Reborn Baby Dolls|维妙维肖的重生娃娃

Reborn Baby Dolls

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

These handcrafted dolls are unbelievably believable.

Dolls come in every variety imaginable, from miniature to oversized and from scary to funny. There is one type, _(1)_, that makes everyone do a double take. They are reborn dolls, which have been specially made to _(2)_ real babies. They are popular with collectors and are also used by some adults to replace children they have lost or to represent children that have already grown up.

Making these creations _(3)_ an art form that requires patience, skill, training, and a passion for dolls. Those who make them are called reborners, and they take their jobs very _(4)_. Reborners are not only able to replicate the look of a real baby, but they also know how to add weight and other devices to make the doll look and feel alive. _(5)_ mechanisms that make the chests rise and fall to mimic breathing, the finished dolls also have recordings of breathing noises and heartbeats.

Reborn dolls actually start with simple plastic doll parts. Then, the insides of the parts are painted blue to help give the _(6)_ of veins under the skin. In fact, getting the skin just right is one of the most time-consuming aspects of reborning, _(7)_ some 15 to 30 layers of paint used to create the perfect tone. There are lots of mixed feelings towards reborn dolls. However, one thing we can all agree on is that each one is a masterpiece in its own right.

1.  (A) therefore   (B) otherwise   (C) meanwhile   (D) though

2.  (A) imagine (B) tolerate    (C) resemble    (D) analyze

3.  (A) are (B) is  (C) be  (D) being

4.  (A) seriously   (B) curiously   (C) obviously   (D) variously

5.  (A) Except for  (B) In spite of (C) In addition to  (D) As a result of

6.  (A) personality (B) appearance  (C) permission  (D) tendency

7.  (A) by  (B) after   (C) in  (D) with

维妙维肖的重生娃娃

这些手工娃娃简直逼真到令人难以置信。

　　洋娃娃的种类应有尽有，从迷你型到超大型都有，而外貌可能令人恐惧或令人发噱。不过，有种洋娃娃会让人第一眼误以为那是真正的婴儿。它们是特别做成像真正婴儿一般的『重生娃娃』。它们深受收藏家喜爱，也被一些大人用来当作已失去的孩子的替代品，或是代表已长大成人的子女。

　　这些创作是种艺术形式，它需要耐心、技术、训练和对洋娃娃的喜爱。制作洋娃娃的人称为『重生者』，他们相当认真看待自身的工作。重生者不但能够复制真正婴儿的样貌，也知道如何增加洋娃娃的重量或增设其他装置，让它们看起来和感觉起来栩栩如生。除了让胸部上下起伏来模仿呼吸状态的装置外，洋娃娃成品中也装有录制的呼吸声和心跳声。

　　制作重生娃娃其实是从简单的塑料娃娃零件开始。接着这些零件的内部会漆成蓝色，有助于呈现皮肤下静脉的模样。事实上，洋娃娃的皮肤要制作到位是『重生』过程中最耗时的部分之一，约要涂上 15 到 30 层的漆才能做出完美的皮肤色泽。人们对于重生娃娃有着众多复杂的情绪。然而，我们都能同意的是，每个洋娃娃本身都是一个杰作。

答案：1. (D)2. (C)3. (B)4. (A)5. (C)

6. (B)7. (D)

一种与真人维妙维肖的『重生娃娃』（reborn babies），近年从美国爆红，热潮一路烧到英国与澳洲。许多遭丧子之痛的母亲，把它视为死去孩子的替代品。

57岁的海斯蒂太太在 32 年前，7岁的女儿因白血病夭折。她以 3 百美元买下英国设计师胡恩打造的重生娃娃『艾比』（Abby）后，她生命中失落的那一角终于得到圆满。5公斤的艾比四肢是塑料材质，但触感与真人无异。小巧的手指绘着指甲，婴孩的细柔发丝由毛海制成，艾比会闭眼睛睡觉，甚至流口水。

胡恩表示，艾比的买家多半是收藏者，但她的确为 5、6 位失去子女的母亲依相片订做客制化重生娃娃。多数人把娃娃摆在婴儿床，或抱在怀里，但有妇女会把艾比带出国渡假。海斯蒂说，有人对艾比与真人的惊人相似度赞叹不已，但也有人觉得它吓死人。

海斯蒂太太说她清楚艾比不是真人，但对她而言，艾比不止是娃娃：『我不必担心她会死去，她不会生病，让我的压力顿减。』（数据源：中时电子报）