续VOA翻译0724
The 19th-century American writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau knew the importance of nature. Thoreau filled his books and notes with observations about human life and its basic need for nature. Those writings have probably never been more important than they are today.
十九世纪美国的作家兼自然学家Henry David Thoreau就已经意识到了自然的重要性。Thoreau在他的书中满满的标注了人类对自然的感知以及对自然基本的需求。这些作品在当时远不及现在有意义。
On average, Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic device and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors.
That is a claim made by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. In his 2017 TEDTalk, Strayer explained that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.
美国人平均每天在电脑及其它电子设备上花费将近10个小时，而在户外花费不到三十分钟。这是犹他大学的物理学教授David Strayer所申明的，在2017年的TED演讲中，他解释道在科技上花费太多时间会让大脑变得疲惫。
Using an electronic device – answering emails, listening to the news, looking at Facebook -- puts a lot of pressure on the prefrontal cortex, the front of the brain. This area, Strayer explains, is important for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.
用电子设备回复邮件，听新闻，查看facebook，给大脑前端，前额皮质增加了很大的压力。他解释道，这个部位对于判断思维，解决问题及做出判定这些能力是很重要的。
So, it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in nature, Strayer claims, helps refresh a brain that is tired from too much technology.
因此，让大脑休息一下是很重要的。Strayer指出，亲近自然会帮助因科技而疲惫的大脑重新清醒。
More than 15,000 campers from around the world attended an international camping festival in Jiangxi province, China, September 2013.
That is when time in the great outdoors and a camping trip can help. Friends and family take time off and escape to nature for several days. They take walks, climb, explore, swim, sleep, eat and play. Camping may be just want a tech-tired brain needs.
2013年九月，来自世界各地的15000多名露营者参加了中国江西省的国际露营节。这是户外及露营能发挥益处的时候。亲朋好友们在大自然中休息几日，他们散步，爬山，探险，游泳，睡觉，吃喝玩乐。露营或许是厌倦了科技的大脑所需要的。
Take Carl, for example. He lives in West Virginia and enjoys camping. He says that being outdoors makes him feel at ease. It also prepares him for the work he must do.
"Camping give us a chance to be in touch with nature and it's a little less busy than our regular day-to-day life. And it's very relaxing. So, when you return to work on Monday generally you're in a better state of mind. I really like the way I feel on Monday. I'm refreshed for work.”
用Carl举个例子,他住在弗吉尼亚州西部，并且热衷于露营⛺️。他说在户外让他感觉到轻松，并且为他给将要做的事情做准备。“露营让我们有了和自然接触的机会，而且没有像我们日复一日的生活那样繁忙，非常放松。所以当你周一回归工作的时候会感到状态很好。我真的很喜欢周一的感觉，满血复活。”
Kate Somers also lives in West Virginia. She says she enjoys camping with her husband and two children. She calls it a "regenerative" experience, meaning it gives her new life and energy.
"I find that it brings me a measure of peace that comes with the quiet and often the solitude. I find it pretty regenerative and something that I like to do with some regularity so that I can keep tapping into that."
Scientists may agree.
Kate同样住在弗吉尼亚西部，她说她喜欢和丈夫及两个孩子去露营。她把露营称为重生的经历，意在表达给了她新的生活和能量。“我发现露营的安静以及独处让我感觉到了平静。它是如此让我有重生的感觉而且我愿意长期去做的事情，这样我便会享受到它带来的益处。“
At the University of Utah, David Strayer has studied both short-term and long-term exposure to nature. He found that spending short amounts of time in nature without technology does calm the brain and helps it to remember better. However, he found, it is the long-term contact with nature that does the most good.
He and his research team found that spending three days in nature without any technology is enough time for the brain to fully relax and reset itself. He calls this the "three-day syndrome". He claims that spending long amounts of time in nature will help:
在犹他大学，David对短时间及长期在户外的人进行了研究。他发现在自然中享受一小段远离科技的生活会使大脑记忆里增强。然而，他也发现，长时间接触自然会显著提高记忆力。他及他的研究团队发现在自然中度过没有科技的三天足以使大脑得到完全的放松和重新整合。他把这种现象叫做“三日综合症”，他指出长期处在大自然中，会有一下益处：
• rest and recharge the brain
• improve our productivity
• lower our stress levels
• and make us feel better.
· 让大脑放松并重新充满活力
· 提高创造力
· 减轻压力
· 自我感觉更健康。
Kate Somers agrees. She says that, while long walks are great, camping for several days is a better, more complete experience.
"We feel it (camping) gives us all the ability to immerse ourselves more in the out-of-doors rather than just going on day hike. Here you get to spend more time out-of-doors and just kind of be in the space rather than necessarily always moving through it.”
Kate 同意这些观点，他说，远足很不错，然而露营几天是更好更完全的锻炼经历。“ 我们觉得比起远足，露营给了我们让自己更完全融入自然的能力。你能够花更多的时间在户外的某个特定空间，而并非只是经过。”
Camping, Carl adds, teaches you to know your surroundings and to think about one thing at a time. This is similar to Strayer's claim that being in nature calms the brain and helps it to focus. It can show you how to take care of yourself in difficult situations. And this can help to increase your confidence in your abilities.
"Well, I think being more aware, in general, is something that transfers well to day-to-day life. I think being able to focus on one task. I think the self-confidence of knowing you can taking care of yourself in an adverse environment carries over well to day-to-day life.”
Carl说道，露营教会你更好的感知周围的一切，并且在一个时间只思考一件事情。这个观点和Strayer的很相似，大自然会让大脑更冷静，有益注意力集中。大自然让你明白如何在各种环境中保护自己，而这会增加你在个人能力方面的自信。
Nature as teacher
Giving your brain a rest so that it can work better is a great reason to go camping. But it is not the only reason. Nature is great teacher.
自然似老师
让大脑放松以便更好的运行是露营的一个很棒的原因。但是那不是唯一的原因，自然是一位伟大的老师。
"And learning about animals and nature environments is different when it's hands-on than when it's in school -- learning to deal with the weather; and learning to stay dry in the rain or warm in the snow; learning how to keep your feet in good condition when you're hiking and walking; learning how to dress for the elements ..."
Kate Somers adds that her camping experiences have given her confidence to deal with problems.
“亲身体验动物🐒以及自然环境和在学校学习这些相关知识是不一样的，学习如何应对天气；学习如何在雨中不让自己被淋湿在雪中如何让自己暖和；学习在远足中如何让脚舒适；学习如何在不同环境中穿着···”
"It is definitely more challenging in the beginning just, sort of, be able to anticipate what you'll need and to know how to deal with certain situations."
So, taking a long walk in the woods or by the ocean or in a city park is, of course, wonderful. But camping requires that you spend more time in nature and it can test you in different ways. You must immerse yourself more deeply in nature. And the health benefits can be deeper as well.
“一开始，露营在某种程度上是有一定挑战的，你无法预期你需要什么并且不知道如何应对特定的环境。”在树林里，在海边或者在城市的公园来一段远一点的徒步也是不错的选择。但是露营要求你在自然中花费更多的时间，而且能以不同的方式考验你，你必须更深入地融入自然，如此也就对健康越有益。
