科学家称发现人类从未见过的“新颜色”

近日，美国研究人员称，发现了一种人类从未见过的“新颜色”。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best describes the author's tone toward the study?

A. Sceptical but intrigued

B. Dismissive and critical

C. Objective and descriptive

D. Enthusiastic and promotional

无注释原文：

Scientists claim to have discovered 'new colour' no one has seen before

From: BBC

A team of scientists claim to have discovered a new colour that no human has ever seen before.

The research follows an experiment in which researchers in the US had laser pulses fired into their eyes.

By stimulating specific cells in the retina, the participants claim to have witnessed a blue-green colour that scientists have called "olo", but some experts have said the existence of a new colour is "open to argument".

The findings, published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, have been described by the study's co-author, Prof Ren Ng from the University of California, as "remarkable".

He and his colleagues believe that the results could potentially further research into colour blindness.

Prof Ng, who was one of five people to take part in the experiment, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday that olo was "more saturated than any colour that you can see in the real world".

"Let's say you go around your whole life and you see only pink, baby pink, a pastel pink," he said.

"And then one day you go to the office and someone's wearing a shirt, and it's the most intense baby pink you've ever seen, and they say it's a new colour and we call it red."

During the team's experiment, researchers shone a laser beam into the pupil of one eye of each participant.

There were five participants in the study - four male and one female - who all had normal colour vision. Three of the participants - including Prof Ng - were co-authors of the research paper.

According to the research paper, the participants looked into a device called Oz which consists of mirrors, lasers and optical devices. The equipment was designed previously by some of the involved researchers - a team of scientists from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington, and updated for use in this study.

The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye responsible for receiving and processing visual information. It converts light into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve, enabling us to see.

The retina includes cone cells, which are cells responsible for perceiving colour.

There are three types of cone cells in the eye - S, L and M - and each one is sensitive to different wavelengths of blue, red and green respectively.

According to the research paper, in normal vision, "any light that stimulates an M cone cell must also stimulate its neighbouring L and/or S cones", because its function overlaps with them.

However, in the study, the laser only stimulated M cones, "which in principle would send a colour signal to the brain that never occurs in natural vision", the paper said.

This means the colour olo could not be seen by a person's naked eye in the real world without the help of specific stimulation.

To verify the colour observed during the experiment, each participant adjusted a controllable colour dial until it matched olo.

Some experts, however, say the new perceived colour is a "matter of interpretation".

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Scientists claim to have discovered 'new colour' no one has seen before

From: BBC

A team of scientists claim to have discovered a new colour that no human has ever seen before.

一组科学家声称，他们发现了一种人类从未见过的“新颜色”。

The research follows an experiment in which researchers in the US had laser pulses fired into their eyes.

这项研究源自美国进行的一项实验，研究人员向参与者眼中发射雷射（激光）脉冲，藉此刺激视网膜中特定细胞。

laser /ˈleɪ.zər/ 表示“激光（器）”，英文解释为“(a device that produces) a powerful, narrow beam of light that can be used as a tool to cut metal, to perform medical operations, or to create patterns of light for entertainment”如：laser beam 激光束。

pulse /pʌls/ 作名词，1）表示“脉搏”，英文解释为“the regular beating of the heart, especially when it is felt at the wrist or side of the neck”举个🌰：The child's pulse was strong/weak. 那个孩子的脉搏很有力/虚弱。

2）表示“（声波或光波的）脉冲”，英文解释为“a short period of energy that is repeated regularly, such as a short, loud sound or a short flash of light”举个🌰：The data, normally transmitted electronically, can be changed into pulses of light. 这一数据通常是电子传送的，现在可被改为光波脉冲。

作动词，表示“（以规律且强有力的节拍）跳动，搏动，振动”，英文解释为“to move or beat with a strong, regular rhythm”举个🌰：I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins. 我能感觉到血液在我的血管里翻腾。

📍研究表明人们感到越来越无聊文中，pulse指的是手机发出提示信息的短暂振动或闪烁。可以理解为“手机震动”或“手机闪烁提示”，通常表示设备在收到消息或通知时的轻微震动或视觉提示，这种提示会打断用户的注意力。

By stimulating specific cells in the retina, the participants claim to have witnessed a blue-green colour that scientists have called "olo", but some experts have said the existence of a new colour is "open to argument".

参与者表示，他们看到了一种蓝绿色的颜色，科学家将其命名为“olo”。不过，有专家认为，这是否构成“新颜色”仍有待商榷。

stimulate /ˈstɪm.jə.leɪt/ 1）表示“刺激，使兴奋；使感兴趣”，英文解释为“to make someone excited and interested about something”举个🌰：The show was intended to stimulate and amuse. 这部电影的主要目的是助兴和娱乐。

2）表示“激发，激励；促进”，英文解释为“to encourage something to grow, develop, or become active”

3）表示“促进（身体某部位）的功能”，英文解释为“to cause part of the body to operate”举个🌰：The drugs stimulate the damaged tissue into repairing itself. 药物促使受损的组织自行修复。

retina /ˈret.ɪ.nə/ 表示“视网膜”，英文解释为“the area at the back of the eye that receives light and sends pictures of what the eye sees to the brain”

The findings, published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, have been described by the study's co-author, Prof Ren Ng from the University of California, as "remarkable".

