5.Let paralyzed people walk again The human spine doesn't just help us stand up straight. Inside the spine is the spinal cord (脊髓). (1)
The legs and feet send "sense" information to the brain, saying they're hurt or hot, for example. And the brain sends signals to the lower body, perhaps telling the legs to walk, dance or sit down.
When someone's spinal cord is hurt, this important pathway can get damaged. That means the information about senses doesn't reach the brain from the lower body. (2)
When that happens, a person is paralyzed (瘫痪的).
Surprisingly, now scientists in Switzerland have given three paralyzed men the ability to walk again. Each of the three men had damaged their spinal cords in motorcycle accidents and couldn't move their legs. To help them walk again, a special device (装置, 仪器) was put directly on the lower part of their spinal cord, below their injury. (3)
Just hours after the device was first used, all three men were taking steps, with support. The computer tells the device to send "walking" messages. The scientists use computers to create patterns of movement — like taking a step — that work well with each patient. The patients then choose the pattern they want, and the muscles move in the chosen way.
Over time, the men are able to walk entirely on their own, using a special walker with buttons to trigger each leg. One of the men has walked for half a kilometer on his own with the walker. (4)
根据短文内容,从方框中选出四个选项填入文中空缺处,使短文内容通顺完整。有一项剩余。
A. The scientists are hopeful that in the future, this technology will allow more paralyzed people to walk again. B. Firstly, the scientists controlled the device from a computer. C. And control signals can't make it to the lower body from the brain. D. It carries important information between the head and the lower part of the body. E. When someone hurts his spine, he may not be able to walk. |