1 拉里·多西博士有两个古董钟。“一个钟走得快，另一个钟走得慢,”多西博士说。“它们提醒我，生 活不是由时钟控制的，我能自己选择按什么样的时间生活。”
2 多西博士研究时间生物学，是这门新兴学科的开拓者。该学科研究的是时间与生活的相互影响。多 西博士认为，一个人如何看待时间可能是一件生死攸关的事情。他说，在我们的社会中，最常见的一种疾 病是“时间病”，就是由时间造成的压力和紧迫感而引起的焦虑和紧张。这些症状会导致心脏病和中风，这 是我们最常见的两种死因。
3 多西发现，通过一些简单的方法去改变人们对时间的看法，上述疾病和其他一些因紧张而诱发的疾 病往往可以得到有效的治疗。
118 Unit 8
4 多西博士注意到，有相当多的病人虽然在住院期间并没有任何日程安排，但仍坚持要戴手表。这一 现象使他对时间与健康之间的关系产生了兴趣。这些人都是“时间瘾君子”。他们从孩提时代起就受到这样 的教育：要按社会的时钟安排自己的生活。因此，一旦没有了计时器所给予的安全感，他们就会茫然若失。
时间似乎统治了我们的生活。时间就是金钱，应该节省，应该理智地花，不要浪费或丢失。
5 几乎所有生活在这个世界上的生物都拥有与大自然节奏同步的生物钟。螃蟹能感知潮汐的涨落；老 鼠会在夜幕降临时醒来；松鼠知道什么时候该为漫长的冬眠作准备。这些生物钟并不像自动机械装置那么 精确，但却能根据环境的变化进行调整。
6 对大多数生物来说，光是最强有力的同步指示仪。但人类还有另外一个强有力的同步指示仪：周围 的人。根据在德国进行的探索性研究报告，当人们被分成小组，一起置身于不受光、温度和湿度等外部时 间提示因素影响的环境中时，他们自身内部复杂的时间节奏无法与外部时间保持同步；但他们的生物钟随 后会重新调整，相互之间保持同步。就连他们的体温也一起上升或下降——这表明，每个人体内的一些微 妙的生物化学变化现在也都同步了。这些实验也许揭示了一种神秘力量的存在，一种把个人重塑为团队、
异教或乌合之众成员的神秘力量。
7 人的大脑能以各种各样的方式改变时间的节奏。那些从死亡边缘抢救过来的人常常回忆说，他们整 个一生的生活经历会一瞬间在他们面前闪现。那些经历过严重事故的人常常这样描述事故发生时的情况：
在事故发生的那一瞬间，一切都以慢动作的方式进行；这显然是人脑中内置的一种逃生工具，也就是一种 能力，它能把人对外部世界的感知速度提高到正常状态下的数倍，从而“减慢”了世界运行的速度，使当 事人有“时间”来思考避免灾难的对策。
8 由于我们一生下来就被灌输了社会所遵循的时间观念，于是我们以为这是任何人在任何地方无论如 何都必须共同遵守的。但不同的文化对时间的认识存在着差异。在北美和北欧的一些工业化国家，生活安 排得很紧凑，让别人等候是会引起不满的。但在南欧及说西班牙语或葡萄牙语的拉丁美洲国家，人比日程 表更重要，因此在约会时会把开始的时间定得比较灵活。
9 每一种时间观都各有优缺点。但其代价可能会很高。当我们体内的自然节奏与时钟时间之间的同步 关系被打乱时，紧张感便会随之产生。在时钟时间的严格控制下，现在西方工业化社会发现心脏病和其他 一些相关疾病是导致死亡的主要原因。但是，多西博士认为，通过改变我们对时间的看法，这样的“时间 病”是可以治疗和预防的。他采用一些简单的方法来改变和主宰自己的时间，这些方法你也可以采用。
10 1) 摆脱时钟对你的生活的控制。
别再戴手表。当我们打破了看钟表或手表的习惯之后，时间便不再让你我如此时时关注了。
11 2) 确立你自己的内部时间感。
为了说明时间是相对的，爱因斯坦曾经说，对于一个坐在滚烫的火炉上的人来说，两分钟的时间给人的感 觉就像两小时；而对一个身边有靓丽女子陪伴的青年男子来说，两小时就像两分钟一样短暂。
12 3) 发挥你自身的能力去改变时间。
我们天生具有让自己放松的能力。大多数人能通过排除杂念和控制呼吸的方法做到这一点。例如，每次呼 气时都想想单词one。这能在几分钟内使你平静下来。
13 4) 使自己与大自然同步。
悠闲地看看日落的景色，或者看着一朵云从头顶的天空慢慢飘过。记住，有一种时间要比人类用钟表创造 出来的时间要古老得多。
14 被我们称作时间的文化模式是后天学来的。如果我们希望与大自然和谐相处，我们必须要认识到，
大自然的时间依然影响着我们的世界，我们决不应该忽视它。我们创造了机械时间，我们的社会随其运转，
但我们也有自由去选择究竟是做时间的奴隶还是做它的主人。
119 Time
Exercises
Post-Reading
Reading Comprehension
1
Part 1 (Paras. 1-4)
Common Problem Components Feelings Consequences
time sickness a) time pressure a) anxiety a) heart disease
b) hurry b) tension b) strokes
Part 2 (Paras. 5-6)
Animals Humans
General synchronisation rhythms of nature, e.g.
a) crab b) mouse c) squirrel
a) rhythms of nature
b) another powerful synchroniser for humans: other people
Desynchronisation
isolation from:
a) light
b) temperature c) humidity Part 3 (Paras. 7-8)
Statements on Time Supporting Evidence
The mind can alter rhythms
of time in many ways. a) Dying people recall their entire life in an instant.
b) People in serious accidents see everything happen in slow motion.
