2012阅读：
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Come on –Everybody’s doing it. That whispered message, half invitation and half forcing, is what most of us think of when we hear the words peer pressure. It usually leads to no good-drinking, drugs and casual sex. But in her new book Join the Club, Tina Rosenberg contends that peer pressure can also be a positive force through what she calls the social cure, in which organizations and officials use the power of group dynamics to help individuals improve their lives and possibly the world.
赶紧加入吧，每个人都在这样做呢。当听到“同侪压力”这个词时，我们大部分人想到的便是这句半是邀请半是强迫的耳语。往往地，它带来的绝非好事——酗酒、吸毒和滥交。但在蒂娜·罗森伯格的新书《加入俱乐部》中，她认为同侪压力通过她所倡导的“社会治疗”，也能够成为一种积极的力量。在这种“社会治疗”中，组织和官员使用团体动态的力量来帮助个人改善生活，甚至改进整个世界。
Rosenberg, the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, offers a host of example of the social cure in action: In South Carolina, a state-sponsored antismoking program called Rage Against the Haze sets out to make cigarettes uncool. In South Africa, an HIV-prevention initiative known as LoveLife recruits young people to promote safe sex among their peers.
普立兹奖得主罗森伯格提供了很多“社会治疗”的实例：在南卡罗来纳州，一场由政府资助的称之为“怒对阴霾”的禁烟运动使得香烟变得很逊。在南非，一场名为“热爱生命”的HIV预防倡议活动运动招募年轻人在其同辈中推广安全性行为。
The idea seems promising，and Rosenberg is a perceptive observer. Her critique of the lameness of many pubic-health campaigns is spot-on: they fail to mobilize peer pressure for healthy habits, and they demonstrate a seriously flawed understanding of psychology.” Dare to be different, please don’t smoke!” pleads one billboard campaign aimed at reducing smoking among teenagers-teenagers, who desire nothing more than fitting in. Rosenberg argues convincingly that public-health advocates ought to take a page from advertisers, so skilled at applying peer pressure.
这个想法看起来大有前途，罗森伯格确实是一位有洞察力的观察者。她对公众健康运动缺陷的批评很精准：他们没能调动同侪压力对于健康习惯的养成，同时表现出对心理学认知的严重错误。一个旨在减少年轻人——最渴望融入的年
轻人——吸烟运动的广告牌上写到“敢于与众不同，请勿吸烟”。罗森伯格认为，公共健康倡议者应当向善于运用同侪压力的广告人汲取经验，这一点是令人信服。
But on the general effectiveness of the social cure, Rosenberg is less persuasive. Join the Club is filled with too much irrelevant detail and not enough exploration of the social and biological factors that make peer pressure so powerful. The most glaring flaw of the soc ial cure as it’s presented here is that it doesn’t work very well for very long. Rage Against the Haze failed once state funding was cut. Evidence that the LoveLife program produces lasting changes is limited and mixed.
但是，就社会治疗的整体效果来看，罗森伯格的说法似乎不那么有说服力。《加入俱乐部》有太多无关细节，却没有充分探索那些使得同侪压力如此强大的社会和生物因素。书中反应出了“社会治疗”最明显的缺陷：它的作用不会很长久。政府资金一旦削减，“怒对烟雾”运动立马失败了。支持‘热爱生命’运动能产生持续影响的证据有限，且毁誉参半。
There’s no doubt that our peer groups exert enormous influence on our behavior. An emerging body of research shows that positive health habits-as well as negative ones-spread through networks of friends via social communication. This is a subtle form of peer pressure: we unconsciously imitate the behavior we see every day.
毫无疑问，同伴群体对于我们行为施以重大影响。目前不断涌现出研究表明，积极的健康习惯——连同消极习惯，通过朋友网络中的社交得以传播。这也是一种微妙的同侪压力：我们无意识地模仿每天所看到的行为。
Far less certain, however, is how successfully experts and bureaucrats can select our peer groups and steer their activities in virtuous directions. It’s like the teacher who breaks up the troublemakers in the back row by pairing them with better-behaved classmates. The tactic never really works. And that’s the problem with a social cure engineered from the outside: in the real world, as in school, we insist on choosing our own friends.
