【英语时差8，16】假日里的死亡

 Yael: They're months away, and I'm already stressed out about the holidays. Two different relatives of mine have died of natural causes on Christmas Day. You think my family's cursed?

Don: If your family's cursed, Yael, then a heck of a lot of other families may be too. Research indicates that more people die of natural causes during the holiday season than any other time of the year.

Y: Really? You think that has something to do with the harshness of winter in some places?

D: It probably does have something to do with certain side-effects of winter, such as increased respiratory problems and increased inhalation of airborne particulate¹ matter from the more frequent use of fireplaces. But that's not the whole story. The study revealed a seasonal² increase in deaths from natural causes over the winter, but also an additional increase in deaths from natural causes in the period December 25th to January 7th. In fact, whether we're looking at natural deaths or unnatural³, the most common days to die are Christmas Day, the day after Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Y: You're not easing my stress any, Don. And my guess is that stress is the leading culprit in these holiday deaths.

D: Not so fast. While stress surely has some impact, as well as overindulgence of food and alcohol, scientists think that two other culprits are most likely to have the largest impact. One is people's reluctance⁴ to put down their forks and eggnog and seek medical attention when they need it. Two is the changes in medical staffing over the holidays. Staff schedules often change over the holidays, and this may result in less efficient care.  

1 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

4 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。