BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

BBC學習英語。我是尼爾。

And I’m Sam.

而我是山姆。

Would you say you’re artistic, Sam?

你說你有藝術細胞嗎，山姆？

Can you draw or paint?

你會畫畫嗎？

Do you dance or play music?

你會跳舞或玩音樂嗎？

I play the piano a bit. Yes, I’d say I’m

我彈過一點鋼琴。是的，我想說我是

quite artistic. How about you, Neil?

很有藝術感。你呢，尼爾？

Well, if you count playing football as artistic

嗯，如果你把踢足球算作藝術的話

then yes, but basically no – I can’t paint.

那麼是的，但基本上沒有--我不會畫畫。

We’ve been wondering why artistic ability

我們一直在想，為什麼藝術能力

comes more naturally to some people than others,

有些人比其他人更自然。

so in this programme we’ll be asking:

是以，在這個節目中，我們將問。

are artists’ brains different?

藝術家的大腦是否不同？

We’ll hear two expert opinions, and as usual,

我們將聽取兩位專家的意見，和以往一樣。

we’ll learn some useful new vocabulary as well.

我們也會學到一些有用的新詞彙。

So, what do you think, Neil? Are artists’ brains

那麼，你怎麼看，尼爾？藝術家的大腦是否

different from other people’s?

與其他人的不同？

I’m not sure, Sam, but it’s true that many

我不確定，山姆，但確實有很多人

artists behave differently, often in very

藝術家的行為是不同的，往往在非常

strange ways. For example, did you know

奇怪的方式。例如，你知道嗎？

that Michelangelo worked so hard he never

米開朗基羅如此努力工作，卻從未

took a bath! Or that guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix,

洗了個澡!或者那個吉他傳奇人物，吉米-亨德里克斯。

once set fire to his guitar on stage!

曾經在舞臺上放火燒了他的吉他!

We’ll hear more about the artist’s brain soon,

我們將很快聽到更多關於藝術家大腦的消息。

but first I have a question for you. As you said,

但首先我有一個問題要問你。正如你所說。

artistic ability comes naturally to some people,

藝術能力對某些人來說是天生的。

including the famous composer,

包括著名的作曲家。

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was

沃爾夫岡-阿瑪迪斯-莫扎特。莫扎特是

considered a child prodigy - a young child with

被認為是一個神童--一個具有

very great musical talent. So, how old was

非常大的音樂天賦。那麼，當時有多大年紀

Mozart when he composed his first

莫扎特在創作他的第一個

piece of music? Was he: a) five years old?

琴曲？他是：a）五歲？

b) ten years old? or, c) fifteen years old?

b) 十歲？ 或者，c) 十五歲？

I’ll guess he was a) five years old.

我猜他當時是a）五歲。

OK, Sam. I’ll reveal the answer later in the

好的，山姆。我將在稍後揭曉答案。

programme. If artists’ brains are different,

方案。如果藝術家的大腦是不同的。

it could mean they see the world in unusual ways.

這可能意味著他們以不尋常的方式看待世界。

Dr Rebecca Chamberlain is a researcher in

麗貝卡-張伯倫博士是一名研究人員，在

the neuroscience of art. She investigates how

藝術的神經科學。她研究瞭如何

artists see the objects they  are drawing by measuring 

藝術家通過測量看到他們所畫的物體

saccades – the rapid movements our eyes make

眼球運動 - 我們的眼睛所做的快速運動

as they jump from one thing to another. Here she

因為他們從一件事跳到另一件事。在這裡，她

shares her findings with BBC

與BBC分享她的發現

World Service programme, CrowdScience.

世界服務方案，CrowdScience。

Artists seem to be processing the visual world

藝術家似乎在處理視覺世界

in a different way to non-artists, particularly

以不同的方式向非藝術家展示，特別是

when they’re drawing. The artist actually takes

當他們在畫畫時。藝術家實際上採取了

a more global approach to looking – so they

一個更加全球化的尋找方法--所以他們

make bigger saccades, bigger eye movements,

做出更大的囊狀動作，更大的眼球運動。

and shorter fixations on  the image. So, it’s almost

和較短的固定在影像上的時間。所以，這幾乎是

like they’re getting much more of a kind of

好像他們得到了更多的一種

gist level view of the thing they’re looking at.

他們正在看的東西的要點級視圖。

Rebecca’s experiments seem to confirm that

麗貝卡的實驗似乎證實了這一點

artists’ brains work differently because of their

藝術家的大腦工作方式不同，因為他們的

processing of the visual world – the way

視覺世界的處理--方式

their brains make sense of information.

他們的大腦對資訊的理解。

Interestingly, processing also means the act

有趣的是，加工也意味著以下行為

of developing pictures from photographic film.

從攝影膠片上衝洗照片的過程。

When they draw, artists make bigger, quicker

當他們畫畫時，藝術家會做出更大、更快

eye movements so they are able to see the

眼球運動，所以他們能夠看到

whole picture, something also known as

全貌，也就是所謂的

the gist – the overall, general impression of

要點--整體的、一般的印象

something without focussing on the details.