然而很难做出定论的是，专家们和官员们究竟能在多大程度上成功地选择我们的同伴群体并将其行为引向道德方。正如教师们把后排的捣蛋鬼们拆开，和前排的好学生搭配坐。这种策略也从未奏效过。这就是来自外部的“社会治疗”存在的问题：就像在学校里一样，在现实社会中，我们坚持选择我们真正的朋友。
Text1 Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not ch In but habit rules the unreflecting herd,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative connotation. So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. 习惯是件有趣的事情。我们无意识间养成了一些习惯，我们的大脑是自动运 转的，轻松进入熟知套路所带来的不自觉舒适状态。“这并非选择，而是习惯控 制了那些没有思想的人”，这是威廉?华兹华斯（William Wordsworth）19世纪时 说的话。在现在这个日新月异的21世纪，甚至习惯这个词本身也带有负面涵义。 因此，在创造和革新的背景下来谈论习惯，似乎显得有点矛盾。 But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks. But don’t bother trying to kil off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads. 但大脑研究人员发现，当我们有意识地培养新的习惯的时候，我们创建了平 行路径，甚至是全新的脑细胞，可以让我们的思路跳转到新的创新轨道上来。但 是，不必费心试图摈弃各种旧习惯；一旦这些程序惯例融进大脑，它们就会留在 那里。相反，我们刻意培养的新习惯会创建平行路径能避开原来那些老路。 “The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says D Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as decide is to kill off president calls himself ‘the Decider.’” She adds, however, that “to all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.” 大学英语
Unit1 1.背离传统需要极大的勇气 1) It takes an enormous amount of courage to make a departure from the tradition. 2.汤姆过去很腼腆，但这次却非常勇敢能在大庭广众面前上台表演了。 2) Tom used to be very shy, but this time he was bold enough to give a performance in front of a large audience. 3.很多教育家认为从小培养孩子的创新精神是很可取的。 3) Many educators think it desirable to foster the creative spirit in the child at an early age. 4.假设那幅画确实是名作，你觉得值得购买吗？ 4) Assuming (that) this painting really is a masterpiece, do you think it’s worthwhile to buy/purchase it? 5.如果这些数据统计上市站得住脚的，那它将会帮助我们认识正在调查的问题。 5) If the data is statistically valid, it will throw light on the problem we are investigating. Unit2 1.该公司否认其捐款有商业目的。 1) The company denied that its donations had a commercial purpose.
1 While some studies have suggested that frequent use of cell phones causes increased risk of brain and mouth cancers, others have found no such links. But since cell phones are relatively new and brain cancers grow slowly, many experts are now recommending taking steps to reduce exposure. by bruce stutz 一些研究显示，经常使用手机会增加得脑部和口腔癌症的几率。有的研究却没发现两者之间有什么联系。但是，手机算是个新兴事物，而脑癌发展也缓慢，许多专家还是建议减少使用手机。 2 Does your cell phone increase your risk of brain cancer? Does it affect your skin or your sperm viability? Is it safe for pregnant women or children? Should you keep it in your bag, on your belt, in your pants or shirt pocket? Should you use a hands-free headset? Are present cell phone safety standards strict enough? 手机会增加得脑癌的几率吗？会不会影响皮肤或者精子活性？使用手机对孕妇或孩子安全吗？应该把手机放在哪，包里、衣服口袋，还是挂在腰带上？打电话的时候要用耳机吗？现在的手机安全标准够不够严？ 3 You don’t know? You’re not alone. 你不知道？这很正常。 