今天只有大概1/10的人可以过节

今天（8月13日）是国际左撇子日（International Left-Handers Day），据最新研究表明，全球约9.94%的人为左撇子，也就是大概每10个人中约有1个人是左撇子。

听说，莫扎特（Mozart）、普希金（Pushkin）、爱因斯坦（Einstein）、牛顿（Newton）、毕加索（Picasso）、卓别林（Chaplin）、马克·吐温（Mark Twain）、丘吉尔（Churchill）、奥巴马（Barack Obama）、达芬奇（Leonardo Da Vinci）......都是左撇子。

听说，LR也是，哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈。

🤔️小作业：

1. What was the primary intent of Hugo Spiers' study related to the mobile phone game, Sea Hero Quest?

a. To understand cultural biases against left-handedness.

b. To find the correlation between navigation ability and handedness.

c. To count the number of left-handed people in different countries.

d. To identify the most popular mobile games among left-handed individuals.

a. It is viewed as a genetic trait.

b. It is seen as a prestigious attribute in the educational system.

c. It is often associated with a certain degree of social stigma.

d. It is promoted at the secondary school level.

无注释原文：

People in China are the least likely to report being left-handed

From: New Scientist

19 April 2023

In some countries, including China, people are more likely to report being right handed if they are educated beyond secondary school level or live in a country where there may be a stigma around left-handedness

Fewer than 3 per cent of people in China report being left-handed, despite the global average being closer to 10 per cent. Researchers think the difference is probably due to a continuing cultural stigma against left-handedness, which is less of an issue elsewhere, rather than genetics.

Hugo Spiers at University College London and his colleagues are overseeing a long-running study that assesses people’s ability to navigate using the mobile phone game Sea Hero Quest.

As part of this research, more than 400,000 people – aged 19 to 69 – in 41 countries have self-reported whether they are left or right-handed.

The researchers initially wanted to assess whether someone’s ability to navigate within a space is linked to being left or right-handed. Finding no link, they then used their large data set to gauge if certain factors, such as the country where a person lives or their level of education, influence whether we predominantly use our left or right hand.

In the study, 9.94 per cent of the participants said they were left-handed, similar to a 2020 meta-analysis that put the figure at 10.6 per cent. Why being right-handed is so much more common probably involves our genetics, among other potential factors, says Spiers. “It’s one of these major mysteries,” he says.

The researchers found that people in the Netherlands are the most likely to report being left-handed, at 12.95 per cent, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Puerto Rico. China, however, has the lowest reported rate at 2.64 per cent, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam.

The difference between these two ends of the spectrum is probably not due to genetics, but instead influenced by cultural stigmas, says Spiers. Children in countries such as China may be told by teachers and their parents to use their right hand, perhaps due to a stigma around being left-handed, he says.

In countries such as Indonesia and China, there is also a large number of children who are the first of their family to receive an education, the researchers write in their paper. In these recently industrialised countries it may be easier and more cost effective to teach everyone to write with the same hand and being right-handed is much more common, says Spiers.

In a 2013 paper, titled “Why are there (almost) no left-handers in China?”, Howard Kushner at Emory University, Georgia, similarly said that the number of first-generation children to receive an education, particularly in China, “has strained resources and required sustained conformity in order to teach students basic skills, especially to read and write”.

Spiers and his colleagues also found that in China, Indonesia, and India, people are less likely to identify as being left-handed if they are educated beyond secondary school level, compared with those who left the education system once they had completed secondary school.

These people may study or work in prestige places where being left or right-handed is noticed by others, says Spiers. “Cultural norms may mean this group are more influenced to change their handedness to conform to a social norm,” he says.

Only people with a mobile phone and internet access could take part in the study, and therefore the findings don’t represent the countries’ populations, says Spiers.

Nevertheless, Timothy Verstynen at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, says the results reveal the role that cultural biases can play in people’s hand preferences. “But we still don’t really know why such a small percentage of people do prefer their left hands in the first place, beyond cultural factors,” he says.

