8月13日是国际左撇子日（International Left-Handers Day）。你身边有左撇子的朋友吗？你知道吗？乔布斯（Steve Jobs）、比尔·盖茨（Bill Gates）、威廉王子（Prince William）、奥普拉（Oprah Winfrey）等等都是左撇子。
我们常常听说这样一种说法，左撇子的人更聪明。这个说法并没有得到科学论证，不过Business Insider的一篇文章称，左撇子的人确实在某些方面更出色。
There are certain cognitive domains where left-handed people do seem to excel. One such area is called 'divergent thinking,' or the ability to generate new ideas based on existing information.
左撇子的人确实在某些特定领域更出色，比如发散性思维。
That's according to 1995 research by psychologist Stanley Coren, which was cited more recently in a New Yorker article. Coren conducted several experiments that suggest left-handedness is associated with superior divergent thinking, at least in men.
1995年心理学家Stanley Coren的研究证明了这一观点，他的研究也在近期被New Yorker引用。Coren做了一系列实验，证明了左撇子人群——至少是男性左撇子人群——在发散性思维方面的擅长。
More recent research, cited in the New Yorker article, has found that lefties demonstrate superior spatial skills, mental flexibility, and working memory.
New Yorker的这篇文章同时还指出，左撇子人群在空间能力、思维灵活性和工作记忆等方面也表现更出色。
Although none of these findings prove that lefties are more intelligent, they do suggest that they have certain cognitive advantages. Those advantages may influence not only their performance in psychological experiments, but also the professional paths they pursue and the areas they thrive in.
尽管这些科学研究并不能证明左撇子更聪明，但至少证明了他们在某些方面的优势，这些优势不仅会让他们在心理学实验中表现更出色，也有可能让他们在工作和专业领域更突出。
在今天这个“左撇子日”，再让我们一起多了解一下左撇子吧！一起来看一下The Telegraph总结的关于左手的一些冷知识，你知道几个呢？
1
Just 10 per cent of the world's population is left-handed and this has remained roughly the case for thousands of years. Men are also more likely to be left-handed.
世界上大约有10%左右的人是左撇子，这个情况已经持续了数千年。男性左撇子的几率相对更高一些。
2
Historically left-handed people were considered inferior, with the use of the left hand being associated with witchcraft.
历史上左撇子的人曾经被认为低人一等，因为左撇子经常和巫术联系在一起。
3
Left-hand shakes are a sign of disrespect. This derives from the Middle Ages where people used to use their left hand to wipe after going to the toilet.
用左手握手被认为是无礼的，因为中世纪时人们在上完厕所后惯用左手来擦。
4
The word sinister comes from the Latin word 'sinestra' which originally meant “left” but took on meanings or “evil” or “unlucky.”
拉丁文中的“左”有“邪恶”和“不幸”的意思。
5
Wedding rings worn on the third finger of the left hand originated with the Greeks and Romans, who wore them to fend of evil associated with the left-hand.
婚戒戴在左手中指上的传统来自于希腊人和罗马人，最初他们这样带戒指是为了对抗左手的邪恶。
6
Tennis champion Rafael Nadal switched to being a left-handed player - and there's a myth that his coach and mentor Toni Nadal noted it would give him a bigger advantage on court.
著名网球运动员纳达尔其实本来是右手选手，他的教练认为纳达尔转换为左手选手让他在球场上有了巨大优势。
7
A left-handed compliment is a criticism couched as a compliment; otherwise known as a backhanded compliment, such as “you are very competent for someone so inexperienced.”
“A left-handed compliment”这个词组的意思是“假恭维、言不由衷”，比如“作为一个没有经验的人，你已经做得很好了。”
8
The term 'left- wing' dates from the 1790s, when in the French revolutionary parliament the socialist representatives sat to the presiding officer's left. Leftists at this time were considered hostile to the interests of traditional elites.
“左翼、左派”这个词源自于18世纪90年代，指那些反对传统、支持改革的人。
9
In The Simpsons, character Ned Flanders set up a shop to recognise the plight of left-handed people. Named “The Leftorium”, it specialised in left-handed products.
在动画片《辛普森一家》中，Ned Flanders开了一家左撇子用品专卖店。
10
Five out of the last eight US presidents write with their left-hand - Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
在最近的8位美国总统中，有5位是左撇子。
11
Lefties are also called 'southpaws'. The term was coined in baseball to describe a left-handed pitcher.
除了lefties，左撇子还有一个说法是southpaws，在棒球运动中这个词被用来形容左撇子投手。
本文转自：21世纪杯英语演讲比赛
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