VOA常速英语2015--新相机记录看似无形的运动

 

New Camera Records Invisible Motion 新相机记录看似无形的运动

The world around us is in constant motion, even objects that seem to be perfectly¹ still. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology use a special camera that offers glimpses into the world of seemingly invisible movements.

Many objects around us vibrate when hit by sound waves but the movements are invisible to the naked eye.

我们周围的许多物体受到声波影响都会出现振动现象,但单凭肉眼是看不见这种运动的。

For instance, a wine glass exposed to a loud noise…..vibrates although it looks perfectly still.

比如暴露于噪音环境当中的一只酒杯…虽然表面看起来完全静止但仍然是在振动。

However, if you tape the movements with a special high-speed camera that records thousands of frames per second, and use a computer program to amplify² the vibrations³ and insert them in the video, the results are stunning⁴. The so-called motion microscope makes the glass look like it's made of a jelly-like substance.   

然而,如果你使用每秒记录成千上万帧的特殊高速摄影机记录下这种振动现象,并使用一个计算机程序将其放大,然后通过视频展现,其结果会令人震惊。显微镜下这种所谓的运动使得玻璃杯看起来如胶状物质一般。

“The motion microscope is a way to visualize⁵ small motions that are seemingly invisible to the naked eye in videos,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student Neil Wadhwa, who recorded and amplified⁶ the movements of a face, clearly showing the man’s blood pressure going up and down with every heartbeat.

“显微镜运动是一种将肉眼近乎看不见的微小运动以可视化视频展现的方式。”麻省理工学院记录脸部运动并进行放大的研究生尼尔·瓦德瓦表示这种运动明显显示随着每一次心跳这个人的血压升降情况。

Wadhwa says the motion microscope can be very useful for monitoring critical movements such as the movements of a baby in mother’s womb or of an infant breathing.

瓦德瓦表示运动显微镜可以有助于监测在母亲子宫一个婴儿的运动或呼吸等关键动作。

“You can create a non-contact vital signs monitor so you don't need to attach anything to a person and you will still be able to figure out their heart rate and respiration⁷ rate,” he said.

“你可以创造一种非接触式的生命体征监测器,这样你就不需要给人们佩戴任何装置,而且你将仍然能够观察他们的心率和呼吸率。”

Wadhwa says recording⁸ invisible motion could be used for other applications, such as helping⁹ engineers detect vibrations of construction elements and even buildings, road bridges or construction cranes.

瓦德瓦表示记录无形的运动可以用于其他应用程序,例如帮助工程师们检测建筑元素，甚至是建筑物,道路桥梁和建筑起重机的振动。

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

3 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

5 visualize   

vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想

参考例句：

• I remember meeting the man before but I can't visualize him.我记得以前见过那个人，但他的样子我想不起来了。
• She couldn't visualize flying through space.她无法想像在太空中飞行的景象。

6 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

7 respiration   

n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用

参考例句：

• They tried artificial respiration but it was of no avail.他们试做人工呼吸，可是无效。
• They made frequent checks on his respiration,pulse and blood.他们经常检查他的呼吸、脉搏和血液。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。