托福阅读背景知识（四）

　　For many, the caffeine kick is the primary reason we choose either beverage; it’s the oil to our engines when we’re still feeling a bit creaky in the morning. Based purely on its composition, coffee should win hands down: a cup of tea has about half the dose (40 milligrams) of the stimulant caffeine that you would find in a standard cup of brewed filter coffee (80 to 115 milligrams). Yet this doesn’t necessarily reflect the jolt of the wake-up call.

　　对许多人来说，咖啡因的兴奋作用是我们选择这两种饮料的主要原因;在睡眼惺忪的清晨，咖啡因就像石油一样，给我们身体的引擎以能量。只考虑成分的话，咖啡可以轻松获胜：一杯茶的咖啡因含量(40毫克)大约只有标准杯过滤咖啡(80至115毫克)的一半。然而，这并非反映了它们的醒脑作用。

　　Dosing subjects with either tea or coffee, one study found that both beverages left subjects feeling similarly alert later in the morning.

　　通过让被试者饮用一定量的茶或咖啡，一项研究发现，这两种饮料都能让受试者在早晨晚些时候感到同样清醒。

　　Verdict: Against logic, tea seems to provide just as powerful a wake-up call as coffee. It’s a draw.

　　结论：虽然逻辑上讲不通，但茶跟咖啡的醒脑作用似乎不相上下。平局。

　　Sleep quality

　　睡眠质量

　　The biggest differences between coffee and tea may emerge once your head hits the pillow.

　　咖啡和茶之间最大的差异或许将集中体现在睡眠上。

　　Comparing people drinking the same volume of tea or coffee over a single day, researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK confirmed that although both drinks lend similar benefits to your attention during the day, coffee drinkers tend to find it harder to drop off at night – perhaps because the higher caffeine content finally catches up with you.

　　通过对比研究每天饮用等量的茶或咖啡的人，英国萨里大学的研究人员证实，尽管两种饮料在白天对注意力集中的作用差不多，但或许是因为咖啡里的咖啡因含量更高，喝咖啡的人晚上更难入睡。

　　Tea drinkers, in contrast, had longer and more restful slumbers.

　　相比之下，喝茶的人睡得更久更香。

　　Verdict: Tea offers many of the benefits of coffee, without the sleepless nights – a clear win.

　　结论：茶不仅拥有咖啡的许多好处，还不会带来不眠之夜——完胜

　　Tooth staining

　　牙齿变黄

　　Along with red wine, coffee and tea are both known to turn our pearly whites a murky yellow and brown. But which is worse?

　　众所周知，红酒、咖啡和茶都会把洁白的牙齿慢慢染成暗黄色或棕褐色。但哪个最糟糕?

　　Most dentists seem to agree that tea’s natural pigments are more likely to adhere to dental enamel than coffee’s – particularly if you use a mouthwash containing the common antiseptic chlorhexidine, which seems to attract and bind to the microscopic particles.

　　大多数牙医似乎一致认为，茶中的天然色素比咖啡的更易附着于牙釉质之上——尤其当你使用常见的洗必泰漱口水时，其中的消毒洗必泰能吸引并聚合微观粒子。

　　Verdict: If you want a perfect smile, coffee may be the lesser of two evils.

　　结论：如果你想展现完美笑容，两害相权取其轻，咖啡也许还好一点。

　　A balm for troubled souls…

　　不安灵魂的慰藉……

　　In England, it’s common to give “tea and sympathy” to a distressed friend – the idea being that a cup of Earl Grey is medicine for troubled minds. In fact, there is some evidence that tea can soothe your nerves: regular tea drinkers do tend to show a calmer physiological response to unsettling situations (such as public speaking), compared to people drinking herbal infusions. Overall, people who drink three cups a day appear to have a 37% lower risk of depression than those who do not drink tea.

　　英国人喜欢给烦恼苦闷的朋友送去“茶与同情”——这是由于他们认为伯爵茶能够治愈不安的灵魂。事实上，有证据表明，茶可以舒缓神经：与喝中草药的人相比，经常饮茶者在处理一些令人不安的情况(如公开演讲)时确实表现得更为镇静。总的来说，每天喝三杯茶的人比不喝茶的人罹患抑郁症的风险要低37%。