阅读理解

　　It was a great hit．Yet for Peek－the real-life“savant”on whom Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film Rain Man is based－such recall only gives a glimpse of his powers．He knows 9,000 books off by heart; he can direct people around US cities from maps he has memorized years ago; and he has total recall of the dates of all major world events．

　　Now studies of Peek’s abilities are being used by scientists to shed light on the human mind, and to open the way for men and women to exploit far more of their intellectual potential, as the latest issue of Scientific American reveals．

　　“Kin’s story tells us that the human brain is far more flexible(灵活的)than we had thought,”said Darold Treffert, a psychiatrist of the Scientific American Paper told The Observer．

　　“Like many other savants, he has suffered disability in one area of his brain, but ahs been rewarded by acquiring remarkable new abilities in other areas．This shows we all have considerable hidden intellectual potential．By studying Kim and other savants, we can learn how to tap those powers．”

　　Kim, now 54, was born with a malformed cerebellum(畸形的小脑)，and at the base of his brain, lacks a corpus callosum(数据储存区)，the thick bundle of nerves that normally connects the brain’s two hemispheres．In 1988 he was given an IQ rating of 87, well below the average．

　　Kin has poor physical condition, cannot button his shirts but has remarkable memory power and has started to develop as an accomplished pianist in the last two years．This latest development－in a man in his 50s with large chunks of his brain missing－is particularly significant, added Treffert．“His brain is still adapting to his condition, even in mid-life．”

　　Kim displays little personal interest in people outside the arithmetical details of their lives．When I talked to him by phone on his home in Salt Lake City last week, he asked for my birthday．I told him．“Ah you were born on a Sunday, and you are scheduled to retire on a Thursday,”he replied correctly．

　　“He remembers 98 per cent of what he reads,”said his father Fran．“It’s like down loading data on to a hard disk－－except his never crashes．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

READING COMPREHENSION

　　Prison Break(《越狱》)is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller．His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show．

　　Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out his innocent older brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on television today．But what about the man behind the character

　　Miller, 35, is a hard guy to figure out．He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way．

　　Miller didn’t take a direct path to fame and fortune．He graduated from Princeton University(美国普林斯顿大学)in 1995, not with a degree in theatre or film, but in English．He didn’t even act when he was in college．His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group．Yet, at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood．

　　Miller has always been different．Although he is American, he was born in Britain when his father was studying there．His family background is also a special mix of cultures．“My father is black and my mother is white．That means I have always been caught in the middle．I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,”Miller says．

　　Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he first got to Hollywood．Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant．Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate．However, it all paid off for Miller in the end．

　　In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia(《恐龙帝国》)．He starred as a thoughtful and shy man．Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later．With a golden globe nomination(提名)and another season of Prison Break on his resume(履历), Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)