Dyslexia (阅读障碍) is a common reading disorder. It refers to a language-processing problem in which the brain tends to confuse the order of numbers, letters and other images. Past research showed that crowded text was especially difficult for people with dyslexia to read. So researchers at Anglia Ruskin University wanted to see how much help an increase in the spacing between letters would provide.
Steven Stagg and his team found 59 students between 11 and 15 years old. The kids came from schools in three cities in England. 32 had dyslexia; 27 did not. While the researchers recorded them, each student read two passages out loud. One passage was printed in its original format. In the other, the spacing between the letters was increased by 2.5 points. That extra space equals about 0. 88 millimeters. The recording allowed the scientists to measure someone’s reading speed and count any errors, such as skipped
People with dyslexia often employ aids to help them read, such as colored overlays (透明膜). So the researchers offered those colored plastic sheets to the students here. Readers place the plastic on top of the text and then read through it.
Those colored overlays didn’t help either group of kids. But the extra spacing did. Kids with dyslexia read the wider-spaced text 13 percent faster than the text with original spacing. These kids also made fewer mistakes. Students without dyslexia read faster, too, although only by 5 percent. Stagg studies how the mind processed language. He wasn’t surprised that the colored overlays weren’t helpful. Stagg has dyslexia and says colored overlays never helped him much, either. What was unexpected to the scientist was that wider-spaced letters helped even kids without dyslexia.
This is very good news. It means teachers and publishers can print material with extra spacing between letters knowing it will help everyone. Readers with dyslexia won’t feel singled out by having to use special reading materials. It’s a simple fix, too. Certain text-writing and document— processing software, such as Microsoft Word, can easily add extra spacing between letters. Web designers can add space to the text on their pages, too,
12. What were the students asked to do in the research?
A.Read two passages out. |
B.Record their reading speed. |
C.Distinguish the letter space. |
D.Avoid errors in reading activity. |
13. What surprised Steven Stagg about the study?
A.The uselessness of the overlays. |
B.The negative effects of dyslexia. |
C.The help of wider letter space to kids. |
D.The reading speed of kids with dyslexia. |
14. Why does the author mention “Microsoft Word” in the last paragraph?
A.To draw a comparison. | B.To clarify a concept. |
C.To make a summary. | D.To provide an example. |
15. What is the author’s attitude to the finding of the research?
A.Disapproval. | B.Favorable. | C.Doubtful. | D.Unclear. |