# 写在前面
(在公园奔跑的小狗QQ)
公园20分钟效应(the 20-minute park effect),大家体验过了吗?
密西根大学的最新研究表明,无论是散步还是坐着,只要与大自然亲密接触29分钟以上,便能显著降低体内压力激素水平。
(The latest, from University of Michigan, suggests spending at least 20 minutes strolling or sitting in a place where you’re in contact with nature significantly lowers stress hormone levels.)
该研究的首席研究员说:你不必去荒郊野外,走出办公楼,坐在树旁,就足够了。(You don’t have to travel to the wildlands. Getting out of an office block and sitting next to a tree can be enough.)
这周的外刊精读专栏,想分享给大家一篇美国版的微信公众号Medium上的文章,学习如何用英文描写公园的魅力。
# 学习要点
1. 「晒太阳」、「散步」、「慢跑」、「做瑜伽」用英文怎么说?
2.「接触大自然」有哪些多样化表达?
3. 如何表达「欣赏风景」?
# 外刊原文
关注下方公众号→ 小程序 → 外刊原文,即可获取原文。
Have you ever felt the rejuvenating embrace of nature after just 20 minutes spent in the park?
Research suggests that whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll, jogging, practicing yoga, or simply sitting on a bench soaking in the scenery, spending a mere 20 minutes in a natural environment can have profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind.
Studies have shown that immersing oneself in the tranquility of a park and surrounded by lush greenery and fresh air can significantly reduce stress levels, alleviate feelings of depression, and soothe restlessness.
# 01
immerse oneself in sth / be immersed in sth 指「沉浸于...,潜心于...,专注于...」。
比如:她沉浸
rejuvenate [rɪˈdʒuːvəneɪt] 为动词,rejuvenate sb / sth指「使…年轻,使…更有活力」(to make somebody/something look or feel younger, more lively or more modern)。
比如:我度假回来,感到恢复了活力。
I came back from holiday feeling rejuvenated.
「实现民族复兴」就叫作rejuvenate the nation, achievenational rejuvenation。
embrace 指「拥抱」,既可作名词,也可作动词。
embrace nature 便指「拥抱大自然」。文中the embrace of nature 即「大自然的拥抱」。
注意nature 是不可数名词,前面不需要加冠词。
leisurely [ˈleʒəli] 为形容词,指「慢悠悠的,不慌不忙的」(describes an action that is done in a relaxed way, without hurrying)。
我们在推荐一位宝藏英音Vlogger里也讲过这个词。
我们回顾两个英美剧里的例子:
We'll go have a nice, leisurely lunch wherever the fuck we want.
Not many men can plan their exit from this world in such a leisurely way.
stroll [strəʊl] 指「散步,闲逛」,既可以作动词,也可作名词。
比如:People were strolling along the beach. 人们在海滩漫步。
They went for a stroll in the park. 他们去公园里散步了。
take a leisurely stroll 便指「悠闲散步」。
jog 指「慢跑」。同样也是既可以作动词,也可作名词。
practice yoga 指「做瑜伽」。
注意「做」瑜伽,用的是practice这个词。
soak 作动词,本来是「浸,泡」的意思。soak in the scenery 便指「沉浸在风景里,欣赏风景」。
scenery [ˈsiː.nəri] 为不可数名词,指「风景,景色」。
The North of England, I believe, boasts some spectacular scenery.
