Why do we love to dance?

Why do we love to dance? 人們?yōu)槭裁磹厶瑁?/p>

Vocabulary: ?dancing?詞匯: 跳舞

If you asked me to dance, I'd probably freeze on the spot. I lack?rhythm?and?coordination?and some people say I have?two left feet! But with some persuasion and?Dutch courage?I can be tempted to take to the dance floor and?shake some moves?– and that, apparently, is only natural.

Experts have found as well as being fun, dancing might have helped us to survive as a species.

Evolutionary anthropologist?Bronwyn Tarr from the University of Oxford has been telling the BBC World Service CrowdScience programme that when we dance with others, we are rewarded with feel-good?endorphins?that change how we feel about ourselves and those around us.

Dancing alone is one thing but it's dancing as a group that makes our brain reward us with a cocktail of feel-good?hormones?and is likely to lead to profound social effects. It's being?in-sync?with others that makes us happy. She says that "dancing?fosters?social closeness between people. It helps us build?social connections?and communities. In our past, those social connections would have been critical for surviving."

You certainly need the right kind of music to help you?shimmy,?boogie?or even?twerk, but once you get the right beat and?get into the groove?with others, it can be an?uplifting?experience. Even my cringeworthy?dad dancing?makes me feel good sometimes. And in Swindon in the UK, this 'style' of dancing has been taken to a new level, where babies, attached to their fathers' chests in a sling, have been dancing with the aim of increasing the?bond?between parent and child.

Dance is also a good way to keep fit and improve our mental health. In Wales there have been calls for doctors to?prescribe?dance classes to people who are unwell. The Arts Council of Wales claims there are many health benefits. And Bronwyn Tarr says "more and more we're actually discovering that your?longevity– your life expectancy – is predicted by the social connections that you have… still today it's something we should do more of."

It could be part of being an uptight Englishman that makes me a reluctant dancer. Look at other nationalities such as Cubans where dancing is at the heart of their?cultural identity. And in Brazil at Carnival time, people?let their hair down?by dancing together day and night. They seem to be having a good time – so maybe I should get on my feet and dance!

詞匯表

rhythm 節(jié)奏感
coordination 協(xié)調(diào)性
two left feet “兩只左腳”，跳舞時舞步笨拙
Dutch courage 借酒壯膽，酒后之勇
shake some moves 扭動幾下
evolutionary anthropologist 人類進(jìn)化學(xué)家
endorphin 內(nèi)啡呔
hormone 荷爾蒙
in-sync 與…同步的
foster 培養(yǎng)，促進(jìn)
social connection 社會關(guān)系
shimmy 跳希米舞（抖動肩部和臀部的舞蹈）
boogie 跟著流行樂跳舞
twerk 抖臀
get into the groove 進(jìn)入理想狀態(tài)
uplifting 令人精神煥發(fā)的
dad dancing “爸爸式舞姿”（較笨拙、過時的舞步）
bond 紐帶
prescribe（醫(yī)生）開（藥）
longevity 長壽
cultural identity 文化認(rèn)同
let one’s hair down 放松，盡情享受

測驗(yàn)與練習(xí)

請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習(xí)。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I'm trying to ______ a good relationship with my neighbour.

foster ? ? ? bond ? ? ? prescribe ? ? ? boogie

2. After a day in the office, I find it ______?to take a long walk along the beach.

lift-up ? ? ? uplift ? ? ? uplifting ? ? ? uplifted

3. My sister is a moody teenager, it must have something to do with her ______!

two left feet ? ? ? shimmy ? ? ? hormones ? ? ? ?endorphins

4. The exams are over so I am having a party where we can all ______.

have a hair do ? ? ? let our hair out ? ? ? keep our hair on ? ? ? let our hair down

5. I'm going to change to a healthier diet because I know it promotes ______.

longevity ? ? ? hormones ? ? ? coordination ? ? ? Dutch courage

答案

1. I'm trying to?foster?a good relationship with my neighbour.

2. After a day in the office, I find it?uplifting?to take a long walk along the beach.

3. My sister is a moody teenager, it must have something to do with her?hormones!

4. The exams are over so I am having a party where we can all?let our hair down.

5. I'm going to change to a healthier diet because I know it promotes longevity.