英语高级视听说unit4.docx

英语高级视听说unit4.docx

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英语高级视听说unit4

英语高级视听说unit-4

Unit4BrainMan

Almost25yearsago,60MinutesintroducedviewerstoGeorgeFinn,whosetalentwasimmortalizedinthemovie"RainMan."Georgehasaconditionknownassavantsyndrome,amysteriousdisorderofthebrainwheresomeonehasaspectacularskill,evengenius,inamindthatisotherwiseextremelylimited.

MorleySafermetanothersavant,DanielTammet,whoiscalled"BrainMan"inBritain.Butunlikemostsavants,hehasnoobviousmentaldisability,andmostimportanttoscientists,hecandescribehisownthoughtprocess.HemayverywellbeascientificRosettastone,akeytounderstandingthebrain.

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Backin1983,GeorgeFinn,blessedorobsessedwithcalendarcalculation,could

spectacularabilityofasavant,butwithverylittleofthedisability.Takehismathskill,forexample.

Askedtomultiply31by31by31by31,Tammetquickly-andaccurately-respondedwith"923,521."

Andit?

snotjustcalculating.Hisgiftofmemoryisstunning.Brieflyshowhimalongnumericalsequenceandhe?

llreciteitrightbacktoyou.Andhecandoitbackwards,toboot.

Thatfeatisjustawarm-upforDanielTammet.HefirstmadeheadlinesatOxford,whenhepubliclyrecitedtheendlesssequenceofnumbersembodiedbytheGreekletter"Pi."Pi,thenumbersweusetocalculatethedimensionsofacircle,areusuallyroundedoffto3.14.Butitsnumbersactuallygoontoinfinity.

Danielstudiedthesequence-athousandnumberstoapage.

"AndIwouldsitandIwouldgorgeonthem.AndIwouldjustabsorbhundredsandhundredsatatime,"hetellsSafer.

IttookhimseveralweekstoprepareandthenDanielheadedtoOxford,wherewithnumbercruncherscheckingeverydigit,heopenedthefloodgatesofhisextraordinarymemory.

Tammetsayshewasabletorecite,inaproperorder,22,514numbers.Ittookhimoverfivehoursandhediditwithoutasinglemistake.

Scientistssayamemoryfeatlikethisistrulyextraordinary.Dr.V.S.RamachandranandhisteamattheCaliforniaCenterforBrainStudytestedDanielextensivelyafterhisPiachievement.

Whatdidhemakeofhim?

"Iwassurprisedathowarticulateandintelligenthewas,andwasabletointeractsociallyandintrospectonhisown-abilities,"saysDr.Ramachandran.

Andwhilethatintrospectionisextremelyrareamongsavants,Daniel?

sabilitytodescribehowhismindworkscouldbeinvaluabletoscientistsstudyingthebrain,ourleastunderstoodorgan.

"EvenhowyouandIdo17minusnineisabigmystery.Youknow,howaretheselittlewispsofjellyinyourbraindoingthatcomputation?

Wedon'tknowthat,"Dr.Ramachandranexplains.

Itmayseemtodefylogic,butRamachandranbelievesthatasavant?

sgeniuscouldactuallyresultfrombraininjury."Onepossibilityisthatmanyotherpartsofthebrainarefunctioningabnormallyorsub-normally.Andthisallowsthepatienttoallocateallhisattentionalresourcestotheoneremainingpart,"heexplains."Andthere'salotofclinicalevidenceforthis.Somepatientshaveastrokeandsuddenly,theirartisticskillsimprove."

ThattheoryfitswellwithDaniel.Attheageoffour,hesufferedamassiveepilepticseizure.Hebelievesthatseizurecontributedtohiscondition.Numberswerenolongersimplynumbersandhehaddevelopedararecrossingofthesensesknownassynesthesia.

"Iseenumbersinmyheadascolorsandshapesandtextures.SowhenIseealongsequence,thesequenceformslandscapesinmymind,"Tammetexplains."Everynumberupto10,000,Icanvisualizeinthisway,hasit'sowncolor,hasit'sownshape,hasit'sowntexture."

Forexample,whenDanielsaysheseesPi,hedoesthoseinstantcomputations,heisnotcalculating,butsaystheanswersimplyappearstohimasalandscapeofcolorfulshapes.

"Theshapesaren'tstatic.They'refullofcolor.They'refulloftexture.Inasense,they'refulloflife,"hesays.

Askedifthey?

rebeautiful,Tammetsays,"Notallofthem.Someofthemareugly.289isanuglynumber.Idon'tlikeitverymuch.Whereas333,forexample,isbeautifultome.It'sround.It's?

."

"Chubby,"Saferremarks.

'It's-yes.It'schubby,'Tammetagrees.

Yetevenwiththedevelopmentoftheseextraordinaryabilitiesasachild,nobodysensedthatDanielwasaprodigy,includinghismother,Jennifer.Buthewasdifferent.

