为何宝宝总爱哭？

近日，瑞典乌普萨拉大学的一项针对宝宝的研究发现，宝宝的哭闹主要由基因决定，而非父母的育儿方式、喂养方式或哄睡习惯等因素影响。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What can be inferred about the role of parenting efforts in infant crying during the first months of life?

A. They have no measurable effect on how often a baby cries.

B. They may be less effective than commonly believed.

C. They determine how much a baby cries.

D. They are more influential than genetic factors.

无注释原文：

You Can Do Everything Right, but Your Baby Might Still Cry—Now We Know Why

From: Newsweek

Struggling to soothe a crying baby can be debilitating, but new research suggests it might be more out of parents' control than they think.

A new Swedish twin study has found that how much an infant cries is largely determined by genetics—not parenting style, feeding choices or bedtime routines.

The findings, published in the journal JCPP Advances, offer a fresh perspective to exhausted parents wondering what they could be doing differently.

Researchers from Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institutet studied more than 1,000 twins across Sweden, collecting data from parents when the infants were two months old and again at five months.

By comparing identical twins (who share 100 percent of their genes) with fraternal twins (who share roughly 50 percent), the team was able to assess the relative impact of genetics and environment on infant behavior.

The researchers found that crying is largely genetically determined.

"At the age of two months, the children's genetics explain about 50 percent of how much they cry. At five months of age, genetics explain up to 70 percent," said lead author Charlotte Viktorsson, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology.

In other words, a baby's tendency to cry might have more to do with their DNA than anything a parent does—or doesn't—do.

"For parents, it may be a comfort to know that their child's crying is largely explained by genetics," Viktorsson added, and essentially, there are limits to how much parents can influence it.

The remaining percentage, researchers found, was attributed to the "unique environment"—factors specific to each child that weren't clearly captured in the questionnaires, such as subtle differences in care or external stimuli.

The study also looked at nighttime awakenings and how long babies took to fall asleep. In these areas, genetics were less influential—especially in the early months.

At two months, how quickly a baby settled to sleep was mainly influenced by environmental factors. By five months, genetics played a slightly larger role, reflecting infants' rapid development.

Interestingly, the number of times a baby woke during the night appeared to be driven almost entirely by environmental factors.

"This reflects the rapid development that occurs in infants, and may indicate that parents' efforts in getting their child to settle may have the greatest impact in the first months," Viktorsson said.

The researchers are continuing to follow the twins through age three to better understand how sleep and crying evolve in early childhood.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

You Can Do Everything Right, but Your Baby Might Still Cry—Now We Know Why

From: Newsweek

Struggling to soothe a crying baby can be debilitating, but new research suggests it might be more out of parents' control than they think.

哄哭闹的婴儿令人身心俱疲，不过最新研究表明，这或许并非父母能够完全掌控的事。

soothe /suːð/1）表示“抚慰，安慰，使平息”，英文解释为“to make someone feel calmer and less anxious, upset, or angry”举个🌰：She made a cup of tea to soothe her nerves. 她泡了杯茶让自己平静下来。

2）表示“减轻，缓和（疼痛）”，英文解释为“to make a pain become less severe, or slowly disappear”举个🌰：Massage can gently soothe away your aches and pains. 按摩可以慢慢地缓解疼痛。

debilitating /dɪˈbɪl.ɪ.teɪ.tɪŋ/ 表示“使（人）虚弱的；使（事物）软弱的”，英文解释为“making someone or something physically weak”如：a debilitating condition/disease 令人衰弱的疾病。

A new Swedish twin study has found that how much an infant cries is largely determined by genetics—not parenting style, feeding choices or bedtime routines.

一项来自瑞典的双胞胎研究发现，婴儿哭闹的频率主要由基因决定，而非父母的育儿方式、喂养方式或哄睡习惯。

infant /ˈɪn.fənt/ 表示“婴儿”，英文解释为“a baby or a very young child”如：a newborn infant 新生儿。

genetics /dʒəˈnet.ɪks/ 表示“遗传学”，英文解释为“the study of how, in all living things, the characteristics and qualities of parents are given to their children by their genes”

genetic /dʒəˈnet.ɪk/ 表示“基因的；遗传信息的”，英文解释为“belonging or relating to genes (= parts of the DNA in cells) received by each animal or plant from its parents”如：a genetic defect/disease 基因缺陷/遗传性疾病。

The findings, published in the journal JCPP Advances, offer a fresh perspective to exhausted parents wondering what they could be doing differently.

这一研究结果发表在《JCPP Advances》期刊上，为焦头烂额、苦思育儿之策的父母提供了新的视角。

perspective /pəˈspek.tɪv/ 表示“（思考问题的）角度，观点，想法”，英文解释为“a particular way of considering something”举个🌰：Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject. 她的态度为这一问题提供了新的视角。

Researchers from Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institutet studied more than 1,000 twins across Sweden, collecting data from parents when the infants were two months old and again at five months.

乌普萨拉大学与卡罗林斯卡学院的研究人员对瑞典1000多对双胞胎进行研究，并在婴儿两个月和五个月大时分别采集了父母的数据。

By comparing identical twins (who share 100 percent of their genes) with fraternal twins (who share roughly 50 percent), the team was able to assess the relative impact of genetics and environment on infant behavior.

