Several cases have been reported in Russia recently of people who can detect colours with their fingers， and even see through solid and walls. One case concerns and eleven-year-old schoolgirl， Vera Petrova， who has normal vision but who can also perceive things with different parts of her skin， and through solid walls. This ability was first noticed by her father. One day she came into his office and happened to put her hands on the door of a locked safe. Suddenly she asked her father why he kept so many old newspapers locked away there， and even described the way they were done up in bundles.

    Vera's curious talent was brought to the notice of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk， near where she lives， and in April she was given a series of tests by a special commission of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federal Republic. During these tests she was able to read a newspaper through an opaque screen and， stranger still， by moving her elbow over a child's game of Lotto she was able to describe the figures and colours printed on it； and， in another instance， wearing stockings and slippers， to make out with her foot the outlines and colours of a picture hidden under a carpet. Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity. During all these tests Vera was blindfold； and， indeed， except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet.

    solid adj. 堅(jiān)實(shí)的

    safe n.  保險(xiǎn)柜

    Ulyanovsk n.  烏里揚(yáng)諾夫斯克

    commission n.  委員會(huì)

    opaque adj. 不透明的

    lotto n.  一種有編號(hào)的紙牌

    slipper n.  拖鞋

    blindfold adj.& adv. 被蒙上眼睛的

    俄羅斯最近報(bào)導(dǎo)了幾個(gè)事例，有人能用手指看書識(shí)字和辨認(rèn)顏色，甚至能透過厚實(shí)的門和墻看到東西。 其中有一例談到有一個(gè)名叫維拉。彼托洛娃的11歲學(xué)生。她的視力與常人一樣，但她還能用皮膚的不同部位辨認(rèn)東西，甚至看穿堅(jiān)實(shí)的墻壁。是她父親首先發(fā)現(xiàn)她這一功能的。一天，維拉走進(jìn)父親的辦公室，偶然把手放在一個(gè)鎖著的保險(xiǎn)柜的門上，她突然問父親為什么把這么多的舊報(bào)紙鎖在柜子里，還說了報(bào)紙捆扎的情況。

    維拉的特異功能引起了她家附近烏里揚(yáng)諾夫斯克城一個(gè)科研單位的注意。4月里，俄羅斯衛(wèi)生部一個(gè)特別委員會(huì)對(duì)她進(jìn)行了一系列的測(cè)試。在這些測(cè)試中，她能隔著不透明的屏幕讀報(bào)紙。更為奇怪的是，她把肘部在兒童玩的"羅托"紙牌上移動(dòng)一下，便能說出印在紙牌上的數(shù)字和顏色。還有一次，她穿著長筒襪子和拖鞋，能用腳步識(shí)別出藏在地毯下面的一幅畫的輪廓和顏色。其他實(shí)驗(yàn)表明，她的膝蓋和雙肩有類似的感覺能力，在所有這些實(shí)驗(yàn)中，維拉的雙眼都是蒙著的。如果不蒙上雙眼她的皮膚就不再具有識(shí)別物體的能力。這是千真萬確的。同時(shí)還發(fā)現(xiàn)，盡管她能用手指識(shí)別東西，但她的手一旦弄濕，這種功能便會(huì)立即消失。