原文标题：SexThe wounds of silenceSexual problems can wreck people’s lives. Yet remedies are often simple性沉默之痛性问题会破坏人们的生活。然而，补救措施其实很简单Doctors and schools should be franker about pleasure医生和学校应该更坦诚地对待性快感[Paragraph 1] A GENERATION AGO being depressed or anxious—let alone having serious mental-health problems—meant suffering mostly in silence. 二三十年前，沮丧或焦虑（更不用说有严重的心理健康问题了）意味着大部分人都在默默忍受痛苦。Stigma meant few people wanted to talk. Doctors turned a blind eye. 由于羞耻感，因此鲜有人提及这些心理问题。医生们也熟视无睹。
Most saw mental illness as regrettable but not something that made much difference to a patient’s physical health. 大多数人认为患有精神疾病是不幸的，但这对患者的身体健康没有太大影响。These days the stigma has faded, if not entirely disappeared. Early treatment often nips things in the bud. 近些年来，心理疾病的羞耻感就算没有完全消失，也至少淡了些。早期治疗往往有利于防患于未然。
[Paragraph 2] A similar transformation is due for sexual problems, which lie beneath the same blanket of taboo and embarrassment as mental health once did. 性问题也应该发生类似的转变，它就像曾经的精神健康问题一样，都隐藏在同样的禁忌和尴尬之下。One in five men in America and Europe has erectile dysfunction at some point in his life; half of British women say they had a sexual problem in the past year, including pain during sex or difficulty reaching an orgasm. 在美国和欧洲，五分之一的男性在一生中的某个时刻有勃起功能障碍；一半的英国女性表示，她们在过去一年中有过性问题，如疼痛或难以达到高潮。Plain old lack of desire is common, especially among women. 女性们的性冷淡问题也尤为常见。
[Paragraph 3] Trivialities? A topic best left unmentioned? Sexual problems can be harbingers of other illnesses, such as diabetes. 小事？最好不提的话题？性问题可能是其他疾病的前兆，如糖尿病。Erectile dysfunction is up there with smoking and a family history of heart disease as a predictor of heart trouble. 勃起功能障碍与吸烟和心脏病家族史有关，这是心脏病的一个前兆。Doctors who ask about it can make an early diagnosis, and offer preventive coronary treatment. 医生询问这些情况可以做出早期诊断，并提供预防性的冠状动脉治疗。
[Paragraph 4] Sexual problems more generally are thought to contribute to between a fifth and half of all divorces; reducing that number would spare many adults and children from misery and impoverishment. 人们普遍认为有1/5～1/2的离婚案例是由性问题导致的；减少这部分离婚率将使许多成年人和儿童脱离痛苦和贫困的苦海。Erectile problems are both a cause and a consequence of anxiety, which can make life harder to cope with. 勃起问题既是焦虑的原因，也是焦虑的结果，焦虑会让生活难上加难。Poor productivity at work is twice as high among men with such problems as among those without them.有这类问题的男性的生产力低下的比例是正常男性的2倍。
[Paragraph 5] Tackling sexual dysfunction can be simple and cheap. One easy win would be to change the way children learn about sex. 解决性功能障碍既简单又便宜。制胜之道就是改变对孩子们的性教育方式。Instead of focusing only on avoiding the downsides, such as diseases or unwanted pregnancies, teachers could encourage discussions of pleasure, and of how to talk to a partner about it, as well as how to communicate and understand enthusiastic consent. 不应该只把注意力放在避免负面影响上，即如何避免疾病或如何避免意外怀孕等，教师还可以鼓励学生讨论性之乐、如何与伴侣谈性，以及如何沟通和理解明确的性同意。
Sexual problems often crop up in adolescence, made worse by general teenage awkwardness around the opposite sex (or indeed the same one). So teach them about those too, and never mind the giggles at the back. 性问题经常在青春期突然出现，而青少年在异性（或同性）周围的窘态使问题更糟糕。所以也要教他们这些知识，而且不要在意教室后面的笑声。
[Paragraph 6]Critics may object that sex is everywhere in modern culture, and the last thing anyone needs is more of it. 评论者可能会反对说，性在现代文化中无处不在，一个人最不缺的就是性。But this misses the point. 但这没有抓住重点。The sex in film and television dramas, let alone pornography, bears scant relation to real life. 电影和电视剧中的性，更不用说色情视频了，这些都与现实生活的关系甚远。
