The Mysterious Power of the Brain

Autism is a mental disease which prevents those who suffer from it from communicating with the outside world. Victims seem to live in a world of their own which, even now, doctors are unable to penetrate. The illness was first given a name in 1943, and yet doctors have made very little progress in their understanding of the disease since then. According to statistics, between two and four children out of every 10.000 are born autistic.

Often victims are not able to speak, read or write. But what is most extraordinary about the illness is the fact that in other areas many of the children can use their brain in ways which are almost super-human. One of the most common skills these so-called autistic savants have is calendrical calculation, that is the ability to say which day of the week a particular day falls on. Jackie, for instance, who is now 42, could do this from the age of six, when she first began to talk. She can tell you what day of the week it was on 1 April 1955 with scarcely a moment’s hesitation. But if you ask her how she does it, she will say she doesn’t know.

Leclie Lemke only has to hear a piece of music once and he can play it back on the piano note-perfect. Yet he has never had any formal musical training, is blind and with an IQ of only 58 is typical of the majority of autistic savants, who have well-below-average intelligence quotients. If you ask Richard the route of any bus in the London district, he will give you an answer immediately. Stephen Wiltshire has exceptional artistic talents and, like both Lestie and Richard, combines this talent with a remarkable memory, and can draw buildings with complete architectural accuracy, sometimes only hours after seeing them for the first time. Other savants are able to carry out amazing mathematical computations in their heads, but cannot add up simple numbers.

How savants perform such tricks is as puzzling to the medical world as it is to Jackie and the others like her. Certain common characteristics have, however, emerged. Strangest of all, perhaps, is the fact that about 85 per cent of all recorded cases are male. What no one knows either is why the range of savant skills is so restricted. These include music (usually the piano), calendrical or other mathematical calculation, art, extra-sensory perception, extraordinary sensitivity of touch or smell and (more usually) mechanical ability.

It has been suggested that autistic people do not suffer, that they are perfectly happy to remain in their own world and that a cure is only necessary in order to reduce the terrible pain of rejection felt by the victims’ families. This controversial opinion is, however, only held by a few.

The subject became the focus of particular media interest after Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for his brilliant performance in the film Rain Man, where he plays the part of an autistic savant. This has increased public awareness of the disease and hopefully will result in more money being given to research and a cure being found sooner rather than later.

Task 1

Choose the best answer.

1. What is particularly unusual about autistic people is that many of them have

a) extremely poor memories

b) larger than average brain

c) incredible mental abilities

d) higher than average intelligence

2. What does the writer mean by ‘restricted’ in line 39?

a) extraordinary

b) limited

c) varied

d) extensive

3. Medical research has discovered that

a) autism does not affect the sexes equally

b) autistic people feel rejected by their families

c) only a few autistic people suffer intense pain

d) all autistic savants have a wide variety of skills

4. Following the success of the film Rain Man

a) people have given more money to research on autism

b) the media have shown a greater interest in autism

c) the public have become knowledgeable about autism

d) researchers have found a care for autism

5. What does ‘This’ in line 52 refer to?

a) The Oscar

b) The film

c) The performance

d) The media interest

Task 2

Find other words in the text which have similar meanings to the words given.

Disease, extraordinary, computation, ability, opposite, treatment, wonderful, to appear, to concentrate.

Task 3

Match these words from the text with meanings a-e.

1. Mental 2. Penetrate 3. Controversial 4. Focus 5. Awareness

a) enter and understand b) causing discussion and disagreement c) main source or object of something d) of the mind e) realization that something exists

Task 4

Render the text into English.

Живущие внутри себя

К этой деликатной проблеме интерес возник благодаря, как ни странно, американскому кинематографу. В 1980-1990-х годах вышли фильмы «Человек дождя», «Карточный домик», «Восход Меркурия». Их гуманизирующий эффект оказался весьма велик. А сюжетной основой для всех картин стал факт медицинской статистики – распространенность в современном мире такого психологического заболевания, как аутизм.

Погруженность в себя, жизнь внутри себя, почти полная невозможность контактов с внешним миром – так можно описать сущность этого заболевания. Аутизм – далеко не редкость: по данным мировой статистики, он встречается с частотой от 3-4 до 10-15 случаев на 10000 человек. Диагностируется аутизм, как правило, в детстве (до 5 лет). Мальчики страдают им гораздо чаще, чем девочки. Если у ребенка старше 5 лет возникают проблемы с психикой, то речь идет, скорее всего, о шизофрении.

Роль наследственности в развитии аутизма очевидна, но до конца не ясна. Ребенок, совершенно здоровый физически и нормальный физиологически, избегает общения – не улыбается, не смотрит в глаза взрослым, не пытается к ним прикоснуться. Главный стереотип, определяющий личность аутиста целиком – отгороженность от внешнего мира. Этот стереотип задан на генетическом уровне, сломать невозможно. Механизм социализации, позволяющий человеку по мере накопления жизненного опыта раскрываться и общаться с людьми, в психике аутиста не действует. Поэтому с аутистом нужно обращаться очень бережно, учитывая его ограниченные возможности в общении.

