(31-34) When you first meet Meggie, you may think she’s strange. She often tells people
which word “tastes” good and who has a “delicious” name. But she’s not crazy. She has
synesthesia, something only one in 2,000 people has.
People who have synesthesia experience the world differently. For some people,
different words “taste” differently, for some, numbers or letters have colors, and for some,
music “touches” parts of their bodies. Many of them experience more than one kind of
synesthesia, while some have just one, like Meggie.
Each of them has their individual experience – two people with synesthesia may both
“feel” music, but they almost never feel the music in the same way. For example, one may
feel the music of the violin lightly brushing his face; the other may feel it on her ankle. And
one’s experience of synesthesia is always the same. If they see the number 5 in the color
blue, then 5 is blue every time they see it.
There’s one thing about synesthesia: it can’t be “turned off.” If you have synesthesia,
you’ll experience it all the time. Meggie once met a guy and his name made her think of the
taste of bad eggs. He was a fun guy, but after thinking about his name all night, she felt too
sick to be friends with him. Even so, she still likes this “gift” because that’s what makes
her different.
【題組】32. What does it mean when someone has their individual experience?
(A) Their experience is helpful to them.
(B) Their experience is different from others’.
(C) Their experience stays in their mind for a long time.
(D) Their experience changes their way of seeing the world.