Trying to learn about sex from Hollywood is like watching James Bond for tips on a career as a British civil servant. 试图从好莱坞大片里学习性知识，就像通过看詹姆斯·邦德来学习英国公职人员的职业秘诀一样（没有实际帮助）。Better to point teenagers to more realistic sources, such as BISH, a British website that answers all sorts of niche questions that trouble young people as they begin stumbling their way through sexual relationships.最好是给青少年指出更现实的信息来源，如英国网站BISH，它可以解答年轻人在性关系中遇到的各种各样的令他们困扰的小众问题。
[Paragraph 7] More ambitiously, sexual problems should be a core part of medical education. 更大胆地说，性问题应该是医学教育的核心部分。Only then will doctors begin to discuss them routinely—as they do with boils, exercise, heart disease and other health-related matters. 只有到那时，医生才会像对待皮下脓肿、运动、心脏病和其他健康相关问题一样，开始定期讨论这些性问题。
A lot of suffering can be alleviated by simply giving people frank information about what is happening to them and why. 仅仅告诉人们他们身上发生了什么以及原因，就能减轻患者许多痛苦。That, plus a few sessions of therapy, some pelvic-muscle exercises, or suggestions for simple changes in lifestyle, is often all patients need. 再加上几次治疗，一些骨盆肌肉锻炼，或者一些改变生活方式的简单建议，这通常就是患者所需要的全部内容。Such things are now packaged in apps, some of which have been approved by medical regulators. 现在这些内容被打包在APP中，其中有一些APP已经获得了医疗监管机构的批准。
[Paragraph 8] Scientists should shed their inhibitions, too. It is hard to fix problems without first understanding them. 科学家们也应该摆脱他们的拘谨感。如果不先了解问题，就很难解决问题。Research projects are often blocked because committee members find the subject uncomfortable. 研究项目经常被叫停，因为研究组成员觉得这个课题引起不适感。
And for the puritans out there, who doubt that mere pleasure is sufficient grounds for changing things, it is worth noting that better research into sex is likely to improve public health. 而且研究组清教徒对“只凭性快感就足以改变事物”持怀疑态度。但值得注意的是，更好的性研究可能会改善大众健康状况。Studies find that when discussion of pleasure is part of HIV-prevention schemes, people use condoms more. 研究发现，当讨论快感成为艾滋病预防计划的一部分时，人们会更多地使用安全套。
[Paragraph 9] From tragedy to romance从悲剧到浪漫Sex is one of the greatest joys in a human life. At its best, it is a source of ecstasy and a shared expression of lasting affection. 性是人类生活中最大的乐趣之一。最佳状态时的性是狂喜之源，也是一种持久情感的共同表达。That so many people nonetheless find it painful or disappointing is a tragedy. Yet for a large proportion of them, it can be turned into something far more agreeable. 尽管如此，还是有那么多人感到痛苦或失望，这是一个悲剧。然而，对其中很大一部分人来说，悲剧可以变成更令人愉快的事情。Being more open about sex is one of the easiest ways to enhance happiness and health. So why not try it?更开放地对待性是增进幸福和健康的最简单方法之一。那为什么不试试呢？
（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量732左右）原文出自：2022年12月3日《The Economist》Leaders版块。
精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路
本文翻译整理: Irene
本文编辑校对: Irene仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【补充资料】（来自于网络）给予和获得热情的性同意 （enthusiastic sexual consent）有助于建立相互尊重、平等和令人满意的关系。未经同意的任何性行为都是违法的。任何人都不应遭受任何形式的性暴力或性骚扰; 这不是幸存者的错。施暴者应负全部责任和惩罚。热情的肯定 = 热情的同意An enthusiastic yes = enthusiastic consent.在性关系中，“不”意味着“不”。这是每个人，无论男性女性都应该铭记在心的事。不管你们是什么关系，不管之前发生过多少次性行为。
应该抵制鼓励强暴的性文化，充满了强暴桥段而女主角随后爱上男主角的言情小说并非浪漫，而是一种纯粹的文化污染。“无法控制自己地去暴力占有另一个人的身体”绝不代表深爱，而是一种纯粹的伤害。我们的孩子不应该被这些故事洗脑，尊重永远是爱存在的前提。
【重点句子】（3 个）Plain old lack of desire is common, especially among women. 女性们的性冷淡问题也尤为常见。Erectile problems are both a cause and a consequence of anxiety, which can make life harder to cope with. 勃起问题既是焦虑的原因，也是焦虑的结果，焦虑会让生活难上加难。Tackling sexual dysfunction can be simple and cheap. One easy win would be to change the way children learn about sex. 解决性功能障碍既简单又便宜。制胜之道就是改变对孩子们的性教育方式。
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