【英语时差8,16】跑步机与意识

Lots of people these days get their exercise at gyms and health clubs, oftentimes by walking or running on treadmills--that is to say, running without going anywhere. If you've ever been on a treadmill¹ for some time and then suddenly stepped off it, you've probably experienced the weird² sensation that you are suddenly moving much faster than you think you should be. Why? This deceptive³ sensation is the result of sending your brain two different signals at once. The first signal is the one coming from your legs; during exercise they are in rapid, regular motion, and the brain understands by this fact that the body is moving through space. The second signal comes from the eyes, which are saying that the objects around you are not passing by, and hence you are standing⁴ still. In a sense your eyes are disagreeing with your legs. The result is that after about ten minutes of this input⁵ disparity, the brain recalibrates its internal sense of motion. In simple terms, your brain tells itself: this is how fast objects move by when I'm walking at this rate, as opposed to what was formerly⁶ the case. That means when you step off the treadmill and begin actually moving through space again, your recalibrated brain is now sent the incorrect message that you have suddenly increased your speed significantly. Once again, what the legs say and what the eyes say is out of sync. The sensation of accelerated motion is only temporary, though, and the ever-adaptable brain soon readjusts itself once more--until the next time you step up on that rolling, immobile track.

1 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

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 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

6 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。