Different cultures perceive time differently.
a) Industrialized countries value schedules highly.
b) The Hispanic countries of Latin America give priority to people over schedules.
Part 4 (Paras. 9-14) Simple Techniques to Change and
Master One’s Own Time Examples
Unclock your life. Stop wearing a wristwatch.
Set your own inner sense of time. Keep in mind that time is relative.
Tap your body’s power to change time. Dismiss disturbing thoughts and control one’s breathing.
Synchronise yourself with nature. Take time to enjoy the beauty of life, such as watching a sunset or a cloud cross the sky.
2 1 C 2 A 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 C 7 C 8 A
120 Unit 8 3 Sample
1 Japan is at the top of the list. It seems to have the fastest pace of life. The Japanese are great time-keepers. Their bank clocks are the most accurate, and they walk the fastest and work efficiently. Next comes the United States. Italy and Indonesia don’t seem to have a fast pace of life. Their bank clocks are not so accurate and they don’t walk very fast.
2 Possible explanations for the differences:
• Fast economic development contributes to a fast pace of life.
• Social pressure also increases the pace of life.
• The more competitive the society, the faster people’s pace of life.
3 • I prefer a pace of life that is moderate. I don’t like to be pushed too hard. I would go crazy if I had to follow the pace of the Japanese. On the other hand, I don’t like the Indonesian pace of life either.
Sometimes, when there is something important or urgent, we have to be quick and efficient.
• I enjoy a very slow pace of life. My mind works well when I feel no time pressure. Good ideas keep coming in when I’m happy and nobody pushes me. When I have a schedule to keep, most of my attention will be drawn to it and as a result I can’t work as efficiently as usual. So I think people in Southern Europe or Latin America know the nature of life. If we have to hustle we may miss many enjoyable things in life.
4 Sample
• A rooster crows at dawn.
• A wild goose knows when to migrate to the south.
• Deer know when the mating season comes.
• Pet dogs sense the arrival of their masters or the time for walking.
• Bears know when to prepare for their winter hibernation.
5 Sample
1 • Yes, it would work for me. If I didn’t wear a watch, I wouldn’t be worrying too much about time. I’d learn to take my time and be more realistic about the work or study I can do. I would experience less anxiety and tension.
• No, it wouldn’t work for me. I have to wear a watch; otherwise I feel insecure not knowing the exact time. I have to know when to do things. My anxiety and tension would increase without a watch because I would always be wondering if I can finish the job in time. With a watch, I can always make good plans for my days and feel well-organized.
2 • Throw away the alarm clock.
• Plant a garden and watch it grow.
• Develop an interest in bird-watching.
• Raise a pet.
• Go out in each season, walking, hiking, camping, etc.
• Pursue more leisure activities: picnicking, fishing, etc.
Vocabulary
1 reshape: again; again in a better way; back to a former state
react, reassure, reenter, reevaluate, reform, reclaim, regain, repay, replace, reproduce, re-read, retrain, reunite
121 Time
interact: between or among
international, interchange, interpersonal, intergovernmental, interstate disadvantage: not; the opposite of
dishonest(y), discourage, disobey, disagree(ment), disorder(ly), disabled, disenchant-ment, disprove, disapproval, disregard, disproportionate(ly), disability, dislike
desynchronise: opposite of; removal of
deform(ity), demerit, defrost, deforest, decode, debug, devalue synchronise: (also sym-) together; similar
synthetic, sympathy, sympathize, symphony, synonym unclock: not; reversal or cancellation of an action or state
unaccustomed, unaided, unappreciated, unattached, unattractive, unaware, unbearable, unbroken, unchallenging, uncommon, undiscovered, uncover, unlock, unload, unsettle, unfair, uncertain, unhappy, unfortunate
unison: having or consisting of one
unicycle, unicellular, uniform, unilateral
2 1 B 2 A 3 D 4 A 5 D 6 C 7 A 8 A 9 A 10 B 3 1 constantly 2 complains 3 concentrate 4 understand 5 severely
6 recovered 7 analyze 8 realization 9 afford 10 priorities Translation
1 Our modern world seems to live by the principle that seeing is believing.
2 Regular exercise strengthens the heart, thereby / thus reducing the risk of heart attack.
3 Watched over by guards with guns, they raised their legs in unison and made their way to the edge of the highway.
4 He had to walk up and down in front of an office half a dozen times before he could summon up enough courage to open the door.
5 The firm had never hired an unmarried lawyer, and it frowned heavily upon divorce / opposed strongly against divorce.
6 Scientists are on the brink of making a major discovery.
7 A young person who has finished the course will be given priority over those who have not.
8 The more comfortable people are in their roles and relationships, the harder / more difficult it is to adjust to changes.