4 With some 4 to 5 billion cell phones now in use worldwide and hundreds of studies seeking evidence of their health effects published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 10 years, there’s precious little scientific certainty over whether cell phones pose any danger to those using them. For nearly every study that reports an effect, another, just as carefully conducted, finds none. All of which leaves journalists, consumer advocates, regulatory agencies, politicians, industry spokespersons, and cell phone users able to choose and interpret the results they prefer, or ignore the ones they don’t. 如今，全世界共有40-50亿手机正在使用。过去十年里，成百上千的研究也在致力于寻找手机影响健康的证据，并在相关刊物上发表论文。但还没有确凿的证据能证明，使用手机损害健康。几乎没有研究发现手机对健康有不良影响。但这还是没影响到政治家、新闻记者、管理机构、产业发言人、消费者保护团体，还有消费者自己，选择他们喜好的结果去理解，忽略不喜欢的那些。 5 Do you, for instance, cite the studies that report adverse effects on sperm viability and motility, due to exposure to cell phone radiation or the studies that showed no —or mixed —results? 6 Do you cite the 2001 study that found increased incidence of uveal melanoma (a cancer of the eye) among frequent cell phone users, or the 2009 study by the same authors that, in reassessing their data, found no increase? 2001年的研究显示，常用手机的人患葡萄膜黑色素瘤（一种眼内癌症）几率会增大。2009年这些研究员又发表报告称，他们再分析当年的数据时，又不能确
Unit1 Chapter1 本，查德，布兰卡和朱迪每个月的第三个星期四举行发明家俱乐部会议。他们轮流展示他们的新发明。 明天轮到本展示他的新发明。唯一的问题就是他到现在还没有想出一个发明··· 本正坐在餐桌旁吃着一杯冰淇淋。 “我能做什么呢？”他一边吃冰淇淋一边问自己。 本对自己要发明什么毫无头绪。他吃完冰淇淋，准备再去弄些来。但是，冰淇淋一点也不剩了。 “我知道了，”他兴奋地说，“我要发明一个冰淇淋机！” 词组：hold meeting召开会议 take turns轮流，更替 think of考虑；想起；有···想法 sit at坐，在···坐 a bowl of一碗 have no idea不知道，不了解 Chapter2 本抓起几张纸和支钢笔，然后他就画出了他的冰淇淋机设计草图。这个草图看起来不太像个冰淇淋机，但是本确信它是可行的。 “我不需要试验，”本对自己说，“好吧，我没时间去试验了。” 本只有找材料的时间了。 第二天下午，查德、布兰卡还有朱迪都在本的卧室。本带着一只麻袋出现了。他倒提着麻袋，许多稀奇古怪的东西掉了出来。 “一堆废品，”布兰卡说，“那真是个好发明。” “哈哈，”本说，“你们就等着瞧吧。” 词组：look much like看起来很像 say to oneself暗想，自言自语 turn up开大；翻起；出现 upside down颠倒，倒转；混乱地 fall out争吵；结果；解散；掉队 a pile of一堆 wait and see等着看；拭目以待；观望；走着瞧 Chapter3 本捡起的第一个东西又大又圆，是用钢做的。它是洗衣机的核心零部件。 本举起那部分，看了看底部的洞。 “那个洞是你钻的吗？”查德问。 “是啊，”本说。 “你这个做得不是很好，”查德说。 “只要有用就行了，”本告诉查德。 “你要知道东西也得看上去好才行，”查德说。 接着，本抓起一根软管，把它装入他钻的那个洞里。 “我想我知道这是什么了，”朱迪激动地说，“它是一个鼠窝！” “一个什么？”布兰卡和查德异口同声问道。 “一个鼠窝，”朱迪说，“老鼠通过软管爬进家里。” 朱迪经常说些奇怪的话，但其他人认为这是她说过的最奇怪的事之一。 本在地上放了一个塑料的冰淇淋盒，把软管的另一端放了进去。然后，他拿起一根细绳，把它绕在洗衣机零部件上。 当绳子紧紧地缠绕到零部件外面后，本往后退了退，仔细瞧着他的发明。 “好吧，这是什么？”布兰卡、查德和朱迪一同问道。 “它当然是一个冰淇淋机啦！”本说。 “那它如何工作呢？”查德问。 “它行不通的，”布兰卡说。
Text 1. Do we need extra vitamins? Many people believe that taking vitamin supplements is the best safeguard（保护、保卫）against the dangers of an incomplete diet, but this should be ①a last resort (最后手段)rather than a way out of a problem. Even if there is a genuine（真实的，真正的；诚恳的）need for extra vitamins, then sooner or later the question arises（出现；发生；站立）"which ones do I need, how much of them, and how often?" There is really no simple answer to this question. The Food Standards Committee guardians②保护者of our laws on food purity, labelling（标记，贴标签；标明）and advertising clams（保持沉默，闭嘴不言）and descriptions) suggest in their recent report to the government that we do not need any extra vitamins. They say that they are "not necessary for a healthy individual个人的；个别的； 独特的 个人，个体eating a normal diet". Whilst同时；时时，有时；当… 的时候few of us would challenge their authority on the subject of nutrition it is, perhaps, pertinent相关的，相干的；中肯的；切题的to ask the question "how many of us are healthy, and what is a normal diet? "There is an element of doubt in many minds about these two aspects方面；方向；形势；外貌and though few people are familiar熟悉的；常见的；亲近的with the wording措辞；用语；语法of the
