英语学习:愈帮愈忙的健康资讯爆炸!

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今时今日,有关健康、疾病、药物、健康补充品的资讯氾滥,报纸杂志书籍、电台电视,当然还有互联网,只要你肯去找、去读,不愁缺乏。但问题却更大,那麽多的资讯,消化得来吗?当中不少的矛盾,普通人读完后有帮助,还是更加迷惘?

例如BBC最近一篇有关维他命的报道:“Should everybody be taking Vitamin D?”(是否人人都应服用维他命D?)副题是这样:“Vitamin D is said to help stave off fatigue, depression and even cancer. But some experts argue that for people with healthy levels, supplements are not helpful. What’s the reality?”

仍有商榷

Stave用作名词解木柱、棍、棒;五线谱、诗节也叫stave。Stave又可用作动词,stave something in解break something by forcing it inwards or piercing it roughly,击穿、凿孔于;例如︰The reef staved in the boat’s hull.(礁石把船身击穿。)

Stave off则解avert or delay something bad or dangerous,击退、赶走,要击退;例如︰The campers staved off a wild boar last night.(露营人士昨晚击退了一头野猪。)Stave off也解暂时消除、挡住或推迟,如“stave off fatigue, depression and even cancer”(消除疲劳、抗衡情绪低落,甚至可以抗癌)。

这篇文章写得很详尽,正、反、不正不反的论调都铺陈清楚,所以文章有很多这样的转折句子:“few doubt …”(很少人会怀疑……)、“but some experts say…”(但有些专家却说……)、“evidence isn’t clear-cut”(证据并非一面倒)、“there is also conflicting research on …”(在这问题上亦有不一致的研究结果……)、“but other studies have been less conclusive”(但其他研究结论就没有这麽斩钉截铁)……。

With such conflicting results, it’s unsurprising that medical experts themselves are deeply divided over the benefits of widespread supplementation.

专家都人言人殊,普通人怎有答案?所以文章以此结束:

… but the impact this could have on your health is still up for debate(仍有商榷的余地).

无所适从

林林总总的资讯,就如文章副题中提出的问题:“What’s the reality?”真相是什么?实情究竟是怎样?这就是今天普通读者对很多这些健康资讯的“读后感”。这篇文章近三千字,又有多少人有时间读完?读完有恍然大悟的感觉,或更无所适从?

当然,网上文章没有印刷和发行的成本,可说是“不登白不登”,所以篇幅长一点没大关係,只要读者有时间就可以慢慢的读。但行文若较简洁,对读者的帮助会大一点,例如Reader’s Digest的文章“6 Vitamin Myths You Have to Stop Believing – and 2 Vitamins You Actually Do Need”就说︰“Taking vitamins you don’t need isn’t just a waste of money – it could put your health at risk, too.”(服用你不需要的维他命不但浪费金钱——更可能损害健康。)维他命乱投没好处,但文章就说︰“Truth: A vitamin D supplement could do you good”(维他命D补充品确有用),但买前应“learn how much vitamin D to take, and which forms are best”。

Nina Shapiro和Kristin Loberg合着的Hype:A Doctor’s Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice – How to Tell What’s Real and What’s Not,试图为读者拨开健康资讯的五里迷雾。

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