2006年VOA标准英语-Getting a Good Night's Sleep Will Help Your Mem

By Melinda Smith
Washington, DC
12 July 2006
 
watch Sleep and Memory report
 
  
  
How many hours of sleep do you get every night?  If you're like most of us, the answer is not enough.  Scientists have found that getting enough rest will help you remember more than just where you last put your car keys.

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The study of 60 healthy young adults found that lack of sleep had a negative effect on the brain's ability to sort through and retain recent memory.

 
Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen
  
Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen helped conduct the study and says there is a correlation¹ between sleep and memory. "Sleep is actually actively² engaging the memory and making it stronger."

Medical researchers at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania told some students to sleep before they were tested on what they had just learned.  Other students did not sleep.  Those who slept had sharper memories than those who stayed awake. 

"Getting a good night's sleep strengthened and stabilized³ the memory."

The link between sleep and memory was first established decades ago.  But the theory has remained controversial because researchers are still not sure how the brain retains memory.  Without that evidence, many scientists say they don't know conclusively⁴ how sleep affects the process. This new study of 'declarative memory,' which is the ability to recall facts and events, does show marked improvement after sleep.

A survey by the National Sleep Foundation in the United States found that teenagers are among the most sleep deprived ... and most Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 sleep an average of six hours a night.  Health experts say seven to eight hours of rest is what most of us need to face the next day.

1 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

2 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

3 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》