- 引領公眾輿論的那些美文（環球時代美文讀本）
- 吳中東 宮玉波
- 1944字
- 2020-08-20 09:56:27
08 The Stature of Americans美國人的身高
導讀
文章先以球員張伯倫為例說明美國運動員身高快速增長的趨勢，然后轉折提出與之相反的趨勢：美國人的身高總體上已經停止了增長。然后論證結論，通過現在與過去的比較和引用人類學家的觀點論證結論；分析指出遺傳因素是造成美國人身高停止增長的真正原因；從“遺傳身高最大值不太可能很快改變”角度并引用人類學家的觀點再次論證結論。
In the early 1960s Wilt Chamberlain was one of the only three players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) listed at over seven feet. If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. The bodies playing major professional sports have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames.
The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring
an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people—especially those born to families who have lived in the US for many generations—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren't likely to get any taller. “In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we have pretty much gone as far as we can go, ” says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of getting players from all over the world.
Growth, which seldom continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients—especially protein. At the start of the 20th century, under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way. But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the general trend in height. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height—5'9" for men, 5'4" for women—has not really changed since the 1960s.
Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the birth canal. Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs. “There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism, ” says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University.
Genes can change, but don't expect this to happen soon. Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration. She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of military uniforms has not changed for some time. And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of equipment, Gordon says, “you could use today's data and feel fairly confident.”
在20世紀60年代，韋爾特·張伯倫是美國籃球協會(NBA)中僅有的三個身高超過7英尺的球員之一。但如果他在上個賽季進行比賽的話，他只不過是42個球員之一了。在過去的歲月里，從事主要專業體育運動的運動員的身軀發生了巨大變化，經理也巴不得為這些日漸增多的更大、更高的選手調整隊服。
然而，體育界的這種日漸高大的趨勢似乎掩蓋了一個并未被人們所認識到的現實：美國人在整體上已經不再長高。盡管今天的身高要比140年以前高出2英寸，但現在的人們——尤其是那些生于已經在美國生活了很多代的家庭的人們——他們的身高顯然在20世紀60年代初期就已經達到了極限。這些人也不太可能再長高，“依照目前的公眾以及基因和環境水平來看，我們可以說已經沒有多大的增長余地了，”賴特州立大學的人類學家威廉·卡梅倫·查姆利如是說。拿NBA球員來說，他們身高的增長似乎是在全世界更大范圍的選擇球員而造成的。
20歲以后增長就幾乎停止了，而增長需要熱量和營養——尤其是蛋白質。在20世紀伊始，營養不足以及兒童感染妨礙了人口身高增長。但隨著飲食和健康的提高，兒童和青少年的平均身高每隔20年就會增長1.5英寸，這是一種普遍認可的身高趨勢。但是根據疾病控制和預防中心的說法，男人5英尺9英寸和女人5英尺4英寸的平均身高自從20世紀60年代以來就幾乎沒有發生什么變化。
從基因角度來看，避免身高過高有很多好處。在生產時，較大的嬰兒更難通過產道。另外，盡管人類直立已有幾百萬年，但是我們的雙腳和后背在直立行走時仍有困難，并且也無法輕易承擔過大四肢所造成的反復勞損?！懊糠N生物的基因結構確實設定了一些真真實實的限制，”西北大學的人類學家威廉·倫納德指出。
基因可以變化，但不要奢望近期就能實現。位于納迪克的陸軍研究中心的高級人類學家克萊瑞·C·高登認為，90%的制服和工作站無需修改就可以讓新兵使用。她指出，與籃球隊服有所不同，軍隊制服的長度在很長時間內就一直沒有改動過。如果你為了設計某種儀器而需要預測在人類在不遠將來的身高，高登說，“你可以很自信地采用今天的數據。”
Cloze
完形填空
I notice also a difference in the 1 state of mind. The rather ghastly jollity of 1914 is not apparent in the streets of Lon don these days. People pass each other 2 and seriously. We know that our task is a tremendous task and that there is 3 room for frivolity. In 1914, many of us younger people ima gined that the war would be some rollicking adventure. Today, we all realize, 4 our age, that it will prove the grimmest of ordeals, and, what is 5, every man and woman today realizes that he or she is personally involved 6 the start.
Key
1. general 2. soberly 3. no 4. whatever 5. more 6. from
Translation Practices
翻譯練習
Textual Translation（篇章翻譯）
然而，體育界的這種日漸高大的趨勢似乎掩蓋了一個并未被人們所認識到的現實：美國人在整體上已經不再長高。盡管今天的身高要比140年以前高出2英寸，但現在的人們——尤其是那些生于已經在美國生活了很多代的家庭的人們——他們的身高顯然在20世紀60年代初期就已經達到了極限。這些人也不太可能再長高，“依照目前的公眾以及基因和環境水平來看，我們可以說已經沒有多大的增長余地了，”賴特州立大學的人類學家威廉·卡梅倫·查姆利如是說。拿NBA球員來說，他們身高的增長似乎是在全世界更大范圍內選擇球員而造成的。
_______________
參考譯文
The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people—especially those born to families who have lived in the US for many generations—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren't likely to get any taller. “In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we have pretty much gone as far as we can go, ” says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of getting players from all over the world.