英语高级视听说unit 4

英语高级视听说unit4英语高级视听说unit4英语高级视听说unit4xxx公司英语高级视听说unit4文件编号：文件日期：修订次数：第1.0次更改批准审核制定方案设计，管理制度Unit4BrainManAlmost25yearsago,60MinutesintroducedviewerstoGeorgeFinn,whosetalentwasimmortalizedinthemovie"RainMan."Georgehasaconditionknownassavantsyndrome,amysteriousdisorderofthebrainwheresomeonehasaspectacularskill,evengenius,inamindthatisotherwiseextremelylimited.MorleySafermetanothersavant,DanielTammet,whoiscalled"BrainMan"inBritain.Butunlikemostsavants,hehasnoobviousmentaldisability,andmostimportanttoscientists,hecandescribehisownthoughtprocess.HemayverywellbeascientificRosettastone,akeytounderstandingthebrain.________________________________________Backin1983,GeorgeFinn,blessedorobsessedwithcalendarcalculation,couldgiveyouthedayifyougavehimthedate."WhatdayoftheweekwasAugust13th,1911"SaferquizzedFinn."ASunday,"Finnreplied."WhatdayoftheweekwasMay20th,1921"Saferasked."Friday,"Finnanswered.GeorgeFinnisasavant.Inmorepoliticallyincorrecttimeshewouldhavebeencalledan"idiotsavant"-amentallyhandicappedorautisticpersonwhosebrainsomehowpossessesanislandofbrilliance.Askedifheknewhowhedoesit,FinntoldSafer,"Idon'tknow,butit'sjustthat,that'sfantasticIcandothat."Ifthisallseemsfamiliar,there?sareason:fiveyearsafterthe60Minutesbroadcast,DustinHoffmanimmortalizedsavantslikeGeorgeinthemovie"RainMan."Whichbringsustothatothersavantwementioned:DanielTammet.HeisanEnglishman,whoisa27-year-oldmathandmemorywizard."IwasbornNovember8th,1931,"Saferremarks."Uh-huh.That'saprimenumber.1931.AndyouwerebornonaSunday.Andthisyear,yourbirthdaywillbeonaWednesday.Andyou'llbe75,"TammettellsSafer.Itisestimatedthereareonly50truesavantslivingintheworldtoday,andyetnonearelikeDaniel.Heisarticulate,self-sufficient,blessedwithallofthespectacularabilityofasavant,butwithverylittleofthedisability.Takehismathskill,forexample.Askedtomultiply31by31by31by31,Tammetquickly-andaccurately-respondedwith"923,521."Anditsnotjustcalculating.Hisgiftofmemoryisstunning.Brieflyshowhimalongnumericalsequenceandhellreciteitrightbacktoyou.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,howaretheselittlewispsofjellyinyourbraindoingthatcomputationWedon'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.Askediftheyrebeautiful,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.DanielwasrecentlyprofiledinaBritishdocumentarycalledBrainman.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.Butheisreluctanttobecomewhathecallsaperformingsealandhasrefusedmostofferstocashinonhisremarkableskills.

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