a natural environment 指「自然环境」。
a mere ... 指「仅仅...」。 a mere 20 minutes 便指「仅仅20分钟」。
有同学要问了,明明20minutes 是复数名词,为什么要用a mere呢?这里涉及一个特殊用法:复数的事物如果作为一个整体受到定语修饰,该定语前面可以有 a/an 或表示不定指的形容词。
我们再来看几个例子:
a mere 100 区区一百
an estimated 1 million off-campus education providers 大约100万家校外培训机构
a full fifteen years 整整十五年
a contentious three years 纷争的三年
a very busy six weeks 非常忙碌的六周
a record 18,864 applications 创纪录的18864份入学申请
have profoundly positive effects on sth 指「对…产生深远的积极影响」。
sth can have profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind. 这个句式大家直接背下来,指「某事物能对身心产生深远的积极影响」。
💡语法点睛:suggest后面that引导的宾语从句有的同学可能比较晕,我们来简单拆分一下:
whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll, jogging, practicing yoga, or simply sitting on a bench soaking in the scenery, // spending a mere 20 minutes in a natural environment can have profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind
这句话由whether引导的让步状语从句+主句构成。
whether you are A,B, C or D, ... 指「无论是你是做A,B,C还是D,...」。
句中A = taking a leisurely stroll
B = jogging
C = practicing yoga
D = or simply sitting on a bench soaking in the scenery
D中的soaking in the scenery是一个过去分词短语作伴随状语,修饰sit,指「坐在板凳上欣赏风景」。
主句是个简单句: spending a mere 20 minutes in a natural environment (主语)// can have (谓语)// profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind(宾语).
其中spending a mere 20 minutes in a natural environment 是个动名词短语在句中作主语,指「仅仅在自然环境中待上20分钟」。
我们再把这句话连起来读一遍:
Research suggests that whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll, jogging, practicing yoga, or simply sitting on a bench soaking in the scenery, spending a mere 20 minutes in a natural environment can have profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind.研究表明,无论是散步、慢跑、练习瑜伽,还是就坐在长椅上欣赏风景,只需在自然环境中待上20分钟,就能对身心产生深远的积极影响。
immerse oneself in sth / be immersed in sth 指「沉浸于...,潜心于...,专注于...」。
比如:她沉浸在工作中。
She immersed herself in her work.
She was immersed in her work.And I enjoyed every second of that, and I got immersed.
近义词还有be absorbed in sth, be preoccupied with sth等等,大家可以打包一起记忆。
immersion 为名词,指「沉浸,专心,陷入」(the state of being completely involved in sth),常搭配介词in。
比如:Total immersion in a videogame is almost like living another life. 完全沉浸在电子游戏中,几乎就像过着另一种生活。
immersive [ɪ'mɜ:sɪv] 为形容词,指「沉浸式的」。
比如:immersive exhibitions 沉浸式体验。
tranquility [træŋ'kwiləti] 为名词,指「平静,宁静」。
tranquil [ˈtræŋkwɪl] 为形容词形式,指「平静的,宁静的」(pleasantly calm, quiet, and peaceful)。
lush [lʌʃ] 为形容词,指「茂盛的,草木繁茂的」。
比如:the lush green countryside 郁郁葱葱的乡村
再举个vlog里的例子:
Long ago, the island of Manhattan was a lush, green paradise.greenery 为不可数名词,指「绿色植物」。
reduce stress levels 指「降低压力水平」。
alleviate feelings of depression 指「缓解抑郁情绪」。
soothe restlessness 指「缓解不安情绪」。
alleviate [əˈliː.vieɪt] 指「缓和,缓解」(If you alleviate pain, suffering, or an unpleasant condition, you make it less intense or severe),后面直接跟不好的感觉或问题。 再扩展几个常⻅搭配:
alleviate starvation and extreme poverty 缓解饥荒和极端贫困
alleviate anxiety 缓解焦虑
alleviate traffic jams 缓解交通拥堵
alleviate job discrimination 缓解就业歧视soothe 指「减轻,缓和」。
Please! Cooking soothes me.Alma's hurt feelings were soothed. restlessness 由rest+less+ness构成,rest 指「安心,安宁」,less 指「无,没有」,ness为名词后缀,连起来restlessness 便指「不安」。
therapeutic [ˌθer.əˈpjuːtɪk] 为形容词,指「治愈的,疗愈人心的」(making you feel calm and relaxed)。 比如:Painting can be very therapeutic. 绘画可以使人完全放松。 I find walking my dog very therapeutic. 我觉得遛狗让人非常放松。 undeniable 为形容词,指「不可否认的,确凿的」(true or certain; that cannot be denied)。
sth has undeniable benefits 指「某事物不可否认的好处」
The benefits of sth are undeniable. 指「...的好处不可否认」。
两个搭配都非常高频。我们在论述事物利弊的时候就可以用这个词。
举两个BBC的例子:
Despite these ongoing challenges, the benefits of empowering women are undeniable. Women are the engine driving global economic growth.
