Transformed by a beaming smile, this is the tiny face of a foetus just 17 weeks old. The scan implies that a baby can experience feelings such as happiness and pain much earlier in its development than previously thought. It will prompt further calls from doctors and campaigners to lower the upper abortion limit from 24 weeks。

　　近日，有一张17周岁还在娘胎中的婴儿照片广泛流传。人们发现，这张由高科技拍摄的照片中婴儿竟然“面露笑容”，这张照片改变了了人们对仍在娘胎中婴儿是否有“知觉”固有观念，原来17周的婴儿也有喜怒哀乐啊。

　　They claim that by his stage the unborn baby can already feel agonising pain and the procedure is therefore inhumane. Many experts dispute these claims, however, and say that a foetus is naturally sedated and unconscious in the womb and cannot experience any senses. Professor Stuart Campbell, who took the picture at his London clinic with 3-D and 4-D scanning equipment, said it did not necessarily show the unborn child had feelings - but it was certainly displaying human behaviour。

　　另一方面，这张“面露笑容”的照片引起了人们对堕胎行为的关注。有一部分人认为合法堕胎的时间应该缩短，因为照片证实未出生的婴儿也有自己的感觉，是一个有“思想”的个体了。有反对者则认为，仍在娘胎中的胎儿从真正意义上来说病没有任何意识，不可能有自己的感觉。运用3D和4D技术拍摄这张照片的教授Stuart Campbell说，也许这张照片不能证明胎儿也有思想，但是胎儿的笑容可以表达着一种人类的行为。

　　'This is a joyful expression of the humanity of the foetus. I have seen a foetus making a crying face at around 18 or 19 weeks, but not a nice smile. The baby is due in January and its parents, Louise and Sam Henry from Swallowfield, Berkshire, admitted they were stunned to see the smiling face during a routine scan。

　　教授还说，我见过胎儿在18--19周时候的照片，他们有一些露出“哭丧的脸”，然而这个面露笑容的胎儿确实很特别。据悉，这个可爱的“孩子”预产期是在1月份，孩子的亲生父母已经迫不及待看自己的宝宝了。

　　Vocabulary:

　　foetus n. 胎儿