文字稿
人體內有一個獨特的生物鐘，來適應地球的晝夜變換。它在一天之中的不同時段，對我們的生理功能進行著非常精准的調節，這個生物鐘到底是如何工作的？2017年諾貝爾生物學獎獲得者們通過分離基因，為我們揭示了到底是什麼樣的機制使得細胞內的生物鐘持續工作。請聽報導。
We spend around a third of our lives like this.
Sleeping at night and being active during the day is second nature. That’s because we’re at the mercy of the constant ticking of clocks inside nearly every cell of our bodies. Our mood, strength, hormone levels, body temperature, metabolism and even the risk of a heart attack all fluctuate in a daily rhythm.
This clock is not controlled by cogs and pendulums. Instead, it’s the swing in gene activity over 24 hours that keeps our body’s time. The US’s trio Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young found the genes involved.
Dr Michael Hastings, a circadian rhythm scientist in Cambridge, said it took the discovery for the field to be treated seriously.
Nobody now doubts the importance of our body clocks. Ask someone who is jet lagged or working shifts what it’s like to live out of sync with your internal clock.
Long-term circadian rhythm disruption is linked to a host of diseases, from cancer to type 2 diabetes, but understanding how the body’s timepiece works is also unlocking new ideas, like taking medicines at the time of day when they will have the biggest impact on the body.
詞彙表
second nature 第二天性；習性
at the mercy of 任憑…的擺布，完全受…的支配
constant 連續不斷的
hormone 荷爾蒙，激素
metabolism 新陳代謝
rhythm （人的生物）節奏，規律
cogs （齒輪的）嵌齒
pendulums 鐘擺
trio 三人組
circadian rhythm 晝夜生理節律
jet lagged 有時差感的
out of sync 不同步的
測驗
請聽報導並回答下列問題。
1. True or false: the strength of emotions, hormone levels, body temperature, metabolism and even the risk of a heart attack all fluctuate in a daily rhythm.
2. What keeps our body’s time?
3. What can the long-term disruption of circadian rhythms cause?
4. Which word in the text means “watch or clock”?
答案
1. True or false: the strength of emotions, hormone levels, body temperature, metabolism and even the risk of a heart attack all fluctuate in a daily rhythm.
True. According to the report, mood strength, hormone levels, body temperature, metabolism and even the risk of a heart attack all fluctuate in a daily rhythm.
2. What keeps our body’s time?
It’s the swing in gene activity over 24 hours that keeps our body’s time.
3. What can the long-term disruption of circadian rhythms cause?
Long term circadian rhythm disruption is linked to a host of diseases, from cancer to type 2 diabetes.
4. Which word in the text means “watch or clock”?
Timepiece.
