大学英语精读第二册 Unit Nine:What Is Intelligence，
时间：2018-12-04 作者：英语课 分类：大学英语精读第二册
TEXT
Asimov explains why there is much more in intelligence than just being able to score high on intelligence tests.
What Is Intelligence, Anyway?
Isaac Asimor
What is intelligence, anyway? When I was in the army I received a kind of aptitude 1 test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100, scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that and for two hours they made a nig fuss over me. (It didn't mean anything. The next day I was still a buck 2 private with KP as my highest duty.)
All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the complacent 3 feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expect other people to think so, too. Actually, though, don't such scores simply mean that I am very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered worthy 4 of answers by the people who make up the intelligence tests - people with intellectual bents similar to mine?
For instance, I had an auto 6-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more than 80, by my estimate. I always took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was. Yet, when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles 7 - and he always fixed 9 my car.
Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intelligence test. Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I'd prove myself a moron 10. And I'd be a moron, too. In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly. My intelligence, then, is not absolute. Its worth is determined 11 by the society I live in. Its numerical evaluation 12 is determined by a small subsection of that society which has managed to foist 13 itself on the rest of us as an arbiter 14 of such matters.
Consider my auto-repair man, again. He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me. One time he raised his head from under the automobile 15 hood 16 to say: "Doc, a deaf-and-dumb guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails. He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand. The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook his head and pointed 17 to the two fingers he was hammering. The clerk brought him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose he asked for them?"
I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers. Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed heartily 18 and said, "Why, you dumb fool, he used his voice and asked for them." Then he said, smugly, "I've been trying that on all my customers today." "Did you catch many?" I asked. "Quite a few," he said, "but I knew for sure I'd catch you." "Why is that?" I asked. "Because you're so goddamned educated, doc, I know you couldn't be very smart."
And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there.
NEW WORDS
aptitude
n. natural ability or skill 能力，才能
normal
n. the usual state or level 正常的状态或水平
figure
n. 数字
fuss
n. unnecessary expression of excitement, anger, impatience 19, etc. 大惊小怪
buck private
n. (sl.) common soldier of the lowest rank 列兵
KP (abbr)
kitchen police (a military duty of helping 20 the cooks prepare and serve the food, wash the dishes, and clean up the kitchen) 炊事值勤（员）
register
vt. achieve; write in a list or record 取得；登记
complacent
a. self-satisfactory; pleased with oneself 自满的；自鸣得意的
highly
ad. to a great degree; very
simply
ad. just; only 仅仅；只不过
academic
a. scholarly, theoretical, not practical; of a college or university 学术的，学究的；学院的
worthy (of)
a. deserving 值得的
bent 5
n. natural tendency or inclination 21 嗜好，倾向
similar
a. alike; of the same sort 类似的
auto
n. (short for) automobile 汽车
estimate
n. judgment 22 or opinion about how much, how many, how good, etc. 估计
grant
vt. give or allow (what is asked for) 授予；准予
hasten
vi. go fast; be quick 赶快；急忙
explore
vt. search or examine thoroughly 23 探索；探究
vitals
n. essential parts of anything; the main bodily organs 主要部件；（人体的）重要器官
pronouncement
n. formal or authoritative 24 statement; opinion 声明；见解
divine
a. coming from God; sacred 神的；神圣的
oracle 8
n. 圣言；神谕
devise
vt. think out; plan 想出；设计
carpenter
n. 木匠
academician
n. member of an art, literary or scientific academy or society院士，学会会员
morron
n. stupid person 低能者；蠢人
verbal
a. complicated with words and their use; spoken, not written 词语的；口头的
intricate
a. complicated 错综复杂
absolute
a. not measured by comparison with other things 绝对的
determine
vt. fix or find out exactly 确定
numerical
n. of a number; shown by numbers 数字的；用数字表示的
evaluation
vt. 估价，评价
evaluate
vt.
subsection
n. part of a section 小组，分部
foist
vt. force (sth.) on another person by fraud or trickery 把...强加于
arbiter
n. judge 仲裁人,公断人
joke
n. sth. said or done to cause laughter or amusement
automobile
n. 汽车
hood
n. (汽车)引擎罩
doc
(short for) doctor
deaf
a. unable to hear 聋的
dumb
a. unable to speak; stupid 哑的;愚笨的
deaf-and-dumb
a. unable to hear and speak
hardware
n. metal goods such as utensils 25, tools, nails, etc. 金属器具
hammer
n. 锤子;榔头
v. strike repeatedly (with a hammer)
clerk
n. salesclerk; person who works in a shop selling things 店员
scissors
n. 剪刀
scissor
v. cut with scissors
whereupon
ad. upon, at, or after which 于是，因此；然后
heartily
ad. 尽情地
smugly
ad. complacently 26 沾沾自喜地
goddamned
ad. (sl.) very, extremely
uneasy
a. awkward; not easy in mind or body 局促的；不安的；不安适的
PHRAESE & EXPRESSIONS
make a fuss of / over
为...大惊小怪
worthy of
deserving 值得
make up
prepare ready for use 编制;配制
by one's estimate
据某人估计
take sth. for granted
regard it as true or as certain to happen 认为某事当然
go wrong
stop working as true or as certain to happen 出毛病
pick out
select 挑选
try...on
在...身上试验
for sure
for certain; certainly 确切地;肯定
PROPER NAMES
Isaac Asimov
艾萨克.阿西莫夫
- That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
- As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。
- The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
- The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。
- We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
- She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
- Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
- The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
- Do all oracles tell the truth? 是否所有的神谕都揭示真理？ 来自哲学部分
- The ancient oracles were often vague and equivocal. 古代的神谕常是意义模糊和模棱两可的。
- In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
- It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
- I used to think that Gordon was a moron.我曾以为戈登是个白痴。
- He's an absolute moron!他纯粹是个傻子！
- I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
- He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
- I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
- The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。
- He doesn't try to foist his beliefs on everyone.他不会勉强每个人接受他的信念。
- He tried to foist some inferior goods on me.他企图把一些劣质货强售给我。
- Andrew was the arbiter of the disagreement.安德鲁是那场纠纷的仲裁人。
- Experiment is the final arbiter in science.实验是科学的最后仲裁者。
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
- She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
- The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。
- He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
- She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
- He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
- The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。
- He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
- He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
- I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
- The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
- He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
- David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
- Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。
- Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
- Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。
- He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
- "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