Baldness 禿頭的煩惱

不論男女，有些人，到瞭年齡就會開始謝頂。這個現實著實讓人難以接受，所以人們大多都願意嘗試防止禿頭的藥物療法。據說，世界上的確存在能“治愈”脫發的良方，但這些辦法真的管用嗎？現代科學能否提供更有效的療法？“禿頭”對人有什麼好處嗎？本集《隨身英語》討論“禿頭”人士的煩惱。

課文內容

Vocabulary: hair and baldness 詞匯: 頭發與禿頂

For many it means nothing at all, but to others it is the epitome of their identity. As humans, our appearance is often important to us and our hair plays a huge role. Whether you have long flowing locks or a swept back do, the way you wear your hair can say something about you. But what if you start to lose it?

Forty per cent of men experience hair loss by the age of 35, according to the Belgravia Centre UK, one of Europe’s largest hair loss treatment centres. This figure rises to 80% by the age of 80. And women are far from exempt from losing clumps of hair, with 50% of them suffering some form of hair loss in their life.

It starts with a receding hairline, followed by a thinning of hair on the crown of the head and temples and before you know it, your scalp is showing and you’re completely bald. Every human naturally loses between 50 and 100 hairs a day, according to the UK National Health Service. Excluding hair loss caused by disease, baldness is genetic. It’s related to the hormone testosterone, which causes a shrinking of hair follicles in susceptible adults. This results in the loss of so called ‘terminal’ adult hair and the production of much finer ‘vellus’ hairs – like those on the heads of babies.

‘It can cause considerable damage to emotional health, including loss of self-esteem and confidence.’ a spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists told the AYYBLOG. But if you can’t hide it with a comb-over, or a wig, what can you do? Well, the ancient Greek medic Hippocrates recommended a mixture of pigeon droppings, mixed with horseradish, cumin and nettles liberally applied to the pate. Since then there has been a liberal dose of tonics, creams, pills and hair replacement surgery. All of which have had mixed results.

Now, a potential new cure has been found in a drug that was designed to treat osteoporosis. The research, published in PLOS Biology, states that the drug contains a compound that targets a protein which inhibits hair growth and plays a role in balding. In short, it stimulates hair to grow. Keep your hair on,though. Clinical trials need to take place to ensure the drug is effective and safe to give people.

And besides, many would say that being bald improves a person’s appearance. Researchers at The University of Pennsylvania asked male and female students to rate photographs of men according to their attractiveness, confidence and dominance. In all three categories, the bald men came out ahead – and not just by a hair’s breadth.

So, whether you love it or hate it or whether it’s happening to you right now, you aren’t alone. A cure may very soon be on its way. Until then, relax and let your hair down.

詞匯表

locks 頭發
do （多指女性為特殊場合做的）發型

hair loss 掉頭發，脫發
clumps of hair 一把一把的頭發
receding hairline 漸漸向後移的發際線，（男人）逐漸禿頂
thinning hair 頭發變得稀疏
crown of the head 頭頂
scalp 頭皮
bald 禿頭的
baldness 禿頂
hair follicle 毛囊

comb-over 把兩側頭發梳到禿頭部位的發型
wig 假發
pate 頭頂（謔稱）
keep your hair on 保持冷靜，別生氣
a hair’s breadth 以細微之差
let your hair down 盡情地玩，放松下來

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. What percent of men experience hair loss by the age of 35?

2. How many hairs does the average human lose daily?

3. What was Hippocrates cure for baldness?

4. How were bald men perceived by the participants in the experiment at the University of Pennsylvania?

5. Which word from the text means ‘encourages to grow, develop or become active’?

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

1. My wife has such thick hair that when she leaves the shower, there are always ______in the drain.

hair loss hair follicles wigs clumps of hair

2. He suddenly began shouting about how he’d left his umbrella, but I told him to ______ and that a little rain would be OK.

keep his hair on keep his hair up keep his hair down keep his hair off

3. If you are losing your hair, just admit it. Don’t try and hide behind a ______.

locks pate comb-over scalp

4. It’s Friday. Let’s go out for a drink and ______. There’s no work tomorrow.

let my hair down let our hairs down left our hair down let our hair down

5. I hate that I’m losing my hair. Soon I will be as ______ as an egg.

thinning bald baldness scalp

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. What percent of men experience hair loss by the age of 35?
Forty per cent of men experience hair loss by the age of 35.

2. How many hairs does the average human lose daily ?

The average human loses 50 to 100 hairs daily.

3. What was Hippocrates cure for baldness?
Hippocrates recommended a mixture of pigeon droppings, mixed with horseradish, cumin and nettles.

4. How were bald men perceived by the participants in the experiment at the University of Pennsylvania ?
Participants found bald men to be more attractive, confident and dominant than men with a head of hair.

5. Which word from the text means ‘encourages to grow, develop or become active’?
Stimulates. (In short, it stimulates hair to grow)

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

1. My wife has such thick hair that when she leaves the shower, there are always clumps of hair in the drain.

2. He suddenly began shouting about how he’d left his umbrella, but I told him to keep his hair on and that a little rain would be OK.

3. If you are losing your hair, just admit it. Don’t try and hide behind a comb-over.

4. It’s Friday. Let’s go out for a drink and let our hair down. There’s no work tomorrow.

5. I hate that I’m losing my hair. Soon I will be as bald as an egg.