【英语时差8,16】阅读障碍

As the popular slogan states, "reading is fundamental." But for many kids with dyslexia, learning to read is a struggle. Simply put, children with reading disorders² have trouble recognizing words and letters on the page. And although reading difficulty has been studied for over 100 years, scientists have never determined³ a specific cause. 

 

Over the past twenty years, however, researchers have made significant strides. Many agree that the disorder¹ can be best explained by understanding the mechanics of reading. When a child learns to read, she begins to associate the shapes of letters with sounds, and then string the sounds together to form words. When a learning reader sees the letters C-A-T on the page, she begins by recognizing that the letter "C" makes a "kuh" sound, A makes an "ahh" sound, and so on. These basic sounds are called phonemes, and the ability to manipulate them is called phonological awareness⁴.

 

Many researches now believe that for children with reading disorders, the problem has to do with impaired⁵ phonological awareness. Such children may know what a cat is and be able to describe it in detail, but when it comes to sounding out the written word "CAT," the parts of their brains responsible for processing phonemes just don't work as well as they should.

 

Many reading disorders seem to have nothing to do with intelligence. Albert Einstein was dyslexic, and he turned out to be pretty bright. The good news is that with proper training, nearly all children can learn to read with proficiency⁶. And that, as we know, is fundamental.  

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？