你是否想过你的走路方式、手势动作甚至一颦一笑都可能带有独一无二的个人特征?研究发现,我们的 “movement signatures(动作特征)” 有可能像指纹一样独特,它能帮助我们辨认彼此,甚至带来不同的动作艺术风格,比如不同种类和风格的舞蹈。不论是走廊上传来的脚步声还是手臂的摇摆方式,我们的身体动作传递的个人信息远超我们的想象。本文浅谈身体动作如何具有独特的特征。
词汇:body movement 身体动作
1 Have you ever been alone in a room, heard someone coming, and been able to identify who it was based solely on the recognisable stomp of their shoes? Maybe you've experienced seeing a group in the distance, too far to recognise faces, but you're absolutely sure one blurry figure is your friend because of the way they're swinging their arms when they walk. Research suggests that a person's movement signature, or the way they move, could be as unique as a fingerprint. So, what makes up a person's movement signature?
2 We all have a particular way of moving our faces. One person might purse their lips when they're angry. Another might squint their eyes or pull their face into a grimace, and these movement patterns help us recognise familiar people, even in poor visibility. Another reliable clue for identifying people is their gait. The combination of stride length, limb movement, pace and posture form a movement signature that is very difficult to fake. Researchers in a 2005 study called 'Person identification from biological motion' put small lights on key parts of some male walkers' bodies. When the room was dark and their bodies invisible, observers were able to distinguish the walkers using the lights at an impressively high rate.
3 Movement signatures are deeply human and expressive. "Dance has always been a part of my life." Brenda Loukes is a dancer and artist who uses ink and bleach to portray bodies in motion. "It occurred to me that each body has a unique blueprint for the way it moves". For dance writer Nancy Wozny, dancers who make it onto her list of 'ones to watch' are those who move in a way she's never seen before, like Stephanie Troyak who has a 'sublime awkwardness', reminding Nancy of a foal's 'first steps out of the womb', or how Ching Ching Wong can divide her body between 'wiggly-squiggly' and completely still.
4 Whether you're dancing professionally or just walking down the street, your movements reveal who you are and tell a story that no one else can replicate.
测验与练习
一、根据文章内容选出正确的段落。
1. Which paragraph is about how movement signatures can inspire art?
二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。
1. A person's movement signature is as unique as a fingerprint.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
2. What two things mentioned are part of our movement signature?
a. facial expressions and gestures
b. facial expressions and how we walk
c. how we walk and gestures
3. According to a 2005 study, humans are good at distinguishing people from their gait.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
4. Brenda Loukes loves making art out of dancers' movement signatures.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
5. Which sentence best describes Nancy Wozny's beliefs?
a. Good dancers are those who can match the movements of others on stage.
b. Good dancers are those who can move in a unique way.
c. Good dancers are those who do many forms of dance, from hip hop to ballet.
三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。
The way you move your face and body are unique and difficult to 1) _______. You may have a characteristically long 2) _______ when you walk, or a funny way you 3) _______ your eyes and 4) _______ your lips when you are angry. Our movement signature is one of many ways we can be identified by those around us, and it may just be as unique as your 5) _______.
replicate
fingerprint
stomp
purse
stride
squint
sublime
(答案见词汇表后)
词汇表
stomp 迈着重重的脚步走
blurry 模糊的
signature 鲜明的特征
fingerprint 指纹
purse 撅(嘴)
squint 眯(眼睛)
grimace 鬼脸,怪相
gait 步态
stride 步幅,步伐
limb 肢体
posture 姿势,体态
blueprint 模式,架构
sublime 绝妙的,极好的
wiggly-squiggly 扭动弯曲的
replicate 复制,重现
答案
一、根据文章内容选出正确的段落。
Paragraph 3. Brenda Loukes is a dancer and artist who uses ink and bleach to portray bodies in motion.
二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。
1. b. False. Recent research suggests that that a person's movement signature, or the way they move, could be as unique as a fingerprint. The words 'suggest' and 'could be' imply that it's possible, but it's not certain.
2. b. We all have a particular way of moving our faces… Another reliable clue for identifying people is their gait.
3. a. True.…observers were able to distinguish the walkers using the lights at an impressively high rate.
4. c. Not given. We know that Brenda Loukes is a dancer and artist who uses ink and bleach to portray bodies in motion, but whether she loves it is not mentioned.
5. b. For dance writer Nancy Wozny, dancers who make it onto her list of 'ones to watch' are those who move in a way she's never seen before.
三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。
The way you move your face and body are unique and difficult to replicate. You may have a characteristically long stride when you walk, or a funny way you squint your eyes and purse your lips when you are angry. Our movement signature is one of many ways we can be identified by those around us, and it may just be as unique as your fingerprint.


