The Effects of Sunshine
2009年，《今日心理學》雜誌上的一篇文章談到了研究所「顯示」（表明）陽光如何影響我們的不同方式。以下是其中的一些方式：
- We tend to feel more “generous” (giving to others) and want to help people on sunny days. People leave bigger “tips” (extra money to someone who is giving you service, such as a waiter in a restaurant) on days when the sun is shining.
在晴天，我們往往感覺更加「慷慨」（給予他人）並想幫助他人。人們在陽光明媚的日子裡會留下更多的「小費」（給予提供服務的人，例如餐廳的服務員）。
- “Admission committees” (people at colleges and universities who make decisions about which students will get to study there) are more likely to select students who seem to have good “social skills” (are friendly, outgoing, sociable) on days when it is sunny. But on “cloudy days” (days with little sun), students who have a better “academic record” (performance in school, such as grades and test scores) are more likely to be “admitted” (accepted into the university). Note that in American universities, your academic record is not the only thing that determines whether or not you will be admitted. Admission committees look at many different factors, including your “extracurricular” (outside of school) activities, such as “volunteering” (working for a good cause without pay) and sports.
「招生委員會」（大學裡決定哪些學生可以入學的人）在晴天更傾向於選擇那些看起來具有良好「社交技能」（友好、外向、善於交際）的學生。但在「陰天」（少有陽光的日子），那些「學業成績」（學校表現，例如成績和考試成績）更好的學生更有可能被「錄取」（被大學接受）。請注意，在美國的大學中，你的學業成績並不是決定你是否會被錄取的唯一因素。招生委員會會考慮許多不同的因素，包括你的「課外」（學校之外的）活動，例如「志願服務」（無償為公益事業工作）和運動。
- The “stock market” (a place where you can buy and sell partial ownership in companies) tends to go up when it’s sunny in the city where the stock market is located.
當股市所在地的城市是晴天時，「股市」（你可以在那裡買賣公司部分所有權的地方）往往會上漲。
- People buy fewer “lottery tickets” (tickets that the government sells that give you a chance to win a lot of money; a type of official gambling) on sunny days. Some people feel better when they buy a lottery ticket, thinking that they are going to win, but on sunny days, people don’t need this extra “lift” (increase in good feeling).
在晴天，人們會買更少的「彩票」（政府出售的有機會贏很多錢的票；一種官方賭博）。有些人在買彩票時感覺更好，認為他們會贏，但在晴天，人們不需要這種額外的「提升」（增加的好感）。
- On sunny days, we are less likely to try to lift our “mood” (our feelings) by using alcohol, coffee, tobacco, and chocolate.
在晴天，我們不太可能通過使用酒精、咖啡、煙草和巧克力來提升我們的「情緒」（感覺）。
重點單字
- 1. Indicated [ˈɪndɪˌkeɪtɪd] 顯示
- 2. Generous [ˈdʒɛnərəs] 慷慨的
- 3. Tips [tɪps] 小費
- 4. Admission committees [ədˈmɪʃən kəˈmɪtiz] 招生委員會
- 5. Social skills [ˈsoʊʃəl skɪlz] 社交技能
- 6. Cloudy days [ˈklaʊdi deɪz] 陰天
- 7. Academic record [ˌækəˈdɛmɪk ˈrɛkərd] 學業成績
- 8. Admitted [ədˈmɪtɪd] 錄取
- 9. Extracurricular [ˌɛkstrəkəˈrɪkjələr] 課外的
- 10. Volunteering [ˌvɑlənˈtɪrɪŋ] 志願服務
- 11. Stock market [ˈstɑk ˈmɑrkɪt] 股市
- 12. Lottery tickets [ˈlɑtəri ˈtɪkɪts] 彩票
- 13. Lift [lɪft] 提升
- 14. Mood [mud] 情緒
