時尚雙語:想年輕,別離婚

【中英對照】

If you've been through it, this will probably come as no surprise. Divorce can add years to a person's face, it is claimed.
如果你已經經歷了，你可能不會感到驚訝。研究稱，離婚會讓人容顏變老。

Researchers found that marriage breakdown can take a significant toll on appearance.
研究人員發現，婚姻破裂會對人的外貌造成很大的影響。

They looked at identical twins, who would be genetically predisposed to age at a similar pace, to determine whether certain experiences affected ageing.
爲確定某些經歷是否會影響衰老，研究人員對同卵雙生的雙胞胎進行了研究，這些雙胞胎在基因的設定下衰老速度完全一樣。

"A person's heritage may initially dictate how they age but if you introduce certain factors into your life, you will certainly age faster, and likewise, if you avoid those factors you can slow down the hands of time," said Professor Bahaman Guyuron, who led the study.
研究負責人巴哈曼·古尤倫教授說：“遺傳可能是決定一個人如何變老的基本因素，但如果在人生中加入某些因素，那麼肯定會加速衰老，同樣，如果避免這些因素，則會減緩衰老。”

Professor Guyuron and his colleagues gathered information from questionnaires and digital images taken from 186 pairs of twins.
古尤倫教授和同事對186對雙胞胎進行了問卷調查和數碼拍照。

An independent panel of judges then viewed the images for perceived age differences between the siblings.
一個獨立評審小組瀏覽了這些照片，並根據照片判斷這些雙胞胎外表上的年齡差異。

The results showed that the twin who had gone through a divorce appeared two years older than the one who was married, single or had been widowed.
結果顯示，一對雙胞胎中的離婚者比已婚、單身或守寡者看起來要老兩歲。

Those who took antidepressants or were overweight also aged quicker.
而服用抗抑鬱藥物或體重超標的人衰老速度也較快。

It is thought antidepressants can calm the facial muscles, causing them to sag in longterm users.
據稱，抗抑鬱藥物能夠使面部肌肉鬆弛，所以長期服用者肌肉容易下垂。

The research was conducted by the Case Western Reserve University in the U.S., and published in the Journal Of The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons.
該研究由美國西儲大學開展，研究結果已在《整形和修復外科醫學期刊》上發表。

Sun exposure, smoking and alcohol use were all found to have a negative effect on appearance.
另外，日曬、吸菸和酗酒都會對外表造成不良影響。

【詞彙講解】

1. heritage n. 遺產，繼承物

The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.
這些古建築是民族遺產的一部分。

2. digital adj.數字式的，數碼的

There's a digital watch on the table.
桌子上有一塊數字式手錶。

3. sibling n. 兄弟，姐妹

A street that I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult, or at the very least, an older sibling.
除非有大人或至少一個哥哥或姐姐陪着，我從未被允許穿過那條街。

4. antidepressant n. 抗抑鬱劑

In some circles it's customary to compare antidepressant dosages before moving on to other topics.
在某些圈子裏，談其他話題之前先比較一下抗抑鬱藥用量已成了常規。

【語法和詞組】

1. Divorce can add years to a person's face
離婚會讓人容顏變老。

add years to a person's face 表示“ ……使人變老”，是不是比我們原來學過的一些表示“使人變老”的句子更形象地道呢。

2. Researchers found that marriage breakdown can take a significant toll on appearance.
研究人員發現，婚姻破裂會對人的外貌造成很大的影響。

take a toll 表示“ 產生負面影響”，例如：

Automobile accidents take a heavy toll of human lives.
車禍使許多人喪生。

3. They looked at identical twins, who would be genetically predisposed to age at a similar pace, to determine whether certain experiences affected ageing.
爲確定某些經歷是否會影響衰老，研究人員對同卵雙生的雙胞胎進行了研究，這些雙胞胎在基因的設定下衰老速度完全一樣。

be predisposed to 表示“本來愛好……；有……的傾向；易患……病”，例如：

Because of conditions in the mine, miners are predisposed to lung disease.
由於礦井的環境，礦工很容易患肺病。