英语每日一听 | 每天少于5分钟

Some time between now and 2017, the British government will hold a referendum on whether to leave the European Union. We will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice. But what does leaving the EU actually mean? There's a few scenarios for what could happen.在现在到 2017 年之间的某个时间，英国政府将举行一次是否退出欧盟的全民公投。英国人民将面对一个非常简单的选择：留下还是离开。但“脱欧”究竟意味着什么？可能出现的情况其实有好几种。The first is total independence. Britain becomes just another country that sells to the EU but doesn't have to follow any of its silly rules. Just like the United States.第一种情况是完全独立。英国将成为一个向欧盟出售商品、但不必遵守欧盟那些“繁琐规则”的普通国家，就像美国一样。This sounds empowered, like Britain is finally releasing itself from the shackles of Eurocrats and Brussels. But what it really means is that Britain would have to negotiate everything it sells to Europe on a case-by-case basis. This type of complicated bargaining leads to real costs.听起来这似乎很振奋人心，仿佛英国终于摆脱了欧盟官僚和布鲁塞尔的束缚。但实际上，这意味着英国出口到欧洲的每一种商品都必须逐项谈判。这种复杂的谈判方式会带来实实在在的成本。US companies pay a 10% tariff on any car they sell in Europe. Tariffs on clothing are 30%. This scenario could cost Britain as much as 14% of its GDP.美国公司在欧洲出售汽车需要支付 10% 的关税，服装的关税则高达 30%。在这种情况下，英国可能会付出高达国内生产总值 14% 的代价。That's as much as Greece lost in the first four years of the financial crisis. Alternatively, Britain could leave the EU but stay in the European Economic Area. Under this scenario, Britain becomes Norway.这相当于希腊在金融危机最初四年中所遭受的损失。另一种选择是，英国退出欧盟，但继续留在欧洲经济区。在这种情况下，英国将变成“挪威模式”。It still buys and sells from Europe, but it's not a member of the club anymore. The only problem is, this doesn't actually get Britain out of European control. Members of the European Economic Area still have to contribute to the EU budget.英国仍然可以与欧洲进行买卖，但不再是“俱乐部”的成员。唯一的问题是，这并没有真正让英国摆脱欧盟的控制。欧洲经济区的成员国仍然需要向欧盟预算出资。And they still have to follow EU regulations on everything they sell in Europe. A lot of the arguments for leaving the EU are about the weird rules that British companies have to follow when they export to Europe. But Britain would still have to follow all those rules, it just wouldn't have a say in making them anymore.而且，他们在向欧洲销售商品时仍然必须遵守欧盟的各项规定。许多脱欧的理由，正是因为英国企业在向欧洲出口时不得不遵循那些“奇怪的规则”。但在这种情况下，英国仍然要遵守所有这些规则，只是再也没有参与制定规则的发言权了。The third option is for Britain to negotiate a special deal. A bilateral trade agreement custom-made for its own economy. Under this scenario, Britain becomes Switzerland.第三种选择是英国谈判一份特殊协议——一项为其自身经济量身定制的双边贸易协定。在这种情况下，英国将成为“瑞士模式”。It's not officially a member of the European Economic Area or the EU, but it still gets all the benefits of selling its goods there. The problem with this scenario, though, is negotiating power. According to Brussels, the market can't be divided up sector by sector.瑞士既不是欧洲经济区成员国，也不是欧盟成员国，但仍然能够享受向欧洲销售商品的各种好处。不过，这种模式的问题在于谈判实力。布鲁塞尔方面认为，市场不能被拆分成一个个行业分别谈判。If you want free trade, you have to agree to open up other parts of your market as well. Including the labor market. This is exactly what happened to Switzerland.如果你想要自由贸易，就必须同意同时开放市场的其他部分，包括劳动力市场。这正是瑞士所经历的情况。In 2014, Swiss voters demanded restrictions on EU migration. But Brussels said no. If Switzerland wanted European trade, they had to take European workers as well.2014 年，瑞士选民要求限制来自欧盟的移民，但布鲁塞尔拒绝了这一要求。