尽管挑战持续存在,但为妇女赋权的益处是不可否认的。妇女是推动全球经济增长的引擎。
Nevertheless, international trade and globalization have had undeniable benefits, and are here to stay.
然而,国际贸易和全球化带来了毋庸置疑的好处,并将继续存在。
我们可以先说The benefits of sth are undeniable. 再接着具体解释有什么好处。
我们拿「养狗」举个例:The health benefits of owning a dog are undeniable. Dog owners have lower blood pressure and healthier cholesterol levels, and a lower risk of heart disease, than non-owners.
养狗对健康的益处是毋庸置疑的。与不养狗的人相比,养狗的人血压更低,胆固醇水平更健康,患心脏病的风险也更低。sanctuary [ˈsæŋktʃʊəri] 指「庇护所,避难所」。
我们再来看几个美剧里的例子:You shall be each other's sanctuary.
School would not be a sanctuary.urbanite [ˈɜːbənaɪt] 指「城市居民」。我们还可以说urban dwellers,city dwellers,作文里可以同义替换。 escape the hustle and bustle of city life 指「远离城市生活的喧嚣」。非常地道的一个词,大家积累下来,可以用在城乡对比、大城市vs小城市等话题的作文里。 reconnect with sth 指「与…重新联结」。 innate [ɪˈneɪt] 为形容词,指「与生俱来的,天生的」(that you have when you are born)。 sb’s innate sense of calm 便指「某人内在的平静」。
present这里为动词,指「引起,带来,提供」(if something presents an opportunity, advantage, problem etc, it creates it)。
present an opportunity to do sth 即「提供做某事的机会」,是一个高频搭配。
同样常见的搭配还有:present problems 带来问题 present challenges 带来挑战我们还可以反过来说:present oneself 指机会、问题「突然出现,产生」(if a situation, opportunity etc presents itself, it suddenly happens or exists)。
我们来看两个英美剧里的例子:
Okay, an opportunity presented itself.
A promising business opportunity has just presented itself.bask in the sun 指「晒太阳」。我们还可以说soak up the sun,同样指「晒太阳」。我们在推荐一位宝藏英音Vlogger里刚学过:
It was honestly such a restorative act! After being stuck inside for ages, it was beautiful to see so many people soak up the sun.bask in sth 还可表示「沉浸于」赞美、宠爱、崇拜(to enjoy the good feelings that you have when other people praise or admire you, or when they give you a lot of attention)。
我在美剧里遇见过很多次:And think of all the internet glory you could bask in!
Ice bear enjoys basking.
Well, it would be positively unsporting of me to deny you the pleasure of basking in my success.
But I'm basking.engage in sth 指「参与…」,可以替换小学生词汇take part in sth。
比如:engage in extra-curricular activities 参与课外活动。
我们来看几个例子:
Do you engage in unprotected sex?
You asked me to engage in a relationship with a young man, my own age.meditation 指「冥想」。mindful medidation 指「正念冥想」。 mindful 这个形容词,本义是「注意的,留神的,有意识的」。
mindfulness 就是指现在流行的「正念」。
读一读英文解释,大家一下就明白这个词的意思了:
Mindfulness is being aware. It’s noticing and paying attention to thoughts, feelings, behavior, and everything else.
