會說英語優勢多，雙語讓人更聰明

We already know that speaking more than one language promises a multitude of benefits, including greater communication capability, improved decision-making skills, and staving off dementia, to name only a few. Now, researchers have 1) brought to light yet another remarkable benefit: being bilingual, it turns out, makes us smarter.

人們擁有一種以上的語言能力，會帶來多項優勢； 包括較强的溝通能力，更佳的決策技巧，以及延緩罹患老人失智症 ──這，還只是其中幾項。現在，研究人員揭示另一項卓越的優勢：雙語能力能讓人變聰明！

A recent study found that bilingual speakers might actually process information more efficiently than single-language speakers. American researchers used brain imaging to look at bilingual people’s comprehension abilities. They discovered that bilinguals are better at filtering out unnecessary words than monolinguals.

最新研究發現，說兩種語言以上者在處理訊息時的效率，實際上可能高於單一語言者。美國研究員以腦部影像來觀察雙語者的理解能力。他們發現，雙語者在過濾多餘文字時的能力勝過只會說一種語言的人。

During the experiment, volunteers heard the name of an object and simultaneously were shown a photo of that object, as well as an object with a similar-sounding name, and two unrelated objects. For example, they might hear the word “cloud,” and see photos of a cloud, a clown and two other things. The goal was to watch how quickly the brain could make connections to the correct word. Bilinguals were consistently better at the task.

在實驗中，實驗對象會聽到東西物體的名稱，同時看到物體的圖片、以及發音類似但其實不是該物體的圖片，和兩個完全不相關物體的圖片。舉例來說，他們可能聽到「雲」（cloud），同時看到一朵雲、一個小丑（clown)以及另外兩物體的圖片。實驗的目的是要觀察腦部多快能與正確文字作連結。結果，雙語人士的表現往往較優。

The researchers compared the task with weightlifting at a gym. “The bilingual has to lift more weight than the monolingual, because bilinguals experience competition within and between both of their languages while listening to speech,” the researchers from Northwestern University told science news website LiveScience. “But the bilingual is also stronger, because they’ve been mentally ‘working out’ like this for their whole life.”

研究員將該任務比喻為在健身房練習舉重。「雙語者需要比單語者舉起更多重量，因為雙語者聆聽話語時，經歷兩種語言內在之間的競爭。」西北大學研究員告訴科學新聞網站LiveScience。「然而雙語者會更為強壯，因為一輩子都在從事此種腦力『運動』。」

The results create a “chicken-or-the-egg” dilemma. Is a bilingual better at such tasks because of his or her proficiency in both languages, or are people with greater c) comprehension capacity better equipped to master multiple languages? It could be a mixture of the two. 2) One way or another, the researchers believe that being bilingual is a constant brain exercise.

研究結果創造出「先有雞還是先有蛋」的難題。到底是雙語者因為精通兩種語言，因而較為擅長此種工作，還是具備較強理解力的人，更能夠精通多種語言？也許是二者的混合。無論如何，研究員相信，說雙語是一種持續不斷的腦部運動。

#Key Usages
1 . bring … to light 揭露
例句：The author has brought some intriguing facts to light in his newly published book about the stock market. 在新出版的有關股市的書中，該作者已經披露了一些有趣的事實。

例句：When the management examined their accounts, several serious errors were brought to light. 當帳戶管理階層稽查他們的帳號後，多項嚴重錯誤被揭露出來。

2. one way or another 無論如何

例句：One way or another, I’m going to finish this job by next week so that everyone can enjoy a merry Christmas. 無論如何，下星期之前我要完成這項任務，好讓大家過個快樂的聖誕節。

例句：Don’t worry. We'll arrive at that important meeting on time one way or another. 不要擔心，無論如何我們會準時抵達該場重要會議。

本文收錄於英語島English Island 2015年2月號
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