单词 “doppelganger” 指的是长得和你一模一样的人，但这个人和你没有血缘关系。找到长相酷似你的那个人的机会很小。你想和另一个 “你” 见面吗？本文谈论人们找到自己的 “doppelganger” 的概率。

词汇：doppelganger 相貌极相似的人

What is the likelihood of you having someone who looks just like you? Would it be a good thing? And if you did have one, would you want to meet them?

Consider how often your facial features are used to identify you. Your passport, ID card and driving licence all bare your face. To enter your workplace, you likely need to be recognisable. You may need your face to unlock your smartphone and possibly even need it to exclude you from being present at a crime scene.

The word ‘doppelganger’ refers to a person who looks the same as you, essentially sharing your features; those that you thought were unique to you and your identity. Not an identical twin, as a doppelganger has no relation to you. The idea originated in German folklore. A doppelganger was said to be a spirit-double that replicated every human and beast on earth.

So, let’s get real. What are the chances of you having one in the first place? There’s said to be a one in 135 chance of an absolute dead ringer for you existing anywhere in the world, so the chances are pretty low, despite folk wisdom promising you otherwise. And the chances of meeting? The mathematical certainty of finding this particular person is supposedly less than one in a trillion!

That said, these statistics may be a good thing. Historically, having a double hasn’t always been a positive. Back in 1999, an innocent American man, indistinguishable from the real criminal, was sent to prison for robbery, where he stayed for 19 years. In the end, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. In a different case, a woman in New York was accused of trying to poison her doppelganger with deadly cheesecake so that she could steal her identity!

And, why are people interested in finding their possible doppelganger anyway? It may be helpful to look to the past when facial resemblance indicated kinship.

Maybe one day you’ll meet your lookalike, but we understand that, after this, you possibly don’t want to! 

词汇表

facial features 面部特征
recognisable 可认出的
exclude 排除…，认为…不可能
unique 独一无二的
identity 身份
identical twin 同卵双胞胎
folklore 民间传说
replicate 复制
a dead ringer 酷似…的人，相像之人/物
mathematical certainty 数学准确性
a double 一模一样的人
indistinguishable 难以分辨的，无法识别的
mistaken identity 认错人，身份错认
resemblance 相似
kinship 亲属关系
lookalike 长得极像…的人

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is the difference between a doppelganger and an identical twin?

2. True or false? There is a one in 135 chance that you will meet your doppelganger.

3. Why was an innocent American man sent to prison in 1999?

4. Who tried to steal her doppelganger’s identity and how?

5. What historical reason is given for people wanting to find their doppelganger?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Oh, no! They’re wearing _______ outfits!

identical                    recognisable                 unique            indistinguishable

2. Teenagers often _______ celebrities they admire.

exclude                     poison                           steal               replicate

3. The police pulled him over but it was a case of _______.

folklore                      mistaken identity           double            lookalike

4. The new kitchen has loads of modern _______. 

resemblance             identity                           chances          features

5. That woman is a _______ for your sister!

identical twin             dead ringer                     lookalike         resemblance

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is the difference between a doppelganger and an identical twin?
A doppelganger is not related to you.

2. True or false? There is a one in 135 chance that you will meet your doppelganger.
False. The chance of meeting your doppelganger is less than 1 in a trillion.

3. Why was an innocent American man sent to prison in 1999?
Mistaken identity. The innocent man looked the same as the real criminal.

4. Who tried to steal her doppelganger’s identity and how?
A woman in New York. She tried to poison her doppelganger with deadly cheesecake.

5. What historical reason is given for people wanting to find their doppelganger?
In the past, facial resemblance indicated kinship.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Oh, no! They’re wearing identical outfits!

2. Teenagers often replicate celebrities they admire.

3. The police pulled him over but it was a case of mistaken identity.

4. The new kitchen has loads of modern features. 

5. That woman is a dead ringer for your sister!