如果瑞士想继续与欧洲进行贸易，就必须接受欧洲劳工。Switzerland, as a single country, just didn't have the negotiating power to stand up to 28 European countries at once. Most people who want Britain to leave the EU want freer trade and stricter immigration. But with the EU facing an unprecedented migration crisis, it's unlikely that Britain will get both.作为一个单独的国家，瑞士并没有足够的谈判能力去同时对抗 28 个欧洲国家。大多数希望英国脱欧的人，既想要更自由的贸易，又想要更严格的移民政策。但在欧盟正面临前所未有的移民危机之际，英国同时得到这两点的可能性并不大。Maybe the EU is too rigid and too boring. Maybe it does need to adapt as the world changes around it. Maybe the exact thing it needs is a big, liberal, pragmatic member to push it in that direction and do it from the inside.也许欧盟确实过于僵化、过于乏味。也许它确实需要随着世界的变化而进行调整。也许它真正需要的，正是一个规模大、开放、务实的成员国，从内部推动它朝这个方向改变。I wonder who that could be.我在想，那会是谁呢？

Children, particularly those under the age of seven, seem to develop more aggressive type 1 diabetes than those diagnosed later in life. Researchers at the University of Exeter studied pancreas samples from 250 donors, allowing them to see how the beta cells which produce the hormone insulin formed normally and in type 1.儿童，尤其是七岁以下的儿童，似乎比在年龄更大时诊断出的人 1 型糖尿病发展得更凶猛。埃克塞特大学的研究人员仔细研究了来自 250 名捐赠者的胰腺样本，这让他们得以一窥产生胰岛素这种激素的胰岛 β 细胞在正常人的胰腺和 1 型糖尿病患者的胰腺中形成方式的区别。They showed early in life the beta cells live in small clusters which are easy for the immune system to pick off and destroy. The researchers say it's a really significant finding and that the future was looking much brighter with drugs that can slow the immune system's attack.这些样本显示出在生命早期胰岛 β 细胞会以小团的形式存在，这让免疫系统能够轻易地识别并破坏它们。研究人员称这项发现意义重大，它为糖尿病治疗的未来带来了希望，因为将会有可以减缓免疫系统攻击的药物。

We've all heard advice about good sleep hygiene. No phones or caffeine before bed, and make sure that we get a good eight hours' rest. But is this the best sleep pattern, or have we just been led to it by modern life?我们都听过关于良好睡眠习惯的建议：睡前不要玩手机或摄入咖啡因，并且要确保有充足的八小时睡眠。但这真的是最好的睡眠模式吗？还是说，我们只是被现代生活方式引导成这样的？Artificial light in our houses and streets means that we no longer have to go to bed at sundown. Having a job to go to at a set time in the morning can be the main determining factor on when we decide to rouse ourselves. In past centuries, the time of sunset and sunrise had a much bigger impact on people's days. Historical studies have shown that in many parts of the world it was common for people to sleep in two sections, from dusk until around 11 and then from one in the morning until sunrise. This segmented or biphasal sleep pattern is referred to as far back in history as ancient Greece.家中和街道上的人工照明，使我们不再需要在日落时就上床睡觉。而早晨必须在固定时间上班，往往成为我们决定何时起床的主要因素。在过去的几个世纪里，日落和日出的时间对人们的日常生活影响要大得多。历史研究表明，在世界许多地区，人们普遍采取分两段的睡眠方式：从黄昏睡到大约晚上十一点，再从凌晨一点睡到日出。这种分段式或“双相睡眠”模式，早在古希腊时期的历史记载中就已经出现。So, if modern sleep patterns are in some part due to modern lifestyles and technologies, could segmented sleep patterns be more natural? Some studies suggest that they are. The circadian rhythms that determine when we start to feel drowsy are greatly affected by light. Study participants subjected to 14 hours of complete darkness a day started to develop a biphasal sleeping pattern. As recently as 2017, similar patterns have also been seen in some communities in rural Madagascar that do not have access to electric light.