of strangers. When a person they found attractive seemed to be looking right at them， the part of the brain called the “reward[獎賞] center” 4）up. This might not mean much. That same area lights up when you expect any kind of reward， such as food when you’re 5）.

Researchers said that the response[反應] could be based on an evolutionary[進化的] adaptation[適應] for choosing healthy-looking mates. Today， it might only mean a shallow desire to associate[聯系起來] with attractive people for social status.

Another study at Trinity College in Dublin， Ireland， also measured brain activity in volunteers looking at photos. Researchers found that an area called the “prefrontal cortex[前額葉皮質]” lit up for certain photos. That part of the brain is important for mature[成熟的] decision-making.

Later， those volunteers met and talked with the people in the photos. About 6） of the time they found the same person attractive. But the two people made plans to see each other again only 10% of the time.

Clearly there is a connection 7） seeing an attractive stranger and feeling a jolt of excitement. But just how much should we trust those hair-trigger[一觸即發的] attractions？ Research says that the jolt that runs 8） your body is usually not really love. And it’s not at all likely to 9） .

What do you think？ Have you ever felt “love at first sight”？ And what about all the other types of first impressions you make about others？ You might not fall in love with someone， but sometimes you instantly feel comfortable around someone. And other times you feel like you want to get as far away as 10）. Do you trust these first impressions？

“Love at first sight（一見鐘情）”是一個英語表達，意思是和一個人第一次見面后就愛上他/她。不管你覺得這是真愛還是膚淺的欲望，這種情節在書籍、電影和電視劇中十分常見。

根據這種老舊的觀點，相愛是命中注定的事。愛情來的時候，我們無法控制自己的感覺。確實，根據現代一些有關大腦的研究，看見漂亮的人可以讓你的大腦為之一“震”，MRI（磁共振成像）掃描結果顯示了這種現象。但這種震驚的感覺究竟代表著什么呢？

在一項英國的研究中，志愿者頭戴一種特制的頭盔，當他們看陌生人照片的時候頭盔會掃描他們的大腦。當志愿者發現那些他們認為漂亮的人在看著他們的時候，大腦當中被稱作“獎賞中樞”的部分就會亮起來。這也許沒有什么意義。當你期待任何類型的獎勵，如饑餓時想到的食物，同一片區域也會亮起來。……