21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文.docx
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21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文.docx
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21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文
WhoIsGreat?
MichaelRyan
Asayoungboy,AlbertEinsteindidsopoorlyinschoolthatteachersthoughthewasslow.TheyoungNapoleonBonapartewasjustoneofhundredsofartillerylieutenantsintheFrenchArmy.AndtheteenageGeorgeWashington,withlittleformaleducation,wasbeingtrainednotasasoldierbutasalandsurveyor.
Despitetheirunspectacularbeginnings,eachwouldgoontocarveaplaceforhimselfinhistory.Whatwasitthatenabledthemtobecomegreat?
Weretheybornwithsomethingspecial?
Ordidtheirgreatnesshavemoretodowithtiming,devotionand,perhaps,anuncompromisingpersonality?
Fordecades,scientistshavebeenaskingsuchquestions.And,inthepastfewyears,theyhavefoundevidencetohelpexplainwhysomepeopleriseabove,whileothers—similarlytalented,perhaps—areleftbehind.Theirfindingscouldhaveimplicationsforusall.
Whoisgreat?
Definingwhoisgreatdependsonhowonemeasuressuccess.Buttherearesomecriteria."Someonewhohasmadealastingcontributiontohumancivilizationisgreat,"saidDeanKeithSimonton,aprofessorofpsychologyattheUniversityofCaliforniaatDavisandauthorofthe1994bookGreatness:
WhoMakesHistoryandWhy.Butheaddedawordofcaution:
"Sometimesgreatpeopledon'tmakeitintothehistorybooks.Alotofwomenachievedgreatthingsorwereinfluentialbutwentunrecognized."
Inwritinghisbook,Simontoncombinedhistoricalknowledgeaboutgreatfigureswithrecentfindingsingenetics,psychiatryandthesocialsciences.ThegreatfigureshefocusedonincludemenandwomenwhohavewonNobelPrizes,ledgreatnationsorwonwars,composedsymphoniesthathaveenduredforcenturies,orrevolutionizedscience,philosophy,politicsorthearts.Thoughhedoesn'thaveaformulatodefinehoworwhycertainpeopleriseabove(toomanyfactorsareinvolved),hehascomeupwithafewcommoncharacteristics.
A"neversurrender"attitude.Ifgreatachieversshareanything,saidSimonton,itisanunrelentingdrivetosucceed."There'satendencytothinkthattheyareendowedwithsomethingsuper-normal,"heexplained."Butwhatcomesoutoftheresearchisthattherearegreatpeoplewhohavenoamazingintellectualprocesses.It'sadifferenceindegree.Greatnessisbuiltupontremendousamountsofstudy,practiceanddevotion."
HecitedWinstonChurchill,Britain'sprimeministerduringWorldWarII,asanexampleofarisk-takerwhowouldnevergiveup.Thrustintoofficewhenhiscountry'smoralewasatitslowest,ChurchillrosebrilliantlytoleadtheBritishpeople.InaspeechfollowingtheAlliedevacuationatDunkirkin1940,heinspiredthenationwhenhesaid,"Weshallnotflagorfail.Weshallgoontotheend...Weshallneversurrender."
Canyoubeborngreat?
InlookingatChurchill'sroleinhistory—aswellastherolesofotherpoliticalandmilitaryleaders—Simontondiscoveredastrikingpattern:
"Firstbornsandonlychildrentendtomakegoodleadersintimeofcrisis:
They'reusedtotakingcharge.Butmiddle-bornsarebetteraspeacetimeleaders:
Theylistentodifferentinterestgroupsbetterandmakethenecessarycompromises.Churchill,anonlychild,wastypical.Hewasgreatinacrisis,butinpeacetimehewasnoteffective—notevenpopular."
Timingisanotherfactor."IfyoutookGeorgeWashingtonandputhiminthe20thcenturyhewouldgonowhereasapolitician,"Simontondeclared."Hewasnotaneffectivepublicspeaker,andhedidn'tlikeshakinghandswiththepublic.Ontheotherhand,I'mnotsureFranklinRooseveltwouldhavedonewellinWashington'stime.Hewouldn'thavehadtheradiotodohisfiresidechats."
Canyoubetoosmart?
OnesurpriseamongSimonton'sfindingsisthatmanypoliticalandmilitaryleadershavebeenbrightbutnotoverlyso.Beyondacertainpoint,heexplained,otherfactors,liketheabilitytocommunicateeffectively,becomemoreimportantthaninnateintelligenceasmeasuredbyanIQtest.ThemostintelligentU.S.Presidents,forexample—ThomasJefferson,WoodrowWilsonandJohnF.Kennedy—hadahardtimegettingelected,Simontonsaid,whileotherswithIQsclosertotheaverage(suchasWarrenG.Harding)wonbylandslides.Whilepoliticalandeconomicfactorsalsoareinvolved,havingageniusIQisnotnecessarytobeagreatleader.
Inthesciences,thosewith"geniuslevel"IQsdohaveabetterchanceatachievingrecognition,addedSimonton.Yetevidencealsoindicatesthatovercomingtraditionalwaysofthinkingmaybejustasimportant.
Hepointedtoonerecentstudywherecollegestudentsweregivenasetofdataandwereaskedtoseeiftheycouldcomeupwithamathematicalrelation.Almostathirddid.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheyhadjustsolvedoneofthemostfamousscientificequationsinhistory:
theThirdLawofPlanetaryMotion,anequationthatJohannesKeplercameupwithin1618.
