成都电子机械高等专科学校 外语教研室制作
Book 2 Unit 9
What Is Intelligence,Anyway?
? Pre-Reading Activities
? Text & New Word Reading
? Text A,Language Points
? Newspaper Reading
? Exercise Check-up
? Assignment
? Background Information
? Warm-upActivity
? Summary of the Text
Background Information
? About the author
? Intelligence tests
? The I.Q.,or the intelligence quotient
? Aptitude tests
Background Information
Isaac Asimov (1920 -- ),a famous American writer
and educator,was born in Russia,He went to the United
States in 1923,He attended Columbia University,where
he took his Ph,D,in Chemistry,He taught Biochemistry
at Boston University Medical School for a while and left
in 1958 to devote himself full time to writing,A writer
with over two hundred books to his credit ( 声望 ）,he is
able to explain complex scientific processes in terms
easily understandable to the lay (外行的 ） person,His
books range from science fact and fiction to textbooks
and major historical works.
Background Information
Background Information
There are many kinds of intelligence tests today,The
first intelligence test,known as the Binet /bi?nei / Scale,
was developed in 1905 by a French psychologist named
Alfred Binet,The Binet Scale has been revised many
times for determining the progressive classification （ 分
级 ） of children's intelligence in the US by psychologists
at Stanford University and is now called Stanford-Binet
Scale,For years the Binet Scale was the only widely
known intelligence test.
Background Information
Then came World War I,The US Government
needed a way to test the intelligence of more than one
million army recruits,For this purpose,the group
intelligence test was designed,Recruits （ 新兵 ） had to
score a certain minimum to be acceptable for service in
the US military,And since then it has almost become a
sort of routine （ 常规 ） to give recruits an intelligence test.
Background Information
The result of an intelligence test is called an I,Q.,
short for an intelligence quotient,Generally a person?s I.
Q,is to be obtained by dividing his or her mental age
(determined by a test) by his or her real age and
multiplying the result by 100 (mental age + real age x
100),There are many different intelligence tests which
yield （ 产生 ） results along different numerical scales.
Background Information
However,many of those currently in use conform to the
following scale:
below 85 retardation （ 迟钝 ）
85 -- 100 average intelligence
110 -- 120 bright-average intelligence
120 -- 130 intellectually superior
above 130 intellectually very superior
Those who have scored 130 or above are usually labeled
as "gifted",and those who have scored 140 or above,as
"genius",But not all educators agree that intelligence tests
are accurate measures of intellectual ability.
Background Information
An aptitude （ 智能 ） test is any of a variety of tests
which are used to predict how successful an individual will
be in future study or work,The difference between an
achievement test and an aptitude test is that achievement
test scores are used to evaluate present competence while
aptitude test scores are used to predict future competence.
Aptitude tests are,in fact,less useful ill predicting success
than in screening out those who are likely to fail in a field
of study or work,A high score only indicates capacity to do
well,These tests do not measure all the other factors on
which success depends such as interest,willingness to work
hard,a strong desire to succeed,and other personality
traits that may be required in certain occupations.
Warm-up Activity
Make a True/ False response to each of the following
statements:
1,The author took a sort of intelligence test soon after
he entered military service.
2,He was given special duty assignments because he
scored amazingly high on the test.
T
F
His assigned duty,however,was only that of assisting
cooks in the army kitchen.
Warm-up Activity
3,The author knows from experience that his high
scores on various intelligence tests do not necessarily
mean he is really highly intelligent.
4,The author's auto-repair man once took an I,Q,test
and scored no more than 80.
T
F
By the author's estimate the auto-repair man could
not possibly have scored more than 80 on these
intelligence tests.
Warm-up Activity
5,The author used to think that he was far superior in
intelligence to the auto-repair man and feel
complacent in the knowledge.
6,The author thinks he would score extremely low on
an intelligence test if such a test was designed by the
auto-repair man or any other person who works with
his hands.
T
T
Warm-up Activity
7,Once the auto-repair man tried a quiz game on the
author and the latter was easily trapped.
8,The author does not agree with the auto-repair
man's opinion that a very well-educated person
couldn't be very smart.
T
F
The author admits there is something in what the
auto-repair man said.
Summary of the Text
“What is intelligence?” This is a question asked again and
again but very difficult to answer,There may be a thousand
different answers from as many people,Isaac Asimov,the
famous American writer,offers his interpretation of intelligence
in the text,He knows from experience that intelligence is not
absolute,He has scored amazingly high on various scholastic
aptitude tests,but the high scores simply mean that he is very
good at answering that type of academic questions,He would
do poorly,he says,if he had to work with his hands,In terms of
I.Q.?s,he is highly intelligent and may be labeled as a,genius;”
but in the auto-repair man?s eyes,he is not even,smart,” just
becausehe is so,goddamned（ 受诅咒的；讨厌的 ） educated.”
Please Read the new words and
phrases after the tape.
Please listen to the text.
Language Points
Asimov explains why there is much more in
intelligence than just being able to score high on
intelligence tests.
