近日，美国一项最新研究表明，母亲的声音比一般的烟雾报警器更容易叫醒5岁至12岁的儿童。
研究人员分别在176名儿童深度睡眠时，播放了母亲叫他们起床的声音，其中有90%的儿童能被叫醒；而播放烟雾报警器的声音则只有半数的儿童被叫醒。
Mum's voice makes better smoke alarm for children
Adding a recording of a mother's voice to smoke alarms could save lives, according to US scientists.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found the modified alarms were more effective at waking children than conventional alarms. And they had the potential to buy vital seconds to escape a burning building.
研究发现，改进后的警报modified alarms（指的就是第一段的a mother's voice）和传统的警报conventional alarms（指的就是smoke alarms）相比，更能有效地唤醒孩子。这有什么意义呢？大楼着火时，可能会给孩子们争取到更多的逃生关键时间。
buy
buy大家都知道，而此处buy的时间，指的是“换取，争取，拖延”，英文解释为“If you buy something like time, freedom, or victory, you obtain it but only by offering or giving up something in return.”，举个🌰：
It was a risky operation, but might buy more time.
这是一项冒险的举动，但也许能换得更多的时间。
Fire chiefs welcomed the research, but said families should not worry about the alarms currently in their homes.
fire chief
表示“消防署署长；消防队队长”，英文解释为“someone who is in charge of all the fire stations in a city or area”
The research team at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio said children were "remarkably resistant" to being woken up by sounds because they have longer and deeper sleep than adults.
resistant
表示“有抵抗力的，抵抗…的”，英文解释为“not damaged or affected by something”，举个🌰：
... an infection that's resistant to antibiotics
...对抗生素有抗药性的感染
类似的还有一个词，proof作形容词表示“能抵抗某物；能对抗某物；能防御某”，英文解释为“to be too strong or good to be affected by something bad”，举个🌰：
Their defences are proof against most weapons.
他们的防卫工事可以抵挡大多数武器的攻击。
proof还有一个常见的用法就是和名词构成复合词，“n.-proof”，表示“耐…的，防…的，抗…的；不易受到…影响/破坏的”，如：
a bulletproof car 防弹汽车
a waterproof jacket 防水上衣
a childproof container 防儿童开启的容器
同样也可以构成动词，如：给房间隔音 soundproof a room (= so that sound cannot get into or out of it )
The study compared a traditional high-pitch smoke alarm with voice-based ones.
pitch
此处作为名词，表示“音调”，英文解释为“The pitch of a sound is how high or low it is.”，举个🌰：
He raised his voice to an even higher pitch.
他将嗓门提得更高了。
pitch意思也是多样，同样作名词时，比如可用作为field的近义词，表示“场地，比赛场地”，英文解释为“a marked out area of ground on which a sport is played”，如：football/cricket/rugby pitch 足球场/板球场/橄榄球场；
短语on the pitch可以表示“参加比赛”=playing a sport；举个🌰：
He was on the pitch for his school.
他代表学校参加了比赛。
作动词时，比如可以表示“〔通常仔细瞄准后〕用力投[扔，抛，掷]”，英文解释为“to throw something with a lot of force, often aiming carefully”，举个🌰：
She pitched the page into the fire.
她把那页纸扔进了火里。
There were 176 children who took part, and alarms were personalised with a recording of the mother's voice instructing their child to wake up.
研究人员分别为176名小孩录制了母亲喊他们起床的声音。
Only half woke up to the blaring noise of a conventional smoke alarm. But nine in 10 woke up to the voice alarms.
只有半数的小孩能被烟雾报警器（conventional smoke alarms）叫醒，而有90%的儿童能被母亲的声音（the voice alarms）叫醒。
The experiments were performed in a sleep laboratory, and the alarms were played once the children were in the deepest phase of sleep.
实验中，研究人员选择在孩子们处于深度睡眠时播放叫醒的警报。
Dr Mark Splaingard, one of the researchers, said: "The fact that we were able to find a smoke alarm sound that reduces the amount of time it takes for many children five to 12 years of age to wake up and leave the bedroom, could save lives."
The researchers now want to test whether any voice will do, or if it has to be the mother. And they want to assess what impact such alarms might have on waking up adults.
研究人员还准备研究其它声音以及对成年人是否也会产生同样的效果。
Rick Hylton, from the UK's National Fire Chiefs Council, said he was looking forward to seeing how the research panned out.
pan out
表示“（以某种方式）发展；进展顺利”，英文解释为“to develop in a particular way or in a successful way”，举个🌰：
We'll have to see how things pan out.
我们得看看事情如何发展。
Their attempt to start a new business didn't pan out.
他们试图开展新的生意，但没有成功。
He said: "People shouldn't be concerned about the effectiveness of their current smoke alarms.
当然，英国消防部门的职员也指出，并不是说现在人们普遍安装的报警器没有效果。只能说，研究发现母亲的声音可以帮助儿童在灾难中更快逃生。
"We know smoke alarms save lives so we ask that people ensure they have installed smoke alarms.
"They will alert occupants early if working, fitted and installed in the correct location. This gives adults, parents or guardians the opportunity to wake children, and leave the house."
occupant
表示“居住者，住户”，英文解释为“someone who lives in a house, room etc”，举个🌰：
The furniture had been left by the previous occupants.
家具是先前的住户留下的。
来源：BBC
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LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2018年10月30日
第1361天
每天持续行动学外语
