国家地理 音乐治疗里程碑(1)

In most nations, premature¹ births -- at or before 37 weeks -- have risen in the past 20 years. Leaving the nourishing confines of the womb too early can result in complications and often leads to a stay in a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

过去20年内，早产儿（怀孕未满37周就出生）在大多数的国家都有増加的趋势。太早离开提供营养的子宫可能会造成许多并发症，因此早产儿往往得住进新生儿加护病房（NICU）。

At University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, music is folded into the care plan for some preemies. But unlike other NICU music programs, this novel project features three specific songs, which babies listen to through special headphones made for tiny, fragile heads. The songs are part of an ongoing² study that aims to understand how music affects a preterm newborn's brain and how well it can recognize melody, tempo³, and pitch—skills likely related to language processing.

在瑞士日内瓦大学附属医院，音乐治疗被纳人某些早产儿的照护计划。与其他NICU的音乐计划不同，这项新计划的特点是播放三首指定曲，婴儿会戴上为脆弱小脑袋而设计的特制耳机来聆听。这三首曲子属于尚在进行中的研究内容，目标是要了解音乐会如何影响早产儿的脑部，以及早产儿的大脑对于识别旋律、节奏和音调又能达到什么样的程度，因为这些技能可能与语言处理有关。

1 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 tempo   

n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度

参考例句：

• The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
• They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。