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Lesson 83 Matter, And The Senses
第83課 物質與感覺
All the things that make up the world on which we live are composed of some kind of stuff, or substance, or material. The name which is given to every kind of this stuff is matter , and we say that our world is a great ball of matter. The stones on which we walk are pieces of matter; the water of the ocean is another kind of matter; and the air or atmosphere which wraps round the whole world is yet another kind.
在我們生活的這個世界上, 所有物體全部都是由某種成分或物質或材料構成。這種東西就被稱作物質, 我們的地球就是一個巨大的物質球體。我們腳下的石頭就是一種物質；海洋中的海水又是另一種物質；包裹整個地球的大氣還是一種物質。
Are there any pieces of matter in this room? Yes, there are many. The walls, the windows, the desks, the tables, the chairs, the maps, and the pictures, are all pieces of matter.
你所在的房間里有沒有物質? 當然有, 而且很多。墻壁、窗戶、桌子、椅子、地圖、照片, 這些全部都是物質。
How do you know that these pieces of matter are in the room? It is because you possess the sense of sight. This sense is confined to two small parts of the surface of your body—your eyes—and by using your eyes you can find out a great deal about matter, such as its shape, its size, and its colour.
你怎么知道房間中存在這些物質? 這是因為你擁有視力。這種感知能力來自你身體表面的兩個器官——眼睛。通過眼睛, 你可以了解物質的方方面面, 例如形狀、大小與顏色。
But do not blind children know about matter ? Yes, indeed; for, though they cannot see, they have still the sense of touch. This sense is spread over all the surface of the body, but the tips of the fingers have the keenest sense of touch. Blind children can feel their way among the pieces of matter which surround them, and can tell a great deal about each piece of matter which they touch, although they cannot see it.
然而, 盲孩子能否對物質有所認識呢? 當然可以；因為, 雖然他們眼睛看不見, 但是觸覺仍舊有用。這種感覺遍布我們的身體表面, 不過手指頂部的觸覺最為敏銳。盲人兒童可以在周圍的物質中摸索出一條道路。雖然看不見, 但是他們能夠通過觸覺了解碰到的物質的許多特性。
The other day I went into a room, and the moment I opened the door I knew that there had been an escape of gas from the pipe which leads to the gas-burner. I could not see the coal-gas, and I could not feel it, but I could smell it, and I knew by my sense of smell that there was some of the matter called coal-gas mixed with the air of the room. The sense of smell is confined to the inside of the nose. If you pinch your nose hard, you will find that you can smell nothing.
有一天, 我走進房間, 剛打開門, 就知道連接煤氣爐的管道肯定出現了漏氣的情況。我看不見煤氣, 也摸不到它, 但可以聞到它的氣味。通過嗅覺, 我能夠判斷, 房間的空氣中混入了一些名叫煤氣的物質。嗅覺來自鼻子。使勁捏住鼻子, 就會發現, 自己什么都聞不到了。