这项研究成果已于上周五发表在《科学进展》（Science Advances）期刊上。研究合着者、美国加州大学教授吴义仁（Ren Ng）形容这项发现“相当惊人”。

He and his colleagues believe that the results could potentially further research into colour blindness.

他和研究团队认为，这项成果有可能推动色盲研究的进展。

colour blindness /ˈkʌl.ə.blaɪnd.nəs/ 表示“色盲”，英文解释为“a condition in which someone is unable to see the difference between particular colours, especially red and green”举个🌰：He had never been tested for colour blindness. 他从未接受过色盲测试。

Prof Ng, who was one of five people to take part in the experiment, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday that olo was "more saturated than any colour that you can see in the real world".

吴义仁教授也是五位实验参与者之一。他周六（4月19日）在英国广播公司（BBC）第四电台《Today》节目中表示，olo 这种颜色“比现实世界中所见的任何颜色都更加饱和”。

saturated /ˈsætʃ.ər.eɪ.tɪd/ 表示“（溶液）饱和的；使湿透；浸透；渗透”，英文解释为“completely wet”举个🌰：It's pouring down outside - I'm absolutely saturated! 外面下着倾盆大雨——我全身都湿透了！

"Let's say you go around your whole life and you see only pink, baby pink, a pastel pink," he said.

他举例说：“就像你一辈子看到的都是粉红色、浅粉红或粉彩粉红。”

“baby pink”是一种非常浅的粉红色，也称为婴儿粉或嫩粉色。它是带有白色调的淡粉红，看起来柔和、温馨、甜美，常用于婴儿用品、女性时尚或可爱风格的设计中。视觉上给人一种干净、纯真、温柔的感觉。 它的RGB大致为：#F4C2C2

pastel /ˈpæstəl/ 1）作形容词，表示“浅淡色的，颜色柔和的”，英文解释为“having a pale soft colour”举个🌰：Their house is decorated in pastel shades. 他们房子的装饰色调轻柔淡雅。

2）作名词，表示“彩色蜡笔；彩色粉笔”，英文解释为“a soft, coloured substance, usually in the form of a small stick, that is used to draw pictures, or a picture made using this”举个🌰：Do you like working with pastels/in pastel? 你喜欢用彩色蜡笔画吗？

"And then one day you go to the office and someone's wearing a shirt, and it's the most intense baby pink you've ever seen, and they say it's a new colour and we call it red."

“然后有一天你看到有人穿了一件衬衫，是你从未见过、最鲜明的粉红色。对方说，这是一种新颜色，我们叫它‘红’。”

During the team's experiment, researchers shone a laser beam into the pupil of one eye of each participant.

在这项实验中，研究人员将雷射光束照射进每位参与者一只眼睛的瞳孔中。

beam /biːm/ 1）表示“光线；光束；光柱”，英文解释为“a line of light that shines from a bright object”举个🌰：We could just pick out the trail in the weak beam of the flashlight. 我们借着手电筒微弱的光仅能勉强认清路。

2）表示“（尤指支撑建筑物或其他结构的）梁，桁架，栋梁”，英文解释为“a long, thick piece of wood, metal, or concrete, especially used to support weight in a building or other structure”举个🌰：The sitting room had exposed wooden beams. 客厅顶上有裸露的木梁。

作动词，beam /biːm/ 表示“辐射；发光；闪光；发射电波；播送”，英文解释为“to send out a beam of light, an electrical or radio signal, etc.”举个🌰：The sun beamed (= shone brightly) down on the boat as it drifted along. 阳光照在缓缓漂动的船上。

pupil /ˈpjuː.pəl/ 表示“学生，（尤指）小学生”，此次熟词僻义，表示“瞳孔”，英文解释为“the circular black area in the centre of an eye, through which light enters”举个🌰：Pupils contract in bright light, and dilate in darkness. 瞳孔在明亮的光线下会收缩，在黑暗中会扩大。

There were five participants in the study - four male and one female - who all had normal colour vision. Three of the participants - including Prof Ng - were co-authors of the research paper.

四男一女共五人参与这次实验，他们皆具备正常色觉。其中三人同时也是这篇论文的作者，包括吴义仁教授。

According to the research paper, the participants looked into a device called Oz which consists of mirrors, lasers and optical devices. The equipment was designed previously by some of the involved researchers - a team of scientists from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington, and updated for use in this study.

根据研究论文，参与者透过一种名为“Oz”的设备观察。这套装置由镜子、雷射与光学元件组成，由加州大学柏克莱分校与华盛顿大学的团队开发，并为这次研究进行升级。

optical /ˈɒp.tɪ.kəl/ 表示“光学的；视觉的；视力的”，英文解释为“relating to light or the ability to see”如：an optical effect 视觉效果。

The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye responsible for receiving and processing visual information. It converts light into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve, enabling us to see.