Kepler'sgenius,Simontonsaid,wasnotsomuchinsolvingamathematicalchallenge.Itwasinthinkingaboutthenumbersinauniqueway—applyinghismathematicalknowledgetohisobservationsofplanetarymotion.Itwashisboldnessthatsethimapart.
Loveyourwork.Asachild,Einsteinbecamefascinatedwiththewaymagnetsaredrawntometal."Hecouldn'tstopthinkingaboutthisstuff,"Simontonpointedout."Hebecameobsessedwithproblemsinphysicsbythetimehewas16,andheneverstoppedworkingonthem.It'snotsurprisingthathemademajorcontributionsbythetimehewas26."
"Formostofus,it'snotthatwedon'thavetheability,"Simontonadded,"it'sthatwedon'tdevotethetime.Youhavetoputintheeffortandputupwithallthefrustrationsandobstacles."
Likeothercreativegeniuses,Einsteinwasnotmotivatedbyadesireforfame,saidSimonton.Instead,hisobsessionwithhisworkwaswhatsethimapart.
Wheresuchdrivecomesfromremainsamystery.Butitisfoundinnearlyallcreativegeniuses—whetherornottheirgeniusisacknowledgedbycontemporaries.
"EmilyDickinsonwasnotrecognizedforherpoetryuntilafterherdeath,"saidSimonton."Butshewasnotwritingforfame.ThesamecanbesaidofJamesJoyce,whodidn'tspendalotoftimeworryingabouthowmanypeoplewouldreadFinnegansWake."
Today,researchershaveevidencethatanintrinsicpassionforone'sworkisakeytorisingabove.Ina1985studyatBrandeisUniversityconductedbyTeresaAmabile,nowaprofessorofbusinessadministrationatHarvardUniversity,agroupofprofessionalwriters—nonefamous—wereaskedtowriteashortpoem.Eachwriterwasthenrandomlyplacedinoneofthreegroups:
Onegroupwasaskedtokeepinmindtheideaofwritingformoney;anotherwastoldtothinkaboutwritingjustforpleasure;andathirdgroupwasgivennoinstructionatall.
Thepoemsthenweresubmittedanonymouslytoapanelofprofessionalwritersforevaluation.Thepoetrywrittenbypeoplewhothoughtaboutwritingformoneyrankedlowest.Thosewhothoughtaboutwritingjustforpleasuredidthebest."Motivationthatcomesfromenjoyingtheworkmakesasignificantdifference,"Amabilesaid.
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TheGratitudeWeNeed
A.J.Cronin
OnafineafternooninNewYork,Igotintoataxi.Fromthedriver'sexpressionandthewayheslammedinhisgears,Icouldtellthathewasupset.Iaskedhimwhatwasthetrouble."I'vegotgoodreasontobesore,"hegrowled."Oneofmyfaresleftawalletinmycabthismorning.Nearlythreehundredbucksinit.Ispentmorethananhourtryingtotracetheguy.FinallyIfoundhimathishotel.HetookthewalletwithoutawordandglaredatmeasthoughI'dmeanttostealit."
"Hedidn'tgiveyouareward?
"Iexclaimed.
"Notacent.Butitwasn'tthedoughIwanted..."hefumbled,thenexploded,"Iftheguyhadonlysaidsomething..."
Becausehishelpful,honestacthadnotbeenappreciated,thatcabdriver'sdaywaspoisoned,andIknewhewouldthinktwicebeforerenderingasimilarservice.Theneedforgratitudeissomethingweallfeel,anddenialofitcandomuchtoharmthespiritofkindnessandcooperation.
DuringWorldWarIIamotherinCincinnatireceivedaletterfromhersoninthearmyinwhichhespokeofawomaninavillageinNormandywhohadtakenhimintoherhomewhenhewaswoundedandhungry,andhiddenhimfromtheGermans.Lateron,unhappily,theboywaskilledintheArdennesoffensive.Yetthemotherwasmovedbyanirresistibleintention.Shesavedupfortwoyears,crossedtheAtlanticandlocatedthevillagereferredtobyherson.Aftermanyinquiries,shefoundthewomanwhohadshelteredherson—thewifeofanimpoverishedfarmer—andpressedapackageintoherhand.Itwasthegoldwristwatchhersonhadreceivedonhisgraduation,theonlyobjectofrealvaluetheboyhadeverpossessed.Themother'sactofgratitudesotouchedpeople'sheartsthatithasbecomesomethingofalegendinandaroundthevillage.IthasdonemorethanfinespeechestofostergoodfeelingtowardAmericans.
Gratitudeistheartofreceivinggracefully,ofshowingappreciationforeverykindness,greatandsmall.Mostofusdonotfailtoshowourpleasurewhenwereceivehospitality,giftsandobviousbenefits,butevenherewecanperfectourmannerofshowinggratitudebymakingitaspersonalandsincereaspossible.Recently,whentouringinsouthernItalywithmywife,IsenttoafriendinConnecticutseveralbottlesofalocalwinewhichhadtakenourfancy.Itwasatriflinggift,yettooursurprise,insteadoftheconventionalletterofthanks,wereceiveaphonographrecord.Whenweplayedit,weheardourfriend'svoicespeakingafterdinner,describinghowheandhisguestshadenjoyedthewineandthankingusforourthoughtfulness.Itwaspleasanttohavethisunusualproofthatourgiftha
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