A number of scientists around the world are now investigating a phenomenon called synaesthesia that may (21) _as many as one in 2,000 people. The name (22) from the
Greek words for together and perception and means that some people's senses work in combination.
For example, some people (23). _colour when they hear particular sounds. Similarly, a smell
or taste may be (24) Las a reaction to information received from the eyes. However, the
most common form of synaesthesia occurs among people who (25). certain letters or words
with colours. Scientists at Cambridge University conducted experiments to determine whether
this is actually a product of mental activity or if some individuals are just (26) imaginative.
They discovered that synaesthetes, people who experience synaesthesia, (27) associate the
same letters or words with the same colours. Brain scans revealed (28). activity in the brain
when subjects were listening to words, suggesting that it is a physical condition. The most
plausible explanation is that synaesthetes have slightly different connections between the areas of
the brain which control their (29) Synaesthesia is not a medical problem, however, and
synaesthetes often (30) from an unusually good memory, probably because they have
extra information to help them recall things like names and numbers,