What if we don’t feel pain

What`s the most dreadful thing for you in your life?Some might be afraid of coming across a rat or a snake.For others,it might be walking in the dark.Of course,as students,you are more likely to say you are nervous before taking an exam.There is one thing most youngsters,even some adults are afraid of.That`s getting a shot from a nurse.Sometimes we just wish we are immune to pain and wonder how good it would be if we don’t feel the pain.

There is one family that has a high threshold for pain.In other words they are insensitive to pain.

Each coin has two sides.It seems an advantage for this family not to feel unwell when there is a cut on the finger.Any they even don’t need an anesthesia when getting an operation from the doctor.But as they don’t feel pain,sometimes they won’t know some serious hurts such as burns or broken bones until they see the damage or it influences their life.

One member of this family often damages the top of her mouth because she burns herself with hot drinks.

Scientists believe the condition could be the result of some nerves not reacting properly.And the researchers also found a gene mutation.

The family is believed to be the only one in the world to be affected by this faulty gene.

生活中你最怕什么？有的人可能害怕遇到老鼠或蛇；有的人可能怕走夜路；當然，作為學生，最害怕的莫過于考試了。

有一件事，大多數年輕人都害怕，當然也包括一部分成年人，那就是打針。有時候難免感嘆：要是感覺不到疼痛，那多好啊！

有一家人他們真的感覺不到痛，或者說對疼痛不敏感。

事情都有兩面性。他們手指被劃破時，不知道疼，似乎是一個優點——他們做手術時，甚至不需要打麻藥。但是，由于他們感覺不到疼痛，他們被火燒傷或者發生骨折時，他們不知道情況有多嚴重，直到這些傷害影響到他們的生活。這家人中的一員因為感覺不到疼痛，上嘴唇經常被熱水、熱飯燙傷。

科學家認為他們這種情況可能和他們家族的某些異常基因有關。研究人員還在他們身體里發現了基因變異。他們是世界上唯一受到這種異常基因影響的家族。

Notes：

immune 免疫的；免除的

threshold 門檻；限度

insensitive 不敏感的；麻痹的

anesthesia 麻醉；麻木

gene mutation 基因突變。