外刊精读 | 考研英语素材:睡前开一条窗缝,可能比关灯更管用
- 2026-11-05 23:07:18
一、背景速览
新泽西的冬天，人类学家 Gandhi Yetish 睡前会把窗户打开，让冷风灌进来吹脸，很快就困了。多年后他研究玻利维亚亚马逊的 Tsimane、坦桑尼亚的 Hadza 和南部非洲的 San，发现这些没有电灯的族群并不跟着日出日落睡，而是跟着气温升降睡。实验室证据也在这儿：核心体温在入睡前开始下降，一夜大约降 1℃；房间太热，睡眠更短、更容易醒。2007 年的实验里，室温在 27℃ 与 24℃ 之间起伏的那组，夜间褪黑素指标更高，醒来更清爽。但「温度能设定生物钟」还是假设：动物和细胞实验支持，人体证据只有 1974 年那个「周期延长 23 分钟」的小研究；牛津的 Foster 说机制不明，巴塞尔的 Cajochen 直言温度还不是「新的光」。作者收得谨慎：开窗也许值得一试。
二、英文节选
Even today, anthropologist Gandhi Yetish remembers the bedtime ritual he had as a child during cold New Jersey winters. He would open his window, letting the frigid air rush in and cool his face. He'd quickly feel drowsier, though he'd wonder what his mother would say about the heating bill.
Next, Yetish and a team of colleagues from universities across the US investigated the sleep of two other indigenous groups. These included the Hadza of northern Tanzania and the San in Southern Africa. The researchers found that their sleep timings also didn't correspond with light and dark cycles. Instead, it seemed to be tracking the rise and fall of the ambient temperature.
In one 1974 study, participants adjusted their room temperature so that it was about 6C (11F) cooler while they were sleeping compared to when they were awake. That change lengthened their sleep-wake cycles by around 23 minutes – meaning that, when it comes to controlling human circadian rhythms, "the effect of temperature is very similar to that of light", the study noted.
三、中文译文
直到今天，人类学家 Gandhi Yetish 还记得小时候在新泽西过冬的睡前习惯。他会打开窗户，让冷空气灌进来，吹凉自己的脸。他很快就更困了，只是会琢磨母亲看到暖气账单会说什么。
接下来，耶蒂什和美国多所大学的同事一起，研究了另外两个原住民族群的睡眠。一个是坦桑尼亚北部的哈扎人，一个是南部非洲的桑人。研究者发现，他们的入睡时间同样与昼夜交替对不上。它跟着走的，似乎是环境温度的升降。
1974 年的一项研究里，受试者把卧室温度调到比清醒时低约 6℃（11℉）。这一变化把他们的睡—醒周期拉长了约 23 分钟——也就是说，在控制人类昼夜节律这件事上，「温度的作用与光非常相似」，该研究指出。
四、高频词短语
【ritual】 /ˈrɪtʃuəl/ n. 固定习惯，仪式
例句：He remembers the bedtime ritual he had as a child.
译：他记得小时候那套睡前习惯。
【frigid】 /ˈfrɪdʒɪd/ a. 严寒的
例句：Frigid air rushed in through the open window.
译：冷空气从敞开的窗户灌了进来。
【drowsy】 /ˈdraʊzi/ a. 昏昏欲睡的
例句：He would quickly feel drowsier after cooling his face.
译：把脸吹凉之后，他很快就更困了。
【ambient】 /ˈæmbiənt/ a. 周围的
例句：Their sleep tracked the ambient temperature.
译：他们的睡眠跟着环境温度走。
【lengthen】 /ˈleŋθən/ v. 延长
例句：The change lengthened their sleep-wake cycles.
译：这一变化延长了他们的睡—醒周期。
五、长难句速拆
原句：That change lengthened their sleep-wake cycles by around 23 minutes – meaning that, when it comes to controlling human circadian rhythms, "the effect of temperature is very similar to that of light", the study noted.
主干很短：That change lengthened their sleep-wake cycles，by around 23 minutes 说明幅度。破折号后面不是新句子，而是对前一句的释义，meaning that 引出一个宾语从句。从句里 when it comes to... 是插入的时间状语，先撇开不看，剩下的就是 the effect of temperature is very similar to that of light，that 代替 the effect。最后 the study noted 是引述来源，中文习惯把它提到前面，说「该研究指出」，别照英文留在句尾。
六、考场应用
考研阅读·Instead 后面才是结论：their sleep timings also didn't correspond with light and dark cycles. Instead, it seemed to be tracking the rise and fall of the ambient temperature. 先否定旧解释，再用 Instead 立新解释，答案几乎总在后者。问研究发现了什么，选温度，不选光照。
考研翻译·引语的主语后置：..., "the effect of temperature is very similar to that of light", the study noted. 英文把 the study noted 放在引语后面，中文要提到前面作「该研究指出」，否则句子像没说完。引语里的 that of light 不能省成「光的」，要补成「光的作用」。
雅思阅读·结论的强度：some scientists argue、may be as important、is still being debated、not the "new light"，四处都在给结论降温。题干若说「研究已证明温度比光更重要」，与原文矛盾，判 FALSE；只说「有研究提到温度影响睡眠」，才是 TRUE。
试译：We just don't live in the environment that we've evolved for. 这句你打算怎么翻？提示：两个 we 都指人类，不是「我们一家」；evolved for 后面省略了 living in，译时补出来才顺。
七、来源
来源：BBC Future（Amanda Ruggeri）｜ 2026 年 10 月 7 日
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