【英语时差8,16】淘汰红发

Don: Hey Ya?l, did you know that people with red hair need more anesthesia during surgery than other people? Ya?l: Oh, c'mon Don, that's just another superstition¹ about redheads--like redheads have hotter tempers. Back in the Middle Ages they used to think that people with red hair were witches. D: But I'm not being superstitious². Dozens of studies have shown that it takes abouttwenty-percent more anesthesia to knock out redheads than it does people with other hair colors. Y: Why? D: Well, it's all about pigment³. Y: You mean the particles that determine the color of hair and skin? D: Right. So the amount of pigment you have is controlled by a hormone⁴ in the brain. Redheads have more of this hormone--and that matters because the pigment hormone is also involved with pain perception. So for some reason, because redheads have an abundance of this pigment hormone, they're more sensitive to pain... Y: ...which is why it takes more anesthesia to knock them out. So does this matter in any major way? D: Well, I guess it does if you're a redhead. But it's not like you have to be worried about waking up during surgery, screaming in pain. Surgeons and anesthesiologists are well aware of the phenomenon. Because, Yael, it's science, not superstition. Y: Touché.

1 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

2 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

3 pigment   

n.天然色素，干粉颜料

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls.古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。
• Who thought he might know what the skin pigment phenomenon meant.他自认为可能知道皮肤色素出现这种现象到底是怎么回事。

4 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。