环球慢速英语 人鱼宝宝(2)

Voice 1: So what is mermaid¹ syndrome²? Well, it is a very rare medical condition. It results from a lack of blood and oxygen to the baby when it is inside the mother. This means that the baby is not able to develop in the normal way. The baby's legs are stuck together, usually from the ankles to the stomach. Skin and fat cover both legs together. And the feet turn outwards³. This makes the shape like a fish's tail. So, the shape of the baby is like a mermaid.

声音1：那什么是美人鱼综合症？这是一种非常罕见的疾病。因为婴儿在母亲体内时缺乏血液和氧气而造成。这意味着婴儿无法正常发育。婴儿的腿粘连在一起，通常从脚踝到腹部都连在一起。皮肤和脂肪一起覆盖双腿。脚向外翻转。这使得脚部的形状看起来像鱼尾。因此，婴儿看起来就像美人鱼一样。

Voice 2: Milagros Cerron was born with Mermaid Syndrome in April 2004. Her parents are from a small, poor village. It is in the beautiful Andes mountains of Peru. The parents were expecting to have a healthy baby. When Milagros was born they were shocked. They were sad. And they were a little afraid. Local religion and tradition told them that the child's condition could be a punishment from God. Some people in the village blamed the mother. They said that she must have gone too near the lake when she was pregnant⁴. Village stories say that evil⁵ beings live in this lake. Fears and stories like these have deep roots. In the past, such fears have caused parents to leave their children to die. So, it was into this world of false beliefs and fears that Milagros Cerron was born. What chance did she have?

声音2：米拉格罗斯·塞隆2004年4月出生，患有美人鱼综合症。她的父母来自一个贫穷的小村庄。这座村庄位于秘鲁美丽的安第斯山脉。父母希望有一个健康的孩子。米拉格罗斯出生时，他们感到震惊。同时也很伤心。他们有点害怕。当地的宗教和传统告诉他们，孩子的这种状况可能是上帝的惩罚。村里的一些人指责这名母亲。他们说她怀孕时一定离湖边太近了。村里的传说认为，那个湖里住着邪恶的生物。这样的恐惧和传说有着深刻的根源。过去，这种恐惧导致父母让孩子死去。米拉格罗斯·塞隆就是在这个充满虚假信仰和恐惧的世界中诞生的。她还有什么机会？

1 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。

4 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

5 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。