雅思课外阅读--阿尔茨海默的希望之光 2

本文含大量自然科学类阅读高频词，另外标注了一些初级生理学词汇最好看到要认识，这些词汇属于以前雅思不要求但在近两年改革趋势中加重的单词，同时也是托福高频单词。

Using a standard lab test of memory, a mouse was placed in a box and given a small electrical shock to its feet. Normal mice remember this and freeze in fear if put back in the box the following day, but mice with Alzheimer’s scamper about unfazed. Yet when the researchers stimulated the dentate gyrus of these mice with blue light, they also froze, suggesting that they were now able to recall the original shock.

用一个标准的实验室记忆测试，一只老鼠被放在盒子里面并对它的脚给予微小电击。如果接下来几天把它放进盒子里，正常老鼠会记住并且由于害怕而呆住不动，阿尔茨海默症老鼠则不受影响活蹦乱跳。但当研究人员用蓝光刺激这些老鼠的齿状回时，它们一样会呆住不动，这表明它们能回忆起最初的电击感受。

【经典句式】

standard 标准的

electrical shock电击

Alzheimer’s阿尔茨海默症

stimulate刺激

recall回忆

original最初的

Holdingon to a fearful memory in the long term,however, requires the brain to strengthen the nerve connections (synapses) that link memory of the box to experience of the shock. This process, known as long-term potentiation, goes awry in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Consistent with this idea,the Alzheimer’s mice did not freeze when placed in the box but only when their neurons were illuminated.

可是要长期保持住害怕记忆，要求大脑加强神经联系(突触)来连结盒子里的电击实验的记忆。这个过程，叫做长时程增强，没能在阿尔茨海默症老鼠大脑里顺利进行。和这一致的是，把阿尔茨海默症老鼠放在盒子里，仅仅照射神经元，老鼠并没有呆住不动。

【经典句式】

hold on to sth保持住

fearful害怕的

in the long term 长期地

require要求

strengthen加强

nerve connection 神经联系

process过程

consistent with … 跟……一致

To help the Alzheimer’s mice consolidate and keep their memory of the electric shock,the team flashed their dentate gyrus with blue light at 100 hertz, a frequency known to induce long-term potentiation. After this the Alzheimer’s mice froze in the box for at least six consecutive days, suggesting they were able to remember the shock themselves.

为了帮助阿尔茨海默症老鼠巩固和保持它们对电击的记忆，团队用100赫兹的蓝光照射它们的齿状回，这个频率能诱导长时程增强。这之后老鼠连续六天呆在盒子里不动，表明它们能记住电击感受。

【经典句式】

consolidate凝固

electric shock 电击

flash闪光;闪电

frequency频率

induce诱导

consecutive连续的

Work by other groups has suggested that inits early stages, Alzheimer’s principally damages the brain’s ability to process and store memories.This new work, however, indicates that it is the brain’s ability to retrieve memories that is impaired. The distinction is far from an academic one. If memories are garbled before they are stored,they are lost for ever. But if Dr Tonegawa is right, then memories are correctly preserved in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.That means it may be possible to rescue them—perhaps by adapting optogenetics for use in human sufferers. That remains a distant possibility for now.

其他团队的研究表明在早期阶段，阿尔茨海默症主要破坏大脑处理和存储记忆的能力。而这项新研究则说明，受损的恰恰是大脑读取记忆的能力。区别远大于理论。如果记忆在存储前就被篡改，那这段记忆就永远丢失了。但如果利根博士是对的，那段记忆被正确保存在阿尔茨海默症患者的大脑里。这意味着我们也许可能通过对人类患者适应光遗传学来恢复这些记忆。但这一可能性现在看来还是前路漫漫的。

【经典句式】

stage阶段

principally主要地

damage破坏

process处理

store存储

retrieve取回

impair损害

distinction区别

preserve保存

patient病人

rescue拯救

adapt适应

sufferer病人;患者

【大作文万用句式】

… is far from …远大于……;远远不止……

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