- ◆ -

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：

People in China are the least likely to report being left-handed

From: New Scientist

19 April 2023

In some countries, including China, people are more likely to report being right handed if they are educated beyond secondary school level or live in a country where there may be a stigma around left-handedness

有些国家，包括中国，受过中学以上教育或生活在对左撇子有偏见的国家的人更可能称自己是右撇子。

secondary /ˈsek.ən.dri/ 1）表示“中学的”，英文解释为“relating to the education of children approximately between the ages of 11 and 18 years old”如：secondary education 中等教育。

2）表示“次要的；从属的；辅助的”，英文解释为“less important than sth else”举个🌰：That is just a secondary consideration. 那只不过是次要的因素。

stigma /ˈstɪɡ.mə/ 表示“耻辱；（尤指不公正的）恶名”，英文解释为“a strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair”举个🌰：There is no longer any stigma to being divorced. 离婚不再是什么耻辱的事了。

Fewer than 3 per cent of people in China report being left-handed, despite the global average being closer to 10 per cent. Researchers think the difference is probably due to a continuing cultural stigma against left-handedness, which is less of an issue elsewhere, rather than genetics.

在中国，只有不到3%的人说自己是左撇子，而全球左撇子的平均比例接近10%。研究人员认为，这种差异可能是由于文化上对左撇子持续存在的歧视（这在其他地方不太常见），而非基因问题。

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”。

Hugo Spiers at University College London and his colleagues are overseeing a long-running study that assesses people’s ability to navigate using the mobile phone game Sea Hero Quest.

伦敦大学学院（University College London）雨果·斯皮尔斯（Hugo Spiers）及其同事正在主导一项长期研究，评估人们使用手机游戏《航海英雄》（Sea Hero Quest）导航的能力。

表示“监督；监察；监管”，英文解释为“to watch or organize a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly”举个🌰：As marketing manager, her job is to oversee all the company's advertising. 作为营销经理，她的工作是负责公司所有的广告业务。

navigate /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ 1）表示“浏览，访问（网站）”，英文解释为“to move around a website or computer screen, or between websites or screens”举个🌰：Their website is fairly plain, but very easy to navigate. 他们的网站页面比较简单，但浏览起来很便捷。

2）表示“导航，确定…的方向”，英文解释为“to direct the way that a ship, aircraft, etc. will travel, or to find a direction across, along, or over an area of water or land, often by using a map”举个🌰：There weren't any road signs to help us navigate through the maze of one-way streets. 没有任何路标可以指引我们穿过像迷宫似的单行街道。

As part of this research, more than 400,000 people – aged 19 to 69 – in 41 countries have self-reported whether they are left or right-handed.

在这项研究中，来自41个国家、年龄范围从19岁到69岁的40多万人都自行报告了他们是左撇子还是右撇子。

The researchers initially wanted to assess whether someone’s ability to navigate within a space is linked to being left or right-handed. Finding no link, they then used their large data set to gauge if certain factors, such as the country where a person lives or their level of education, influence whether we predominantly use our left or right hand.

研究人员最初是想要评估一个人的空间导航能力是否与左右撇子有关。在发现两者之间没有联系后，他们利用庞大的数据集来衡量某些因素，如一个人居住的国家或受教育水平，是否会影响我们的惯用手。

gauge /ɡeɪdʒ/ 1）表示“判定，判断（通常指人的感受）”，英文解释为“to make a judgment about something, usually people's feelings”举个🌰：A poll was conducted to gauge consumers' attitudes. 为了摸清消费者的看法，进行了一次民意调查。

2）表示“（尤指用测量仪器）测量，计量，测算”，英文解释为“to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device”举个🌰：Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature. 用温度计测量一下温度。

predominantly /prɪˈdɒm.ɪ.nənt.li/ 表示“占主导地位地；占绝大多数地；显着地”，英文解释为“mostly or mainly”如：a predominantly Muslim community 穆斯林占绝大多数的社区，举个🌰：She is predominantly a dancer, but she also sings. 她主要是跳舞，但也唱歌。

In the study, 9.94 per cent of the participants said they were left-handed, similar to a 2020 meta-analysis that put the figure at 10.6 per cent. Why being right-handed is so much more common probably involves our genetics, among other potential factors, says Spiers. “It’s one of these major mysteries,” he says.

