Magnets can modify our morality 磁鐵會改變我們的道德

《中英對照讀新聞》Magnets can modify our morality 磁鐵會改變我們的道德  
◎國際新聞中心
Scientists have shown they can change people’s moral judgements by disrupting a specific area of the brain with magnetic pulses.
科學家表示，他們可以以磁脈衝干擾腦部特定區域，改變人的道德判斷。
They identified a region of the brain just above and behind the right ear which appears to control morality. And by using magnetic pulses to block cell activity they impaired volunteers’ notion of right and wrong.
他們辨認出在右耳後上方的一個大腦區塊，似乎控制道德感，而他們藉著使用磁脈衝封鎖細胞活動，損害了志願者的對錯觀念。
Lead researcher Dr Liane Young said："You think of morality as being a really high-level behaviour. To be able to apply a magnetic field to a specific brain region and change people’s moral judgments is really astonishing."
首席研究人員楊博士表示：「你認為道德是很高層次的行為，可以對大腦特定區塊施加磁場、改變人的道德判斷，真的很讓人意外。」
The key area of the brain is a knot of nerve cells known as the right temporo-parietal junction （RTPJ）.
大腦此一關鍵區域是被稱為「右顳頂接點」的神經細胞結。
The researchers subjected 20 volunteers to a number of tests designed to assess their notions of right and wrong. In one scenario participants were asked how acceptable it was for a man to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knew to be unsafe.
研究人員讓20名志願者接受一連串測試，評量他們的對錯觀念。 在其中一個情況，參與者被問到，一個男人讓女朋友走過一條他知道不安全的橋，是否可接受。
After receiving a 500 millisecond magnetic pulse to the scalp, the volunteers delivered verdicts based on outcome rather than moral principle.
志願者的頭皮接受500毫秒的磁脈衝之後，根據結果而非道德原則發表看法。
If the girlfriend made it across the bridge safely, her boyfriend was not seen as having done anything wrong. In effect, they were unable to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people’s intentions.
如果這個女朋友安全過橋，他們不認為她的男友有錯。實際上，他們不能做需要了解他人意向的道德判斷。
新聞辭典
impaire：動詞，削弱，減少。例句：A recurring knee injury may have impaired his chances of winning the tournament.（不斷復發的膝傷降低了他贏得此次比賽的機會。）
astonishing：形容詞，讓人驚訝的。例句：She did astonishingly well in her exams.（她的考試成績出奇的好。）
subject：動詞，使遭受。例句：In recent years, she has been subject to attacks of depression.（最近這幾年，她罹患憂鬱症。）

Man acquitted of raping daughter due to ’sexsomnia’ 「睡眠性交症」 男子強暴女兒脫罪

中英對照讀新聞／Man acquitted of raping daughter due to ’sexsomnia’ 「睡眠性交症」 男子強暴女兒脫罪 
◎陳成良
In a judgment condemned as ’the summit of perversity’ and ’an open door for paedophiles’, a Belgian man was acquitted of charges he raped his four-year-old daughter because he did it in his sleep, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.
一名比利時男子被控強暴4歲女兒的罪名不成立，因為他是在睡夢中做了這件事，這項判決被譴責是「性變態的極致」、「為戀童狂大開方便之門」，比利時媒體週二報導。
The ’Het Laatste Nieuws’（HLN）newspaper reported that the 30-year-old man, who was only identified as F. L., admitted to raping his daughter but claimed he was not aware of his acts. He said he is suffering from sexsomnia, which causes people to engage in sexual acts such as masturbation, fondling and rape while they are asleep.
「最新消息報」報導，這名只知名字縮寫為「F. L.」的30歲男子，坦承蹂躪他女兒，但聲稱對自己的行為無意識。他說自己罹患睡眠性交症，這種疾病會導致病患睡著時從事手淫、愛撫及強暴等性行為。
The man told a court in Mons： ’This is a sexual version of sleepwalking. I was deeply ashamed when I found out what was happening.’
這名男子在蒙斯市的法庭上說：「這是性愛版的夢遊症，當我察覺發生什麼事時，深感羞愧。」
Experts don’t rule out the possibility of sexsomnia and say he does not appear to be a paedophile, the newspaper reported. The mother and the prosecutor’s office are appealing the court decision.
「最新消息報」報導，專家不排除睡眠性交症的可能性，並表示，他不像戀童狂。女童的母親及檢察官辦公室正對法庭的判決提起上訴。
新聞辭典 Dictionary
perversity：名詞，乖僻；剛愎；性變態。例句：This is very strange. It is strange to the point of perversity. （這實在是非常奇怪，而且奇怪到變態的地步。）pervert則是指「性變態者」。
acquit of：片語，宣告無罪、無罪獲釋。例句︰The jury acquitted her of all charges.（陪審團宣判她的所有指控皆無罪。）
ashamed︰形容詞，慚愧的、害臊的。I’m ashamed for you.（我為你感到慚愧。）

An Hour Of Daily Exercise ’Needed To Stay Slim’ 保持苗條每天要運動一小時

《中英對照讀新聞》An Hour Of Daily Exercise ’Needed To Stay Slim’ 保持苗條每天要運動一小時  

◎國際新聞中心

The recommended half an hour of exercise a day may not be enough to stop weight gain. According to a US study of 34,000 women, an hour a day of moderate exercise is needed to fight the flab. Overweight women need to diet as well as exercise, a Harvard team reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

每天運動半小時的建議，可能沒辦法阻止變胖，根據美國針對3萬4000名女性所做的研究，要對付肥肉，每天要做一小時適度的運動才夠。哈佛團隊在美國醫學協會期刊上發表報告指出，過胖的女性，還需要靠飲食搭配運動。

The UK government advises adults to exercise for at least half an hour five or more days a week. The US study followed 34,000 middle-aged women over 13 years. The women completed regular questionnaires about the amount of time they spent on physical activity.

英國政府建議成人每週至少運動5天以上，每次至少半小時。美國的這份研究，追蹤3萬4000名中年婦女長達13年，她們定期填寫詢問她們花多少時間運動的問卷。

They were classified into three groups：those who did the equivalent of less than two and a half hours of moderate exercise a week, between two and a half hours and seven hours a week, and more than seven hours a week.

她們被分為每週運動少於兩個半小時、兩個半到七小時之間，以及七小時以上的3組。

The average age of the women was 54, and the average weight gain was 2.6 kg over the 13 year period. The high exercise group gained significantly less weight than the rest. But there was no difference in weight gain between the two lower exercise groups.

這群女性平均年齡54歲，13年間體重平均增加2.6公斤，高運動量的組別變胖的幅度明顯比其他組別少，但另兩個運動量較少的組別之間，增胖的幅度沒有差別。

The only group who didn’t gain weight during the study were normal weight women who exercised for an hour or more a day.

在研究期間唯一沒有增胖的組別，是每天運動一小時以上的正常體重女性。

新聞辭典

flab：名詞，鬆弛的肌肉。例句：I’ve got to lose this flab on my belly!（我得消掉肚子上的這些肥肉！）

diet：名詞，飲食，節食。例句：I’m going on a diet next week and hope to lose two kilos before Christmas.（我下週要開始節食，希望能在耶誕節前減肥兩公斤。）

classify：動詞，分類。例句：The books in the library are classified by/according to subject.（圖書館裡的書根據主題分類。）