PET shops could be banned from selling puppies and kittens under plans unveiled by ministers last night.

自8月21日晚起，英部长下令：宠物店禁止出售宠物。

Anyone buying or adopting a pet less than six months old will have to deal directly with the breeder or a rescue centre under the proposed ban.

禁令规定：购买或者领养6个月以下的宠物应直接和饲养员或宠物救助中心联系。

The move aims to reduce serious health problems and socialisation issues which afflict¹ pets kept in poor conditions by unscrupulous, profit-driven breeders.

此举旨在减少健康隐患以及相关的社会问题，因为有些饲养者缺乏道德感、或由利益驱使，把宠物饲养在恶劣的环境下。

It comes on the back of the prominent Lucy's Law campaign which calls for an immediate² halt to the sale of young pets by third-party commercial dealers³.

本法令是由著名的Lucy's Law运动推动从而实施，该运动呼吁即刻叫停第三方买卖幼崽。

Blackberries

黑莓

Whether it's a new dance or a foreign language, the older you get the harder it is to learn new things. The reason? In order to process new information our brain cells need to "talk" to each another. Yet, as we age those cells become inflamed⁴ making it harder for them to communicate with one another. Blackberries can get the conversation flowing again. They provide potent⁵ antioxidants known as polyphenols that zap inflammation and encourage communication between neurons, improving our ability to soak up new information according to a 2009 Tufts University study.

不论是新的舞种还是一门外语，年龄越大，学习新事物就越困难。为什么？为了处理新信息，我们的脑细胞需要相互"交流"。但是，随着年龄增长，这些细胞会发炎，彼此之间难以沟通。黑莓有助于这些细胞再次对话。2009年塔夫茨大学的一项研究表明：黑莓提供有效抗氧化剂，即多酚，能消除炎症、促进神经元之间的交流、提高我们接受新信息的能力。

Coffee

咖啡

If you're trying to kick your habit you might want to reconsider. A recent Finnish study of 1,400 longtime coffee drinkers reveals that people who sipped⁶ between three to five cups of coffee a day in their 40s and 50s reduced their odds⁷ of developing Alzheimer's disease by 65% compared to those who downed fewer than two cups a day. Researchers believe that coffee's caffeine and ample antioxidants are the keys to its protective affects.

如果你正在努力戒掉这一习惯，请三思而行。近来，芬兰的一项研究对1400名长期喝咖啡的人做了调查，研究揭示：40岁至50岁的人中，与每天喝少于两杯咖啡的人相比，每天喝3至5杯咖啡的人患阿尔茨海默症的几率降低了65%。研究员认为，咖啡中的咖啡因和充足的抗氧化剂起到了关键的保护作用。

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Apples

苹果

Here's a new reason to munch⁸ on an apple a day: Apples are a leading source of quercetin, an antioxidant plant chemical that keeps your mental juices flowing by protecting your brain cells. According to researchers at Cornell University, quercetin defends your brain cells from free radical⁹ attacks which can damage the outer lining¹⁰ of delicate neurons and eventually lead to cognitive¹¹ decline.

每天吃苹果的理由又多了一个：苹果是槲皮素的主要来源，这是一种通过保护脑细胞来保持大脑运作的抗氧化植物化学物。据康奈尔大学的研究员所述，槲皮素保护脑细胞免受自由基的伤害，这种伤害会破坏脆弱神经元的外层，最终导致认知能力下降。

Chocolate

巧克力

You've heard the good news that chocolate can lower your blood pressure. Now researchers have discovered it can also keep your mind sharp. A 2009 Journal of Nutrition study found that eating as little as one-third of an ounce of chocolate a day (the size of about two Hershey's kisses) helps protect against age-related memory loss. They credit polyphenols in cocoa with increasing blood flow to the brain.

你已经知道巧克力能降低血压。现在研究员还发现，巧克力能保持头脑清醒。2009年发表于《营养学杂志》的一篇研究发现：每天只吃三分之一盎司的巧克力（好时kiss系列2颗）有助于预防与年龄相关的记忆衰退。这得归功于可可中的多酚，能增加进入大脑的血流量。

Cinnamon

肉桂

Beta-amyloid plaques¹² are one of the trademarks¹³ of Alzheimer's disease. The other is tangles¹⁴ in the brain made of tau proteins that can cause brain cells to die. Emerging research from the University of California at Santa Barbara reveals that two compounds in cinnamon - proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde - may inactivate¹⁵ these tau proteins.

β-淀粉样蛋白斑是阿尔茨海默症的标志之一。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的研究兴起，表明肉桂中的两种化合物--原花青素和肉桂醛--或能使这些tau蛋白失活。

Environment Secretary Michael Gove paid tribute to the campaign, saying: “A ban on third-party sales will ensure the nation's much-loved pets get the right start in life.People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable¹⁶ trade.”

环境部部长高夫对此举表示赞扬，他说：“禁止通过第三方买卖宠物会让宠物们有个更好的开始。那些无视宠物福利的人将不能从交易中获利。”

A petition supporting Lucy's Law has been signed by nearly 150,000 people and was debated in Parliament in May.

今年5月份，15万人共同签署了一份名为Lucy's Law的倡议书并递交到议会进行商讨。

Marc Abraham, of the Pup Aid campaign, said irresponsible breeders have for years used third parties to keep themselves hidden from the buying public and the proposed ban will make all breeders accountable.

宠物救助运动负责人亚伯拉罕说，这些年来一些不负责任的饲养者通过第三方隐姓埋名，这项法案可以增加饲养者的可信度。

Paula Boyden, veterinary director at the Dogs Trust, welcomed the move but said additional steps were needed to safeguard the health of pets.

全国犬防御协会的兽医部主任保拉对此举表示热烈欢迎，但她也表示，还需要采取其他额外的措施来保障宠物健康。