Unit 1 Genetically modified foods -- Feed the World? If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic of genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions -- and vocal green lobbies -- the idea seems against nature. 如果你想在某次晚宴上挑起一场激烈的争论，那就提出转基因食品的话题吧。对许多人来说，高科技的转基因作物生产的概念会带来诸如环境、健康、安全和伦理等方面的各种问题。特别是在有悠久的农业生产传统和主张环保的游说集团的国家里，转基因食品的主意似乎有悖自然。 In fact, genetically modified foods are already very much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the US last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the US this year. The genetic is out of the bottle. 事实上，转基因食品已经成为我们生活重要的一部分。根据农业部的统计，美国去年所种植玉米的1／3，大豆和棉花的一半以上都是生物技术的产物。今年，美国将种植6500多万英亩的转基因作物。基因妖怪已经从瓶子里跑出来了。 Yet there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from -- and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks? 但是，显然还有一些非常现实的问题需要解决。就像任何一种要进入食物链的新食品一样，转基因食品必须经过严格的检验。在富裕的国家里，由于有大量丰富的食品可供选择，而且供应远远超过需求，所以关于生物技术的争论相对缓和一些。在迫切想要养活其迅速增长而又吃不饱的人口的发展中国家，问题比较简单，也更加紧迫：生物技术的好处是否大于风险呢? The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has
Why We're Fat 1 So why is obesity happening? The obvious, clichéd-but-true answer is that we eat too much high-calorie food and don't burn it off with enough exercise. If only we had more willpower, the problem would go away. But it isn't that easy. 为什么会有肥胖症？一个明显、老生常谈但又真实的答案就是我们吃太多高热量食物并且没有进行足够的运动消耗它。要是我们的意志力更强大，这个问题便迎刃而解了。但是，问题并不是那么简单。 2 When warned about the dangers of overeating, we get briefly spooked and try to do better. Then we're offered a plateful of pancakes smothered in maple syrup, our appetite overpowers our reason, and before we know it, we're at it again. Just why is appetite such a powerful driver of behavior, and, more important, how can we tame it? 当我们被警告说吃得太多的时候，一时总会被吓倒并努力做好一些。然后一碟涂满槭糖浆的煎饼摆在面前，我们的食欲战胜了我们的理智，等到我们意识到它的时候，我们又重蹈覆辙了。到底为什么食欲具有如此强大的推动力？更重要的是，我们怎么才能够控制它？ 3 Within the past few years, science has linked our ravenous appetites to genes and hormones. Among the hormones that fuel these urges are ghrelin and leptin, known as the "hunger hormones." Ghrelin is produced mostly by cells in the stomach lining. Its job is to make you feel hungry by affecting the hypothalamus, which governs metabolism. Ghrelin levels rise in dieters who lose weight and then try to keep it off. It's almost as if their bodies are trying to regain the lost fat. This is one reason why it's hard to lose weight and maintain the loss. 近几年来，科学将我们迫不及待要吃的食欲跟基因和激素联系起来。激起这些强烈的欲望的激素有胃促生长素和消瘦素，也被称作“饥饿激素”。胃促生长素主要由胃保护层的细胞产生。它的职责是影响控制新陈代谢的下丘脑，让你感到饥饿。当节食者减肥并且努力维持减肥效果，他的胃促生长素水平就会升高。