Week 67

NCE4 Lesson 4 Seeing hands

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

文章背景

又是来自于The Listener的文章，与Lesson2相同，参见NCE4 Lesson2日志

表达积累

solid /'sɒlɪd/

adj. 结实的；实心的；立体的

adj. 1. firm; hard; strong

solid doors and walls

eg. The villa has solid foundations. （注意foundations虽然是一座地基也必须是pl形式）

flimsy/ ˈflimzi /

1.SYN=rickety

2.thin and easily torn

3.difficult to believe

SYNfeeble

a flimsy table

a flimsy excuse

eg. a flimsy excuse / explanation

站不住脚的藉口 / 解释

eg. The evidence against him is pretty flimsy.

对他不利的证据很难站住脚。

solid adj. 2. with no holes inside 实心的

OPPhollow 空心的

solid adj. 3. three-dimensional

solid geometry 立体几何

→[U]. solidarity /ˌsɔliˈdærəti/ 团结，齐心协力

eg. Solidarity means strength / victory. 团结就是力量。

safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity 保卫国家统一和民族团结

→v.巩固 consolidate /kənˈsɔlideit/

consolidate and strengthen the bilateral relationship 巩固和加强双边关系

commission /kə'mɪʃn/

n. 委员会（专门为了处理某事而成立，不是普通的委员会）

9/11 commission

National Development and Reform Commission 发改委

committee

the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress 全国人民代表大会

council 常务，常委，理事会，政务会

the State Council 国务院

the United Nations Security Council 安理会

opaque /əʊ'peɪk/

adj. 不透明的

an opaque glass door

God’s reasons, if He has any, are opaque to us. （hard/difficult to understand）

OPP→透明的 transparent

→半透明的 translucent

blindfold /'blaɪndfəʊld/

adj. & adv. 被蒙住眼睛的（地）

I can do that blindfold.

do sth. blindfold=do sth. easily 闭眼也能做。

→adj./adv. twofold / fourfold / tenfold

eg. a tenfold increase 十倍的增长

eg. Business has increased tenfold.

Seeing Hands=Hands that can see things

detect=perceive/discern 费力地觉察、感知、敏锐

see through 看穿，看透（阴谋）

Beijing administration has seen through pan-blues’ tricks. （泛蓝，国民党；泛绿，民进党）

see sb. through sth. 帮sb渡过难关

Her courage and perseverance saw her through the hard times.

see sth. through 把困难的事情坚持做完（不愉快的事情）

The English course is very hard to learn, but I’m determined to see it through.

=get it over with

=stick it out

concern v. be about sb. or sth.

be concerned with …

concerning=concerned with

eg. a book concerning music

eg. a book concerned with music

have normal vision

have good / perfect / 20-20 vision

have bad / poor / defective vision

near-sighted / short-sighted

far-sighted / long-sighted

扩展：

ophthalmologist /ˌɔfθælˈmɔlədʒist/ 眼科医生

optometrist /ɔpˈtɔmətrist/ （美） / optician /ɔpˈtiʃn/ 眼镜商；验光师（英）

happen to do

it happen that …

chance to do

it chance that …

as it happen

by accident

by chance

accidentally

as luck would have it

eg. As luck would have it, I met an old friend in town.

lock sth. away / up 锁好，锁起来

He locked his money away / up in the safe.

the way /the time/the day

the way in which

the way that

the time when

the time at which

the time that

the day when

the day on which

the day that

do … up = fasten … 捆起来

in bundles 一捆一捆地

People began to arrive in twos and threes. 三三两两的

be brought to sb.’s notice / attention

eg. Their working conditions were only brought to public notice / attention last year. 才受到……的关注；注意

=come to sb.’s notice / attention

eg. Vera’s curious talent came to the notice / attention of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk.

eg. From this the captain was able to piece together all the information that had come to light.

come to light / be brought to light被发现；被了解

eg. New evidence in this case has recently come to light.

give sb. a test

a series of 一系列的

eg. a series of lectures / rainy days / math books

eg. a train / chain / string / stream / succession连续 / progression连续 of

eg. the Ministry（英）/ Department（美） of Health / Education / Commerce（专门查sth） / Finance

make out: see or hear sb. or sth. with difficulty 强调听和看

=detect/perceive 依稀看见，费力听见

eg. I could just make out a figure in the darkness.

eg. I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

cease to do/ cease doing

There are instances when patriotism ceases to be an empty slogan.

stop to do/ stop doing

Stop to smell the flowers.

I’m exhausted. Let’s stop to smoke.

Please stop smoking. Smoke really bothers me.

wet 表面和里面都是水

a wet sponge

moist & damp 潮湿的，褒义

Bring me a moist towel.

a cold, damp collar 贬义

humid 潮湿的

humid atmosphere

humid summer nights

重难点

stranger still 更……的是

better still

worse still

harder still

eg. The medical expenses are a massive drain.不堪重负 Worse still, Greg may lose his job.

表递进，=to make matters / things worse

其他表递进的类似表达：

更不用说：

let alone …

not to mention …

eg. The baby can’t talk, let alone run.

let alone用于否定句后，动作前后一致。

eg. The dampness is unpleasant, not to mention the cold.

not to mention用于肯定句后，只跟名词、动名词或宾语从句。