手泡水为啥会变皱皱的？

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. According to the article, which of the following situations would most benefit from wrinkled fingers?

A. Typing quickly on a computer keyboard

B. Climbing a dry rocky surface

C. Catching slippery fish in a stream

D. Writing with a pencil on dry paper

无注释原文：

Why your fingers wrinkle in water

From: BBC

It was a question from one of his children during a bath about why their fingers had gone wrinkly that recently led Davis to dig into what this advantage could be.

With the help of 500 volunteers who visited the Science Museum in London during 2020, Davis measured how much force they needed to use to grip a plastic object. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those with dry, unwrinkled hands needed to use less force than people whose hands were wet – so their grip on the object was better. But when they submerged their hands in a water bath for a few minutes to turn their hands wrinkly, the grip force fell between the two even though their hands were still wet.

"The results were amazingly clear," says Davis. "The wrinkling increased the amount of friction between the fingers and the object. What is particularly interesting is that our fingers are sensitive to this change in the surface friction and we use this information to apply less force to grip an object securely."

The object that Davis' volunteers were gripping weighed less than a couple of coins, so the amount of grip required was small. But when performing more arduous tasks in a wet environment, this difference in friction could become more important.

"If you don't have to squeeze as hard to grip something, the muscles in your hands get less tired and so you can do it for longer," he says.

Some scientists have suggested that the wrinkles on our fingertips and toes may act like rain treads on tyres or the soles of shoes. The channels produced by the wrinkles help to squeeze water away from the point of contact between the fingers and an object.

This suggests that humans may have evolved fingertip and toe wrinkling at some point in our past to help us grip wet objects and surfaces.

"Since it seems to give better grip under water, I would assume that it has to do with either locomotion in very wet conditions or potentially with manipulating objects under water," says Tom Smulders, an evolutionary neuroscientist at Newcastle University who led the 2013 study. It could have given our ancestors a key advantage when it came to walking over wet rocks or gripping branches, for example. Alternatively, it could have helped us when catching or foraging for food such as shellfish.

There are some other interesting clues about when this adaptation may have appeared in our species. Fingertip wrinkling is less pronounced in saltwater and takes longer than it does in freshwater. This is probably because the salt gradient between the skin and surrounding environment is lower in saltwater, and so the salt imbalance that triggers the nerve fibres is less dramatic. So, it could be an adaptation that helped our ancestors live in freshwater environments rather than along coastlines.

But there are no firm answers, and some believe it could just be a coincidental physiological response with no adaptive function.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Why your fingers wrinkle in water

From: BBC

It was a question from one of his children during a bath about why their fingers had gone wrinkly that recently led Davis to dig into what this advantage could be.

神经科学家尼克·戴维斯因孩子在洗澡时问起“为何手指会变皱”，开始深入探究这一现象背后的进化优势。

表示“皱的；有皱纹的”，英文解释为“having many lines or folds.”

With the help of 500 volunteers who visited the Science Museum in London during 2020, Davis measured how much force they needed to use to grip a plastic object. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those with dry, unwrinkled hands needed to use less force than people whose hands were wet – so their grip on the object was better. But when they submerged their hands in a water bath for a few minutes to turn their hands wrinkly, the grip force fell between the two even though their hands were still wet.

2020年，他与伦敦科学博物馆的500位志愿者合作，测量他们握住塑胶物件所需的力道。结果并不意外：干爽、未皱的手指比湿润的手指需要更少的力道，显示其抓握力更强。然而，当志愿者将手浸入水中数分钟使指尖皱缩后，尽管手指仍处于湿润状态，所需握力却介于干手与湿手之间。

force /fɔːs/ 表示“力，力量；力气；（尤指）暴力，武力”，英文解释为“physical, especially violent, strength, or power”举个🌰：The force of the wind had brought down a great many trees in the area. 强风刮倒了这一地区的许多树木。

grip /ɡrɪp/ 1）表示“使入迷，吸引…的注意力”，英文解释为“to keep someone's attention completely”举个🌰：This trial has gripped the whole nation. 这场审判引起了全国的关注。

2）表示“紧握，握紧，紧抓（住）”，英文解释为“to hold very tightly”举个🌰：The baby gripped my finger with her tiny hand. 婴儿的小手紧紧握住我的手指。

3）表示“（感情等）强烈地控制；对…产生强烈影响”，英文解释为“When an emotion such as fear grips you, you feel it strongly.”举个🌰：Then he turned towards me, and I was suddenly gripped by fear. 然后，他转过身对着我，我突然惊恐万状。

submerge /səbˈmɜːdʒ/ 1）表示“（使）潜入水中，（使）没入水中；浸没”，英文解释为“to go below or make something go below the surface of the sea or a river or lake”举个🌰：The submarine submerged when enemy planes were sighted. 潜艇发现敌机后马上下潜。

2）表示“湮没，湮灭；掩盖”，英文解释为“to cover or hide something completely”举个🌰：She has submerged her identity in the role of photographer's wife and muse. 她完全湮没了自我，全心全意地做摄影师的妻子并为他提供艺术灵感。

"The results were amazingly clear," says Davis. "The wrinkling increased the amount of friction between the fingers and the object. What is particularly interesting is that our fingers are sensitive to this change in the surface friction and we use this information to apply less force to grip an object securely."