正念是要去觉知,是要认知到并关注自己的想法、行为和感受。commune with sth 指「与…交流」。 commune with the natural world / commune with the nature 便指「与大自然交流」。
Yesterday, I was in New Orleans communing with the spirit of my birth mom.《福布斯》一篇关于公园20分钟效应的文章还用了下面这些词来表示「与大自然交流、接触」:
connect with natureinteract with outdoors and nature
spend time in naturebe in nature
go outside and experience naturefeel in contact with nature 大家打包一起记,可以在作文里同义替换。
sight 指看到的东西,也就是「景物,景象」。 scent [sent] 指「香味」,为可数名词。
What is the scent? Her perfume. Still lingering.attuned 与tune(旋律)同根,be attuned to sth 本义是「对某种声音非常敏锐,对于某种声音很熟悉」(If your ears are attuned to a sound, you can hear it and recognize it quickly)。
比如:Their ears were still attuned to the sounds of the London suburb.他们依然很熟悉伦敦市郊的喧闹声。
文中we become attuned to the rhythms of nature 直译便是「我们开始习惯大自然的节奏」。考研英语二2019年Text 1 就考过这个词: Rats and other animals need to be highly attuned to social signals from others so they can identify friends to cooperate with and enemies to avoid. 老鼠等动物必须要对同类发出的社交信号非常敏锐,这样它们才能分辨哪些是可以合作的朋友,哪些是应该避开的敌人。
be attuned to sth 还可抽象意义上的「熟悉...,适应...,对...非常敏锐」。
这个词单看中文不太好理解,大家注意看英文解释:familiar with somebody/something so that you can understand or recognize them or it and act in an appropriate way)。
我们再来看几个外刊里的例子,进一步体会一下:
Most important, the public is more attuned to the danger of inflation than it was before the pandemic.
最重要的是,公众较疫情之前更能敏锐地察觉通胀的危险。Politicians must be highly attuned to these dangers. 政治家必须非常熟悉这些危险。
我在美剧《我爱上的人是奇葩》里也遇见过这个词:
First of all, I don't have the mental bandwidth to stay attuned to Gretchen's every little mood shift.replenish [rɪˈplen.ɪʃ] 为动词,指「补充,重新装满」。 revitalize [ˌriːˈvaɪtəlaɪz] 为动词,指「使…恢复活力,使…复兴」。
Here's the kind of person who can revitalize the study literature.
# 复盘总结
大自然的拥抱:the embrace of nature 悠闲散步:taking a leisurely stroll 慢跑:jog 做瑜伽:practice yoga 欣赏风景:soak in the scenery 在自然环境中:in a natural environment
沉浸于...:immerse oneself in sth / be immersed in sth 身边是青葱绿植和新鲜空气:be surrounded by lush greenery and fresh air 显著降低压力水平:significantly reduce stress levels 缓解抑郁情绪:alleviate feelings of depression 安抚不安情绪:soothe restlessness
治愈的,疗愈人心的:therapeutic 大自然的疗愈力量:the therapeutic benefits of nature 逃离城市生活的喧嚣:escape the hustle and bustle of city life 城市居民:urbanites, city dwellers, urban dwellers
晒太阳:bask in the sun, soak up in the sun 悠闲野餐:enjoy a leisurely picnic 提供做某事的机会:present the opportunity to do sth 与大自然交流 / 接触:
commune with the natural worldconnect with nature
interact with outdoors and naturespend time in nature be in nature go outside and experience nature feel in contact with nature 正念冥想:engage in mindful meditation 参与...:engage in sth 👈 take part in sth 沉浸在户外景色、声音和气味里:immerse oneself in the sights, sounds, and scents of the outdoors 熟悉...,适应...,对...非常敏锐:become / be attuned to sth 做某事能对身心产生深远的积极影响:Doing sth can have profoundly positive effects on both your body and mind
某事物的好处毋庸置疑:
sth has undeniable benefits
The benefits of sth are undeniable.
「分享重塑我人生的一句箴言」
《不够善良的我们》,外媒如何报道?
中国年轻人为何喜欢“上班恶心穿搭”?| 外媒说
2024年,全新课程
精选最新英美外刊报道,
10个精读话题+10个泛读话题
一网打尽2024年的热点!
点击下方图片,即可了解详情👇
45天快速突破长难句训练营「6月班」
带你吃透非谓语动词、三大从句、倒装、
独立主格、强调、省略等核心语法点
考研英语真题精读班「2011-2014年」
词、句、篇、题逐个剖析,
无死角吃透每一个考点。
词汇、语法、逻辑、写作表达、通通拿下。
祝大家周末愉快!