Improving your memory18.增强记忆力的**

音频文本：Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil. This is the programme where in just six minutes we discuss an interesting topic and teach some related English vocabulary. And joining me to do this is Rob.大家好，欢迎来到英语六分钟，我是尼尔。在这个节目中，我们将在六分钟内讨论一个有趣的话题并教授一些相关的英语词汇。和我一起主持节目的是罗伯。

Rob: Hello... err sorry Neil, how long did you say this programme is?大家好……额，抱歉，你说这个节目是多长时间？Neil: Six minutes - it's 6 Minute English, Rob.六分钟——它是六分钟英语，罗伯。

Rob: Right. OK. Sorry, what's your name again?好的。抱歉，你叫什么名字来着？

Neil: Neil! My name is Neil. Rob, what has happened to your memory?!尼尔！我叫尼尔。罗伯，你的记忆力怎么了？！

Rob: Sorry, Neil - too many things on my mind, it's affecting my short-term memory, but what I can remember is that in this programme we're talking about improving our memory.抱歉，尼尔，我脑子里想的事太多了，这影响了我的短期记忆力，但是我能记住的是，在这个节目中我们要讨论的是提高我们的记忆力。

Neil: We are and I think you might find it quite useful! Storing information is an important function of our brains and scientists are always looking at ways to improve it but also to stop it deteriorating - or becoming worse.我们是要讨论提高记忆力，而且我想你可能会发现它相当有用！储存信息是我们大脑的一项重要功能，而且科学家们一直在寻找**提高记忆力，阻止记忆力变差。

Rob: Yes, and we all know that memories - that's the noun word for things we remember from the past - are nice to have but also important for remembering who people are, where things are kept and how things look.是的，我们都知道拥有记忆力很好——“memory”是一个名词，指的是我们从过去开始记住的事情，记住过去的事情很好，但是记住人们是谁、东西放在哪里以及事物的样子也很重要。

Neil: Soon we'll be discussing a new idea for improving your memory but not before I've set today's quiz question. There are many ways we can improve our memory but one way is through the type of food we eat. According to the BBC Food website, which type of food supports good memory function?稍后我们将会讨论提高记忆力的一种新**，但不是在我设置今天的问题之前。我们提高记忆力有很多**，但有一种**是通过我们吃的食物类型。根据BBC美食网站，哪种食物具有良好的记忆功能？Is it...a) eggs b) spinach, or c) bananas?是a)鸡蛋b)菠菜，还是c)香蕉？

Rob: Well, as a kid I was always told that spinach was good for me - Popeye ate it to make him strong - so I'll say b) spinach.嗯，当我还是个孩子的时候，我总是被告知菠菜对我有好处——大力水手吃菠菜让自己**——所以我选b)菠菜。

Neil: Well, I'll have the answer later on. Now, let's talk more about improving our memory. Memory is the ability to encode, store and recall information but a number of factors can affect people's memory processes including health, anxiety, mood, stress and tiredness.好吧，稍后我将揭晓答案。现在，让我们来谈谈更多关于如何提高我们记忆力的内容。记忆力是编码、存储和回忆起信息的能力，但有许多因素可以影响人们的记忆**，包括健康状况、焦虑情绪、心情、压力和疲劳感。

Rob: That's why, for example, if you're taking an exam it's important to get a good night's sleep and to keep healthy. But Neil, when you're revising for an exam, what helps you to remember facts?那就是为什么，例如你参加考试的时候，晚上睡个好觉和**健康是很重要的。但是尼尔，当你在为考试复习的时候，什么能帮助你记住东西呢？

Neil: I tend to write things down again and again and again and again.我总是一遍又一遍，一遍又一遍地把东西写下来。

Rob: Well, that's one way. But people have different styles to help them remember. According to the BBC's iWonder guide, there are three different styles - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, that's learning by 'doing' and practicing something over and over again. That sounds like me.好吧，那是一种**。但是人们有不同的**来帮助自己记忆。根据BBC的iWonder指南，有三种不同的**——视觉、听觉和动觉，即通过“做”和反复练习来学习。那听起来很像我。

Neil: But recently, a new study has come up with a method that could possibly be the best way to improve your memory and that's by drawing. Daryl O'Connor, who's Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds, has been speaking about it on the BBC Radio 4 programme, All In The Mind. See if you can work out why...但是最近，一项新的研究提出了一种可能是提高记忆力最好的**，那就是绘画。英国利兹大学心理学教授达里尔·奥康纳在BBC广播4频道All In The Mind节目中谈到了这一点。看看你能否找出为什么……

Daryl O'Connor, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds达里尔·奥康纳，利兹大学心理学教授

The authors certainly argue that one of the things that happens by drawing these particular objects, that it leads to this increased contextual representation of the object in one's mind... It makes a lot of intuitive sense - the idea that if you have encoded something in a greater level of detail, you're more likely to remember it... It's much stronger than just remembering writing down the words.画作作者确实认为通过绘画这些特定物体会产生的事情之一就是那会导致某人头脑中与该物体相关的内容**……它会产生大量直觉——那是说如果你对某事物进行了更详细的编码，你好像就更可能会记住它……这比仅仅写下单词，记住单词强得多。

Neil: OK, so let's try to explain that. Drawing something leads to increased contextual representation of the object. When something is contextual, it is in the situation where it usually exists.好的，所以让我们来解释一下。绘画某物会使与该物相关的内容**。当某事物是有前后关系时，它处于它通常存在的位置。