视网膜是眼睛后方一层对光敏感的组织，负责接收并处理视觉讯息。它将光转换为电信号，透过视神经传送至大脑，使我们得以看见物体。

tissue /ˈtɪʃ.uː/ 表示“（动物或植物的细胞）组织”，英文解释为“a group of connected cells in an animal or plant that are similar to each other, have the same purpose, and form the stated part of the animal or plant”如：human tissue 人体组织。

optic nerve /ˌɒp.tɪk ˈnɜːv/ 表示“视神经（形如细丝的神经纤维束，将视觉信号从眼后部的视网膜传输至大脑）”，英文解释为“the group of nerve fibres (= structures like threads) that pass signals from the retina at the back of each eye to the brain”

The retina includes cone cells, which are cells responsible for perceiving colour.

视网膜中包含锥状细胞，专门负责感知颜色。

cone /kəʊn/ 1）表示“圆锥体”，英文解释为“a shape with a flat, round or oval base and a top that becomes narrower until it forms a point”如：a traffic cone 锥形交通路标。

2）cone /kəʊn/ 表示“（盛冰激凌的）锥形蛋筒”，英文解释为“a container made of very light thin biscuit, or one of these containing ice cream”如：an ice cream cone 冰激凌蛋筒。

There are three types of cone cells in the eye - S, L and M - and each one is sensitive to different wavelengths of blue, red and green respectively.

人眼中有三种锥状细胞——S、M、L型，分别对蓝光、绿光和红光的波长特别敏感。

wavelength /ˈweɪv.leŋθ/ 表示“波长；（广播电台占用的）频道，波段”，英文解释为“the distance between two waves of energy, or the length of the radio wave used by a particular radio station for broadcasting programmes”举个🌰：Because of their long wavelengths, mega-tsunamis are extremely destructive when they hit a coastline. 因为其很长的波长，超级海啸袭击海岸线时具有极度的破坏性。

According to the research paper, in normal vision, "any light that stimulates an M cone cell must also stimulate its neighbouring L and/or S cones", because its function overlaps with them.

论文指出，在正常视觉情况下，“任何能刺激M型锥状细胞的光，同时也会刺激邻近的L型和／或S型细胞”，因为它们的感光范围有所重叠。

overlap /ˌəʊ.vəˈlæp/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，1）表示“（活动、课程或时间）相互重叠，有共同之处”，英文解释为“If two or more activities, subjects, or periods of time overlap, they have some parts that are the same.”举个🌰：My musical tastes don't overlap with my brother's at all. 我对音乐的喜好和我弟弟完全不一样。

2）表示“（与…）交叠，（与…）部分重叠，叠盖”，英文解释为“to cover something partly by going over its edge; to cover part of the same space”举个🌰：The fence is made of panels that overlap (each other). 这个围栏是由交叠的板条搭成的。

However, in the study, the laser only stimulated M cones, "which in principle would send a colour signal to the brain that never occurs in natural vision", the paper said.

然而在这项实验中，雷射光只刺激了M型细胞，“原则上会向大脑传送一种自然视觉中不可能出现的颜色讯号”。

This means the colour olo could not be seen by a person's naked eye in the real world without the help of specific stimulation.

换句话说，olo这种颜色无法靠肉眼在现实世界中看见，必须透过特定的视觉刺激才能呈现。

the naked eye 表示“肉眼”，英文解释为“If something can be seen with the naked eye, it can be seen without the help of an instrument.”举个🌰：This organism is too small to be seen with the naked eye. 这种生物体太小，用肉眼观察不到。

To verify the colour observed during the experiment, each participant adjusted a controllable colour dial until it matched olo.

为了验证自己看到的颜色，每位参与者都使用一个可调整的色彩转盘，试图调出与olo最接近的颜色。

verify /ˈver.ɪ.faɪ/ 表示“核实；查对；核准；证明；证实”，英文解释为“to check that sth is true or accurate；to show or say that sth is true or accurate”举个🌰：We have no way of verifying his story. 我们无法核实他所说的情况。Her version of events was verified by neighbours. 她对这些事件的说法已得到邻居的证实。

dial /ˈdaɪ.əl/ 1）表示“表盘，仪表盘”，英文解释为“the part of a machine or device that shows you a measurement of something such as speed or time”举个🌰：Can you read what it says on the dial? 你能读出仪表盘上的读数吗？

2）表示“旋钮，调节器”，英文解释为“a device on an instrument that you move in order to control it or make changes to it”举个🌰：You turn this dial to find a different radio station. 转动这个旋钮可选择不同的广播电台。

Some experts, however, say the new perceived colour is a "matter of interpretation".

不过，有些专家对这个“新颜色”的说法持保留态度，认为这比较像是一种“主观诠释”。

perceive /pəˈsiːv/ 1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，英文解释为“to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”举个🌰：He perceived a tiny figure in the distance. 他注意到远处有个很小的身影。

2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，英文解释为“to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”举个🌰：How do the French perceive the British? 法国人是如何看待英国人的？

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述比特币的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By DeepSeek -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2025年4月23日

第3728天

每天持续行动学外语