英國語文第五冊(雙語):活生生的火爐(2)

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Hence we see the reason why a very stout man, if deprived of food, can keep up his corporeal fires for a longer time than a slender one. Human fat is fuel laid away for use. It constitutes a hoard of combustible material upon which the owner may draw whenever his ordinary supplies are intercepted. Let all plump persons therefore rejoice. We offer them our hearty, perhaps somewhat envious, congratulations. They, at any rate, are prepared to stand a long siege from cold.

因此，我們就能知道，如果沒有了食物，為什么強(qiáng)壯的人能比瘦弱的人維持更長時(shí)間。人體脂肪是留存待用的燃料。一旦人體得不到食物供應(yīng)，就需要燃燒脂肪。胖的人這時(shí)候也會(huì)變得瘦弱。我們?yōu)樗麄兏吲d，或許很有一些羨慕和祝賀。他們至少已經(jīng)具備了更能抵御寒冷的條件。

For the same reason, animals which hibernate, like the bear, jerboa, marmot, dormouse, bat, and others, generally grow plump before they retire into winter quarters. Upon their capital of fat they subsist during their lethargy, the respiration being lessened, the pulse reduced to a few beats per minute, and the temperature perhaps nearly to the freezing point. But when the season of torpor terminates, they issue from their caves and burrows meagre and ravenous, having burned up their stock of fuel; Bruin himself appearing to be anxious to defraud the perfumers of the unguent which is so precious in their eyes.

同樣的原因，一些冬眠動(dòng)物，比如熊，跳鼠，土拔鼠，睡鼠和蝙蝠等等，他們會(huì)在冬季到來之前會(huì)身體發(fā)胖。這些脂肪能維持他們在冬眠期間的生命。冬眠期間，他們呼吸減弱，脈搏每分鐘只跳動(dòng)幾下，體溫接近冰點(diǎn)。但是冬季一過，他們就會(huì)又餓又虛弱地從洞穴里出來，這時(shí)他們已經(jīng)消耗光了儲(chǔ)存的脂肪；布倫熊會(huì)急切地尋找香料商，這時(shí)他們眼中的美食。

But perhaps the most striking feature in this warmth-producing apparatus within us is the self-regulating power which it possesses. The fires on our domestic hearths decline at one moment, and augment at another. Sometimes the mistress of the house threatens to faint on account of excessive heat; sometimes the master endeavours to improve the temperature by a passionate use of the poker, with an occasional growl respecting the excessive cold.

但是或許我們體內(nèi)這一產(chǎn)生熱量的裝置最顯著的特征是其自我調(diào)節(jié)能力。我們體內(nèi)的火會(huì)在某個(gè)時(shí)候降下去，在另一個(gè)時(shí)間點(diǎn)又升高。有時(shí)由于熱量過高，人會(huì)昏厥過去；有時(shí)由于過度寒冷，我們又會(huì)急切地想要提升體溫。

Were such irregularities to prevail unchecked in our fleshy stoves, we should suffer considerable annoyance. After a meal of very inflammatory materials, or an hour spent in extraordinary exertion, the gush of heat might throw the system into a state of high fever. How is prevented? In some of our artificial stoves, little doors or slides are employed to control the admission of air; in furnaces connected with steam-engines we may have dampers, which will accomplish the same purpose by the ingenious workings of the machine itself.

如果這種無規(guī)律現(xiàn)象在我們體內(nèi)肆意盛行，那么我們肯定會(huì)極為困擾。每次吃完含高熱量的食物或者劇烈運(yùn)動(dòng)一小時(shí)后，產(chǎn)生的熱量會(huì)讓人體進(jìn)入高燒狀態(tài)。如何防止這種現(xiàn)象的出現(xiàn)？有些人造火爐有小門會(huì)滑片來控制空氣的流通；我們會(huì)在連接蒸汽機(jī)引擎的火爐裝上氣流調(diào)節(jié)器，這樣，機(jī)器就能實(shí)現(xiàn)原來設(shè)定的目的。

But neither doors nor dampers, pokers nor stokers, can be employed in the bodily apparatus. If, on the one hand, our human fires should begin to flag from undue expenditure of heat, the appetite speaks out sharply and compels the owner to look around for fuel. Hunger rings the bell and orders up coal in the shape of savoury meats. Should the summons be neglected, the garnered fat, as we have seen, is thrown into the grate to keep the furnace in play.

但是人體內(nèi)的火爐卻既不能裝上門和氣流調(diào)節(jié)器，也無法配備撥火棍和司爐。一方面，如果我們的體內(nèi)需要消耗過多的熱量，我們就會(huì)胃口大開，不得不尋找食物補(bǔ)充能量。饑餓會(huì)敲起警鐘，警告此時(shí)需要攝入可口的肉塊。如果我們無視身體的要求，體內(nèi)儲(chǔ)存的脂肪就會(huì)開始消耗，以此提供熱量。