Rob: So as you draw something you are creating a picture in your mind about what it is, how you use it and where it is used. I wonder if this means artists have good memories...所以当你绘画某物时，你在脑海中就它是什么，如何使用以及在哪里使用而创造出一幅图画。我猜想这是否意味着画家记忆力好……

Neil: Maybe. Daryl O'Connor says that when you draw you are encoding something in a greater level of detail, more than you would by just writing things down. Encoding is changing information into a form that can be stored and later recalled.也许吧。达里尔·奥康纳说，当你绘画时，你是在对某事物进行更详细的编码，而不仅仅是把它们写下来。编码是将信息转换成一种可以存储以及后期回忆起来的形式。

Rob: That's because as you draw, you're thinking about different aspects of the object. He says it makes intuitive sense - intuitive means it is 'based on feelings rather than facts or proof' - so, you just feel it is the best thing to do.这是因为当你绘画的时候，你在考虑物体的不同方面。他说那会产生直觉。直觉指的是“基于感觉，而不是事实或证据”——所以，你只是觉得那是最好的做法。

Neil: Of course this is just one more way to improve your memory. I have also heard that doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku can help, especially when you're older.当然，这只是提高记忆力的又一种**。我同样听说玩填字游戏和数独会有所帮助，尤其是当你年纪大一些的时候。

Rob: Yes, as we get older we can often have more difficulty retrieving information from our memory - and people with Alzheimer's find it very difficult to encode information - so any way to keep our memory working is a good thing. Basically we need brain training!是的，随着年龄增长，我们从记忆中检索信息常常会**更加困难。而且阿尔茨海默患者发现很难对信息进行编码，因此，能**我们记忆力的任何**都是好的。本质上说来我们需要大脑训练！

Neil: Brain training and eating the right food Rob! You might remember that earlier I asked you, according to the BBC Food website, which type of food supports good memory function?大脑训练和正确饮食，罗伯！你可能还记得早些时候我问你，根据BBC美食网站，哪种食物具有良好的记忆功能？

Is it...a) eggs b) spinach, or c) bananas?And Rob, you said...是a)鸡蛋b)菠菜，还是c)香蕉？罗伯，你选的是……

Rob: I do remember and I said b) spinach.我确实记得，而且我说是b)菠菜。

Neil: And that is sort of the wrong answer. In fact they were all correct - they are all examples of food that can help support good memory. Apparently, foods rich in B vitamins are important as they provide protection for the brain as we age and support good memory function. I think it's time to change my diet! Now on to the vocabulary we looked at in this programme.某种程度上来说那是一个错误的答案。事实上，它们都正确。它们都是能帮助**良好记忆的食物的例子。显然，富含维生素B的食物很重要，因为随着我们年龄的增长，它们为大脑提供保护，并具有良好的记忆功能。我想是时候改变我的饮食了！现在来看看我们在这期节目中学习的词汇。

Rob: So today we've been talking about our memory - we use our memory to remember things and memories is the noun for things we remember from the past.所以今天我们一直在谈论我们的记忆力。我们用记忆力来记住事情，记忆力是我们从过去开始记住的事情的名词。

Neil: Then we discussed a learning style known as kinaesthetic, that is learning by 'doing' and practising something over and over again.然后我们讨论了一种称为动觉的学习**，即通过“做”和反复练习来学习。

Rob: We heard from Professor Daryl O'Connor, who talked about contextual representation - when something is contextual, you see it in the situation where it usually exists.我们听达里尔·奥康纳教授谈到了“有前后关系的表达”。当某事物有前后关系时，你会在它通常存在的情境中看到它。

Neil: Next we talked about encoding. That is changing information into a form that can be stored and later recalled.接下来我们说到了“编码”。那就是将信息转换成一种可以存储和稍后回忆起来的形式。

Rob: And we mentioned intuitive sense - having an intuitive sense means doing something 'based on feelings rather than facts or proof' - so, you just feel it is the best thing to do.我们提到了直觉——凭直觉意味着做某事是“基于感觉而不是事实或证据”，所以，你只是感觉它是最好的做法。

Neil: And finally we mentioned Alzheimer's - a disease affecting the brain that makes it difficult to remember things and it gets worse as you get older.最后我们提到了阿尔茨海默病——一种影响大脑的疾病，它使人很难记住事情，而且随着年龄的增长，它会**更糟。

Rob: Well there are lots of new words to remember there - but that's all for this programme.好吧，有很多新单词要记住，但以上就是本期节目的全部内容。

Neil: Don't forget to visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and our website bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now.别忘了访问我们的Facebook、Twitter、Instagram、YouTube和我们的网站bbclearningenglish.com。再见了。

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语料：

short-term memory 短期记忆

deteriorate v. 恶化，变坏 【近】exasperate、exacerbate、aggravate

spinach 菠菜

encode vt.编码

revising for an exam 复习考试 (revise v.复习)

auditory adj. 听觉的n. 听众；礼堂

kinaesthetic adj. [生理] 动觉的；（**等）运动感觉的

come up with提出；想出；赶上

work out解决；算出；实现；制定出；消耗完；弄懂；锻炼

lead to 导致，通向

contextual adj. 上下文的；前后关系的

intuitive sense 直观的感觉 (intuitive adj. 直觉的；凭直觉获知的)

so as 只要

crossword puzzles 填字游戏

retrieving information 检索信息 (retrieve vt.检索，找回)

Alzheimer's 痴呆症，阿尔茨海默病

rich in 富有，富余