就像他们的身体要试图恢复失去的脂肪。这是为什么很难减肥并维持减肥效果的原因之一。 4 Leptin turns your appetite off and is made by fat cells. Low leptin levels increase your appetite and signal your body to store more fat. High leptin levels relay the opposite signal. Many obese people have developed a resistance to the appetite-suppressing effects of leptin and never feel satisfied, no matter how much they eat. Basically, your body uses these hormones to help you stay at your weight and keep you from losing fat —which is another reason why dieting can be so difficult. 消瘦素消除你的食欲，它来自脂肪细胞。低消瘦素水平增加你的食欲并通知你的身体储存更多的脂肪。高消瘦素水平传递相反的信号。很多肥胖的人已经形成了一种对消瘦素抑制食欲效应的抵抗，不管他们吃多少也从不感到满足。从根本上说，你的身体利用这些激素帮助你保持现在的体重，不让你的脂肪流走——这是节食如此之难的另外一个原因。
Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories, destroying (摧毁) fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged (破坏) that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm. A farmer, Mr. Tan, said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. “I was eating with my wife and children,” he said, “When we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very frightened.” Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children. “There was no time to take anything,” she said, “A few minutes later, the roof came down.” Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded (水淹的) area and the welfare department (福利机构) brought them food, clothes and shelter. 1. How many homes altogether (总共) were damaged in the storm? A. Fourteen B. Twenty-one C. Twenty-nine D. Thirty-six 选D。根据第一段出现的三个数字14，7，15即可知D为正确答案。 2. Where was Mr. Tan when the storm first began? A. He was in bed. B. He was inside the house. C. He was outside the house. D. He was on the roof. 选B。根据“I was eating with my wife and children.”可排除A和D，由下文可知C也不合题意。 3. Mrs. Woo and her family didn’t get hurt because _________. A. her husband knew there would be a storm B. they were all outside the house when the storm became worse C. she felt the house was moving
必修二 Unit1 IN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOM寻找琥珀厅Frederick William I, the King of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history. This gift was the Amber Room, which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The amber which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the country's best artists about ten years to make. 弗雷德里克?威廉?我,普鲁士国王,从未想像过这恩赐与俄罗斯人会令人惊喜的历史。这个礼物,琥珀屋的,赐给这个名字,因为好几吨的琥珀被用来制造它。琥珀被选有一个美丽的黄棕色的颜色就像蜂蜜。房间的设计是别致的流行的日子。这也是一种珍惜用金子来装饰和珠宝,将国家的最好的艺术家们大约10年了。 In fact, the room was not made to be a gift. It was designed for the palace of Frederick I. However, the next King of Prussia, Frederick William I, to whom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czar's winter palace in St Petersburg. About four metres long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors. 事实上,这个房间没有是作为礼物送人的。它是设计出用于弗雷德里克的宫殿。然而,普鲁士的下一任国王弗雷德里克威廉?我、就是琥珀属于,决定不去保持它。在1716他给了彼得最重要的东西。作为回报,沙皇送给他一群他最好的士兵。所以琥珀房成了沙皇的一部分在圣彼得堡冬宫。大约四米长,房间作为一个小接待大厅为重要的游客。 Later, Catherine II had the Amber Room moved to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to it. In 1770 the room was completed the way she wanted. Almost six hundred candles lit the room, and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold. Sadly, although the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world, it is now missing. 后来,凯瑟琳二世琥珀屋的搬到一座宫殿外面圣彼得堡她在她的夏天。她告