在这项研究中，9.94%的参与者表称自己是左撇子，这与2020年的一项荟萃分析结果相似，该分析结果显示左撇子比例为10.6%。斯皮尔斯表示，为什么右撇子如此普遍，这可能与我们的基因及其他潜在因素有关。“这是一个大谜团，”他说。

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies. Meta-analysis can be performed when there are multiple scientific studies addressing the same question, with each individual study reporting measurements that are expected to have some degree of error.（Wikipedia）

📍荟萃分析，又称“Meta分析”、“元分析”，是一种统计方法，它结合了多项独立的研究的结果，以得到一个整体的结论。通过这种方法，研究者可以更精确地估计某种因素或治疗的效果，因为它合并了大量的数据，从而增加了统计的效力。简单说，元分析就是“对研究进行的研究”。

The researchers found that people in the Netherlands are the most likely to report being left-handed, at 12.95 per cent, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Puerto Rico. China, however, has the lowest reported rate at 2.64 per cent, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam.

研究人员发现，荷兰人是左撇子的比例最高，为12.95%，其次是阿联酋、以色列和波多黎各。然而，中国人是左撇子的比例最低，为2.64%，其次是印尼和越南。

The difference between these two ends of the spectrum is probably not due to genetics, but instead influenced by cultural stigmas, says Spiers. Children in countries such as China may be told by teachers and their parents to use their right hand, perhaps due to a stigma around being left-handed, he says.

斯皮尔斯表示，这两个极端间的差异可能不是由于基因，而是受到文化偏见的影响。他说，在中国等国家，老师和父母可能会告诉孩子们要使用右手，这可能是因为对左撇子的偏见。

spectrum /ˈspɛktrəm/ 1）表示“范围；各层次；系列；幅度”，英文解释为“a complete or wide range of related qualities, ideas, etc.”如：a broad spectrum of interests 广泛的兴趣范围，举个🌰：A wide spectrum of opinion was represented at the meeting. 会上提出了一系列广泛的意见。

2）表示“光谱，谱”，英文解释为“The spectrum is the range of different colours which is produced when light passes through a glass prism or through a drop of water. A rainbow shows the colours in the spectrum.”

In countries such as Indonesia and China, there is also a large number of children who are the first of their family to receive an education, the researchers write in their paper. In these recently industrialised countries it may be easier and more cost effective to teach everyone to write with the same hand and being right-handed is much more common, says Spiers.

研究人员在论文中提到，在印尼和中国等国家，很多孩子是他们家族中第一代接受教育的人。斯皮尔斯说，在这些新兴工业化国家，大部分人都是右撇子，教每个人都用右手写字可能更为简单且更具成本效益。

cost-effective /ˌkɒst.ɪˈfek.tɪv/ 表示“有成本效益的;物有所值的;合算的，划算的”，英文解释为“If an activity is cost-effective, it is good value for the amount of money paid.”举个🌰：It wouldn't be cost-effective to buy an expensive new computer when all you want to do is store your photos. 只为保存照片而买一台昂贵的新电脑并不划算。

In a 2013 paper, titled “Why are there (almost) no left-handers in China?”, Howard Kushner at Emory University, Georgia, similarly said that the number of first-generation children to receive an education, particularly in China, “has strained resources and required sustained conformity in order to teach students basic skills, especially to read and write”.

2013年一篇题为《为什么中国几乎没有左撇子？》的论文中，乔治亚州艾默里大学（Emory University）的霍华德·库什纳（Howard Kushner）同样表示，第一代接受教育的儿童数量众多，尤其是在中国，“这使得资源紧张，需要持续地顺应潮流，以教授学生基本技能，尤其是读写技能”。

作动词，strain /streɪn/ 作动词，1）表示“（使）紧张，（使）承受压力；拉紧，绷紧；损伤”，英文解释为“to become stretched or to experience pressure, or to make something do or experience this”举个🌰：I've put on such a lot of weight recently - this dress is straining at the seams. 我最近胖了很多——这条裙子穿上后紧绷绷的。

2）表示“（尤指金钱）过多使用”，英文解释为“to cause too much of something to be used, especially money”举个🌰：Increases in wholesale oil prices have strained the company's finances. 油料批发价的上涨让公司财务支出过多。

作名词，strain 1）表示“压力；重负；重压之下出现的问题（或担忧等）”，英文解释为“pressure on sb/sth because they have too much to do or manage, or sth very difficult to deal with; the problems, worry or anxiety that this produces”举个🌰：You will learn to cope with the stresses and strains of public life. 你要学会怎样应付公众人物生活的紧张和辛劳。

2）表示“（动植物的）品系，株系，品种”，英文解释为“an animal or plant from a particular group whose characteristics are different in some way from others of the same group”举个🌰：Scientists have discovered a new strain of the virus which is much more dangerous. 科学家们已经发现了一种危险得多的新病毒。

