TED英语演讲稿我们在出生前学到了什么.docx

TED英语演讲稿我们在出生前学到了什么.docx

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TED英语演讲稿我们在出生前学到了什么

TED英语演讲稿：

我们在出生前学到了什么

　　Mysubjecttodayislearning.Andinthatspirit,Iwanttospringonyouallapopquiz.Ready?

Whendoeslearningbegin?

Nowasyouponderthatquestion,maybeyou'rethinkingaboutthefirstdayofpreschoolorkindergarten,thefirsttimethatkidsareinaclassroomwithateacher.Ormaybeyou'vecalledtomindthetoddlerphasewhenchildrenarelearninghowtowalkandtalkanduseafork.Maybeyou'veencounteredtheZero-to-Threemovement,whichassertsthatthemostimportantyearsforlearningaretheearliestones.Andsoyouranswertomyquestionwouldbe:

Learningbeginsatbirth.

　　WelltodayIwanttopresenttoyouanideathatmaybesurprisingandmayevenseemimplausible,butwhichissupportedbythelatestevidencefrompsychologyandbiology.Andthatisthatsomeofthemostimportantlearningweeverdohappensbeforewe'reborn,whilewe'restillinthewomb.NowI'masciencereporter.Iwritebooksandmagazinearticles.AndI'malsoamother.AndthosetworolescametogetherformeinabookthatIwrotecalled"Origins.""Origins"isareportfromthefrontlinesofanexcitingnewfieldcalledfetalorigins.Fetaloriginsisascientificdisciplinethatemergedjustabouttwodecadesago,andit'sbasedonthetheorythatourhealthandwell-beingthroughoutourlivesiscruciallyaffectedbytheninemonthswespendinthewomb.Nowthistheorywasofmorethanjustintellectualinteresttome.IwasmyselfpregnantwhileIwasdoingtheresearchforthebook.AndoneofthemostfascinatinginsightsItookfromthisworkisthatwe'realllearningabouttheworldevenbeforeweenterit.

　　Whenweholdourbabiesforthefirsttime,wemightimaginethatthey'recleanslates,unmarkedbylife,wheninfact,they'vealreadybeenshapedbyusandbytheparticularworldwelivein.TodayIwanttosharewithyousomeoftheamazingthingsthatscientistsarediscoveringaboutwhatfetuseslearnwhilethey'restillintheirmothers'bellies.

　　Firstofall,theylearnthesoundoftheirmothers'voices.Becausesoundsfromtheoutsideworldhavetotravelthroughthemother'sabdominaltissueandthroughtheamnioticfluidthatsurroundsthefetus,thevoicesfetuseshear,startingaroundthefourthmonthofgestation,aremutedandmuffled.OneresearchersaysthattheyprobablysoundalotlikethethevoiceofCharlieBrown'steacherintheold"Peanuts"cartoon.Butthepregnantwoman'sownvoicereverberatesthroughherbody,reachingthefetusmuchmorereadily.Andbecausethefetusiswithherallthetime,ithearshervoicealot.Oncethebaby'sborn,itrecognizeshervoiceanditpreferslisteningtohervoiceoveranyoneelse's.

　　Howcanweknowthis?

Newbornbabiescan'tdomuch,butonethingthey'rereallygoodatissucking.Researcherstakeadvantageofthisfactbyrigginguptworubbernipples,sothatifababysucksonone,ithearsarecordingofitsmother'svoiceonapairofheadphones,andifitsucksontheothernipple,ithearsarecordingofafemalestranger'svoice.Babiesquicklyshowtheirpreferencebychoosingthefirstone.Scientistsalsotakeadvantageofthefactthatbabieswillslowdowntheirsuckingwhensomethingintereststhemandresumetheirfastsuckingwhentheygetbored.Thisishowresearchersdiscoveredthat,afterwomenrepeatedlyreadaloudasectionofDr.Seuss'"TheCatintheHat"whiletheywerepregnant,theirnewbornbabiesrecognizedthatpassagewhentheyhearitoutsidethewomb.Myfavoriteexperimentofthiskindistheonethatshowedthatthebabiesofwomenwhowatchedacertainsoapoperaeverydayduringpregnancyrecognizedthethemesongofthatshowoncetheywereborn.Sofetusesareevenlearningabouttheparticularlanguagethat'sspokenintheworldthatthey'llbeborninto.

　　Astudypublishedlastyearfoundthatfrombirth,fromthemomentofbirth,babiescryintheaccentoftheirmother'snativelanguage.FrenchbabiescryonarisingnotewhileGermanbabiesendonafallingnote,imitatingthemelodiccontoursofthoselanguages.Nowwhywouldthiskindoffetallearningbeuseful?

Itmayhaveevolvedtoaidthebaby'ssurvival.Fromthemomentofbirth,thebabyrespondsmosttothevoiceofthepersonwhoismostlikelytocareforit--itsmother.Itevenmakesitscriessoundlikethemother'slanguage,whichmayfurtherendearthebabytothemother,andwhichmaygivethebabyaheadstartinthecriticaltaskoflearninghowtounderstandandspeakitsnativelanguage.

