(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From the backseat of a cab, the moves a driver makes may at times seem, let's say, daring.
In fact, cabbies may actually be better, more agile drivers than the rest of us.
Because they know their streets so well.
Previous research found that the hippocampus in the brain of a typical cab driver is enlarged.
That's the part of the brain used in navigation.
But now a study confirms that learning detailed navigation information does indeed cause that part of the brain to grow.
The findings are in the journal NeuroImage.
Researchers had young adults who were not regular gamers play a driving simulation game.
Some practiced maneuvering the same route 20 times, while other players were confronted with 20 different routes.
The participants'brains were scanned before they performed the simulated driving and again after.
Researchers found that subjects who kept repeating the same route increased their speed more than those driving multiple routes.
The single-route drivers were also much better able to put in order a sequence of random pictures taken along the way and to draw a map of the route.
The investigators also found increases in the single-route drivers in the functional connectivity between the hippocampus and other parts of the brain involved with navigation.
And the amount of change was directly related to the amount of improvement each participant displayed.
These findings may explain why your Uber driver can eventually get you from point A to point B,
but may lack the seemingly effortless mental flexibility that a yellow cabbie displays on the streets.
Veterans have been there, done that—and their brains show it.
参考译文
从出租车的后座看过去有时候司机的举动有些胆大。
实际上出租车司机实际上会比我们的反应还要好。
因为他们对路况已经了如指掌。
先前的研究发现一名普通出租车司机大脑中的海马体有增大的迹象。
而海马体就负责导航功能。
但现在的一项研究证实掌控具体导航信息的确会使得大脑的海马体增大。
这项研究已经在《神经影像学》杂志上发表。
研究人员要求平时并不怎么接触游戏的年轻志愿者们游玩模拟驾驶的游戏。
这些志愿者被分为实验组及对照组，实验组游玩同一条路线20次，而其他人则面对的是20条截然不同的路线。
而在游玩模拟驾驶游戏前后，研究人员都对参与者的大脑进行了检查。
结果研究人员发现相比游玩不同的路线对照组，游玩同样路线的驾驶者们会明显增加速度。
而在排序路线沿途拍摄的随机图片及绘制地图方面，游玩同一路线的驾驶者表现也更为出色。
研究人员也发现同一路线驾驶人员的海马体及与导航定位相关大脑其它部位的功能连接也随之增加。
而这种变化会随着驾驶者的参与逐渐得到改善。
这样的发现解释了为什么优步的司机最终总能将你从A地送往B地，
但他们可能缺乏黄色出租车司机驾驶汽车的灵活机动。
那里的出租车司机都是退伍军人—他们的大脑早就清楚的标记了地图。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
重点讲解
1.simulation game 模拟游戏
例句:That's because last month, I joined the legions on cityville, the city-building simulation game from Zynga that annoys Facebook users with news feed updates like, “ JP needs donuts to feed hungry cops! ”
“城市小镇”是社交游戏公司Zynga出品的一款城市建造模拟游戏，自从它面世以来，Facebook的用户经常会看到这样的好友动态:“JP需要甜甜圈来喂饱饥饿的警察！”
2.more than 超过
例句:He had notched up more than 25 victories worldwide.
他已赢得了超过25次国际级别赛事的胜利。
3.relate to 涉及;同…有…关系
例句:The firm said the charges would relate to the disclosures Goldman made as underwriter of an offering of$ 1.3 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities.
高盛称，指控将涉及其作为13亿美元按揭抵押债券发行承销商的信息披露问题。
4.amount of 数量
例句:The amount of people who actually work on a television show is pretty startling.
为一档电视节目效力的人多得令人吃惊。
