21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文Word格式文档下载.docx
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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'
thavehadtheradiotodohis
firesidechats."
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