托福课外阅读：达芬奇的成功源于阅读障碍

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.

　　科学家经研究证实，大师达芬奇以及毕加索的成功竟是因为他们在生理上的缺陷---难语症(阅读障碍)所“造就而成”的。这两位闻名世界的大师级人物因为天生就患有阅读障碍症状，该症状迫使他们对于“空间意识”有着自己独到的见解，并同一般画家区分开来。

　　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.

　　据悉，心理学家将流芳百世的作品《蒙娜丽莎》的成功归因于大师的“缺陷”。研究者针对41个男女进行“视空间”的能力测试，研究发现具有“阅读障碍”的人比普通人在设计、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“阅读障碍”的人在电脑上操控三维立体的能力更强、精确度更高、速度也更快。研究者对该实验结果这样解释：“人若具有阅读障碍，那么有可能人的另一部分的潜能。比如空间感觉就会得到发挥，从而弥补人们在读写能力方面的缺失。”

　　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.’

　　研究者说，有阅读障碍的人更倾向用“思考”解决问题，而非用语言来表达。在语言能力方面的缺失使得人们强迫自己发展身体其他的潜能来提升自己的价值，从另一种程度上帮助了艺术家创作作品。

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

　　据悉，具有阅读障碍的大师级人物不少，有达芬奇、毕加索、罗丹以及安迪·沃霍尔。

　　Notes:

　　dyslexia [dis'leksiə] n. 诵读困难;阅读障碍;难语症