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It's no secret that China's economy is growing at a rapid pace.
众所周知，中国的经济正在飞速发展。
But it may surprise you to learn that some Chinese citizens are growing, too...taller,
但可能会让你大吃一惊的是一些中国人也在长高,
that is, thanks to the popularity of leg-lengthening surgery.
这是由于流行的腿骨延长手术所致。
That's right: we're talking about a type of surgery that can make you at least two to three inches taller.
是的:我们讨论的是一种能使你至少长高两到三英寸的手术。
The details are pretty gruesome.
但手术过程可是毛骨悚然。
First, the doctor breaks the tibia and fibula--the bones of the lower leg.
首先,医生折断小腿骨的胫骨和腓骨。
Then, a device comprised of two metal rings connected by extendable rods--the fixator-is screwed into both ends of the broken bone through the skin.
然后,一个由伸缩杆连接两个金属环组成的固定架装置通过皮肤拧入骨头折断的部分。
About a week later, the stretching begins.
大约一个星期后开始拉伸作业。
The surgeon lengthens the fixator in small, two millimeter increments.
外科医生会以2毫米的增量延长固定器。
This slowly pulls the broken bones apart, allowing new bone to grow and fill in the gap.
这一缓慢的过程使得折断的骨头分开,允许新骨头生长并填补其中的空白。
If all goes well, the three month bone-lengthening period is followed by another three to six months of bone strengthening.
如果一切顺利,为期3个月的骨延长期间后紧随而至的是另一个3至6个月的骨增强作业。
During this phase the patient is confined to a wheelchair and must undergo physical therapy that's typically described on leg lengthening websites as "extremely painful."
在这一阶段的病人要以轮椅为伴并且必须接受物理治疗,腿骨延长网站称这一治疗“痛苦之极”。
But, barring complications such as infection where the fixator is attached to the bones and nerve injury, after about a year you can be back up and walking around on newly lengthened legs.
但是,要是没有固定器附着在骨骼的感染等并发症和神经损伤,大约一年之后你就可以完好如初并且使用加长腿漫步了。
The surgery was invented in Russia in the early 1950s to help dwarves and other abnormally short people who wanted to attain a more normal height.
俄罗斯在20世纪50年代早期发明这项手术,目的在于帮助矮小人士和其他异常人士获得更为正常的身高。
Recently, though, in places like China, leg lengthening surgery has become trendy for people convinced that being taller leads to better jobs and more money.
不过,最近在中国这样的国家,腿骨延长手术已成为时尚,人们相信好的身高能够带来更好的工作和更多的收入。