戴维斯表示：“结果惊人地清晰。皱缩增加了手指与物件间的摩擦力。特别有趣的是，我们的手指能感知表面摩擦的变化，并利用这一资讯减少握物的力道，确保稳固抓握。”

friction /ˈfrɪk.ʃən/ 1）表示“（观点不同者之间的）摩擦，不和”，英文解释为“disagreement or unfriendliness caused by people having different opinions”举个🌰：There's a lot of friction between my wife and my mother. 我妻子和我母亲之间有很多龃龉。

2）表示“摩擦力；摩擦”，英文解释为“the force that makes it difficult for one object to slide along the surface of another or to move through a liquid or gas”举个🌰：When you rub your hands together the friction produces heat. 揉搓双手时，摩擦会产生热量。

The object that Davis' volunteers were gripping weighed less than a couple of coins, so the amount of grip required was small. But when performing more arduous tasks in a wet environment, this difference in friction could become more important.

志愿者握住的物件仅重几枚硬币，所需握力不大。但在湿润环境中执行更艰难的任务时，摩擦力的差异变得尤为重要。

arduous /ˈɑːdjʊəs/ 表示“艰苦的；艰难的”，英文解释为“involving a lot of effort and energy, especially over a period of time”，如：an arduous journey across the Andes 翻越安第斯山脉的艰苦之行。

"If you don't have to squeeze as hard to grip something, the muscles in your hands get less tired and so you can do it for longer," he says.

戴维斯解释说：“若无需用力挤压物件，手部肌肉疲劳程度降低，便能更长时间地执行任务。”

1）表示“（困难地）挤进，挤过”，英文解释为“to get in, through, under, etc. with difficulty”举个🌰：She squeezed through the crowd and found a seat at the front. 她从人群中挤过去，在前面找了个座位。

2）表示“挤压；捏”，英文解释为“to press sth firmly, especially with your fingers”如：to squeeze a tube of toothpaste 挤牙膏，举个🌰：He squeezed her arm reassuringly. 他安慰地捏了捏她的手臂。

3）表示“给…带来财务困难，使陷入财务困境”，英文解释为“If you are squeezed by financial demands, they cause you financial problems.”举个🌰：Small businesses are being squeezed by heavy taxation. 重税使小企业在财务上捉襟见肘。

🎬电影《今晚带我回家》（Take Me Home Tonight）中的台词提到：Come on, punch it up. punch. and squeeze real tight 来 击个拳 击拳 然后握紧。

📍在文中，how to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of your holiday这个语境下，“squeeze”意味着从某件事物中提取或获得最大的享受或价值。因此，当我们说“挤出你的假期中每一丝乐趣”，意思是尽可能利用所有可用的机会，充分享受度假，并使其达到最大化。

Some scientists have suggested that the wrinkles on our fingertips and toes may act like rain treads on tyres or the soles of shoes. The channels produced by the wrinkles help to squeeze water away from the point of contact between the fingers and an object.

一些科学家提出，指尖与脚趾的皱褶可能类似轮胎花纹或鞋底的雨胎纹路。皱褶形成的沟槽有助于将水从手指与物件的接触点挤出，增强抓握力。

tread /tred/ 表示“（车胎的防滑）胎面花纹”，英文解释为“the pattern of raised lines on a tyre that prevents a vehicle from sliding on the road”举个🌰：The tread on your tyres is very worn. 你车胎上的花纹都磨损得很厉害了。

作动词，1）表示“踩；踏”，英文解释为“to put your foot on something or to press something down with your foot”举个🌰：I kept treading on his toes when we were dancing. 我们俩跳舞时，我老是踩到他的脚趾。

2）表示“步行，散步”，英文解释为“to walk”举个🌰：He trod heavily and reluctantly up the stairs. 他拖着沉重的脚步，极不情愿地上了楼。

sole /səʊl/ 熟词僻义，表示“脚底；鞋底”，英文解释为“the bottom part of the foot that touches the ground when you stand or walk, or the bottom part of a shoe that touches the ground, usually not including the heel”如：a cut on the sole of her foot 她脚底的伤口，shoes with rubber soles 橡胶底的鞋子。

This suggests that humans may have evolved fingertip and toe wrinkling at some point in our past to help us grip wet objects and surfaces.