那么，如果现代的睡眠模式在某种程度上是现代生活方式和技术造成的，分段睡眠是否反而更自然呢？一些研究表明，答案是肯定的。决定我们何时开始感到困倦的昼夜节律，会受到光线的强烈影响。研究中，每天处在十四小时完全黑暗环境下的参与者，开始逐渐形成双相睡眠模式。甚至就在2017年，在马达加斯加一些无法使用电灯的农村社区中，也观察到了类似的睡眠模式。They may be more natural, but are these sleeping patterns healthier? Experts caution that the small number of studies carried out means that the risks and benefits of segmented sleeping are not well understood. Nevertheless, some people have found it to be a useful way to find time to be creative. Psychologist Gregg Jacobs suggests that the period of time that people used to spend awake in past centuries could have been used to regulate stress. Other experts remind us that many people find that they wake in the night, and then get anxious at not being able to get back to sleep, which in itself exacerbates any sleeplessness.这种睡眠方式也许更自然，但是否更健康呢？专家提醒，由于相关研究数量有限，分段睡眠的风险和益处仍未被充分了解。尽管如此，一些人发现这种方式能帮助他们腾出时间进行创造性活动。心理学家格雷格·雅各布斯认为，在过去的几个世纪里，人们夜间清醒的那段时间，可能被用来调节压力。其他专家则提醒我们，很多人会在夜里醒来，并因无法再次入睡而感到焦虑，而这种焦虑本身反而会加重失眠。Making use of the awake time to do something restful could help people improve their sleep. If you do want to try it, sleep researcher Mary Carskadon reminds us that we should stay away from bright lights to avoid disturbing our circadian rhythms. You also might want to check that it won't disturb your work and social life too much.如果能善用夜间清醒的时间，去做一些让人放松的事情，或许有助于改善睡眠。如果你想尝试这种方式，睡眠研究员玛丽·卡斯卡登提醒，应当远离强光，以免干扰昼夜节律。同时，你也需要确认这种作息不会对你的工作和社交生活造成太大的影响。

At least 12 homes were either destroyed or damaged when a wildfire swept through a coastal area north of Sydney, local authorities said.当地政府表示，悉尼以北的沿海地区遭遇野火侵袭，至少有 12 所房屋被毁或受损。The blaze broke out in the town of Colwong, New South Wales.这场大火发生在新南威尔士州的科尔旺镇。Scores of wildfires are burning across the state, fueled by soaring temperatures.由于气温飙升，全州有数十处野火正在燃烧。An unnamed local resident said, you had no time to even think, we've lost everything, all we've got left is what we're wearing.一位未透露姓名的当地居民表示：“你根本没有时间思考，我们失去了一切，现在唯一剩下的就是身上穿的这些。”Aerial footage shows several homes ablaze as firefighting helicopters work to extinguish the flames.航拍画面显示，多座房屋正在燃烧，灭火直升机正努力扑灭火势。

Our striker falls out with Liverpool and we meet two furry besties having the time of their lives. Okay, but first this morning, will you be sending a Christmas card to your friends this year where King Charles and Queen Camilla have been showing off their official card?我们的前锋与利物浦闹翻了，而我们也会见到两位毛茸茸的好朋友，正在享受他们人生中最快乐的时光。好了，但首先今早——你今年会给朋友们寄圣诞卡吗？查尔斯国王和卡米拉王后已经展示了他们的官方圣诞卡。It shows the royals on a recent trip to Rome in Italy. The Prince and Princess of Wales have also been getting into the festive spirit along with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.卡片上展示的是他们最近前往意大利罗马旅行的照片。威尔士亲王与王妃也和他们的孩子——乔治王子、夏洛特公主和路易王子——一起融入了节日的氛围。They all attended a special Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London.他们全家参加了在伦敦威斯敏斯特教堂举行的一场特别圣诞颂歌活动。Okay, football now and there's been very strong words from Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah who has hit out saying he's getting all the blame for the team's problems this season.好了，现在说足球。利物浦球星穆罕默德·萨拉赫发表了强烈言论，指责自己成了本赛季球队所有问题的“背锅者”。