Gargi Pant　梁小明

Youve been playing in the pool for almost an hour now， practicing your bestunderwater skills. Now its time to get out， and as you look at your hands， its... its...its the attack of the wrinkly fingered monster！

你已經在游泳池里玩了将近一个小时，练习了你最棒的水下技巧。现在是离开的时候了，而当你看着自己的手时，这是……这是……这是皱纹手指怪物的攻击！

Dont get frightened or run for cover under your towel yet. After spending lotsof time in the water， its totally normal for fingers （and sometimes toes） to wrinkle2.

不要害怕，也不要躲在毛巾下面。在水中待了很长时间后，手指（有时是脚趾）起皱是完全正常的。

Even though you cant see it， your skin is covered with its own special oil calledsebum3. Sebum is found on the outermost layer of skin. Sebum lubricates4 andprotects your skin. It also makes your skin a bit waterproof5. Thats why gettingcaught in the rain， hopping in the shower after a game， or washing your hands beforedinner wont leave your skin soggy6. Sebum is there to keep the water out.

即使你看不见，你的皮肤上覆盖着一种叫做皮脂的特殊油脂。皮脂分布于皮肤的最外层，能润滑和保护皮肤。它也让你的皮肤有点防水。这就是为什么淋雨、比赛后淋浴或晚饭前洗手不会让皮肤湿透的原因。皮脂把水挡在了外面。

But what happens when you spend a long time in the water？ Well， theres onlya particular amount of sebum on your skin at a time. Once the sebum is washedaway， the water can make its way into the outer layer of skin. The water does this byosmosis7. This is when water actually moves from one thing into another， from aplace where there is more water to a place where there is less water. There is morewater in the pool than there is in your body， so it naturally moves to the place wherethere is less water—you！

但如果你在水中待了很长时间，那会发生什么呢？嗯，每次你的皮肤上只有一定量的皮脂。一旦皮脂被洗掉，水就会进入皮肤外层。水通过渗透作用实现这一点。这是指水实际上从一个地方流到另一个地方，从水多的地方流到水少的地方。游泳池里的水比你身体里的水多，所以它自然会流到水少的地方——你！

Although your fingers may look shriveled8 like raisins9， they arent reallyshriveled—theyre actually waterlogged10！ The extra water in your fingers causes theskin to swell11 in some places but not others， and thats what causes the wrinkles.

虽然你的手指看起来像葡萄干一样皱巴巴，但它们并不是真的皱缩了——它们实际上是积水了！手指中的多余水分会导致某些地方的皮肤肿胀，而其他地方则不会，这就是导致褶皱的原因。

It isnt just pool water that washes away the sebum. Sitting in the bathtub12 fora long soak13 can also wash away the sebum and leave a kid with soggy skin.Washing dishes for a long time， scrubbing14 and rinsing15 your puppy—anything thatkeeps your hands in water long enough will give you wrinkly fingers.

冲走皮脂的不仅仅是游泳池的水，坐在浴缸里泡很长时间也可以洗掉皮脂，让孩子皮肤湿透。长时间洗碗，擦洗和冲洗你的小狗——任何让你的手在水中停留足够长时间的事情都会让手指起皱。

What should you do if you come out of the pool looking like a raisin？ Not athing！ Having wrinkly skin after a swim or bath doesnt mean there is anythingwrong， and it goes away by itself quickly. Youll have more sebum on your skin inno time. If you really cant stand the raisin look and will be doing something aroundthe house that keeps your hands in water， you can wear rubber gloves to keep thesebum from being washed away.

如果你从游泳池里出来像葡萄干一样，你该怎么办？这根本不算什么事儿！游泳或洗澡后皮肤起皱并不意味着有什么问题，而且它很快就会自行消失。你的皮肤上很快就会有更多的皮脂。如果你真的受不了葡萄干的样子，并且在家里要做一些让手浸在水中的事情，你可以戴上橡胶手套，防止皮脂被冲走。

渊英语原文选自（pitara.com）