【英语时差8,16】蒙娜丽莎的微笑-上

Any list of the world’s top ten most famous paintings will surely include da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Part of the painting’s appeal is its mystery. Those lucky enough to have an unobstructed view of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre often stare in awe¹, baffled by the smile that seems to flicker² and fade. Gazing at a reproduction of the work produces the same effect. Now she’s smiling, now she’s not. What’s the deal with Mona Lisa’s smile? Harvard neuroscientist Margaret Livingstone is pretty sure she’s solved the puzzle. Presuming nothing, Livingstone reasoned that the famous portrait’s flickering³ smile is caused by the way we see. Our eyes use two separate regions to see. One is the fovea, a central area used to see colors and pick out details such as fine print.

1 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 flicker   

vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现

参考例句：

• There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
• At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

3 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。