The striker has been dropped from the team in the club's last three games after Liverpool's bad run in the Premier League and with the transfer window opening soon, he also said he wasn't sure if he would be playing for Liverpool again.由于利物浦在英超表现不佳，这名前锋在球队最近三场比赛中被排除在名单之外。而随着转会窗即将开启，他也表示自己不确定是否会继续为利物浦效力。Well, let's stay with a bit of sport now. The torch for next year's Winter Olympics has arrived in Italy's capital Rome.好吧，我们继续聊体育。明年冬奥会的火炬已经抵达意大利首都罗马。The games take place in the country in February and the flame will now travel on a two-month relay around Italy.冬奥会将于明年二月在意大利举行，火种现在将开始为期两个月的全国接力之旅。The journey will finish in the city of Milan when the torch will enter the famous San Siro football stadium on the evening of the 6th of February, ready for the opening ceremony of the Winter Games.火炬旅程将在米兰结束，2 月 6 日晚上将进入著名的圣西罗足球场，为冬奥会开幕式做好准备。Right, with the end of term just around the corner, not long now, it's time to start thinking about all the Christmas telly we can enjoy. Here's what's coming up.好了，随着学期即将结束，假期就要来了，是时候想想我们能看的圣诞电视节目了。以下是即将播出的内容。Once school has finished and the Christmas holidays begin, my favourite thing to do is get into my festive PJs, grab some top tier snacks and get cosy on the sofa to watch the best of Christmas TV and films.一到放假、圣诞假期开始，我最喜欢做的事就是换上节日睡衣，拿点顶级零食，窝在沙发上看最棒的圣诞节目和电影。Well do not fear, I have you covered. Let's start off with the Scarecrow's Wedding.别担心，我已经帮你准备好了。让我们从《稻草人的婚礼》开始。Harry loved Betty and Betty loved Harry. So Harry said, Betty, my beauty, let's marry. Many of you may have read the book when you were younger.哈里爱贝蒂，贝蒂也爱哈里。所以哈里说：“贝蒂，我的美人儿，我们结婚吧。”很多人小时候可能读过这本书。It's by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, who also did The Gruffalo. It's going to be on the BBC on Christmas Day.它由朱莉娅·唐纳森和阿克塞尔·舍夫勒创作，他们也是《咕噜牛》的作者。它将在圣诞节当天于 BBC 播出。And also on BBC, do you recognise this yellow bear? Yes, correct, it's Pudsey.另外在 BBC，你认得这只黄色的小熊吗？没错，就是帕德西（Pudsey）。And in an exciting first, the Children in Need mascot will be in a special animation. Pudsey and the Thread of Hope will be on BBC on Christmas Eve. They should be.更令人兴奋的是，“儿童慈善募捐”活动的吉祥物将首次出现在特别动画中。《帕德西与希望之线》将在平安夜于 BBC 播出，绝对值得期待。I love Nina's fake fireplace. Have you been doing that at home? It's cool, isn't it?我喜欢妮娜的假壁炉。你家会这样布置吗？是不是很酷？Now, have you ever met someone and known instantly that you're going to be besties? Well, it looks like Nyle and Shanti got that feeling when they met for the first time at Chester Zoo.你有没有遇到一个人，一见面就知道你们会成为最好的朋友？好吧，看起来奈尔和珊缇在切斯特动物园第一次见面时就有这种感觉。They're both extremely rare Asiatic lions, and they've been brought together to help protect the species from extinction.它们都是极其珍稀的亚洲狮，被带到一起是为了帮助保护这个濒危物种。They love playing together in their new home, which is designed to look like the Indian forest where they usually live in the wild.它们喜欢在新家一起玩耍，而新家被设计得像它们在野外生活的印度森林一样。OK, that's all from me and the TV team for this weekend. Don't forget, there's loads more stories on our website, including plans to explore Mars, musical instruments made out of shells, and a way to send us a photo of your Christmas decorations. Take care.好了，这就是我和电视团队本周末的全部内容。别忘了，我们网站上还有更多故事，包括探索火星的计划、用贝壳制作的乐器，还有一种方式可以让你发送圣诞装饰的照片给我们。保重！