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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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