英语沙龙：成功和健康可以兼得吗？

Only the Good Die Younger

Academy¹ Award nominees² who go home empty－handed may not have a shiny Oscar to show off，but they may turn out to be the bigger winners in the game of life．According to a study published in British Medical Journal，Oscar－winning screenwriters are more successful，more productive，and more respected than losing nominees；however，they die sooner by about four years．

“Because success is usually linked to better health，this is the first occupation ever that success is not associated with improved longevity，”says Donald Redelmeier，lead author of the study．Researchers tracked down information about every person who was ever nominated³ for an Oscar since the awards were first handed out ７３years ago．

To explain the puzzling findings，he offers two theories．The first is the“work－to－death hypothesis⁴．”According to Redelmeier，screenwriters are more apt⁵ to lead unhealthy lifestyles，meaning they smoke more，exercise less，and work a lot of late－night hours，which translates into not enough sleep．

Screenwriters don’t have a boss to report to，which brings into account Redelmeier’s second explanation，the“party－hearty hypothesis．”“When you become a successful screenwriter，you gain status without daily accountability，and as a consequence your success may lead you to more alcohol，more parties，and more obesity，”he says．

成功和健康可以兼得吗？

虽然奥斯卡颁奖典礼上空手而归的编剧们没有金灿灿的奖杯向人们炫耀，但是他们可能会成为现实生活的大赢家。《英国医学杂志》刊登的一项研究成果表明，最终获得奥斯卡奖的编剧们比仅获提名的同行们在事业上更加成功，更加多产，更加受人尊敬，但是他们的寿命平均比后者短大约４年。

该研究报告的第一作者唐纳德?雷德梅尔说：“通常身体健康和事业有成总是紧密联系在一起的，但编剧是我们发现的第一种在工作中成功与长寿并没有联系的职业。”研究者对自奥斯卡首次颁奖至今７３年间所有获得奥斯卡提名者进行了跟踪调查。

为了解释这一令人困惑的研究结果，雷德梅尔提出了两个理论。第一个是“鞠躬尽瘁论”。雷德梅尔说，剧本编剧们通常生活方式并不健康，他们烟瘾很大，缺乏运动，经常工作到深夜，睡眠不足。

第二个是“热衷于社交聚会论”，雷德梅尔认为这缘于编剧们不用受上级管束。他说：“当你成为一名成功的编剧后，你所获得的地位使你不必每日为生计操心，成功带来的结果是你更多地引酒、参加社交聚会以及身体发福。”

1 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

2 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

3 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

4 hypothesis   

n.假说，假设，(无根据的)猜测，揣测

参考例句：

• We have proved the hypothesis.我们已经证明了这种假设。
• The results confirmed his hypothesis on the use of modal verbs.结果证实了他的关于情态动词用法的假设。

5 apt   

adj.易于，有...倾向，恰当的，聪明的

参考例句：

• Beginners are too apt to make mistakes in grammar.初学者极易犯语法错误。
• He is the most apt of all pupils.他是所有学生中最聪明的一个。