英语听力—环球英语 557 The Bionic Eye

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Steve Myersco.
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby² Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
"For thirty [30] years I have seen absolutely nothing at all. Everything was black. But now, light is coming through!"
Voice 1
A man called Ron said these words. Ron became blind when he was forty years old. But now, thirty years later, he has the chance to see again! Ron is a patient in important medical tests at a hospital in London. These tests involve fitting³ blind people with some complex electronic equipment. But will they really be able to see again one day?
Voice 2
Ron suffers from an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, or RP. People suffer from RP when their retinas stop working as they should. The retina is the part of the eye that reacts to light. So, anything affecting the retina will affect a person's ability to see. Someone with RP may first have problems seeing at night. Then, he may not be able to see anything that is not directly in front of him. Later, he will find it difficult to read and to tell the difference between colours. Often, people with RP do not go completely blind like Ron did. But they will always have limited eyesight.
Voice 1
Retinitis Pigmentosa affects almost 40 million people around the world. It is a hereditary⁴ condition.  It passes from one generation to another. You may even have a friend or family member who suffers from RP. If so, a device⁵ like the Argus 2 Bionic Eye could one day help improve his or her eyesight! Argus 2 is the name of the piece of equipment fitted into Ron's eye. For years, this kind of technology only existed in science fiction stories! A television series called The "Bionic Man" is a good example of this. The hero of the story was badly injured during a flight into space. Scientists replaced all the damaged parts of his body with bionic equipment. After that, the man could see better, run faster and carry heavier objects - all thanks to complex technology!
Voice 2
The Bionic Man was just a story. But Ron's Argus 2 Bionic eye is very real! So, how does it work? First of all, expert eye doctors operated on Ron at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. They placed an implant⁶ inside the eye - on the retina. The implant is a small flat device that can send and receive electrical signals. After this operation, the doctors gave Ron special glasses to wear. The glasses looked like sunglasses, but they contained a very small video camera. When Ron looked at an object, the camera captured⁷ the light from the object he was looking at. The camera then sent a signal to a receiver on the outside of Ron's eye. From there, the receiver passed an electronic signal to the implant on the retina. This then caused the implant to communicate with the main nerve⁸ in the eye - the optic nerve. The optic nerve then did its usual job - sending an image to the brain!
Voice 1
At present, Ron cannot yet see an exact image of what he is looking at. All he sees is light with different levels of brightness⁹. He explains:
Voice 3
"The glasses give me levels of bright light to black... I can now sort out white clothes, grey clothes and black clothes! My one desire now is to be able to go out on a nice, clear evening and see the moon!"
Voice 1
Doctors plan to continue experimenting with Ron and the Argus 2 for another two and a half years. Lyndon Da Cruz is the expert eye doctor who operated on Ron. He explains how over time, the Argus 2 will help Ron in everyday life:
Voice 4
"First, I would like him to be able to identify objects in his way when he walks. Things like a street light, a table, other people walking by... I think that will help him... because he will be able to identify objects, and places where he is. And that will improve his chances of being able to do more things."
Voice 1
Ron's wife agrees. She is pleased that Ron is part of this experiment. She says:
Voice 5
"He is involved in something that could help people become independent again. I think this is a really big thing. I hope this is going to be the first step of many for people with eye problems."
Voice 2
However, some eye experts warn against expecting too much, too soon from devices¹⁰ like Argus 2. Professor John Marshall is one of the governors¹¹ of the aid group ‘RP: Fighting Blindness'. He welcomes the development of Argus 2. But he also says:
Voice 6
"It will be a long time before devices like this can produce a true, meaningful image... the eye is hugely complex. It requires millions of links to work correctly."
Voice 1
Another expert says that calling the Argus 2 ‘the bionic eye' gives a false idea that people can see normally¹² with it. In fact the current devices are only a small step on the way.
Voice 2
The makers¹³ of Argus 2 are the Second Sight medical products company. They agree that any improvement¹⁴ for any blind person with RP needs time. However, they remain sure that the Argus 2 will be able to bring light to people's darkness. Gregoire Cosendai works¹⁵ for Second Sight. He says:
Voice 7
"In fifty [50] years' time, I hope that people will be able to read with the Argus 2 system."
Voice 1
So, will the idea of a man with bionic eyesight become real one day? It is easy to imagine it could. Other scientists are working on a medical treatment for RP that uses stem¹⁶ cells. The long-term future looks promising¹⁷ for RP sufferers. But for now, Ron is happy to be part of this historical medical test. He says:
Voice 3
"I think it is an honour to be able to be a part of an experiment such as this. I hope that the result will be that people like me who are completely blind will be able to see."
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 fitting   

n.[pl.]设备，家具，配件，试穿；adj.适合的

参考例句：

• I'm going to a fitting tomorrow.明天我要去试穿新衣。
• The President's address was a fitting end to a bitter campaign.总统的讲话为一场激烈的竞选运动适时画上了句号。

4 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

5 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

6 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

7 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

8 nerve   

n.神经；勇气，胆量，沉着，果断

参考例句：

• Did he have the nerve to say that?他竟有脸说这话吗？
• He never got up enough nerve to meet me.他从没有足够的胆量来见我。

9 brightness   

n.明亮，亮度，聪颖，光泽度，灯火通明

参考例句：

• The brightness of the paint has worn off a little.油漆的光泽有些磨损了。
• Her eyes squinted against the brightness.亮光刺得她眯起眼睛。

10 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

11 governors   

主管( governor的名词复数 )； 理事； （美国的）州长； （学校、学院、医院等机构的）董事

参考例句：

• The teachers have the full backing of the school governors. 老师们获得校董的全力支持。
• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。

12 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

13 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 improvement   

n.改进，增进；改进之处，改善的地方

参考例句：

• The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.医生注意到病人在逐渐恢复健康。
• I can detect signs of improvement in your thinking.我可以察觉出你思考问题方面的进步。

15 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

16 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

17 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。