研究团队通过比较基因完全相同的同卵双胞胎和基因相似（约50%的基因）的异卵双胞胎，由此评估婴儿行为受遗传与环境因素影响的程度。

identical twin /aɪˌden.tɪ.kəl ˈtwɪn/ 表示“同卵双胞胎之一”，英文解释为“a twin (= either of two children born to the same mother on the same occasion) who developed from the same egg as its brother or sister and therefore is the same sex and looks the same as him or her”

fraternal twin /frəˌtɜː.nəl ˈtwɪn/ 表示“异卵双胞胎”，英文解释为“a twin (= either of two children born to the same mother on the same occasion) who do not look exactly the same because they developed from two separate eggs”

The researchers found that crying is largely genetically determined.

研究人员发现，婴儿哭泣的行为在很大程度上受遗传因素影响。

"At the age of two months, the children's genetics explain about 50 percent of how much they cry. At five months of age, genetics explain up to 70 percent," said lead author Charlotte Viktorsson, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology.

主要作者、心理学博士后夏洛特·维克托松（Charlotte Viktorsson）表示：“婴儿在两个月大时，约有一半的哭闹行为可归因于基因；到五个月时，这一比例上升至七成。”

postdoctoral /ˌpəʊstˈdɒk.tər.əl/ 表示“博士后的”，英文解释为“relating to advanced work or study that someone does after completing their PhD”如：her postdoctoral project 她的博士后项目，a postdoctoral student/fellow 博士后学生/研究员。

In other words, a baby's tendency to cry might have more to do with their DNA than anything a parent does—or doesn't—do.

也就是说，婴儿爱哭闹可能更归因于其基因，而非父母在育儿过程中的方式或行为。

tendency /ˈten.dən.si/ 1）表示“（思想、行为等的）倾向”，英文解释为“If someone has a tendency to do or like something, they will probably do it or like it.”举个🌰：His tendency to exaggerate is well known. 他喜欢夸张是出了名的。

2）表示“（某事发展的）倾向”，英文解释为“If there is a tendency to do something, it starts to happen more often or starts to increase.”举个🌰：There is a growing tendency to regard money more highly than quality of life. 越来越多的人倾向于把金钱看得重于生活质量。

"For parents, it may be a comfort to know that their child's crying is largely explained by genetics," Viktorsson added, and essentially, there are limits to how much parents can influence it.

维克托松补充道：“对父母来说，知道说孩子哭泣的主要原因在于遗传，也许能带来些许安慰。”她指出，父母对哭闹行为的可控性终究是有限的。

The remaining percentage, researchers found, was attributed to the "unique environment"—factors specific to each child that weren't clearly captured in the questionnaires, such as subtle differences in care or external stimuli.

研究人员发现，影响婴儿哭泣的剩余因素主要来自“个体独有的环境”——指每个孩子特有的因素，这些因素在问卷中难以精确量化，比如照料方式上的小差异或外界刺激的不同。

questionnaire /ˌkwes.tʃəˈneər/ 表示“问卷；情况调查表”，英文解释为“a list of questions that several people are asked so that information can be collected about something”

很有意思的一个词，单数 stimulus /ˈstɪmjʊləs/，复数 stimuli /ˈstɪm.jʊ.laɪ/，没错有s的是单数。表示“刺激（物），激励（物）；促进因素”，英文解释为“something that causes growth or activity; something that causes part of the body to react”

The study also looked at nighttime awakenings and how long babies took to fall asleep. In these areas, genetics were less influential—especially in the early months.

研究还分析了夜间醒来的频率以及婴儿入睡所需的时间，发现这些行为受遗传因素的影响较小——尤其是在刚出生几个月时。

At two months, how quickly a baby settled to sleep was mainly influenced by environmental factors. By five months, genetics played a slightly larger role, reflecting infants' rapid development.

在两个月大时，婴儿入睡速度主要受环境因素影响。到五个月大时，遗传的作用略有增加，这也反映出婴儿在成长中的迅速变化。

Interestingly, the number of times a baby woke during the night appeared to be driven almost entirely by environmental factors.

有趣的是，婴儿夜间醒来的频率几乎完全由环境因素决定。

"This reflects the rapid development that occurs in infants, and may indicate that parents' efforts in getting their child to settle may have the greatest impact in the first months," Viktorsson said.

维克托松表示：“这说明婴儿在早期阶段成长迅速，也许意味着父母在头几个月付出的安抚努力会带来最大的成效。”

indicate /ˈɪn.dɪ.keɪt/ 表示“标示；表明；显示；暗示”，英文解释为“to show, point, or make clear in another way”举个🌰：Exploratory investigations have indicated large amounts of oil below the sea bed. 勘测调查表明海床下有大量的石油。

1）表示“（使）安静下来；（使）平静下来”，英文解释为“to become quiet and calm, or to make something or someone do this”举个🌰：The weather is expected to settle towards the end of the week. 天气预计会在周末时稳定下来。I'll call you back as soon as I've settled the kids for the night. 我把孩子们安顿下来睡觉后，就马上给你回电话。

2）表示“使处于舒适的位置；（舒舒服服地）坐下；安顿下来”，英文解释为“to make yourself or sb else comfortable in a new position”举个🌰：Ellie settled back in her seat. 埃利舒适地靠着椅背坐下。I settled her on the sofa and put a blanket over her. 我把她放在沙发上安顿好，给她盖了一条毯子。

The researchers are continuing to follow the twins through age three to better understand how sleep and crying evolve in early childhood.

研究人员将持续追踪这些双胞胎至三岁，以更好地了解睡眠和哭泣行为在幼儿期的变化情况。

evolve /ɪˈvɒlv/ 表示“（使）逐渐形成，逐步发展，逐渐演变，进化”，英文解释为“to develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complicated form; to develop sth in this way”举个🌰：The company has evolved into a major chemical manufacturer. 这家公司已逐步发展成一个主要的化工厂。

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