Fingers tell story of our lives

精彩導讀

眾所周知，指紋檢驗在刑偵中占據了重要地位。但除此之外，指紋科學還能在其他方面派上大用場。因為，指紋里還藏著我們的不少秘密……

文章詞數 3 8 0 建議用時 7′ 難度系數 ★★★★

Before the discovery of DNA profiling in the 1980s，fingerprints weretheeasiestway to solveserious crimes.

It's believed thatof the 7 billion or so people on Earth，each one of us has our own unique fingerprints.

But did you know that our fingerprints could actually reveal a lot more about us than just our identity?

According to Melanie Bailey of The Conversation，fingerprints can indic ate lifestyle and environment，eating habits，possible medical problems and even the job of a person.

So how can wefigureall thisoutfrom just a simple fingerprint?

Well，a fingerprint is formed when a fingermakes contact witha surface.Most fingerprints are invisible to the naked eye and require a chemical development process in order to make them visible.Stuck between the ridges of a fingerprint， however， are what can tell a story about who we are.Things like traces of sweat， blood， and food reveal a lot of information about us—what we've touched， what we've eaten and even what drugs we've taken.

At the moment，the techniqueused to detectthese substances is mostly used in crime detection，but its application could be much wider，according to Bailey，who lectures in chemistry at the University of Surrey in the UK.For example，she and her fellow researchers were able to tell what medicines people were taking from their fingerprints，which may be of great help in the future to doctors treating their patients.

A fingerprint check may also be able to tell a doctor whether a patient is properly absorbing a drug they've been prescribed.In the treatment of some of the most serious illnesses，it's vital thatthe body istaking inthese medicines.AsScientific Americannoted，this is particularly important for patients undergoing treatment for cardiac（心臟的）conditions and psychosis，as these people might struggle to absorb the drugs or forget or even choose not to take them.

And while it's commonly believed that our fingerprints never change， in fact， they do—and the way they change can provide a lot of very useful information.In the future，fingerprint science won't be restricted to the crime lab but could help doctors keep us in the best possible health.

閱讀掃障

Ⅰ.詞塊積累

1.the way to do sth做某事的方式

2.It is believed that...人們相信……

3.figure out解決；弄明白

4.make contact with和……打交道、聯系

5.at the moment當時；此刻

6.used to do過去常常（而現在不）

7.It is vital that...……很重要

8.take in理解；吸收；欺騙

9.struggle to do sth努力做某事

Ⅱ.難句分析

1.she and her fellow researchers were able to tell what medicines people were taking from their fingerprints，which may be of great help in the future to doctors treating their patients.她和科研同事們能夠通過指紋判斷人們服用的藥物，這點或許將來在醫生治療病患時能派上大用場。

【點石成金】句中what引導賓語從句，在從句中作賓語；be able to do表示 “能；會”；tell表示 “區分；辨別”；which引導非限制性定語從句，在從句中作主語；be of great help是be of+抽象名詞結構=be+adj.;treating their patients是現在分詞作定語，修飾 doctors，和被修飾名詞是主動關系。

句式仿寫

作為高中生，我們應該能區分出對和錯，這對我們來說很重要。

As high school students，we should_______from what is wrong，_______________________for us.

2.As Scientific American noted，this is particularly important for patients undergoing treatment for cardiac conditions and psychosis，as these people might struggle to absorb the drugs or forget or choose not to take them.正如《科學美國人》雜志所指出的那樣，這點對心臟病病人和精神病人而言尤為重要，因為這些病人或許難以吸收藥物，或者忘記甚至選擇不服藥。

【點石成金】句中As Scientific American noted，as引導的是非限制性定語從句，as表示“正如”，undergoing是doing作定語修飾patients，as these people might struggle to...，as表示“因為；由于”，引導原因狀語從句。

譯文助讀

在20世紀80年代DNA分析技術問世之前，指紋是破解重大刑事案件最容易的方法。

人們相信，在地球約70億的人口中，每個人的指紋都獨一無二。

但你知道嗎？除了我們的身份，指紋其實還可以透露更多信息。

“對話”（The Conversation）網站的梅蘭妮·貝利認為，指紋可以體現一個人的生活方式、所處環境、飲食習慣、潛在的健康問題甚至職業。

所以我們如何從一枚小小的指紋中獲知這一切呢？

當手指和物體表面接觸時，指紋就形成了。大多數的指紋都并非肉眼可見，需要經過化學顯影處理來讓它們“現形”。而在指紋隆起的紋路之間就隱藏著包含我們信息的物質。汗漬、血液以及食物的痕跡透露了許多關于我們的信息——像接觸了什么、吃了些什么、甚至是吃了什么藥。

擔任英國薩里大學化學講師的貝利表示，現今，檢測這些物質的技術大多用于刑偵，但其應用可以更為廣泛。例如，她和科研同事們能夠通過指紋判斷人們服用的藥物，這點或許將來在醫生治療病患時能派上大用場。

指紋檢驗或許還能告訴醫生病患是否能充分吸收所開的處方藥。在治療某些最為嚴重的疾病時，人體對這些藥物的吸收至關重要。正如《科學美國人》雜志所指出的那樣，這點對心臟病病人和精神病人而言尤為重要，因為這些病人或許難以吸收藥物，或者忘記甚至選擇不服藥。

而盡管人們普遍認為指紋永遠不會變，但實際上，指紋的確會改變——而它們改變的方式也能提供大量有用的信息。在將來，指紋科學并不會局限于犯罪實驗室，還能助醫生一臂之力，讓我們盡可能地保持健康。