《中英對照讀新聞》Singing makes for safer driving唱歌讓開車更安全

◎ 陳宜君

Motorists who enjoy a sing-along while driving tend to concentrate more and fall asleep less than their silent counterparts, new research showed.

開車時喜歡哼唱歌曲的駕駛人，往往比沉默的駕駛人更專注，且較不易睡著，新的研究顯示。

However, drivers should avoid overly rousing tunes or complex rhythms which can divert attention away from the road.

不過，駕駛人應該避免會轉移對道路注意力的過度亢奮曲子或複雜旋律。

“Singing while driving stimulates not only the mind but also the body which in turn produces heightened alertness and reduced fatigue,” said Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist from the University of Sheffield.

「開車時唱歌，刺激的不只是神智，身體也會隨之提高警覺，並降低疲勞感，」來自（英國）雪菲爾德大學的音樂心理學家妮可拉．狄本表示。

She said music was more effective than silence, conversation or talk radio in achieving an optimal state of alertness. “Singing may be less distracting than conversation because drivers recall words to songs they already know, or because it is fairly easy to learn the words to music where it uses repeated lyrics.”

她說，就進入最理想的警覺狀態而言，音樂比沉默、對談或廣播談話節目更有效。「唱歌可能比對話更不會造成分心，因為駕駛人會回想他們早已知道的歌詞，或是因為歌曲重複歌詞而相當容易領悟樂曲中的字眼。」

新聞辭典

make for：意指造成、有助於；例句：The large print makes for easier reading. （大型字體有利閱讀。）此片語亦可當作移向、衝向解釋，且通常用在速度很快且已有目標的情況；例句：It started raining, so she made for the nearest shelter. （開始下雨了，所以她衝向最近的躲雨地方。

counterpart：名詞，指對等的人、事或物。例句：The U.S. Congress is the counterpart of the British Parliament. （美國國會是英國國會的對應機構。）

in turn：依次、後來、轉而之意。例句：I told Frank and he in turn told Tom. （我告訴法蘭克，他又轉告湯姆。）