Lesson 8 IV. Translation Put the following into Chinese. 1. Every war has had its songs that whipped up patriotic fervor or, in the case of the Vietnam War that encouraged protest against it. 每场战争都有自己的歌曲来唤起人们的爱国热情或者如在越南战争中鼓励人们反战。 2. The idea is to take a song that people like or that has particular meaning or emotional association for them and use it with new words, hoping that some of the liking, meaning, or emotional associations will transfer to the new ideas being communicated. And it often works. 改词是把一首人们喜爱或者对他们具有特殊意义或感情色彩的歌曲填上新词，希望把这种喜爱、意义或感情色彩带到正在传播的新观念中。通常这种方法很奏效。 3 As a result, a number of community and national groups have applied pressure on stations to keep these songs and performers off the air. These charges also stimulated investigations by the Federal Communications Commission, the regulatory agency charged with overseeing broadcast practices. 结果一些社团和全国性团体向电台或电视台施加压力让他们禁播这些演员的节目。这些指控也促使负责广播业的监管机构联邦通讯委员会开始进行调查。 4. Does it mean a station should permit no language or ideas in a song that it would not permit on the news or in a sports program? Or does it mean the station should recognize that different forms of communication or entertainment, or programs designed for different kinds of audiences, should have different standards concerning language and ideas? 这是否意味着在广播电台或电视台播放的歌曲中不允许出现那些在新闻或体育节目中禁止出现的语言和观念？或者这是否意味着电台或电视台应该承认不同的交流或娱乐形式，或是为不同听众设计的节目，在语言和观念上应该具有不同的标准？ 5. One author has suggested that popular music also serves a "rite of passage" function for young girls. The teenage singing idols may serve as non-threatening substitutes for actual boys until boys' maturation catches up with that of girls and some semblance of easy boy-girl relationships can be established. 一位作者指出流行音乐也成了女孩子们成熟的标志。在同龄男孩子成长为像女孩子那样成熟并能较容易地与女孩子建立朋友关系之前，少年歌星可能会成为不会对女孩子形成威胁的男友的替身。 V. Oral Practice and Discussion 1. How was music used during World War II and during the Vietnam War? 2. Describe peacetime uses of music. 3. List the major effects and functions of music. 4. Identify the basic issues in the FCC regulatory position. 5. What problems do you foresee in the development of record labeling plans? 6. Adaptation of popular or favorite songs is a persuasive tactic. Where is this technique used today? Cite several examples. (Hint: Advertising commercials) 7. If music shapes our perceptions and attitudes, then, should we be forced to listen to music in public places such as restaurants and shopping malls? 8. Are there other effects of music not included in this article?
