研究人員在一名癱瘓的男子大腦中植入瞭信號傳導裝置，這名男子現在僅通過思維控制就能行走，他說這項醫學突破改變瞭他的生活。
People who have a spinal injury are often unable to walk because the signals from the brain can’t get to the leg muscles when the nerves in between have been damaged.
脊柱受傷的人通常無法行走，因為當大腦和腿部肌肉之間的神經受損時，來自大腦的信號無法傳遞到腿部肌肉。
But a Swiss team has short-circuited the injured area by placing two implants on a 40-year-old Dutch patient’s brain, which transmit his thoughts to a third implant in his lower back.
但一支瑞士的研究小組在一位來自荷蘭的四十歲患者大腦中放置瞭兩個植入物，植入物可以將他的思想傳遞給他腰部的第三個植入物，從而避開受損區域。
Gert-Jan Oskam can use the system for only an hour or so a day because it’s tiring, and the equipment is bulky. Research is still at an experimental stage, but a leading UK spinal charity called the development “very encouraging”.
這位叫格特·揚·奧斯卡姆的患者每天隻能使用該系統一個小時左右，因為用久瞭會很累，而且設備本身也很笨重。這項研究仍處於實驗性階段，但英國一傢領先的脊柱慈善機構稱這一進展 “非常鼓舞人心”。
詞匯表
signals 信號
short-circuited 避開瞭
implants 植入物
transmit 傳遞，傳達
bulky 占地方的，笨重的
experimental 實驗性的
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。
1. Why are people with spinal injuries often unable to walk?
2. How has the Swiss team short-circuited the injured area?
3. Why can the patient only use the system for an hour or so a day?
4. What has a leading UK spinal charity said about the development?
答案
1. Why are people with spinal injuries often unable to walk?
People with spinal injuries are often unable to walk because the signals from the brain can’t get to the leg muscles when the nerves in between have been damaged.
2. How has the Swiss team short-circuited the injured area?
A Swiss team has placed two implants on the patient’s brain which transmit his thoughts to a third implant in his lower back.
3. Why can the patient only use the system for an hour or so a day?
Gert-Jan Oskam can use the system for only an hour or so a day because it’s tiring, and the equipment is bulky.
4. What has a leading UK spinal charity said about the development?
A leading UK spinal charity called the development “very encouraging”.
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