21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文.docx

21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册textA课文原文.docx

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WhoIsGreat?

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'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