新概念英语第四册自学导读：四:第四课能看东西的手(下)

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。