Your Health Is Something to Laugh About 你的健康是可笑的事
Humor's 1)healing power 幽默的治病力量
‧ 標題單字
1) heal (v.) 治癒
1.
The 1)healthful 2)effects of laughter have been known for ages. One 3)medieval 4)philosopher put it like this: "The arrival of a good clown does more for the health of the village than twenty 5)asses 6)laden with drugs."
笑對健康的好處古人老早就知道了。有位中世紀的哲學家是這樣說的：「來了個好的小丑，對村民健康的幫助勝過廿頭載滿藥品的驢子。」
‧ 本段單字
1) healthful (a.) 有益健康的
2) effect (n.) 效果
3) medieval (a.) 中世紀的
4) philosopher (n.) 哲學家
5) ass (n.) 驢子
6) laden (a.) 裝滿的
2.
The effects of laughter are not just skin deep. Recent research has helped doctors to better understand the 1)positive effects of humor. They've learned that laughter reduces stress and 2)anxiety, 3)boosts the power of the 4)immune system and brings 5)relief from pain. A growing number of health 6)professionals have begun using humor to help care for their patients. Many of them were 7)inspired by the example of Norman Cousins, who wrote a book about how he cured himself of a serious illness. He did it largely, he 8)claims, by watching funny movies.
笑聲的效用並不膚淺。最近的研究幫助醫生更加瞭解幽默的正面效果。他們發現笑聲能夠減低壓力與焦慮、刺激免疫系統的力量並且減輕疼痛。越來越多的醫療保健業者開始用幽默來協助照料病患。許多人受到諾曼卡辛斯的典範激勵。卡辛斯寫了一本書，裡面談到自己如何治癒重病。他表示，基本上是靠著看滑稽電影治好的。
‧ 本段單字
1) positive (a.) 正面的
2) anxiety (n.) 焦慮
3) boost (v.) 促進，提昇
4) immune system (n.) 免疫系統
5) relief (n.) 解脫，緩和
6) professional (n.) 專業人士
7) inspire (v.) 激勵
8) claim (v.) 聲稱
3.
Some of the new Clown Doctors are real doctors, some are nurses, and some are, well, just 1)plain clowns. Patty Wooten is a 2)critical-care nurse and professional clown. She started a business, Jest for the Health of It, to 3)promote the healing power of humor. The 4)prescription she'd like to see more often from doctors is: "Send in the clowns."
新出來的小丑醫生有一些真的是醫生，有一些是護士，還有一些……就是普通的小丑。派蒂渥騰是個重症病人看護，也是專業的小丑。她開了一家公司叫做「為健康搞笑」，來推廣幽默的治療效果。她希望見到醫生多多開立的處方是：「請小丑進來。」
‧ 本段單字
1) plain (a.) 普通的
2) critical (a.) 危急的
3) promote (v.) 促進，推廣
4) prescription (n.) 處方
4.
"Medicine shouldn't be just about intellectual or scientific stuff," say Dr. Fruit 1)Loop and Dr. Bubba-Louey. They visit sick children in Australian hospitals to cheer them up with "red nose 2)transplants." Real doctors or not, these clowns understand something important about health and healing. As laugh 3)advocate Dr. Patch Adams points out, "The best 4)therapy is being happy."
「水果環」大夫跟「鄉巴佬路易」大夫說，「醫藥不應該只限於知識或科學的東西。」他們到澳洲的醫院去看病童，拿「紅鼻子移植」來逗他們開心。不管他們是不是真的醫生，這些小丑瞭解到健康與治療的一個重點。正如提倡以笑治病的派屈亞當斯指出的：「最好的療法就是快樂。」
‧ 本段單字
1) loop (n.) 圈，環
2) transplant (n.) 移植
3) advocate (n.) 提倡者
4) therapy (n.) 療法
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