21世纪大学英语读写教程4-A课文

WhoIsGreat?MichaelRyanAsayoungboy,AlbertEinsteindidsopoorlyinschoolthatteachersthoughthewasslow.TheyoungNapoleonBonapartewasjustoneofhundredsofartillerylieutenantsintheFrenchArmy.AndtheteenageGeorgeWashington,withlittleformaleducation,wasbeingtrainednotasasoldierbutasalandsurveyor.Despitetheirunspectacularbeginnings,eachwouldgoontocarveaplaceforhimselfinhistory.Whatwasitthatenabledthemtobecomegreat?Weretheybornwithsomethingspecial?Ordidtheirgreatnesshavemoretodowithtiming,devotionand,perhaps,anuncompromisingpersonality?Fordecades,scientistshavebeenaskingsuchquestions.And,inthepastfewyears,theyhavefoundevidencetohelpexplainwhysomepeopleriseabove,whileothers¡ªsimilarlytalented,perhaps¡ªareleftbehind.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.Aneversurrenderattitude.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¡ªaswellastherolesofotherpoliticalandmilitaryleaders¡ªSimontondiscoveredastrikingpattern:Firstbornsandonlychildrentendtomakegoodleadersintimeofcrisis:They'reusedtotakingcharge.Butmiddle-bornsarebetteraspeacetimeleaders:Theylistentodifferentinterestgroupsbetterandmakethenecessarycompromises.Churchill,anonlychild,wastypical.Hewasgreatinacrisis,butinpeacetimehewasnoteffective¡ªnotevenpopular.Timingisanotherfactor.IfyoutookGeorgeWashingtonandputhiminthe20thcenturyhewouldgonowhereasapolitician,Simontondeclared.Hewasnotaneffectivepublicspeaker,andhedidn'tlikeshakinghandswiththepublic.Ontheotherhand,I'mnotsureFranklinRooseveltwouldhavedonewellinWashington'stime.Hewouldn'thavehadtheradiotodohisfiresidechats.Canyoubetoosmart?OnesurpriseamongSimonton'sfindingsisthatmanypoliticalandmilitaryleadershavebeenbrightbutnotoverlyso.Beyondacertainpoint,heexplained,otherfactors,liketheabilitytocommunicateeffectively,becomemoreimportantthaninnateintelligenceasmeasuredbyanIQtest.ThemostintelligentU.S.Presidents,forexample¡ªThomasJefferson,WoodrowWilsonandJohnF.Kennedy¡ªhadahardtimegettingelected,Simontonsaid,whileotherswithIQsclosertotheaverage(suchasWarrenG.Harding)wonbylandslides.Whilepoliticalandeconomicfactorsalsoareinvolved,havingageniusIQisnotnecessarytobeagreatleader.Inthesciences,thosewithgeniuslevelIQsdohaveabetterchanceatachievingrecognition,addedSimonton.Yetevidencealsoindicatesthatovercomingtraditionalwaysofthinkingmaybejustasimportant.Hepointedtoonerecentstudywherecollegestudentsweregivenasetofdataandwereaskedtoseeiftheycouldcomeupwithamathematicalrelation.Almostathirddid.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheyhadjustsolvedoneofthemostfamousscientificequationsinhistory:theThirdLawofPlanetaryMotion,anequationthatJohannesKeplercameupwithin1618.Kepler'sgenius,Simontonsaid,wasnotsomuchinsolvingamathematicalchallenge.Itwasinthinkingaboutthenumbersinauniqueway¡ªapplyinghismathematicalknowledgetohisobservationsofplanetarymotion.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.Butitisfoundinnearlyallcreativegeniu