身高和体型并不代表一个人的价值，但个子高的人在特定的方面或许占一定的优势。纵观历史，人类是否越长越高？本期节目讨论人类身高的变迁和高个子的利与弊。

词汇: growth 生长发育

How tall are you? Do you tower over your friends and family – or are they people you literally have to look up to? Obviously, we’re not all the same, and size doesn’t really matter. But did you know that there’s a possibility that we’re all getting taller?

你有多高?你比你的朋友和家人高吗?或者他们是你必须尊敬的人?显然，我们不都是一样的，大小也不重要。但你知道我们都有可能长高吗?

Of course, our height is out of our control – it’s a biological fact, influenced partly by genetics. The idea that being taller gives you more power and authority might be a tall story, but according to David Robson, writing for BBC Future, “on the basis of first impressions alone, taller people may have the edge.” He adds that despite some slight risks to your health, various studies have found that the greater your height, the higher you score on measures of happiness and enjoyment of life.

当然，我们的身高是无法控制的——这是一个生物学事实，部分受到基因的影响。高个子会给你更多的权力和权威的想法可能是一个荒诞的故事，但根据大卫·罗布森为BBC Future撰写的文章，“仅从第一印象来看，高个子可能更有优势。”他补充说，尽管身高对健康有轻微的风险，但各种研究发现，身高越高，你在幸福和享受生活方面的得分就越高。

If this makes you want to become loftier, it’s good to know that all of us are taller than we were 150 years ago – by as much as ten centimetres. Scientists have known for a long time that humans with good diets and reliable access to food tend to grow taller and mature more quickly. Adult height in some countries has rocketed as they transformed into a developed society.

如果这让你想要变得更高，那么很高兴知道我们所有人都比150年前高了10厘米。科学家们很早就知道，饮食健康、食物来源可靠的人往往长得更高，成熟得更快。在一些国家，成年人的身高随着他们向发达社会的转变而急剧上升。

In a recent study, scientists have discovered a brain receptor, called MC3R, linked to our growing process. It’s thought to be the crucial link between food and sex development and growth. Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly from Cambridge University told the BBC: “It tells the body we’re great here, we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly, have puberty soon and make lots of babies.” This discovery could lead to drugs to improve muscle mass and treat delayed growth, UK researchers say.

在最近的一项研究中，科学家们发现了一种名为MC3R的大脑受体，它与我们的成长过程有关。它被认为是食物与性发育和生长之间的关键联系。剑桥大学的斯蒂芬·奥拉希利教授告诉BBC:“这告诉身体我们在这里很好，我们有很多食物，所以生长得很快，青春期很快，生很多孩子。”英国研究人员表示，这一发现可能会催生出改善肌肉质量和治疗生长迟缓的药物。

For those aspiring to be taller, we need to look at the Dutch, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of us as the tallest people in the world. But there is a ceiling for height, and it’s reached when people achieve their genetic potential. But, of course lanky people have to stoop through doorways and struggle to fit in cars and can have joint and cardiovascular problems, so maybe we should be careful for what we wish for.

对于那些渴望长高的人来说，我们需要看看荷兰人，他们是世界上最高的人，远远高于我们其他人。但是身高是有上限的，当人们实现了他们的基因潜力时，这个上限就会达到。但是，当然，瘦长的人必须弯腰穿过门口，努力适应汽车，并且可能有关节和心血管问题，所以也许我们应该小心我们的愿望。

词汇表

tower over 比…高
look up to someone 仰望（某人），敬仰某人
height 身高
biological 生理的
genetics 遗传
tall story 无稽之谈
the edge 优势
lofty 高的
mature 发育成熟的
rocket 迅速增长
brain receptor 脑受体
growing 生长的
puberty 青春期
muscle mass 肌肉量
head and shoulders above 比…高出一大截，远远高于
ceiling 上限
lanky 瘦高的
stoop 弯腰

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How is height thought to relate to happiness?

2. Up to how much taller have people grown in the last 150 years?

3. True or false? Humans with reliable access to food tend to grow taller.

4. What has the brain receptor called MC3R been found to do?

5. Which people tend to be tallest in the world?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The footballer is a role model that other players _______.

look down to              look in to                    look up to                  look up from

2. Mind your head. You need to _______ to get through this small door.

lanky                          stoop                          mature                      ceiling 

3. Because of the bad winter, prices of vegetables have _______.

rocketed                     rocketing                    rockets                      rocketted

4. The house feels very spacious with _______ ceilings.

mature                        height                         lofty                           lanky

5. The big mountain _______ the town, blocking the Sun in the afternoons.

tower over                   towers over                towering over            towers under

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. How is height thought to relate to happiness?
Various studies have found that the greater your height, the higher you score on measures of happiness.

2. Up to how much taller have people grown in the last 150 years?
All of us are taller than we were 150 years ago – by as much as ten centimetres.

3. True or false? Humans with reliable access to food tend to grow taller.
True. Scientists have known for a long time that humans with good diets and reliable access to food tend to grow taller and mature more quickly.

4. What has the brain receptor called MC3R been found to do?
A brain receptor called MC3R is linked to our growing process.

5. Which people tend to be tallest in the world?
The Dutch are the tallest people in the world.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The footballer is a role model that other players look up to.

2. Mind your head. You need to stoop to get through this small door.

3. Because of the bad winter, prices of vegetables have rocketed.

4. The house feels very spacious with lofty ceilings.

5. The big mountain towers over the town, blocking the Sun in the afternoons.

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。