Вся жизнь аутиста подчинена ритуалам и стандартным процедурам. Он ритуально ест, пьет, гуляет, читает, смотрит телевизор и случает радио, спит в одной позе, ходит по одному маршруту. Привычное у него доминирует, непривычное отторгается. Аутист никогда не улыбается и не смеется, выражение его лица бесстрастное, походка неуверенная. Любое превышение порога мощности внешних раздражителей расстраивает и пугает аутиста. Он боится громких звуков, не выносит громкой музыки, яркого или мигающего света, темноты и резких движений.

Речь аутиста отличается характерными особенностями. Аутист понимает обращенную к нему речь, но его высказывания не всегда адекватны. Сложные развернутые высказывания аутисту не под силу. Речь аутиста негибкая и часто звучит в форме отрывочной реплики, назывного предложения, констатации. Часто встречается механическое повторение фразы.

У аутистов наблюдается почти полное отсутствие бытовых навыков. На голод, жажду, плохое самочувствие он реагирует беспокойством, прекращением всякой деятельности, но не всегда может самостоятельно себя обиходить, а поэтому нуждается в уходе и защите.

В то же время интеллектуальные способности аутистов иногда доходят до гениальности. В качестве примеров можно привести имена многих выдающихся ученых, которые вплотную подошли к аутизму, - это Ньютон, Дарвин, Менделеев, Эйнштейн.

Аутист может обладать цепкой механической памятью. Впечатляющими могут быть способности аутистов к занятиям, требующим сосредоточения, одиночества, усидчивости – рисованию, музыкаьной композиции, шахматной игре, конструированию сложных технических устройств, решению сложных математических задач. Настоящей виртуозности аутисты могут достигнуть в работе с компьютером

Helpful vocabulary

Cinematograph (кинематограф), plot basis (сюжетная основа), humanizing effect (гумангизирующий эффект), going into inside (погружение в себя), essence of illness (суть болезни), is far from being rarity (далеко не редкость), to make diagnostics (провести диагностику), schizophrenia (шизофрения), heredity (наследственность), personality (личность), shut oneself off (замыкаться в себе), socialization (социализация), while obtaining life experience (по мере приобретения жизненного опыта), psychology (психоз), treat somebody kindly (мягко обращаться с к-л), submit to rituals (подчиняться привычкам), habitual (usual) (привычный), reject (отвергать), impassive look (бесстрастное выражение лица), uncertain walk (step) (неуверенная походка), exceeding power threshold (превышение порога мощности), does not stand something (не выносить ч-л), outside irritant (внешний раздражитель), complex detailed speech (сложное развернутое высказывание), in form of separate cues (в форме отрывочных реплик), nominative sentence (назывное предложение), anxiety (беспокойство), genius (гениальность), tenacious memory (цепкая память), assiduity (усидчивость), virtuoso (виртуозность).

Final task

Organize your knowledge on the topic and present a report on one of the following points.

1. The abilities of man’s mind.

2. Is the intelligence a prerogative of a human being?

3. Who will win thanks to the development of ‘artificial intelligence’, a man or a computer?

4. Are characteristic features like ‘talented, unusually clever’ normal or abnormal for a person? Give examples of unusually talented people.

5. How to improve our memory and discover our reserved abilities?

UNIT 2

ADDICTIONS

For years, researchers have been trying to make sense of the biology and psychology of addiction – its causes and is cures. In the past, addictions were viewed primarily as addictions to substances such as drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Recently, however, many researchers have begun to think that people can also be addicted to activities such as gambling, sex, shopping, and even travel.

One activity that has become increasingly common throughout the world is computer use, Specifically on-line computer communication through a medium called the Internet. The Internet, also known as the Net, is a network that connects computer systems. Like the railroad and telegraph, it is a network that allows people to exchange information across vast distances. Although many people are discovering what a powerful communication tool the Internet is, others are also realizing its dangers. Many individuals have begun overusing this new tool and are spending hours and hours on-line. In fact, some psychologists have even labeled this overuse phenomenon as Internet addiction. Whether on-line addiction can be considered a true addiction is a question for medical researchers.

Text 1

Pre-reading task

When we think about addiction we nearly think first of smoking, alcohol and drugs.

1. What do you think might be the problems of a person who:

· can’t stop working?

· can’t stop eating?

· can’t stop gambling?

2. What do you think could be the consequences of these habits for the person concerned and for the others?

Reading

Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. Why do the people take drugs?

2. What are the reasons of substance abuse?

Addiction

What is addiction?

The world addiction refers to an uncontrollable need for a habit-forming substance or behavior. Alcohol, drug and tobacco addictions are common examples of substances that people readily become addicted to. Examples of habit forming behaviors are people who are workaholics or people who are addicted to sex.

Sometimes people are addicted to things that seem good-like working all the time – but keep in mind the old rule that, “too much of anything is not good for you”.