不注重細節的東西。

If you ‘get the gist’ of what someone is saying,

如果你 "理解 "了某人所說的要點。

you understand the overall meaning of what

你瞭解什麼是總體意義

they say, but not the details.

他們說，但不是細節。

The second expert to answer our question

第二個回答我們問題的專家

about the artistic brain is Mike, a BBC World

關於藝術的大腦，是BBC世界的麥克。

Service listener from Malawi. Mike is

來自馬拉威的服務聽眾。麥克是

a self-taught painter who creates large,

一個自學成才的畫家，創作了大型的。

colourful pictures in his studio.

在他的工作室裡，五顏六色的圖片。

According to him, artistic ability isn’t something

據他說，藝術能力並不是

you’re born with - it can  be learned, as he explained

正如他所解釋的那樣，這是你與生俱來的能力--它可以被學習。

to BBC World Service’s, CrowdScience.

到BBC世界服務的，CrowdScience。

I had this other student… he was really

我有另一個學生......他真的是

at the zero, like, he could not draw – at all.

在零點，就像，他不能畫畫--根本不能。

So, I gave him some tips, and in a month,

所以，我給了他一些提示，在一個月後。

he was really good – he was like really surprised,

他真的很好--他好像真的很驚訝。

blown away, he never expected it.

被吹走了，他從未料到。

So, there are some things that are trainable,

是以，有些事情是可以訓練的。

it’s like a bike. In my case, I learned how to do

這就像一輛自行車。就我而言，我學會了如何做

those things without anyone telling me,

這些事情沒有人告訴我。

you know like, if you are drawing the face,

你知道的，比如，如果你在畫臉。

the human face, the distance between your eyes

人的臉，你的眼睛之間的距離

is the same as one of your eyes.

與你的一隻眼睛相同。

Mike gives tips to his students – helpful

邁克給他的學生提供提示--有幫助

pieces of advice about how to do something,

關於如何做某事的建議。

in this case, to paint. After getting Mike’s

在這種情況下，要畫畫。在得到邁克的

tips, one of his students really improved and

技巧，他的一個學生真的改善了，並且

started painting much better. Mike was

開始畫得好多了。邁克是

blown away – an informal way to say very

驚呆了--一種非正式的說法是非常

impressed or surprised.

令人印象深刻或驚訝。

Like learning to ride a bike, Mike thinks that

就像學習騎自行車一樣，邁克認為

painting is trainable – a word from American

繪畫是可以訓練的--來自美國的一個詞

English meaning that it can be taught

英語的意思是，它可以被教授

or trained. For him, this is proof that

或訓練。對他來說，這證明了

artists’ brains are not so different after all.

藝術家的大腦畢竟不是那麼不同。

So, there we have it – two different options,

是以，我們有了--兩種不同的選擇。

but no final answer to our question.

但對我們的問題沒有最終答案。

Still, some scientists think there may be

然而，一些科學家認為可能有

third possibility: everyone’s brain works

第三種可能：每個人的大腦都在工作

by focussing on some areas and ignoring others,

通過關注某些領域而忽視其他領域。

making a kind of jigsaw puzzle with

拼圖的一種

missing pieces. Maybe all of us – you, me,

缺少的部分。也許我們所有的人--你、我。

Mozart and Jimi Hendrix - are just filling in

莫扎特和吉米-亨德里克斯--只是填補了

the missing pieces our own way.

用我們自己的方式來彌補缺失的部分。

Speaking of Mozart, Neil, it’s time to reveal

說到莫扎特，尼爾，是時候透露一下了

the answer to your question.

你的問題的答案。

Right. I asked how old child prodigy Mozart

對。我問神童莫扎特有多大？

was when he first composed music.

是他第一次創作音樂的時候。

I said he was five years old… so, was I right?

我說他已經五歲了......那麼，我說的對嗎？

Your answer was correct! Mozart was five

你的答案是正確的!莫扎特是五歲

when first wrote music, and by the age of six

第一次寫音樂時，到六歲時

he had performed in front of the

他曾經在法庭上表演過

Emperor of Austria – twice!

奧地利皇帝--兩次!

Now there’s an artistic brain!

現在有了一個藝術的大腦!

OK, Neil, let’s recap the vocabulary from

好的，尼爾，讓我們回顧一下詞彙，從

this programme, starting with child prodigy -

這個節目，從神童------開始。

a young child, like Mozart, with

像莫扎特這樣的幼童，有

a great talent in something.

在某方面有很大的天賦。

Processing describes how your brain

處理描述了你的大腦如何

makes sense of the information it receives.

使它收到的資訊有意義。

The gist of something is a general

某事的要點是一個總的

understanding of it, without the details.

瞭解它，沒有細節。

Tips are useful pieces of advice about

提示是關於以下方面的有用建議

how to do something better.

如何做得更好。

If you are blown away, you are very

如果你被吹走了，你是非常

impressed or surprised by something.

對某事印象深刻或感到驚訝。

And finally, trainable means able to be

最後，可培訓意味著能夠

trained or taught, in American English.

訓練或教授，用美國英語。

Once again, our six minutes are up.

再一次，我們的六分鐘時間到了。

It’s goodbye for now!

暫時告別了!

Goodbye!

再見!