Seeing hands

原文

Several cases have been reported in Russia recently of people who can detect colours with their fingers, and even see through solid and walls. One case concerns and 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 hands 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.

ERIC DE MAUNY Seeing hands from The Listener

译文

最近，俄罗斯报道了几个案例，涉及一些人能用手指感知颜色，甚至透过实心墙看东西。其中一个案例是关于一个十一岁的小学女生维拉·彼得罗娃，她拥有正常的视力，但也能用皮肤的不同部位感知事物，甚至透过实心墙。她的这种能力最初是由她父亲发现的。有一天，她走进父亲的办公室，碰巧把手放在一个上锁的保险箱门上。突然，她问父亲为什么把那么多旧报纸锁在那里，甚至描述了这些报纸是如何捆扎成捆的。

维拉的奇特天赋引起了她居住地附近乌里扬诺夫斯克镇一个科学研究所的注意，于是，在四月份，她接受了俄罗斯联邦共和国卫生部的一个特别委员会进行的一系列测试。在这些测试中，她能透过一个不透明的屏风阅读报纸，更令人惊奇的是，通过用肘部在一种儿童游戏“乐透”（Lotto，一种带有数字和颜色的游戏）上移动，她能描述印在其上的数字和颜色；还有，在另一个例子中，她穿着长统袜和拖鞋，用脚感知藏在地毯下的图片轮廓和颜色。其他实验显示，她的膝盖和肩膀也有类似的敏感性。在所有这些测试中，维拉都蒙着眼睛；事实上，除非蒙上眼睛，她就无法用皮肤感知事物。此外，还发现虽然她能用手指感知东西，但一旦双手湿了，这种能力就会立即消失。

埃里克·德·莫尼摘自《听众》杂志（The Listener）

词汇表

detect

动词

英:/dɪˈtekt/

美:/dɪˈtɛkt/

定义

1. 发现；探测 - To discover or identify the presence of something, often through senses or instruments.

例子: Scientists can detect radiation levels in the environment.

例子: She could detect a hint of sadness in his voice.

2. 觉察；察觉 - To notice or recognize something subtle.

例子: The dog can detect drugs hidden in luggage.

例子: I could detect a change in the weather from the wind.

近义词

discover: 强调首次找到或揭示事物，'detect' 更侧重于通过感官或工具识别，而 'discover' 可能涉及探索过程。

identify: 更正式，常用于确认身份或特征，'detect' 则强调初始感知过程。

spot: 更口语化，快速地注意到，'detect' 比 'spot' 更精确和科学化。

反义词:

overlook, miss, ignore

用法

常用于科学、医疗或感官语境中，如 'detect a problem'（发现问题），需注意其暗示细微或隐藏事物的发现。

形式:

过去式: detected, 过去分词: detected, 现在分词: detecting, 第三人称单数: detects, 复数: N/A（作为动词无复数）

关键句型 "Relative clause with 'who' (例如 'who has normal vision but who can also perceive things')"

定义

此句型是一种使用 who 引导的定语从句，用于修饰人称主语，提供额外信息。结构通常为：主句 + who + 从句。参考《剑桥英语语法》，who 是关系代词，代表人，并在从句中充当主语或宾语，帮助连接句子，使描述更连贯。

例如，在文章中，“who has normal vision but who can also perceive things” 用来修饰 “Vera Petrova”，添加关于她的能力的细节。

这种句型让句子更复杂却流畅，适合描述人物特征。

用法

此句型常用于描述人或物体的特征，增加句子深度。规则：who 后跟一个完整的从句，通常置于主句之后。场景包括叙述故事、介绍人物或解释背景。

在语法体系中，它属于从句类别，与主从复合句相关。横向比较：与 "that" 引导的从句（用于物或事）相比，who 专用于人，更具体；与 "which" 相比，who 强调人称情感，而 "which" 用于物。跨语法联系：它可与并列结构结合，如文章中的 "but who can also perceive things"，展示对比，并与时间从句（如 "when"）联动，形成更丰富的叙述。

例如，在故事中，这种句型帮助构建生动人物形象，学生可将其与简单句比较，了解如何从基本句子扩展到复杂表达。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括：误用 who 代替 which（如描述物体时说 "the book who is red"，应为 "which"）；或让从句过长导致句子混乱。纠正建议：确保 who 只用于人，并保持从句简洁。另一个问题是遗漏逗号，非限制性从句需用逗号隔开，如文章中的例子。

错误示例：The girl who has normal vision but can perceive things with her skin is Vera and she lives in Russia.
正确示例：The girl who has normal vision but who can also perceive things is Vera Petrova.

练习时，注意从句与主句的逻辑连接，避免含糊。

练习

原创例子：想象一个场景，"The scientist who discovered the talent tested Vera's abilities." 学生可替换关键词，如将 "scientist" 换成 "doctor"，变成 "The doctor who examined the girl found something amazing." 这能帮助学生在类似故事中应用句型，增强叙述技能。

通过替换，学生能探索不同情境，如在日常生活说 "The friend who helped me yesterday is very kind."

额外内容

背景知识：who 引导的从句起源于古英语的连接方式，常见于英语文学中增强描述。对比分析：与中文的定语结构（如 "那个有正常视力的女孩"）相比，英语使用从句更灵活；在法语中，类似 "qui" 也用于人称，但英语的逗号使用更严格，利于初学者逐步掌握。学习此句型能丰富故事表达，并为高级写作铺路。

关键句型 "Passive voice structure (例如 'This ability was first noticed by her father')"

定义

此句型是动词的被动语态，用于强调动作的承受者而非执行者。基本结构为：主语 (承受者) + be 动词 + 过去分词 + by + 执行者。根据《牛津现代英语语法》，被动语态将焦点从施动者转移到受动者，常用于正式或科学描述中。

如文章中的 "This ability was first noticed by her father"，突出能力被发现的事实。

它帮助句子更客观，适合报道或科学文章。

用法

此句型适用于未知施动者、强调结果或保持正式语气。规则：选择适当的 be 动词时态（如 was/were 用于过去），并按时态调整。场景包括新闻报道、实验描述或历史事件。

在语法体系中，它与主动语态相对，是句型转换的重要工具。横向比较：与主动语态（如 "Her father noticed this ability"）相比，被动语态更中立，适合正式场合；与现在分词结构（如 "being noticed"）相比，它更直接用于陈述。跨语法联系：可与从句结合，如 "which was noticed by..."，并与其他语态如命令语态对比，突出变化。

例如，文章用它来描述事件，学生可比较主动句的效果，理解语气的差异。

注意事项

学生常犯错误：遗漏 by 短语，导致信息不全（如 "This ability was noticed"）；或时态不一致（如用 "is noticed" 描述过去事件）。纠正建议：练习时，确认主语是动作承受者，并匹配正确时态。另一个问题是 overuse，在叙述中过度使用导致句子单调。

错误示例：The tests are given by the commission in April.
正确示例：She was given a series of tests by the commission in April.

通过例句练习，避免常见陷阱。

练习

原创例子：基于文章，"The colors were detected by her fingers during the experiment." 学生可替换元素，如 "The picture was made out with her foot." 变成日常生活场景："The meal was prepared by my mother last night." 这鼓励学生在故事或日记中应用，强化记忆。

替换能帮助适应各种语境，促进实际使用。

额外内容

背景知识：被动语态在英语中源自拉丁语影响，常见于科学和新闻写作。对比分析：与中文的被动表达（如 "被发现"）类似，但英语需明确 be 动词；在日语中，使用 "られる" 形式，英语则更注重结构灵活性。掌握此句型能提升写作专业性，并链接到更广的语态学习。