breast

The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso of primates. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secretes milk to feed infants. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. At puberty, estrogens, in conjunction with growth hormone, cause breast development in female humans and to a much lesser extent in other primates. Breast development in other primate females generally only occurs with pregnancy. 乳房是灵长类躯干腹侧上部的两个突起之一。在女性中，它充当乳腺，产生并分泌乳汁来喂养婴儿。雌性和雄性都从相同的胚胎组织中发育出乳房。在青春期，雌激素和生长激素共同导致雌性人类的乳房发育，而在其他灵长类动物中的发育程度要小得多。其他灵长类雌性动物的乳房发育通常只发生在怀孕期间。

Subcutaneous fat covers and envelops a network of ducts that converge on the nipple, and these tissues give the breast its size and shape. At the ends of the ducts are lobules, or clusters of alveoli, where milk is produced and stored in response to hormonal signals. During pregnancy, the breast responds to a complex interaction of hormones, including estrogens, progesterone, and prolactin, that mediate the completion of its development, namely lobuloalveolar maturation, in preparation of lactation and breastfeeding. 皮下脂肪覆盖并包裹着一个集合在乳头上的导管网络，这些组织赋予了乳房的大小和形状。导管的末端是小叶或肺泡簇，在那里，乳汁是根据激素信号产生和储存的。在怀孕期间，乳房对激素（包括雌激素、孕酮和催乳素）的复杂相互作用作出反应，这些激素在哺乳和母乳喂养准备期间介导其发育的完成，即小叶肺泡成熟。

Along with their major function in providing nutrition for infants, female breasts have social and sexual characteristics. Breasts have been featured in ancient and modern sculpture, art, and photography. They can figure prominently in the perception of a woman's body and sexual attractiveness. A number of cultures associate breasts with sexuality and tend to regard bare breasts in public as immodest or indecent. Breasts, especially the nipples, are an erogenous zone. 除了为婴儿提供营养的主要功能外，女性乳房还具有社会性和性特征。乳房在古代和现代的雕塑、艺术和摄影中都有出现。她们可以在对女性身体和性吸引力的感知中占据显著地位。许多文化将乳房与性行为联系在一起，往往认为在公共场合裸露乳房是不道德或不雅的。乳房，尤其是乳头，是一个性敏感带。

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among women and it is one of the leading causes of death among women. Factors that appear to be implicated in decreasing the risk of breast cancer are regular breast examinations by health care professionals, regular mammograms, self-examination of breasts, healthy diet, and exercise to decrease excess body fat, and breastfeeding. 乳腺癌是女性癌症死亡的最常见原因，也是女性死亡的主要原因之一。似乎与降低乳腺癌风险有关的因素包括医护人员的定期乳房检查、定期乳房X光检查、乳房自我检查、健康饮食、减少身体多余脂肪的锻炼以及母乳喂养。

Plastic surgery can be performed to augment or reduce the size of breasts, or reconstruct the breast in cases of deformative disease, such as breast cancer. 整形手术可以用来增大或缩小乳房的大小，或者在患有变形性疾病（如乳腺癌）的情况下重建乳房。

In European pre-historic societies, sculptures of female figures with pronounced or highly exaggerated breasts were common. A typical example is the so-called Venus of Willendorf, one of many Paleolithic Venus figurines with ample hips and bosom. 在欧洲史前社会，乳房明显或高度夸张的女性雕像很常见。一个典型的例子是所谓的威伦多夫维纳斯雕像，它是旧石器时代许多臀部和胸部丰满的维纳斯雕像之一。

A number of Western fashions include clothing which accentuate the breasts, such as the use of push-up bras and decollete (plunging neckline) gowns and blouses which show cleavage. 许多西方时尚包括突出胸部的服装，例如使用调整型文胸和显示乳沟的开襟（低垂领口）长裙和衬衫。

Research conducted at the Victoria University of Wellington showed that breasts are often the first thing men look at, and for a longer time than other body parts.[

六级/考研单词: breast, infant, tissue, conjunction, pregnant, envelop, converge, cluster, interact, mediate, namely, mature, nutrition, sculpture, prominent, bare, decrease, regulate, heal, excess, augment, pronounce, exaggerate, ample, hip, clothe, accentuate, plunge, gown, blouse, conduct, seldom