【英语时差8，16】你有多高？

 The next time someone asks you how tall you are, keep in mind that your answer might depend on the time of day. You see, in the morning, when you wake up, you're taller than at night, when you go to bed.   How can this be? Well, the spine¹ is made of twenty-nine vertebrae and the tailbone. Sandwiched between these hard vertebrae are what are known as intervertebral disks, which act as shock absorbers and protect our spinal² cord. These disks can compress or expand, and this mechanism³ is what enables us to move our spine.

Intervertebral disks are made up primarily of water, and together they make up about a foot of our adult height. Now, when you're standing⁴ upright, your spine supports the weight of your head, trunk, and upper body. All that pressure causes water to diffuse⁵ out of the intervertebral disks. Over the course of a day, you can lose up to an inch of your height due to intervertebral disk compression. Then, at night, when you're lying down, the water diffuses⁶ back into the disks and elongates⁷ your spine, so that when you wake up, it's ready to face another day.

This diffusion⁸ of water in and out of our intervertebral disks is also important because these disks aren't hooked up to our blood supply. This means that the water pumping in and out of them also provides them with nutrients⁹ and enables them to eliminate waste products.

So if you've ever wished you were just a little bit taller, try measuring your height in the morning. It might make all the difference.  

1 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

2 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 diffuse   

v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的

参考例句：

• Direct light is better for reading than diffuse light.直射光比漫射光更有利于阅读。
• His talk was so diffuse that I missed his point.他的谈话漫无边际，我抓不住他的要点。

6 diffuses   

（使光）模糊，漫射，漫散( diffuse的第三人称单数 )； （使）扩散； （使）弥漫； （使）传播

参考例句：

• A gas in solution diffuses from region of greater to one of less concentration. 溶液中的气体由浓度较高的区域向浓度较低的区域扩散。
• The sun diffuses light and heat. 太阳发出光和热。

7 elongates   

v.延长，加长( elongate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Acropetal differentiation of the cambium layer continues as the primary root elongates. 形成层的向顶分化像初生根伸长一样在继续进行。 来自辞典例句
• At the onset of germination, the hypocotyl elongates rapidly by cell enlargement. 萌发开始时，下胚轴依靠细胞增大而迅速伸长。 来自辞典例句

8 diffusion   

n.流布；普及；散漫

参考例句：

• The invention of printing helped the diffusion of learning.印刷术的发明有助于知识的传播。
• The effect of the diffusion capacitance can be troublesome.扩散电容会引起麻烦。

9 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》