Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.Let's state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It's said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are "really, really smart." Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are "really, really smart." Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn't take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.Here's the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we're all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素) like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world."【小题1】What does the author think of victors' standards for joining the genius club?A．They're unfair.B．They're conservative.C．They're objective.D．They're strict.【小题2】What can we infer about girls from the study in Science?A．They think themselves smart.B．They look up to great thinkers.C．They see gender differences earlier than boys.D．They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs.
Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let's state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It's said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are "really, really smart." Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are "really, really smart." Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn't take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here's the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we're all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素) like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world."
【小题1】What does the author think of victors' standards for joining the genius club?| A．They're unfair. | B．They're conservative. |
| C．They're objective. | D．They're strict. |
| A．They think themselves smart. |
| B．They look up to great thinkers. |
| C．They see gender differences earlier than boys. |
| D．They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs. |
题目解答
答案
解析
文章讨论了天才的概念，以及历史上对天才的定义和标准。文章指出，历史上被认可为天才的人主要是欧洲白人男性，而其他群体，如女性和不同肤色或信仰的人，他们的贡献往往被忽视或拒绝。
步骤 2：分析问题1
问题1询问作者对胜利者设定的加入天才俱乐部标准的看法。根据文章，这些标准是不公平的，因为它们排除了其他群体，如女性和不同肤色或信仰的人。
步骤 3：分析问题2
问题2询问我们能从Science杂志的研究中推断出什么关于女孩的信息。研究发现，女孩在六岁时比男孩更少认为她们的性别是“非常聪明的”，并且她们会避免被认为适合“非常聪明”的孩子参加的活动。这表明女孩可能受到社会信念的影响。