英语美文背诵 为什么会怕痒

（单词翻译）

Have you ever thought about why people are ticklish¹? According to scientists, ticklishness² is a defense³ mechanism⁴ humans developed against bugs⁵, spiders, and other critters that may be touching⁶ our skin. Feeling ticklish is our built-in response to predators⁷ or threats, and combines the sensations of touch and pain.

你有没有想过人为什么会怕痒？根据科学家的观点，怕痒是一种防御机制，是人类把它培养来对付那些可能接触我们皮肤的虫子、蜘蛛或其它生物。怕痒是我们对侵扰者或威胁产生的内在反应，它使触觉和痛觉结合起来了。

The part of the brain that is associated with tickling⁸ is the cerebellum. It monitors our movements, but ignores movements not perceived as a threat. For example, we do not notice our vocal⁹ chords moving when we speak, but we may jump if someone touches us on the shoulder. This selective perception is probably the reason why we cannot tickle¹⁰ ourselves.

脑部与怕痒有关的部位是小脑。小脑监控我们的一举一动，但对其认为不具威胁性的活动，往往会忽视。举例来说，我们说话时不会察觉声带的振动，但是如有人触摸我们的肩膀时，我们可能会吓一跳。这种选择性的知觉或许就是我们无法自己哈痒的原因。