时差N小时:鸟儿睡觉也唱歌

Don: I was awakened this morning by a flock ofbirds outside my bedroom window. They weresinging up a storm at five in the morning. Somebodyought to blast music in the ears of birds whenthey're sleeping. See how they like it.

唐：今天早上我被卧室窗外的一群鸟惊醒了，才五点钟它们就开始喧闹了。人们应该在鸟儿睡觉的时候往它们耳朵里灌些音乐才对——当然了，这些音乐应该是他们自己所喜欢的。

Yael: Well, actually, scientists have done just that, and there's reason to believe birds alreadyhave music on the brain when they're sleeping. Scientists believe that birds dream about theirsongs. The key is a structure in birds' brains that controls the nerves that make singingpossible. Not only does this structure control the bird's singing, but it also responds to sounds.What's interesting is that this structure has been shown to be significantly more responsive tosound, especially to recordings of the bird's own voice, when the bird is asleep. Even whenscientists aren't playing recordings of the bird's own songs to its sleeping brain, this structureshows bursts of activity throughout the duration of the creature's sleep cycle. So it seems thebird is hearing music in its head.

耶尔：哦，实际上，科学家们已经做到了这一点。而且，我们有理由相信，鸟儿即使睡觉时脑袋里也在萦绕着旋律。科学家们认为，鸟儿就是睡觉时也在唱歌。其中的关键是，鸟儿的脑部具有一种结构，这种结构用来控制歌唱神经。这种结构不但可以控制鸟儿的歌唱，还对各种声音特别敏感。有趣的是，证明显示，当鸟儿睡着时，这种结构尤其对鸟儿自己的声音反应强烈。即使科学家们不向睡着的鸟儿播放它们自己的叫声，这种结构的阵发性活动也会贯穿于鸟儿的整个睡眠周期。因此，这如同鸟儿在聆听它们脑中的音乐一样。

D: That's peculiar alright, but why would a bird want to dream about what he sings all day?

唐：这太神奇了。但是，鸟儿为何做梦还在唱?他们都唱了一整天了。

Y: The theory is that dreaming about its songs helps the bird learn its songs and possiblyimprove them. As with most activities in life, birds learn to sing by studying and practicing. Tobe good singers they need to listen to songs and reproduce them. Scientists believe that whenthe bird sleeps it might be re-playing songs from the day, possibly memorizing the songs andtrying out variations on the tunes.

耶尔：理论认为，睡梦中唱歌有助于鸟儿学习并提升歌唱技巧。鸟儿生活中的大部分活动都用于学习和练习歌唱。一个好歌手需要不断地聆听歌曲并且不断的做出改进。科学家们认为，鸟儿睡觉时脑中可能在重播它们白天所唱的歌曲——可能是在背诵歌曲并尝试不同的曲调变化。

1. flock n.羊群，一群;大量 vi.群集，聚集，成群

例句：There are many flocks of tourists in the palace. 宫殿里有好几群游客。

2. respond vi.回答，答复;(to)作出反应，响应

例句：I invited her to dinner but she did notrespond. 我请她吃晚饭，但她未作回答。Many peopleresponded to the call for service in the countryside. 很多人都回应了农村服务的电话。

3. significantly adv.意味深长地, 意义深远地, 重要地, 较大地

例句：Significantly New York is left out of this list. 意味深长的是纽约这个城市的名字从名单中划掉了。

4. burst vt.使爆裂 vi.爆炸;挤满 n.爆炸;爆发

例句：The police burst through the door. 警察破门而入。

There was a burst of laughter in the next room. 隔壁房间里突然爆发出一阵笑声。