托福課外閱讀：達(dá)芬奇的成功源于閱讀障礙

The secret of Leonardo Da Vinci’s talent and Pablo Picasso’s success may have been their dyslexia. The two men both suffered from the ‘word blindness’ that affects as many as one in 12 children – but it seems it can also bring the keen spatial awareness that makes the difference between a jobbing painter and a master of art.

　　科學(xué)家經(jīng)研究證實，大師達(dá)芬奇以及畢加索的成功竟是因為他們在生理上的缺陷---難語癥(閱讀障礙)所“造就而成”的。這兩位聞名世界的大師級人物因為天生就患有閱讀障礙癥狀，該癥狀迫使他們對于“空間意識”有著自己獨到的見解，并同一般畫家區(qū)分開來。

　　The finding, from Middlesex University psychologists, could help explain the brilliance of some of the greatest artists of all time and the timelessness of works such as the Mona Lisa. The researchers put 41 men and women through tests to assess their visuo-spatial ability. Around half of those taking part were dyslexic and so had trouble learning to spell, read and write. The dyslexic men did better than the other men on many of the tests, including recalling the direction of the Queen’s head on a postage stamp and reproducing designs using coloured blocks.

　　據(jù)悉，心理學(xué)家將流芳百世的作品《蒙娜麗莎》的成功歸因于大師的“缺陷”。研究者針對41個男女進(jìn)行“視空間”的能力測試，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)具有“閱讀障礙”的人比普通人在設(shè)計、色彩搭配上更具有天分。

　　They were also faster and more accurate at navigating their way around a ‘virtual town’ on a computer screen, the journal Learning and Individual Differences reports. The researchers said there could be several explanations for the findings, including dyslexics developing an enhanced sense of space to compensate for problems with language.

　　具有“閱讀障礙”的人在電腦上操控三維立體的能力更強、精確度更高、速度也更快。研究者對該實驗結(jié)果這樣解釋：“人若具有閱讀障礙，那么有可能人的另一部分的潛能。比如空間感覺就會得到發(fā)揮，從而彌補人們在讀寫能力方面的缺失。”

　　Dr Nicola Brunswick said: ‘Also, many dyslexic people prefer to work out problems by thinking and doing rather than by speaking. This could help dyslexic men develop the kind of skills they need to succeed in the artistic and creative worlds.’

　　研究者說，有閱讀障礙的人更傾向用“思考”解決問題，而非用語言來表達(dá)。在語言能力方面的缺失使得人們強迫自己發(fā)展身體其他的潛能來提升自己的價值，從另一種程度上幫助了藝術(shù)家創(chuàng)作作品。

　　Artists known or believed to have suffered from dyslexia include Da Vinci, Picasso, Rodin and Andy Warhol.

　　據(jù)悉，具有閱讀障礙的大師級人物不少，有達(dá)芬奇、畢加索、羅丹以及安迪·沃霍爾。

　　Notes:

　　dyslexia [dis'leksi?] n. 誦讀困難;閱讀障礙;難語癥