核电与核辐射 1986 年4 月26 日，切尔诺贝利核电站的一个反应堆发生爆炸，将相当于400 颗广岛原子弹的放射性尘降物散布到整个北半球。在此之前，科学家对辐射对植物和野生动物的影响 几乎一无所知。这场灾难创造了一个活生生的实验室，尤其是在这个被称为禁区的1100 平方英里的区域。 1994 年，德州理工大学生物学教授罗纳德·切瑟和罗伯特·贝克是首批获准完全进入该区域的美国科学家之一。“我们抓了一群田鼠，它们看起来和野草一样健康。我们对此非 常着迷。”贝克回忆说。当Baker 和Chesser 对田鼠的DNA 进行测序时，他们没有发现 异常的突变率。他们还注意到狼、猞猁和其他曾经稀有的物种在这片区域游荡，仿佛这里 是原子野生动物保护区。2003 年由一组联合国机构建立的切尔诺贝利论坛发表了声明一份关于灾难20 周年的报告证实了这一观点，称“环境条件对该地区的生物群落产生了积极 影响”，将其转变为“一个独特的生物多样性保护区”。 五年前，贝克和切塞尔在这片区域搜寻田鼠。Mousseau 到切尔诺贝利去数鸟，发现了与之相矛盾的证据。穆萨乌是南卡罗莱纳大学的生物学教授，他的合作者安德斯·佩普·穆 勒现在是巴黎南方大学生态、系统学和进化实验室的研究主任。他们发现该地区家燕的数 量要少得多，而那些存活下来的家燕则遭受着寿命缩短、(雄性)生育能力下降、大脑变小、肿瘤、部分白化病(一种基因突变)以及白内障发病率更高的痛苦。在过去13 年发表的60 多篇论文中，Mousseau 和Moller 指出，暴露在低水平辐射下对该区域的整个生物圈产生 了负面影响，从微生物到哺乳动物，从昆虫到鸟类。 包括贝克在内的批评人士对穆萨和穆勒持批评态度。贝克在2006 年与切塞尔合著的《美国科学家》(American Scientist)文章中指出，该区域“实际上已成为一个保护区”，穆萨和穆勒的“令人难以置信的结论只得到了间接证据的支持”。 我们所知道的关于电离辐射对健康影响的几乎所有信息都来自于一项正在进行的对原子弹幸存者的研究，该研究被称为寿命研究，简称LSS。辐射暴露的安全标准基于LSS。然而，LSS 留下了关于低剂量辐射影响的大问题没有得到解答。大多数科学家都同意，没有所谓 的“安全”辐射剂量，无论剂量有多小。小剂量是我们最不了解的。LSS 并没有告诉我们多 少低于100 毫西弗(mSv)的剂量。例如，引起基因突变需要多少辐射，这些突变是可遗传 的吗?辐射诱发的疾病(如癌症)的机制和遗传生物标记物是什么? 三重危机2011年 3月福岛第一核电站创建另一个生活摩梭实验室和穆勒可以研究低 剂量的辐射,复制他们的切尔诺贝利核事故研究和允许他们“更高的信心,影响我们看到有关辐射,而不是其他因素,“摩梭说。福岛310平方英里的隔离区比切尔诺贝利小，但在其他方面 是一样的。这两个区域都包括被遗弃的农田、森林和城市地区，在这些地区，辐射水平在 短距离内变化数量级。而且几乎可以肯定，他们进入福岛的速度比科学家进入苏联控制的 切尔诺贝利的速度还要快。简而言之，福岛事件提供了一个解决争议的机会。 福岛核事故发生后的几个月里，穆萨乌和莫勒就开始在这座正在冒烟的核电站以西受污染的山林里清点鸟类数量，但他们无法进入这个区域，亲眼看看家燕的情况。最后，在2013 年6 月，穆萨乌是首批获准完全进入福岛禁区的科学家之一。 对辐射的敏感度在生物和同一物种的个体之间有很大的差异，这是重要的原因之一，不要从蝴蝶推断到家燕或从田鼠推断到人类。蝴蝶对辐射特别敏感，Mousseau 说。2012年8 月，在线期刊《科学报告》(Scientific Report)发表了一篇论文，研究福岛核泄漏对淡草蓝 蝶的影响。冲绳县琉球大学的生物学教授大木若二(Joji Otaki)透露，在这种不雅行为发生两个月后，在福岛附近采集的蝴蝶出现了翅膀、腿和眼睛畸形的情况。Mousseau 和Moller 对切尔诺贝利和福岛昆虫的调查显示，蝴蝶作为一个群体数量急剧下降。但御宅族