你知道在哪里能看到成年男人抱头痛哭吗？答案是：在2400米的高空中。飞机客舱有什么独特的力量能使男人们变得那么容易动情呢？在飞行过程中看电影为什么会让我们那么大喜大悲呢？本集《随身英语》讨论飞行对人们情绪的影响。

课文内容

Vocabulary: Emotions 词汇: 情绪

I’ll let you into a secret. There’s a place that gets me every time: whenever I’m there, I can’t help but well up. Where is this tear-inducing location? It’s thousands of metres high in the sky, in the cabin of an aeroplane. Especially when there’s a trashy romantic comedy on. 

Why am I admitting this now? Because apparently, I’m not alone. English crooner Ed Sheeran confesses to getting all emotional when flying too. And get this: a survey carried out by Gatwick Airport in London found that 15% of men confess they’re more likely to cry during films in planes than watching at home. And 41% of men owned up to burying themselves in the blankets to hide their tears in a separate survey by Virgin Atlantic. In all, 55% of air travellers in the Virgin study claimed they experience heightened emotions when flying. 

So, what’s going on? How does air travel tap into our hidden emotions? A study from the Netherlands has shown adults cry due to feelings of separation, loneliness or powerlessness. All of these are easily experienced when flying: you’re far from family, often alone, and have no control over the aircraft’s flight. 

Another theory relates to the lack of distraction. When you’re strapped into your seat in a sealed cabin in the sky, there’s not a lot you can do. So we are able to invest ourselves more fully into the movies we watch. 

Then there’s the physical space. Air pressure and oxygen levels are lower, and this can affect our mental state. Conditions in an aeroplane resemble those at an altitude of 2,400m. The reduced oxygen at this height can affect the brain. According to a study by the US Institute of Medicine: “the initial mood experienced at altitude is euphoria, followed by depression.” 

And what about the movies themselves? Virgin say top culprits include tearjerkers such as Billy Elliot, Eat Pray Love and, at number one position, Toy Story 3. Their emotional firepower even caused the aeroplane to slap tongue-in-cheek “emotional health warnings” on select movies back in 2011. 

Virgin Atlantic film critic Jason Solomons said at the time, "On a flight, we're isolated, leaving loved ones or aching to be reunited with them. We're nervous, we're tired, we might have had a drink at a time we usually wouldn't, and if we see an image, a scene that reflects our emotional state, frankly we're suckers. Flying and films is a heady cocktail.

词汇表

I can’t help but 我情不自禁地，我忍不住
well up （眼泪）涌出
cabin 客舱
trashy 质量低劣的
crooner 情歌歌手（通常指男歌手）
get this （固定搭配）听听这个
bury 埋藏
heightened emotions 高亢的情绪
tap into 进入，深入了解
invest 投入
altitude 海拔高度
euphoria 亢奋，异常兴奋
culprit 罪魁祸首
tearjerker 催人泪下的电影（书、戏剧等）
firepower 火力
tongue-in-cheek 开玩笑地
isolated 隔离的，孤独的
emotional state 情绪状态
sucker 容易上当受骗的人
cocktail 混合物，鸡尾酒

测验与练习 

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Where does the author always cry? 

2. True or false: men cry 41% more often when in planes.    

3. Why does the brain behave differently when flying thousands of metres high in a plane?

4. Which word means ‘wishing for something so much it hurts’?    

5. True or false: Virgin Atlantic were genuinely worried for the emotional wellbeing of their passengers.

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处 。

1. Sue felt ______ after she finished the marathon. She was so happy.

heightened       euphoric       isolated       tongue-in-cheek

2. Steve never deals with problems. He prefers to ______ his head in the sand.

heady       well up       croon       bury          

3. That book was a real ______. I cried all the way through.

sucker       tear-inducer       tearjerker       weller upper

4. I don’t feel very ______ in this project. I think if I left it, no one would notice.

invested       buried       trashy       isolated

5. The experiment was designed to ______ our deepest, darkest fears.

tap into       invest       get       tap out of

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. Where does the author always cry? 
The author always cries when in an aeroplane, especially when watching trashy movies.

2. True or false: men cry 41% more often when in planes.
False. The 41% figure refers to the number of men who hide their crying. We don’t know the percentage who cry more often in general, but those who cry more often when watching films is 15%.

3. Why does the brain behave differently when flying thousands of metres high in a plane?
The cabin has lower air pressure and oxygen levels than the outside world, which can make the brain feel greater extremes such as euphoria and depression.

4.Which word means ‘wishing for something so much it hurts’?
‘Aching’. If you are ‘aching’ for loved ones, you really want to see them.

5. True or false: Virgin Atlantic were genuinely worried for the emotional wellbeing of their passengers.
False. Their ‘emotional health warning’ campaign was tongue-in-cheek. In other words, it was just for fun.

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。 

1. Sue felt euphoric after she finished the marathon. She was so happy. 

2. Steve never deals with problems. He prefers to bury his head in the sand. 

3. That book was a real tearjerker. I cried all the way through. 

4. I don’t feel very invested in this project. I think if I left it, no one would notice.

5. The experiment was designed to tap into our deepest, darkest fears.