"Hewasconstantlycountingthings,"Jenniferremembers."Ithink,whatfirstattractedhimtobooks,wastheactualnumbersoneachpage.Andhejustlovedcounting."

Askedifshethinksthere?

saconnectionbetweenhisepilepsyandhisraretalent,shetellsSafer,"Hewasalwaysdifferentfrom-whenhewasreallyafewweeksold,Inoticedhewasdifferent.SoI'mnotsurethatit'sentirelythat,butIthinkitmighthaveescalatedit."

DanielwasalsodiagnosedwithAsperger?

sSyndrome-amildformofautism.Itmadeforapainfulchildhood.

"IwouldflapmyhandssometimeswhenIwasexcited,orpullatmyfingers,andpullatmylips,"Tammetremembers."Andofcourse,thechildrensawthesethingsandwouldrepeatthembacktome,andteasemeaboutthem.AndIwouldputmyfingersinmyearsandcountveryquicklyinpowersoftwo.Two,four,eight,16,32,64."

"Numbersweremyfriends.Andtheyneverchanged.So,theywerereliable.Icouldtrustthem,"hesays.

Andyet,Danieldidnotretreatfullyintothatmysteriousprisonofautism,asmanysavantsdo.Hebelieveshislargefamilymayhaveactuallyforcedhimtoadapt.

"Becausemyparents,havingninechildren,hadsomuchtodo,somuchtocopewith,IrealizedIhadtodoformyself,"hesays.

Henowrunshisownonlineeducationalbusiness.HeandhispartnerNeiltrytokeepalowprofile,despitehisgrowingfame.

Yetthelimitsofhisautismarealwaysthere."Ifinditdifficulttowalkinthestreetsometimesiftherearelotsofpeoplearoundme.Ifthere'slotsofnoise,Iputmyfingersinmyearstoblockitout,'hesays.

Thatanxietykeepshimclosetohome.Hecan?

tdrive,rarelygoesshopping,andfindsthebeachadifficultplacebecauseofhiscompulsiontocountthegrainsofsand.Anditmanifestsitselfinotherways,likemakingaveryprecisemeasurementofhiscerealeachmorning:

itmustbeexactly45gramsofporridge,nomore,noless.

DanielwasrecentlyprofiledinaBritishdocumentarycalled?

Brainman.?

Theproducersposedachallengethathecouldnotpassup:

Learnaforeignlanguageinaweek-andnotjustanyforeignlanguage,butIcelandic,consideredtobeoneofthemostdifficultlanguagestolearn.

InIceland,hestudiedandpracticedwithatutor.WhenthemomentoftruthcameandheappearedonTVlivewithahost,thehostsaid,"Iwasamazed.Hewasrespondingtoourquestions.HedidunderstandthemverywellandIthoughtthathisgrammarwasverygood.Weareveryproudofourlanguageandthatsomeoneisabletospeakitafteronlyoneweek,that?

sjustgreat."

"DoyouthinkthatDaniel,inacertainway,representsarealpathwaytofurtherunderstandingthebrain?

"SaferasksDr.Ramachandran.

"Ithinkonecouldsaythattimeandagaininscience,somethingthatlookslikeacuriosityinitiallyoftenleadstoacompletelynewdirectionofresearch,"Ramachandranreplies."Sometimes,theyprovidethegoldenkey.Doesn'talwayshappen.Sometimesit'sjustmumbo-jumbo.Butthatmaywellbetruewithsavants."

Danielcontinuestovolunteerforscientistswhowanttounderstandhisamazingbrain.Butheisreluctanttobecomewhathecalls?

aperformingseal?

andhasrefusedmostofferstocashinonhisremarkableskills.

"Peopleallthetimeaskingmetochoosenumbersforthelottery.Ortoinventatimemachine.Ortocomeupwithsomegreatdiscovery,"heexplains."ButmyabilitiesarenotthosethatmeanthatIcandoateverything."

Buthehaswrittenabookabouthisexperiences,entitled"BornonaBlueDay."

Healsodoesmotivationalspeechesforparentsofautisticchildren-yetonemoregiftofhisremarkablebrain.

Butattheendoftheday-geniusornot-thatbraindoesworkalittledifferently.

"Onehourafterweleavetoday,andIwillnotrememberwhatyoulooklike.AndIwillfinditdifficulttorecognizeyou,ifIseeyouagain.Iwillrememberyourhandkerchief.AndIwillrememberyouhavefourbuttonsonyoursleeve.AndI'llrememberthetypeoftieyou'rewearing.It'sthedetailsthatIremember,"TammettellsSafer.

Andit?

sthedetailsthatmakeusallsodifferent.Onemanmayseenumbersasatediousnecessityofmodernlife,anotherseesthemastheessenceoflife.

"PiisoneofthemostbeautifulthingsinalltheworldandifIcansharethatjoyinnumbers,ifIcansharethatinsomesmallmeasurewiththeworldthroughmywritingandthroughmyspeaking,thenIfeelthatIwillhavedonesomethinguseful,"hesays.