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nevertheless the true explanation. Groups of new-born babies in a hospital nursery were exposed for a considerable time to the recorded sound of a heartbeat at a standard rate of 72 beats per minute. There were nine babies in each group and it was found that one or more of them was crying for 60 per cent of the time when the sound was not switched on8, but that this figure fell to only 38 per cent when the heartbeat recording was thumping away. The heartbeat groups also showed a greater weight-gain than the others, although the amount of food taken was the same in both cases. Clearly the beat-less groups were burning up a lot more energy as a result of the vigorous actions of their crying.

Another test was done with slightly older infants at bedtime. In some groups the room was silent; in others recorded lullabies9 were played. In others a ticking metronome was operating at the heartbeat speed of 72 beats per minute. In still others the heartbeat recording itself was played. It was then checked to see which groups fell asleep more quickly. The heartbeat group dropped off in half the time it took for any of the other groups. This not only clinches10 the idea that the sound of the heart beating is a powerfully calming stimulus, but it also shows that the response is a highly specific one. The metronome imitation will not do - at least, not for young infants.

So it seems fairly certain that this is the explanation of the mother‘s left-side approach to baby-holding. It is interesting that when 466 Madonna and child11 paintings (dating back over several hundred years) were analyzed for this feature, 373 of them showed the baby on the left breast. Here again the figure was at the 80 per cent level. This contrasts with observations of females carrying parcels, where it was found that 50 per cent carried them on the left and 50 per

cent on the right.

What other possible results could this heartbeat imprinting have? It may, for example, explain why we insist on locating feelings of love in the heart rather than the head. As the song says: ?You gotta have a heart!‘ It may also explain why mothers rock their babies to lull them to sleep. The rocking motion is carried on at about the same speed as the heartbeat, and once again it probably ?reminds‘ the infants of the rhythmic sensations they became so familiar with inside the womb 12, as the great heart of the mother pumped and thumped away above them.

Nor does it stop there. Right into adult life the phenomenon seems to stay with us. We rock with anguish. We rock back and forth on our feet when we are in a state of conflict. The next time you see a lecturer or an after-dinner speaker swaying rhythmically from side to side, check his speed for heartbeat time. His discomfort at having to face an audience leads him to perform the most comforting movements his body can offer in the somewhat limited circumstances; and so he switches on the old familiar beat of the womb.

Wherever you find insecurity, you are liable to13 find the comforting heartbeat rhythm in one kind of disguise or another. It is no accident that most folk music and dancing has a syncopated14 rhythm. Here again the sounds and movements take the performers back to the safe world of the womb.

Notes

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

cuddling: to hold someone lovingly and closely in the arms cradle their infants: to hold gently as if in a cradle manipulations: working with skillful use of hands

embryo: the young of a creature in its first state before birth or before coming out of an egg an unconscious series of trials and errors: trying again and again without thinking till the best way is found

at peach: in a state of quiet and calm

far-fetched: too improbable to be believed or accepted

switch on: turn (an electric light or apparatus) on by means of a switch lullaby: a pleasant song used for causing children to sleep clinch: to fix firmly

Madonna and child: the Virgin Mary and Jesus as a baby

womb: a round organ inside female body where the young can develop be liable to: likely, esp. from habit or tendency

syncopated: to change the beat of music by giving force to the beats that are less forceful

Writing

An observant person is someone who is quick at noticing things. Have you noticed something as interesting as that in Text A? What might be underlying it? Please write an essay of 200 words to explain an unusual phenomenon that has impressed you in daily life.

Text B Parenting with Confidence

In the midst of a glorious summer day, I returned home to find my husband lying, legs dangling off our bed, looking for the world as if he had lost his best friend. In a way, he had. When queried about his mood, he simply answered, ―Everybody hates me.‖ We had been experiencing one of those weeks as parents when nobody understands the language you‘re speaking – and it was taking its toll!

My husband is not prone to moodiness, or worrying too much about who likes him and who doesn‘t. The military taught him that lesson over the course of more than twenty years. His last assignment in the military was as a Company Commander training recruits in the basic rudiments of the military way. This particular job demands a no nonsense style of authority and discipline – and he does this well. Why then were a few children giving him so many problems?

While doing his job, Paul understood that recruits are not supposed to like you when doing your job well - one of the qualities that made him outstanding at his job. Unfortunately, Paul, like most other parents, expects to discipline their children and have them like us; not only is that expectation unrealistic, it can make us terribly ineffective at our jobs as …… 此处隐藏：5665字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……