Unit Two The Magic of Nature
Passage 1 The Powerful Influence of Weather
Nature, the environment which human beings live by, is magnificent and unique. It's everything that exists in the world independently of people, such as plants and animals, earth and rocks, and the weather. This unit is going to show the great charm of weather and some special climatic phenomena.
Passage 1 The Powerful Influence of Weather
Passage 1 The Powerful Influence of Weather
[A] Weather has a powerful effect on the physical world. It also affects people’s personalities. How do we know about the effects of weather on people? We know from biometeorologists. These scientists are weather researchers. They study human health and emotions in response to atmospheric conditions. The word atmosphere means “the air around the earth.” “Atmospheric conditions at a time or place” is a definition of the word weather. Some examples of these conditions are sun, wind, rain, snow, humidity (the amount of moisture in the air), and air pressure (the force of air). The weather conditions of the atmosphere greatly influence people’s health, thinking and feelings.
[B] All over the world winds come down from high mountain areas. The winds fall faster and faster, and the air becomes warmer and drier. What do scientists say about the health effects of this kind of weather? According to biometeorologists in Russia, powerful winds from the mountains increase the number of strokes (blood vessel attacks in the brain). Also, sometimes strong southern winds blow north over Italy. During these times, researchers say, Italians have more heart attacks (sudden stopping of the heart). People everywhere have had headaches during times of forceful winds. And Japanese weather scientists say there is an increase in the number of asthma attacks. (Asthma is a lung disorder. It causes breathing problems.)
[C] Do other kinds of weather influence physical health? Sudden temperature changes in winter are often associated with colds or flu. (Influenza is a viral disease.)However, colds and flu probably increase because people are in close contact indoors in cold weather. Colds and flu may even lead to pneumonia (another lung disease). Other illnesses also increase during long periods (times)of cold weather. In most places, diseases of the blood and heart attacks are more common in winter. But in some very hot and humid (wet)regions, there are more heart attacks in summer. Many people have high blood pressure (a health condition). In three out of four people, blood pressure falls (goes down)in warm weather. But some people have lower blood pressure in the cool or cold times of the year.
[D] These forces of nature greatly affect people’s moods (emotional conditions and feelings)too. For many people, winter in the northern regions is very depressing. They eat and sleep a lot, but they usually feel tired. They are nervous and can’t work well. They are irritable (not very nice to other people). Biometeorologists even have a name for this condition. The name is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Scientists think the cause of this mood disorder is the long periods of darkness. Even during the day, it is often cloudy or gray. What can people with SAD do about their moods? Naturally, they need more light! On bright days they feel better. But people don’t work very well on sunny, hot, and humid days. The best weather for good work and thinking is cool and clear.
[E] Are the people around you becoming sick more often? Are they getting more colds or the flu or even pneumonia? Are they having more health problems like headaches or asthma attacks or heart disease? Or are you becoming moody? Are you getting more tired or depressed (low in mood)or sad? Remember—according to biometeorologists and other weather scientists—the cause may be the atmosphere!
Notes to the Text
1.biometeorologists: a combination of the prefix bio- and the word meteorologist. Bio- means “life, living or biological”. It is active in word formation, such as biodata, which refer to the basic information of a person in his or her resume.
2.Punctuation marks—quotation mark and parentheses.
The two used in this paragraph are clues for readers to find the definitions. Words within the quotation marks or parentheses are definitions or explanations for the word before the punctuation marks. The other clue for finding definitions in context used in this paragraph is verbal clues, as shown by words and expressions like mean, be, and be a definition of.
3.moisture: It often indicates the wetness contained or felt in something, like the atmosphere or the skin. So this word appear in cosmetics as seen in the labels— “moisturizer”.
4.down from: 二重介词。指由两个单一的介词并列，作为一个介词使用并表达一个完整意思的介词。常见的二重介词有：from among，from behind，from under，until／till after等。
E.g. He jumped from behind the tree.
He ran along from the place he was.
5.Powerful, strong & forceful are similar in meaning to describe wind with higher speed and greater force. The effects the strong wind has on human health in the three countries have something to do with their geographical locations.
6.Russia Northern Russian extends into the Arctic Circle. Russia has many mountain areas, most of which are along the edges. The Ural Mountains 乌拉尔山脉 cover 2,500 miles of eastern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains 高加索山脉cross the southern part of Russia, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. From the western boarder to the Ural Mountains is the North European Plain. This is a large rolling plain with rich soil and grasslands. Three quarters of the Russian population lives in the cities and towns of western Russia.
