The Dog Days of Summer|夏季三伏日

by Marcus Maurice

How did the strange idiom, the dog days of summer, come about?

As soon as you leave the air-conditioned paradise of your home and step outside, a blast of hot, humid air hits your face. Within minutes, your forehead and clothes are dripping with sweat. _(1)_ you want to do is run to the local 7-Eleven for an ice-cold drink, but your body starts to slow down as the sweltering heat wave makes moving a hassle and irritating. Welcome to the dog days of summer!

The dog days of summer _(2)_ the time of year when the most blistering temperatures are felt. In the northern hemisphere, they are in July and August, _(3)_ in the southern hemisphere, they are in January and February. The term dog days _(4)_ with people that were trying to make sense of what they saw in the sky. During these ancient times, the star _(5)_ Sirius was the head of the Canis Major constellation, which was also called the Greater Dog. Sirius meant _(6)_ and was also nicknamed the Dog Star. Besides the sun, Sirius was the brightest object in the sky during the hot months. Ancient stargazers believed that since it only appeared at that time, it must have made the temperatures on Earth hotter. Even though this has been _(7)_ incorrect now, we still use the term dog days of summer to describe that time of year when many people believe it's just better to stay inside and chill out.

1.  (A) Which   (B) All (C) That    (D) For

2.  (A) get over    (B) own up to   (C) refer to    (D) stick to

3.  (A) while   (B) for (C) instead (D) because

4.  (A) complied    (B) consulted   (C) originated  (D) conformed

5.  (A) calling (B) called  (C) call    (D) which calls

6.  (A) scorching   (B) to scorch   (C) scorched    (D) scorch

7.  (A) occupied    (B) proven  (C) delayed (D) inspired

夏季三伏日这个奇怪的说法是怎么产生的？

当你一离开家里的冷气天堂、走出门外，一阵既闷热又潮湿的空气迎面袭来。几分钟内，你的额头和衣服就渗满了汗水。你想做的只是飞奔至家附近的 7-Eleven，来杯冰凉的饮料，但酷热的热浪使一切活动都变成是件麻烦事且令你烦躁时，你的身体开始放慢速度。欢迎来到夏季三伏日！

夏季三伏日系指一年当中感受到极高温度的时期。在北半球，三伏日发生在 7 月和 8 月，而南半球则是 1 月和 2 月。dog days 这个词源自于古人试图理解他们所观看到在天空上的东西。这段期间，名为天狼星的星星在大犬星座群的最上方，那又被称为大犬。而天狼星有灼热的意思，也被昵称为狗星。在炎热的月份里，天狼星是除了太阳之外在天空中最明亮的物体。古代占星师相信因为天狼星只在这个时刻出现，它一定就是让地球温度更高的原因。尽管现在已证实此说法并不正确，我们仍然使用夏季三伏日这个词来描述这个一年中多数人认为最好还是待在室内好好放松的时期。

答案：    B   C   A   C   B

 A   B

炎炎夏日，身体会流失大量的水份。水份藉由汗液、口鼻呼出的蒸气，以及体表的蒸发离开人体，其中尤以流汗为主要的途径。若以摄氏 20 度为标准，气温每升高 5.5 度，水份的需求量就会增加 1000 cc。如果在炎炎夏日下剧烈运动一小时，就可能流失 3000 cc 的水份。

汗液中主要的电解质是钠和氯离子，还有少量的钾和钙，长时间的运动（如马拉松），大量的电解质会随汗液从身体流失，如果没有适当的补充，便可能产生电解质失调，影响选手的表现与身体健康。

许多研究指出，如果运动时间少于一个小时，补充单纯的水份（白开水）就已足够。但如果是持续一个小时以上的剧烈运动，就建议使用运动饮料，除了补充水份以外，也补充之后运动所需要的能量。（数据源：康健杂志）