第十篇： How Deafness Makes It Easier to Hear

Most people think of Beethoven's hearing loss as an obstacle to composing music.

However, he produced his most powerful works in the last decade of his life when he was

completely deaf.

This is one of the most glorious cases of the triumph of will over adversity, but his

biographer, Maynard Solomon, takes a different view. l . In his deaf world Beethoven

could experiment, free from the sounds of the outside world, free to create new forms and

harmonies.

Hearing loss does not seem to affect the musical ability of musicians who become deaf. They continue to "hear" music with as much, or greater, accuracy than if they were actually hearing it being played.

2 . He described a fascinating phenomenon that happened within three months:"my former musical experiences began to play back to me. I couldn't differentiate between what I heard and real hearing. After many years, it is still rewarding to listen to these playbacks, to 'hear' music which is new to me and to find many quiet accompaniments for ali of my moods. "

How is it that the world we see, touch, hear, and smell is both "out there" and at the same time within us? There is no better example of this connection between external stimulus and internal perception than the cochlear implant. 3 . However,it might be possible to use the brain's remarkable power to make sense of the electrical signals the implant produces.

When Michael Edgar first "switched on" his cochlear implant, the sounds he heard were not at all Clear. Gradually, with much hard work, he began to identify everyday sounds. For example," The insistent ringing of the telephone became clear almost at once. "

The primary purpose of the implant is to allow communication with others. When people

spoke to Eagar, he heard their voices "coming through like a long-distance telephone call on

a poor connection. " But when it came to his beloved music, the implant was of no help.

4 . He said, "I play the piano as I used to and hear it in my head at the same time.

The movement of my fingers and the feel of the keys give added ' clarity' to hearing in my

head. "

Cochlear implants allow the deaf to hear again in a way that is not perfect, but which can

change their lives. 5 . Even the most amazing cochlear implants would have been useless to Beethoven as he composed his Ninth Symphony at the end of his life.

注釋：

1. the triumph of will over adversity:the successful overcoming of difficulty through determination用意志力戰勝不幸

2. I couldn't differentiate between what/heard and real hearing:

我無法區別真正聽到的和曾經聽過的聲音。

3. cochlear implant:a device, surgically placed in the ear, that changes sounds into electric signals

人工耳蝸;耳蝸植入

4. But when it came to his beloved mumble,flag, implant was of no help.

但是，當聽到鐘愛的音樂時，人工耳蝸就毫無用處(我不用人工耳蝸就能聽出來)。

5. The movement of my fingers and the feel of the keys give added clarity to hearing in my head:我手指的移動以及對琴鍵的感覺使我聽到的聲音在腦海里更加清晰

練習：

A No man-made device could replace the ability to hear.

B When he wanted to appreciate music,Eagar played the piano.

C Still, as Michael Eagar discovered, when it comes to musical harmonies,hearing is irrelevant.

D Michael Eagar, who died in 2003,became deaf at the age of 21.

E Beethoven produced his most wonderful works after he became deaf.

F Solomon argues that Beethoven's deafness "heightened" his achievement as a composer.

答案與題解：

1.F本段的開頭講：貝多芬的例子是一個意志力戰勝失聰的極好的例子。但是，他的傳記作家Maynard Solomon卻持不同的意見。貝多芬的失聰不是一種災難;相反，對他成為作曲家起到了促進作用。后一句解釋了失聰是如何使貝多芬更好地創作。

2.D該句是本段的開頭，根據后一句：他描述了在3個月之內發生的奇妙的現象：我之前的音樂經歷開始在腦中回放。再有后一句的what I heard and real hearing可以判定D是恰當的。

3.A依據前一句：只有人工耳蝸才能使外部刺激和內心感知聯系起來(失聰的人通過人工耳

蝸聽到外部的聲音)。人工耳蝸就是一種man-made device，后一句也是在講人工耳蝸的功能。所以A是對的。

4.B依據后一句的play the piano呼應When he wanted to appreciate music.Eagar played the piano，可以斷定答案為B。

5.C前一句講人工耳蝸的作用：它能使失聰的人聽到聲音，盡管不完美，但改變了他們的生活;Still表示轉折，該句承上啟下，雖然人工耳蝸能幫助失聰的人，但談到音樂的和聲時聽力就無關緊要了(聽力不起作用)。所以后一句講貝多芬在他生命的最后時刻創作第九交響曲時，無論多么完美的人工耳蝸對他來說都沒有用。

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（責任編輯：vstara）

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