When the wind comes down to the plains from the high mountains, it greatly changes the air pressure on the plain with the cold air it brings along. This change will directly affect people’s blood pressure. People who have high or low blood pressure will react more violently than normal healthy people.
7.Italy Three sides of Italy, that is, the east, west, and south, are surrounded by seas, while the north side verges on the Alps which serve as the dividing line between several countries.
When the southern wind blows north, the warm and humid sea wind brings moisture with it. As it goes northward, the temperature gradually drops. The body reacts to cold by constricting the blood vessels in your skin. So, the heart has to work harder to squeeze blood through the narrow vessels. This may be too much for a sick heart. With the low air pressure it creates, it increases the burden on the heart and causes heart problems and high blood pressure.
8.Japan Surrounded by the oceans and seas all around, Japan is an island country.
When forceful wind comes, it blows across the whole country with a heavy amount of moisture from the ocean. Humidity has an important impact on human body since it influences the body’s ability to cool itself by perspiration. The heavy humidity together with changes in air pressure creates breathing problems as the blood transmission in human bodies is influenced by the air pressure. The lack of enough oxygen may cause headaches, high blood pressure, lung disorder, or some other diseases.
9.blood vessel: 血管. There are two major types: vein 静脉and artery 动脉.
10.flu: the clipping form of influenza, meaning colds.
11.pneumonia: a lung disease often caused by aggravation of flu, and in serious conditions may turn into tuberculosis. In the past, it is an incurable disease. Since it is contagious, people who has the disease will be put in isolation ward or section and die quietly. Many talented or famous English writers died of this disease, like Charlotte Bronte.
12.Blood pressure falls (goes down)in warm weather.
This phenomenon has something to do with the air pressure. In sunny, warm weather, the air is dry and has a higher density, thus, the air pressure is high. Under this condition, the supply of oxygen is adequate, and so people feel energetic. When the weather turns cloudy or windy, the humidity of the air is high and the density of air is low, so the air pressure is low, which will further reduce the pressure of oxygen. People generally will feel lack of oxygen, difficult breathing and fast heartbeat. The blood vessels expand, and the blood transmission increases. The amount of blood in circulation greatly increases; as a result, the blood pressure goes up.
13.But some people have lower blood pressure in the cool or cold times of the year.
This is because in winter the air pressure is higher than that in summer.
14.mood: a state of mind or feeling, often used with preposition in in phrases in a/no mood for/to do sth.
E.g. Being defeated in the football game, Jerry now is in no mood to hold the celebration party.
15. winter in the northern regions causes long periods of darkness.
Due to its altitude and latitude, areas near the northern regions enjoy a short period of sunlight in the winter following the rules in earth’s revolution of the sun. As winter approaches, the sunshine moves southward. Naturally, the northern regions get little sunlight. There are longer periods of darkness during the season compared to the other reasons.
Vocabulary
Nouns
Influence: a power affecting a person, thing, or course of events影响
Effect: the power to produce an outcome or achieve a result 效果，作用
Moisture: wetness 潮湿
Personality: qualities and traits that are peculiar to a specific person. 人格
Disorder: a lack of order 混乱
Mood: a state of mind or emotion 心态
Verbs
Affect: to have an influence on 影响
Adjectives
Depressing: in low mood情绪低落的，忧郁的
Nervous: uneasy or jumpy 紧张的
Humid: containing a high amount of water or water vapor潮湿的
Irritable: easily annoyed 易怒的
Moody: sullen, gloomy闷闷不乐的
Phrases
in response to: 响应，适应
atmospheric conditions: 大气环境
according to: 根据
blood pressure: 血压
forces of nature: 自然的力量
be associated with: 与….相联系，同…有关的
Culture Note
Weather is always a safe topic in western countries, which dominates the small talks between acquaintances or strangers.
The relationship between weather and human health has long been under scientific study. Since ancient times, people have associated certain weather conditions with increases in physical pain. The development of modern science and meteorology gave rise to a special group of researchers—biometeorologists—who concern themselves with the study of the connection between human health and weather. Their research reveals the effects various kinds of weather have on human beings and enlightens people on the power of weather. This helps people properly deal with their physical discomfort during the period of temperature or climate changes.
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