英语听力精选进阶版 6399

In English the colour green is associated with jealousy¹, which is sometimes jokingly called 'the green-eyed monster'. But it's no joke when jealousy takes over your life. Researchers are only starting to understand how jealousy can go wrong in the human brain.

Mild jealousy is a normal, healthy emotion; it's part of what makes us tick. Who hasn't experienced sibling² rivalry³ or felt left out when their partner spends time with other people? Feeling jealous helps us value our loved ones and protect our important relationships.

But for a small number of us, extreme jealousy can lead to obsessive⁴ behaviour like stalking. It can also cause depression, destroy relationships and even kill – morbidly⁵ jealous people can become violent or suicidal.

Now researchers in Italy believe they've found the area of the brain responsible for obsessive jealousy, which is called Othello's syndrome⁶, named after the Shakespeare character who kills his wife because of jealousy.

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is just above the forehead. This is the part of the brain which processes emotions, including thinking about those we love. But crucially, we use this part of the brain to predict scenarios⁷ of losing our loved ones, and thinking about how we would feel if that happened.

Obsessively⁸ jealous people spend too much time dwelling⁹ on these scenarios. For them, losing their relationship starts to seem like the end of the world. Worryingly, the researchers believe that, in some people, this process may become a habit, and jealousy becomes hardwired in the brain.

They want to investigate medicines which could help treat people suffering from this devastating¹⁰ condition.

Quiz 测验

1. Which colour is associated with jealousy, in English?

Green.

2. Why does the article say obsessive jealousy can kill?

Because people can become violent or suicidal.

3. Is the area of the brain responsible for jealousy at the front or back of the head?

It's at the front.

4. Which Shakespeare character was obsessively jealous?

Othello.

5. Which word is used by the researchers to describe jealousy which has become permanent in the brain?

Hardwired.

Glossary 词汇表

jealousy （名词）嫉妒

takes over 统管

emotion 情绪，情感

what makes us tick 能让我们为之所动的（人或东西）

sibling rivalry 兄弟姊妹之间的竞争

felt left out 感到被冷落了

obsessive 迷恋的，沉缅于

stalking 跟踪骚扰

depression 压抑症，抑郁症，忧郁症

morbidly jealous 病态地嫉妒

violent （行为）暴力的

suicidal 自杀的，自杀性的

responsible for 对…负责的

forehead 额头

processes 处理

scenarios 情景，情境

dwelling on 总在想着（事）

seem like the end of the world 好像是世界末日一样

hardwired 固有的

devastating condition 可怕的病证

1 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

2 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

3 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

4 obsessive   

adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的

参考例句：

• Some people are obsessive about cleanliness.有些人有洁癖。
• He's becoming more and more obsessive about punctuality.他对守时要求越来越过分了。

5 morbidly   

adv.病态地

参考例句：

• As a result, the mice became morbidly obese and diabetic. 结果，老鼠呈现为病态肥胖和糖尿病。 来自互联网
• He was morbidly fascinated by dead bodies. 他对尸体着魔到近乎病态的程度。 来自互联网

6 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

7 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 obsessively   

ad.着迷般地，过分地

参考例句：

• Peter was obsessively jealous and his behaviour was driving his wife away. 彼得过分嫉妒的举止令他的妻子想离他而去。
• He's rude to his friends and obsessively jealous. 他对他的朋友很无礼而且嫉妒心重。

9 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。