研究表明，在光秃秃的前花园种上几株植物可以帮助减轻人们的压力，让人们感觉更快乐。

Scientists gave 38 households in an economically deprived part of Salford in the north of England a tree, a shrub, and some other flowering plants. More than half said the plants made them feel happier. But the scientists also measured cortisol levels in their saliva, which indicate how stressed they are.

科学家们给位于英格兰北部索尔福德一个经济贫困地区的 38 个家庭提供了一棵树、一个灌木和其它一些开花植物。超过一半的人说这些植物让他们感觉更快乐。与此同时，科学家们也测量了他们唾液中的皮质醇水平，皮质醇水平可以表明他们的压力有多大。

Before the experiment, only a quarter of those involved had healthy cortisol levels. Afterwards, half did so. Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui from the Royal Horticultural Society is the lead author of the study. She says it has major implications for public policy.

在进行实验之前，只有四分之一参与者的皮质醇水平处于正常水平。但后来，有一半人的皮质醇水平处于正常水平。来自皇家园艺学会的劳莉雅娜·苏因·查明-普伊（Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui）是这项研究的第一作者。她说，这项研究对公共政策有重大影响。

The research has also found that the effects of the plants on people’s perceptions of stress were similar to a previous study in which participants were given mindfulness and meditation sessions once a week for eight weeks.

研究还发现，这些植物对人们对压力感知的影响与之前的一项研究相似。在那项研究中，参与者每周参加一次正念和冥想的课程，持续八周。

词汇表

deprived 贫困的
shrub 灌木
flowering 开花的
plants 植物
cortisol levels 皮质醇水平
stressed 紧张的，感到有压力的
public policy 公共政策
perceptions 感知，认识
mindfulness 正念
meditation 冥想

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. How does the reporter describe the area of Salford where the participants in this survey lived?

2. What proportion of people who took part in the study found plants made them happier?

3. What can scientists find out from the amount of cortisol in someone’s saliva?

4. What two practices does the report say were found to affect people’s perceptions of stress in the same way as caring for plants?

答案

1. How does the reporter describe the area of Salford where the participants in this survey lived?
It was described as an economically deprived.

2. What proportion of people who took part in the study found plants made them happier?
More than half of the people said the plants made them feel happier.

3. What can scientists find out from the amount of cortisol in someone’s saliva?
Scientists can find out how stressed people are.

4. What two practices does the report say were found to affect people’s perceptions of stress in the same way as caring for plants?
The effects of plants on people’s perceptions of stress was similar to a previous study in which participants were given mindfulness and meditation sessions once a week for eight weeks.