Lesson 4 Seeing hands

第四课 能看东西的手

by ERIC DE MAUNY

from The Listener

4-1. Several cases have been reported in Russia recently of people who can read and detect colours with their fingers, and even see through solid doors and walls.

【译文】

俄罗斯最近报导了几个事例，说有人能用手指看书和辨认颜色，甚至双眼能透过厚实的门和墙看到东西。

【讲解】

of people who can…walls作定语修饰cases，这部分较长，所以被移到谓语部分后，这样句子就不会头重脚轻。句中的of意为“关于”。

【单词和短语】

detect：察觉，发觉（to notice or discover something, especially something that is not easy to see, hear etc.）。

4-2. One case concerns an eleven-year-old schoolgirl, Vera Petrova, who has normal vision but who can also perceive things with different parts of her skin, and through solid walls.

【译文】

有一例涉及11岁学生维拉?彼托洛娃，她视力正常，但她还能用皮肤的不同部位辨认东西，甚至看穿坚实的墙壁。

【讲解】

and through solid walls与with different parts of her skin并列作状语，修饰perceive。

【单词和短语】

normal的反义词为abnormal。

perceive：感觉，感知（to notice, see, or recognize something）。

4-3. This ability was first noticed by her father.

【译文】

她父亲首先发现她具备这一能力。

【讲解】

this ability指上句中perceive things with different parts of her skin, and through solid walls。

4-4. One day she came into his office and happened to put her hands on the door of a locked safe.

【译文】

一天，维拉进入父亲的办公室，碰巧把双手放在一个锁着的保险柜的门上。

【单词和短语】

happened to do something：碰巧做某事（if you happen to do something, you do it by chance），

例如：

I happened to look in that direction and caught him in the act of doing it.

我碰巧朝那个方向看，正好目睹他在做那事。

safe:保险柜（a strong metal box or cupboard with special locks where you keep money and valuable things）。

4-5. Suddenly she asked her father why he kept so many old newspapers locked away there, and even described the way they were done up in bundles.

【译文】

她突然问父亲为什么把这么多的旧报纸锁在柜子里，她甚至还描述了捆扎报纸的方式。

【讲解】

locked away there作kept的宾语补足语。lock sth. away意为“把某物锁起来”。there指locked safe。they were done up in bundles作定语修饰way，意为“报纸是怎样捆着的”。they指newspaper。

【单词和短语】

do up：捆，包（to fasten something，or to be fastened in a particular way）。

4-6. Vera's curious talent was brought to the notice of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk, near where she lives, and in April she was given a series of tests by a special commission of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federal Republic.

【译文】

维拉的特异功能引起了她家附近乌里扬诺夫斯克城某科研机构的注意。4月，俄罗斯联邦共和国卫生部的一个特别委员会对她进行了一系列测试。

【单词和短语】

bring something to the notice of someone 使某人注意某事

institute：机构，组织（an organization that has a particular purpose such as scientific or educational work）。

4-7. During these tests she was able to read a newspaper through an opaque screen and, stranger still, by moving her elbow over a child's game of Lotto she was able to describe the figures and colours printed on it; and, in another instance, wearing stockings and slippers, to make out with her foot the outlines and colours of a picture hidden under a carpet.

【译文】

在这些测试中，她能隔着不透明的屏幕读报。更奇怪的是，她把肘部在儿童玩的“乐透”纸牌上移动便能说出印在纸牌的数字和颜色。还有一次，她穿着长筒袜子和拖鞋，能用脚识别出藏在地毯下面的一幅画的轮廓和颜色。

【讲解】

by moving…Lotto作方式状语，修饰was able to describe。printed on it是过去分词短语，修饰figures and colours，it指Lotto。wearing stockings and slippers作时间状语，修饰to make out。wearing前省略了When she was。to make out…to前省略了she was able。the outlines and colours…carpet作make out的宾语。hidden under a carpet作pictures的定语。

【单词和短语】

opaque：不透明的（be difficult to see through and often thick），反义词为transparent。

make out：看出；辨认出；听出（to be just able to see or hear something），

例如：

make out a figure in the darkness

在黑暗中辨认出一个人影

4-8. Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity.

【译文】

其他实验表明她的双膝和双肩均有类似的感觉能力。

【单词和短语】

sensitivity的形容词形式为sensitive。

4-9. During all these tests Vera was blindfold; and, indeed, except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin.

【译文】

在所有这些实验中，维拉的双眼都是蒙着的。事实上，如果不蒙上双眼，她的皮肤就不再具有识别物体的能力。

【讲解】

except when blindfold中when blindfold前省略了she was。某些时间状语从句中，如果谓语动词是be，主语又与主句的主语一致或是it，就常常可以把从句中的主语及be省略。

又如：

Michael Jackson was fond of singing when（he was）yet a child.

迈克?杰克逊从小就喜欢唱歌。

I got acquainted with him while I was on a visit to New York.

我在访问纽约期间与他结识。

4-10. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet.

【译文】

人们同时还发现，尽管她能用手指识别东西，但她的双手一弄湿这种功能即刻消失。

【讲解】

the moment her hands were wet是时间状语从句，意为“她的双手一湿”。

【单词和短语】

ceased：停止（to stop doing something or stop happening），

例如：

The music ceased suddenly. 音乐戛然而止。

ceasing talking 停止谈话

the moment（that）：一……就……（as soon as），

例如：

She called her mother the moment（that）she reached the hotel.

她一到旅馆就给她母亲打了电话。

参考译文

    俄罗斯最近报导了几个事例，有人能用手指看书识字和辨认颜色，甚至能透过厚实的门和墙看到东西。 其中有一例谈到有一个名叫维拉.彼托洛娃的11岁学生。她的视力与常人一样，但她还能用皮肤的不同部位辨认东西，甚至看穿坚实的墙壁。是她父亲首先发现她这一功能的。一天，维拉走进父亲的办公室，偶然把手放在一个锁着的保险柜的门上，她突然问父亲为什么把这么多的旧报纸锁在柜子里，还说了报纸捆扎的情况。

    维拉的特异功能引起了她家附近乌里扬诺夫斯克城一个科研单位的注意。4月里，俄罗斯卫生部一个特别委员会对她进行了一系列的测试。在这些测试中，她能隔着不透明的屏幕读报纸。更为奇怪的是，她把肘部在儿童玩的“罗托”纸牌上移动一下，便能说出印在纸牌上的数字和颜色。还有一次，她穿着长筒袜子和拖鞋，能用脚步识别出藏在地毯下面的一幅画的轮廓和颜色。其他实验表明，她的膝盖和双肩有类似的感觉能力，在所有这些实验中，维拉的双眼都是蒙着的。如果不蒙上双眼她的皮肤就不再具有识别物体的能力。这是千真万确的。同时还发现，尽管她能用手指识别东西，但她的手一旦弄湿，这种功能便会立即消失。