7 The Respiratory System

THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

呼吸系统

WHAT IS RESPIRATION? Whether you know it or not, you are breathing right now... To do so, you need us— Your LUNGS! When you breathe in, you take in oxygen from the air. Oxygen is a gas that your body needs in order to live.

什么是呼吸？不管你知不知道，你现在正在呼吸…… 要做到这一点，你需要我们-你的肺！当你吸气时，你从空气中吸收氧气。 氧气是人体赖以生存的一种气体。

The cells of the body need oxygen to break down food and use energy. As this happens, wastes like carbon dioxide gas are formed. When you breathe out, you get rid of carbon dioxide. This process of using oxygen is called respiration. Your lungs and other body parts allow you to breathe. Together, these body parts make up the respiratory system!

身体的细胞需要氧气来分解食物和消耗能量。 当这种情况发生时，就会形成二氧化碳等废物。 当你呼气时，你排出了二氧化碳。 这个使用氧气的过程叫做呼吸。 你的肺和其他身体部位允许你呼吸。 这些身体部位共同构成了呼吸系统！

THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM Several organs and muscles make up the respiratory system. The nose and mouth connect to a large tube called the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea begins at the back of the mouth, runs down the neck into the upper chest, and splits into two smaller tubes... ...called bronchi. Each of these tubes leads to the lungs.

呼吸系统几个器官和肌肉组成了呼吸系统。 鼻子和嘴连接到一根叫做气管的大管子上。 气管从口腔后部开始，沿着颈部进入胸部上部，并分成两个较小的管道。 …称为支气管。每根管子都通向肺部。

Muscles and bones also play an important role in respiration. The chest wall includes bones that form a protective cage around the chest cavity, muscles associated with these bones, and the abdominal muscles. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped sheet of muscle that separates the chest area from the abdomen. Without these bones and muscles, you would not be able to take a single breath!

肌肉和骨骼在呼吸中也起着重要作用。 胸壁包括在胸腔周围形成保护笼的骨骼、与这些骨骼相关的肌肉和腹肌。 横膈膜是一块圆顶状的肌肉，将胸部和腹部分开。 没有这些骨骼和肌肉，你将无法呼吸！

INHALATION AND EXHALATION Breathing consists of two acts: breathing in, or inhalation... ...and breathing out, or exhalation. When you inhale, the diaphragm and the muscles of the chest wall contract. This action lifts the ribs and makes the chest cavity longer and wider, causing the lungs to expand and draw in air. The lower parts of each lung contain elastic fibers in the walls of the airways. When you inhale and the lungs expand, these elastic tissues stretch- -like an inflating balloon.

吸气和呼气呼吸包括两个动作：吸气，或吸气… …呼气，或者说呼出。 当你吸气时，隔膜和胸壁肌肉收缩。 这一动作会抬升肋骨，使胸腔变长变宽，导致肺部扩张并吸入空气。 每个肺的下部在气道壁上含有弹性纤维。 当你吸气，肺部扩张时，这些弹性组织就会伸展，就像一个充气的气球。