VOA慢速英语2017--羊竟可以识别人脸

 

University of Cambridge scientists have trained sheep to recognize the faces of famous people.

The scientists hope facial recognition may help with their understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

The researchers showed the sheep pictures of people on two computer screens. One screen had an unknown person and the other had one of four famous people.

The animals were given food for choosing the photograph of the famous person. They chose the correct photograph by breaking an infrared¹ beam near the flat surface showing the photo.

If they chose the wrong image, an electric signaling device would make a sound, and the sheep would receive no treat.

The sheep eventually were able to identify the famous face eight times out of every ten tries.

The group of famous personalities² included actors Emma Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal, and former American president Barack Obama.

Professor Jenny Morton was the leader of the study. "We've shown that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, comparable with those of humans and monkeys," she noted³.

The sheep were less successful when presented with the faces at a new angle or from a different direction. However, the researchers said the performance of the animals on this test was similar to the levels seen when humans took the test.

Scientists aim to use the sheep as models to study disorders⁵ of the brain, such as Huntington's disease. This disorder⁴ develops over a long period of time and affects the brain's ability to work.

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

infrared – adj. producing or using rays of light that cannot be seen and that are longer than rays that produce red light

beam – n. a line of light coming from a source (such as the sun or a headlight)

screen – n. the surface on which the image appears on an electronic device

angle – n. the difference between the direction of two lines that come together

1 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

2 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》