名人教你讲英文：Coma & vegetative state

名人教英文：coma & vegetative state

人称“车神”的前f1车手舒密加不幸在滑雪时发生意外，脑部严重受创，送院时已进入昏迷状态。报道指出：

he suffered serious brain trauma (严重脑部创伤) and was in a coma (昏迷) on arrival. to treat bleeding and bruising (挫伤) on his brain, doctors have put him in a medically-induced coma (由医药引起的昏迷状态).

coma是名词，“陷入昏迷”是fall into a coma，comatose（昏迷的）则为形容词。

例如：he has been comatose for nearly two months. people worry that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.（他已经进入昏迷状态接近两个月，恐怕他在余生也会继续成为植物人。）

有些人把“植物人”直译为vegetable person或vegetable，大错特错。正确说法为so-and-so is in a vegetative state。虽然vegetable可以指因伤病而不能正常活动或思考的人，但却是极无礼的说法，不宜使用。

“植物人”亦不能译为vegetarian。vegetarian解作“素食主义者”或“素食的”。例如：the prevalence (盛行) of vegetarianism (素食主义) can be attributed to (归因于) research that suggests vegetarians (素食主义者) are less prone to (易发 ) heart diseases. doctors also endorse (支持) vegetarian diets (素食主义的饮食习惯) because of their health benefits.