第 4 课 · Seeing Hands

Seeing hands

会“看”的手

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.

最近，俄罗斯报道了几起实例：有些人能用手指阅读、辨别颜色，甚至能透过厚实的门和墙看见东西。

One case concerns an 11-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.

其中一例涉及一名 11 岁的女学生薇拉·彼得罗娃：她视力完全正常，却还能用皮肤的不同部位感知物体，甚至能隔着厚实的墙感知。

This ability was first noticed by her father.

这种能力最初是她父亲发现的。

One day she came into his office and happened to put her hands on the door of a locked safe.

一天，她走进父亲的办公室，碰巧把手放在一个上了锁的保险柜的柜门上。

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.

她突然问父亲，为什么把那么多旧报纸锁在柜子里，甚至还描述了那些报纸是怎样一捆捆扎好的。

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.

薇拉这一奇特的天赋引起了乌里扬诺夫斯克市（她家附近）一家科研机构的注意；四月，俄罗斯联邦共和国卫生部的一个专门委员会对她进行了一系列测试。

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.

在这些测试中，她能隔着一张不透明的屏幕读报；更奇怪的是，只要把肘部在一套儿童 Lotto 游戏卡上移动，她就能说出卡上印着的数字和颜色；还有一次，她穿着长袜和拖鞋，用脚辨认出了一幅藏在地毯下的图画的轮廓和颜色。

Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity.

其他实验表明，她的膝盖和肩膀也具有类似的感知能力。

During all these tests Vera was blindfold; and indeed, except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin.

在所有这些测试中，薇拉都蒙着眼睛；而且事实上，只有蒙着眼睛时，她才能用皮肤感知物体。

It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet.

人们还发现，虽然她能用手指感知物体，可她的手一湿，这种能力立刻就消失了。