📍此前9000名乘客因鼻拭子重复使用受害文中出现的例句：The health ministry confirmed this week that it had recorded two cases of the more infectious strain that was first detected in India. 卫生部本周证实，已发现了两例在印度首次发现的更具传染性的病毒株。

3）strains 表示“旋律；曲调”，英文解释为“the sound of music being played or performed”举个🌰：I could hear the strains of Mozart in the background. 我听见背景音中有莫扎特的旋律。

1）表示“持续的，持久的”，英文解释为“continuing for a long time”举个🌰：His speech was greeted by sustained applause. 他的演讲博得了经久不息的掌声。

2）表示“坚定的，坚持不懈的”（determined），2020年政府工作报告中的例句：持续打造市场化、法治化、国际化营商环境 make sustained efforts to create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment.

1）表示“（对社会规则的）遵从，遵守；从众”，英文解释为“behaviour that follows the usual standards that are expected by a group or society”举个🌰：It's depressing how much conformity there is in such young children. 这么小的孩子就唯唯诺诺，真是令人沮丧。

2）表示“（商品生产的）符合，符合度，一致性”，英文解释为“the process of a product being made as it was designed, without mistakes or faults”举个🌰：Our goal is to improve conformity with customer requirements. 我们的目标是让产品更加符合顾客的需要。

Spiers and his colleagues also found that in China, Indonesia, and India, people are less likely to identify as being left-handed if they are educated beyond secondary school level, compared with those who left the education system once they had completed secondary school.

斯皮尔斯及其同事还发现，在中国、印尼和印度，与只接受了中学教育的人相比，受过中学以上教育的人更不可能认为自己是左撇子。

These people may study or work in prestige places where being left or right-handed is noticed by others, says Spiers. “Cultural norms may mean this group are more influenced to change their handedness to conform to a social norm,” he says.

斯皮尔斯表示，这些人可能在某些声誉较高的地方学习或工作，而在这些地方，是否为左撇子或右撇子往往会引起人们的注意。他说：“文化习惯可能使这些人更容易改变他们的惯用手，以迎合社会常规。”

prestige /prɛˈstiːʒ/ 1）作名词，表示“威信；声望；威望”，英文解释为“the respect and admiration that sb/sth has because of their social position, or what they have done”举个🌰：There is a lot of prestige attached to owning a car like this. 拥有这样一部汽车会显得很气派。

2）作形容词，表示“名贵的；贵重的；讲究派头的”，英文解释为“admired and respected because it looks important and expensive”如：a prestige car 豪华的汽车。

表示“规范；行为标准”，英文解释为“standards of behaviour that are typical of or accepted within a particular group or society”，如：social/cultural norms 社会/文化规范。

📍the norm 表示“常态，正常行为”，英文解释为“a situation or type of behaviour that is expected and considered to be typical”举个🌰：One child per family is fast becoming the norm in some countries. 每个家庭一个孩子在一些国家正迅速普遍起来。

conform to/with 表示“遵守，遵照；符合，达到；依照”，英文解释为“to obey a rule or reach the necessary stated standard, or to do things in a traditional way”举个🌰：Before buying the baby's car seat , make sure that it conforms to the official safety standards. 购买婴儿车之前，要确保它符合官方的安全标准。

Only people with a mobile phone and internet access could take part in the study, and therefore the findings don’t represent the countries’ populations, says Spiers.

斯皮尔斯说，只有拥有手机和互联网接入的人才能参与这项研究，因此这些研究结果并不能代表各国人群。

Nevertheless, Timothy Verstynen at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, says the results reveal the role that cultural biases can play in people’s hand preferences. “But we still don’t really know why such a small percentage of people do prefer their left hands in the first place, beyond cultural factors,” he says.

尽管如此，宾夕法尼亚州卡内基梅隆大学（Carnegie Mellon University）的蒂莫西·维斯特宁（Timothy Verstynen）表示，这些结果揭示了文化偏见对人们惯用手的影响。“但除了文化因素外，我们还真不知道，为什么只有这么少部分人是左撇子，”他说。

表示“揭露；泄露；透露”，英文解释为“to make known or show something that is surprising or that was previously secret”举个🌰：He was jailed for revealing secrets to the Russians. 他因为向俄国人泄密而被监禁。

bias /ˈbaɪ.əs/ 表示“偏见；偏心；偏向”，英文解释为“a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement”举个🌰：Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。

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