VOA慢速英语2019 盲人有机会重见光明（在线收听）

Blind Man Given a Chance to See

A new device is helping those who are blind to see. It does this in a new way by helping them experience the world around them.

盲人在一种新设备的帮助下重见光明。它以一种新的方式帮助盲人体验周围的世界。

Jason Esterhuizen lost his eyesight after a car accident. He never thought he would be able to see light or movement again. But now with the movement of a switch, his world suddenly grew brighter.

杰森·埃斯特辉森（Jason Esterhuizen）在一次车祸后失去了视力。他从来没有想过还能重见光明或移动物体。但是现在随着开关的移动，他的世界突然变得更加明亮起来。

He says,

他说，

"I still can't put it into words. I mean from being able to see absolutely nothing, it's pitch black, to all of a sudden seeing little flickers of light move around.”

“我还是无法用语言表达。我的意思是，从什么都看不见，漆黑一片，到突然看到周围闪烁的微光。”

It is not full or normal sight, but Esterhuizen can move about in the world around him.

虽然不是完全恢复或达到正常视力，但埃斯特辉森可以在他周围的环境自由移动。

Dr. Nader Pouratian is one of the researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center who worked on the new technology.

内德·包拉提恩博士（Nader Pouratian）是加州大学洛杉矶医学中心研究新技术的研究人员之一。

“Being able to tell where a doorway is, being able to tell where the sidewalk begins or ends or where the crosswalk is, are all extremely meaningful events that can help these people regain some form of independence.

“能够知道门口的方位，知道人行道的起点或终点，或者人行横道的位置，这些都是非常有意义的事情，可以帮助这些人重新获得某种形式的独立。”

The new technology uses several parts. One is a small device placed in the brain. The other parts are a video camera on sunglasses and a processing device that can be carried in a person’s clothes. When the user points the camera, a signal goes to the processor and then back to the glasses. The glasses then communicate wirelessly with the device in the brain. The information causes a pattern to develop in the part of the brain called the visual cortex. The pattern helps users detect, or see, movement and shapes of light. And it all happens in seconds.

这项新技术包括几个部分。其中一个是植入到大脑中的微小装置。其他部分是太阳镜上的摄像机以及可放进衣物内的处理设备。当用户指向摄像头时，一个信号会传送到处理器，然后再传回眼镜。然后，眼镜与大脑中的设备进行无线通信。这些信息会在大脑的视觉皮层形成一种模式。该模式帮助用户检测或看到光的移动和形状。这一切仅在几秒钟内完成。

Pouratian says this technology is a first.

Pouratian说这项技术是首创。

“We basically have the video camera and the video processing unit functioning or performing the functions of what the eye normally does.”

“基本上，我们让摄像机和视频处理装置发挥或执行眼睛的正常功能。”

Esterhuizen is one of just two people in the U.S. testing this technology. He describes what he sees.

艾斯特惠正是美国测试这项技术的两个人之一。他描述了他所看到的事物。

“There's little white dots on a black background. It's like looking up at the stars at night.”

“黑色背景上有一些小白点。就像夜晚仰望星空一样。”

The technology — called Orion — is manufactured by a company called Second Sight. It's being tested at the UCLA Medical Center in California and the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

这项名为“Orion”的技术是由一家名为“第二视力”的公司制造的。它正在加州大学洛杉矶分校医学中心和德克萨斯州贝勒医学院进行测试。

Esterhuizen says the results are amazing.

艾斯特惠正说，结果是惊人的。

“Someone moving across the room, walking past me or walking away from me, or it's a light against the wall. It was just amazing to have some form of functional vision again.”

“看到有人在房间走来走去，从我身边走过，或者从我身边离开，或者是墙壁上的一盏灯。重新拥有某种形式的功能性视力真是太棒了。”

He adds that now he can do everyday activities around his home that he once could not. It is easier to walk outside.

他补充说，现在他可以在家做以前无法完成的日常活动了。出门也便利多了。

"Crossing the road is much easier and much safer for me because I can look down and just follow the white line that's painted on the road.”

“对我来说，过马路更容易，也更安全，因为我可以低头看，沿着路面的白线行走。”

The researchers believe that one day this technology could help people who have lost their vision because of illnesses like glaucoma or diabetes. It may also help those with poor vision or who were born blind.

研究人员相信，未来这项技术可以帮助那些因为青光眼或糖尿病等疾病而失明的患者。此外还可以帮助那些视力不佳或天生失明的人。

Words in This Story

switch - n. a small device that starts or stops the flow of electricity to something (such as a lamp or a machine) when it is pressed or moved up and down

pitch black – adj. completely dark

flickers – n. (plural) a quick and unsteady movement of light

sidewalk – n. a usually concrete path along the side of a street for people to walk on

crosswalk – n. a marked path where people can safely walk across a street or road

pattern – n. a repeated form or design especially that is used to decorate something