Lesson 04 Seeing Hands
How did Vera discover she had this gift of second sight?
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. 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. This ability was first noticed by her father. One day she came into his office and happened to put her hand on the door of a locked safe. 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.
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. 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. Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity. During all these tests Vera was blindfold; and, indeed, except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet.
📝 文章大意
据报道，俄罗斯最近出现了几例能用手指阅读、辨别颜色，甚至能透过门和墙看东西的人。其中一例是 11 岁的女学生维拉·彼得罗娃：她视力正常，却还能用皮肤的不同部位感知物体。她的父亲最先发现了这种能力——她把手放在锁着的保险柜门上，就说出了里面放着成捆的旧报纸。后来她接受了卫生部特别委员会的一系列测试：隔着不透明的屏幕读报，用肘部辨认乐透卡上的数字和颜色，用穿着袜子和拖鞋的脚辨认地毯下图片的轮廓和颜色。测试时她必须蒙着眼睛，不蒙眼反而感知不到；手一湿，这种能力也就消失了。
标题问题的答案：她把手放在父亲办公室里锁着的保险柜上，说出了里面放着成捆的旧报纸，她的父亲由此发现了她的这种能力。
📚 核心单词
| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 含义 | 文中用法 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| detect | /dɪˈtekt/ | v. | 察觉，辨别 | detect colours with their fingers |
| solid | /ˈsɒlɪd/ | adj. | 坚实的，实心的 | solid doors and walls |
| vision | /ˈvɪʒn/ | n. | 视力 | has normal vision |
| perceive | /pəˈsiːv/ | v. | 感知，察觉 | perceive things with her skin |
| safe | /seɪf/ | n. | 保险柜 | a locked safe |
| bundle | /ˈbʌndl/ | n. | 捆，束 | done up in bundles |
| talent | /ˈtælənt/ | n. | 天赋 | Vera’s curious talent |
| institute | /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ | n. | 研究所，学院 | a scientific research institute |
| commission | /kəˈmɪʃn/ | n. | 委员会 | a special commission |
| ministry | /ˈmɪnɪstri/ | n. | （政府的）部 | the Ministry of Health（卫生部） |
| opaque | /əʊˈpeɪk/ | adj. | 不透明的 | an opaque screen |
| elbow | /ˈelbəʊ/ | n. | 肘 | by moving her elbow |
| slipper | /ˈslɪpə(r)/ | n. | 拖鞋 | wearing stockings and slippers |
| outline | /ˈaʊtlaɪn/ | n. | 轮廓 | make out the outlines |
| sensitivity | /ˌsensəˈtɪvəti/ | n. | 敏感性 | a similar sensitivity |
| blindfold | /ˈblaɪndfəʊld/ | adj. | 被蒙住眼睛的 | Vera was blindfold |
| cease | /siːs/ | v. | 停止 | this ability ceased |
📖 难句解析
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.
- 主干：
Several cases of people ... have been reported；of people ...本应紧跟 cases，因为修饰语太长，被移到了谓语后面，避免头重脚轻 who引导的定语从句修饰 people，从句里read、detect、see through三个动词并列- 译: 最近在俄罗斯报道了几起有人能用手指阅读和辨别颜色，甚至能透过坚实的门和墙看东西的事例。
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.
concern= 涉及，与……有关Vera Petrova是 schoolgirl 的同位语- 两个
who从句用 but 连接，形成对比：视力正常，但还能用皮肤感知 and through solid walls承接 perceive things，= perceive things through solid walls- 译: 其中一例是 11 岁的女学生维拉·彼得罗娃，她视力正常，但她还能用皮肤的不同部位，而且能透过坚实的墙壁感知物体。
3. 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.
why he kept ...是宾语从句，用陈述语序keep sth locked away= 把某物锁起来，locked away 是宾语补足语the way (that/in which) they were done up省略了关系词；do up= 包扎、捆好- 译: 她突然问父亲为什么把那么多旧报纸锁在里面，甚至还描述了报纸捆扎的方式。
4. Vera’s curious talent was brought to the notice of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk, near where she lives…
bring sth to the notice of sb= 使某人注意到某事，这里用被动near where she lives：where 引导的从句作介词 near 的宾语- 译: 维拉的奇特天赋引起了她家附近乌里扬诺夫斯克市一家科研机构的注意……
5. 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.
- 全句由三个并列成分组成，都依附于
she was able to：① read a newspaper ② describe the figures ③ （分号后）to make out …，第三部分省略了 she was able stranger still= 更奇怪的是，是插入语printed on it修饰 figures and colours；hidden under a carpet修饰 picture，都是过去分词作后置定语make out= 辨认出；它的宾语the outlines and colours of a picture被with her foot隔开了- 译: 在测试中，她能隔着不透明的屏幕读报。更奇怪的是，她把胳膊肘在儿童玩的乐透卡上移动，就能说出印在上面的数字和颜色；还有一次，她穿着长袜和拖鞋，用脚辨认出了藏在地毯下面的一幅画的轮廓和颜色。
6. During all these tests Vera was blindfold; and, indeed, except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin.
indeed表示进一步强调：事实上except when (she was) blindfold是省略句，when 后面省略了主语和 be 动词- 译: 在所有这些测试中，维拉都被蒙住了眼睛；而且，事实上，只有在蒙住眼睛时，她才能用皮肤感知物体。
7. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet.
It was found that ...= 人们发现，it 是形式主语the moment相当于连词 as soon as，= 一……就……- 译: 人们还发现，尽管她能用手指感知物体，但手一湿，这种能力就消失了。