这暗示人类在演化过程中，可能因需要在湿润环境中抓握物件或行走而发展出指尖与脚趾的皱缩机制。

"Since it seems to give better grip under water, I would assume that it has to do with either locomotion in very wet conditions or potentially with manipulating objects under water," says Tom Smulders, an evolutionary neuroscientist at Newcastle University who led the 2013 study. It could have given our ancestors a key advantage when it came to walking over wet rocks or gripping branches, for example. Alternatively, it could have helped us when catching or foraging for food such as shellfish.

领导2013年研究的纽卡斯尔大学进化神经科学家汤姆·斯穆尔德斯（Tom Smulders）表示：“既然皱缩能在水中提供更好的抓握力，我推测这可能与在极湿条件下的移动或水下操作物件有关。”例如，这一特征可能帮助我们的祖先在湿滑的岩石上行走、抓握树枝，或在捕捞贝类等食物时更具优势。

assume /əˈsjuːm/ 1）表示“假定；假设；认为”，英文解释为“to think or accept that sth is true but without having proof of it”举个🌰：It is generally assumed that stress is caused by too much work. 普遍认为，紧张是工作过重所致。

2）表示“承担，担任；僭取，夺取；呈现，具有”，英文解释为“to take or begin to have responsibility or control, sometimes without the right to do so, or to begin to have a characteristic”举个🌰：The new president assumes office at midnight tonight. 新总统在今晚午夜就职。

locomotion /ˌləʊ.kəˈməʊ.ʃən/ 表示“运动能力；运动”，英文解释为“the ability to move”

manipulate /məˈnɪp.jə.leɪt/ 1）表示“操纵，控制”，英文解释为“to control something or someone to your advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly”举个🌰：Throughout her career she has very successfully manipulated the media. 她在整个职业生涯中非常成功地控制了媒体。

2）表示“（用手）操纵，控制”，英文解释为“to control something using the hands”举个🌰：The wheelchair is designed so that it is easy to manipulate. 轮椅设计得很容易用手控制。

类似的还有一个词rig.

📍rig表示“（采取不正当的手段）操纵；对…做手脚”，英文解释为“to arrange dishonestly for the result of something, for example an election, to be changed”举个🌰：He said the election had been rigged. 他说选举被人操纵了。

forage /ˈfɒr.ɪdʒ/ 表示“搜寻；（尤指）觅食”，英文解释为“to go from place to place searching for things that you can eat or use”举个🌰：The children had been living on the streets, foraging for scraps. 那些孩子露宿街头，四处寻找残羹剩饭。

There are some other interesting clues about when this adaptation may have appeared in our species. Fingertip wrinkling is less pronounced in saltwater and takes longer than it does in freshwater. This is probably because the salt gradient between the skin and surrounding environment is lower in saltwater, and so the salt imbalance that triggers the nerve fibres is less dramatic. So, it could be an adaptation that helped our ancestors live in freshwater environments rather than along coastlines.

关于这种适应性何时出现在人类当中，还有一些其他有趣的线索。指尖起皱在盐水中不太明显，而且其变皱的过程比在淡水中耗时更长。这可能是因为盐水中皮肤与周围环境之间的盐梯度较低，因此触发神经纤维的盐分失衡程度较低。因此，这可能是一种适应性变化，帮助我们的祖先生活在淡水环境中，而不是沿海地区。

adaptation /ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən/ 1）表示“适应”，英文解释为“the process of changing to suit different conditions”

2）表示“（电影、书、剧本等的）改编”，英文解释为“a film, book, play, etc. that has been made from another film, book, play, etc.”

species /ˈspiː.ʃiːz/ 表示“（动植物的）种，物种”，英文解释为“a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other”举个🌰：Mountain gorillas are an endangered species. 山地大猩猩属于濒危物种。

pronounced /prəˈnaʊnst/ 表示“明显的；明确的”，英文解释为“very noticeable or certain”举个🌰：She's a woman of very pronounced views which she is not afraid to air. 她是个从不讳言其观点的女人。

gradient /ˈɡreɪ.di.ənt/ 表示“坡度，倾斜度”，英文解释为“how steep a slope is”如：a steep/gentle gradient 陡/缓坡；或者表示“梯度”，英文解释为“an increase or decrease in the magnitude of a property (e.g. temperature, pressure, or concentration) observed in passing from one point or moment to another.”

表示“海岸线”，英文解释为“A country's coastline is the outline of its coast.”举个🌰：This is some of the most exposed coastline in the world. 这是世界上最无遮蔽的海岸线。

But there are no firm answers, and some believe it could just be a coincidental physiological response with no adaptive function.

但是，目前尚无确切答案，有些人认为这可能只是一种巧合的生理反应，并无任何适应性功能。

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