　　Butit'snotjustsoundsthatfetusesarelearningaboutinutero.It'salsotastesandsmells.Bysevenmonthsofgestation,thefetus'tastebudsarefullydeveloped,anditsolfactoryreceptors,whichallowittosmell,arefunctioning.Theflavorsofthefoodapregnantwomaneatsfindtheirwayintotheamnioticfluid,whichiscontinuouslyswallowedbythefetus.Babiesseemtorememberandpreferthesetastesoncethey'reoutintheworld.Inoneexperiment,agroupofpregnantwomenwasaskedtodrinkalotofcarrotjuiceduringtheirthirdtrimesterofpregnancy,whileanothergroupofpregnantwomendrankonlywater.Sixmonthslater,thewomen'sinfantswereofferedcerealmixedwithcarrotjuice,andtheirfacialexpressionswereobservedwhiletheyateit.Theoffspringofthecarrotjuicedrinkingwomenatemorecarrot-flavoredcereal,andfromthelooksofit,theyseemedtoenjoyitmore.

　　AsortofFrenchversionofthisexperimentwascarriedoutinDijon,Francewhereresearchersfoundthatmotherswhoconsumedfoodanddrinkflavoredwithlicorice-flavoredaniseduringpregnancyshowedapreferenceforaniseontheirfirstdayoflife,andagain,whentheyweretestedlater,ontheirfourthdayoflife.Babieswhosemothersdidnoteataniseduringpregnancyshowedareactionthattranslatedroughlyas"yuck."Whatthismeansisthatfetusesareeffectivelybeingtaughtbytheirmothersaboutwhatissafeandgoodtoeat.Fetusesarealsobeingtaughtabouttheparticularculturethatthey'llbejoiningthroughoneofculture'smostpowerfulexpressions,whichisfood.They'rebeingintroducedtothecharacteristicflavorsandspicesoftheirculture'scuisineevenbeforebirth.

　　Nowitturnsoutthatfetusesarelearningevenbiggerlessons.ButbeforeIgettothat,Iwanttoaddresssomethingthatyoumaybewonderingabout.Thenotionoffetallearningmayconjureupforyouattemptstoenrichthefetus--likeplayingMozartthroughheadphonesplacedonapregnantbelly.Butactually,thenine-month-longprocessofmoldingandshapingthatgoesoninthewombisalotmorevisceralandconsequentialthanthat.Muchofwhatapregnantwomanencountersinherdailylife--theairshebreathes,thefoodanddrinksheconsumes,thechemicalsshe'sexposedto,eventheemotionsshefeels--aresharedinsomefashionwithherfetus.Theymakeupamixofinfluencesasindividualandidiosyncraticasthewomanherself.Thefetusincorporatestheseofferingsintoitsownbody,makesthempartofitsfleshandblood.Andoftenitdoessomethingmore.Ittreatsthesematernalcontributionsasinformation,aswhatIliketocallbiologicalpostcardsfromtheworldoutside.

　　SowhatafetusislearningaboutinuteroisnotMozart's"MagicFlute"butanswerstoquestionsmuchmorecriticaltoitssurvival.Willitbebornintoaworldofabundanceorscarcity?

Willitbesafeandprotected,orwillitfaceconstantdangersandthreats?

Willitlivealong,fruitfullifeorashort,harriedone?

Thepregnantwoman'sdietandstresslevelinparticularprovideimportantcluestoprevailingconditionslikeafingerliftedtothewind.Theresultingtuningandtweakingofafetus'brainandotherorgansarepartofwhatgiveushumansourenormousflexibility,ourabilitytothriveinahugevarietyofenvironments,fromthecountrytothecity,fromthetundratothedesert.

　　Toconclude,Iwanttotellyoutwostoriesabouthowmothersteachtheirchildrenabouttheworldevenbeforethey'reborn.Intheautumnof1944,thedarkestdaysofWorldWarII,GermantroopsblockadedWesternHolland,turningawayallshipmentsoffood.TheopeningoftheNazi'ssiegewasfollowedbyoneoftheharshestwintersindecades--socoldthewaterinthecanalsfrozesolid.Soonfoodbecamescarce,withmanyDutchsurvivingonjust500caloriesaday--aquarterofwhattheyconsumedbeforethewar.Asweeksofdeprivationstretchedintomonths,someresortedtoeatingtulipbulbs.BythebeginningofMay,thenation'scarefullyrationedfoodreservewascompletelyexhausted.Thespecterofmassstarvationloomed.AndthenonMay5th,1945,thesiegecametoasuddenendwhenHollandwasliberatedbytheAllies.

　　The"HungerWinter,"asitcametobeknown,killedsome10,000peopleandweakenedthousandsmore.Buttherewasanotherpopulationthatwasaffected--the40,000fetusesinuteroduringthesiege.Someoftheeffectsofmalnutritionduringpregnancywereimmediatelyapparentinhigherratesofstillbirths,birthdefects,lowbirthweightsandinfantmortality.Butotherswouldn'tbediscoveredformanyyears.Decadesafterthe"HungerWinter,"researchersdocumentedthatpeoplewhosemotherswerepregnantduringthesiegehavemoreobesity,morediabetesandmoreheartdiseaseinlaterlifethanindividualswhoweregestatedundernormalconditions.Theseindividuals'prenatalexperienceofstarvationseemstohavechangedtheirbodiesinmyriadways.Theyhavehigherbloodpressure,poorercholesterolprofilesandreducedglucosetolerance--aprecursorofdiabetes.

　　Whywouldundernutritioninthewombresultindiseaselater?

Oneexplanationisthatfetusesaremakingthebestofabadsituation.Whenfoodisscarce,theydivertn