What Is Intelligence,Anyway?
Isaac Asimov
Language Points
1 What is intelligence,anyway? When I was in the
army I received a kind of aptitude 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 big fuss over me,(It didn?t mean
anything,The next day I was still a buck private with KP
as my highest duty.)
Language Points
2 All my life I?ve been registering scores like that,so
that I have the complacent 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 of answers by the
people who make up the intelligence tests — people with
intellectual bents similar to mine?
Language Points
3 For instance,I had an auto-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 — and he always fixed my car.
Language Points
4 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,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 by the society I live in.
Its numerical evaluation is determined by a small
subsection of that society which has managed to foist itself
on the rest of us as an arbiter of such matters.
Language Points
5 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 hood 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 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,Hw wanted scissors,How do you suppose he
asked for them?”
Language Points
6 I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions
with my first two fingers,Whereupon my auto-repair
man laughed heartily 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 knew you
couldn?t be very smart.”
7 And I have an uneasy feeling he had something
there.
against,in contrast to or with
e.g.
? She looked pale against the dim (暗淡的 ） light in the
room.
? The building is very beautiful against the glow （ 发光 ）
of the sunset sky.
figure,1) number; symbol for a number,esp,0
to 9
2) shape or outline of sb,or sth.
3) human form
e.g.
? She got a starting salary of six figures.
? I saw a figure 20 feet away from me in the dim street
light.
? The fashion model exercises daily to keep her figure.
make a fuss over (about),show unnecessary nervous
excitement (esp,about
unimportant things)
e.g.
? This is only a small cut,Don't make a fuss.
? He asked himself why he had made such a big fuss
about so simple a matter.
register,v,write in a list or record
n,record or list
e.g.
? I have registered for four courses for next semester.
? You might find some Chinese names on the US
immigration register of the 19th century.
worthy of,deserving
? I don't think this problem is worthy of serious
consideration.
? It is an occasion well worthy of the most elaborate
（ 精细的；精心的 ） celebration.
similar,alike; of the same sort
e.g.
? "Sea" is similar in pronunciation to "see".
? The two girls have similar hair styles.
by my estimate,according to my judgment
estimate,n,judgment or opinion about how much,
how many,how good,etc.
v,form a judgment about
e.g.
? According to the official estimate,over 100 people
were killed in the armed conflict.
? Can you give me a rough estimate of the cost?
? The writer estimated that she would need three more
months to finish her novel.
take for granted,consider as true or already
settled; accept as a matter of
course
e.g.
? Mr,Harper took (it) for granted that the invitation
included his wife.
? A teacher cannot take (it) for granted that his students
always do their homework as required.
hasten,move or act with speed
e.g.
? Upon learning the news of her son's injury,she
hastened to the hospital.
? Seeing that the Chairman was to end the discussion,
the speaker hastened to his conclusion.
suppose,(used to make a suggestion or proposal)
I suggest; if
e.g.
? Suppose we put off the meeting till next week.
? Suppose we are late,what will the teacher say?
“Moron” is the highest classification （ 分级 ）
of mental deficiency （ 不足 ）,even above imbecile
（ 低能 ） and idiot（ 白痴 ）, These terms,no longer
in professional use in the US,are meant as insults
today.
absolute,not measured by comparison with
other things
e.g.
? The bill（ 法案；议案 ） was passed by an absolute
majority.
? There is no absolute truth in the world.
foist on,impose (someone or something unwanted)
upon by coercion or trickery 骗售
e.g.
? Stores should not foist defective（ 有缺陷的 ） goods on
customers.
? He tried to brainwash his audience by foisting
fallacies（ 谬论 ） on them,but no one believed him.
? I'm sorry all this has been foisted on you.
dumb,1) unable to speak
2) temporarily silent
e.g.
? She was dumb from birth and was very kind to dumb
animals.
? The actors put on a dumb show.
pick out,select; choose
e.g.
? John had a lot of roses in the pot,I picked out a big
red one just coming into bloom.
? It took Mary a long time to pick out a new dress at the
store.
whereupon,upon that; immediately following
that 于是；因此
Note,The word "whereupon" is used in our text as an
adverb,not as a conjunction.
e.g.
? I described my disastrous （ 悲伤的 ） morning,
whereupon,he laughed and laughed.
? The unsuspecting teacher pulled out the drawer;
whereupon,a dozen frogs leaped（ 跳跃 ） out.
Did you trap many people with your trick?
for sure,without doubt; surely or certainly
e.g.
? From a distance he couldn't tell for sure whether it
was George or Tom.
? I did not know for sure which bus to take.
uneasy,awkward; not easy in mind or body
e.g.
? The mother grew uneasy when her son did not return
home late at night.
? He gave an uneasy smile when he met his mother-in-
law for the first time.
Newspaper Reading
Newspaper Reading
Flashback of Hot Topics
? Mideast on a knife-edge Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman said that the now tense situation
in the Middle East would be eased if the authority of
Yassar Arafat and the Palestinian National Authority
under his leadership was maintained,China believes
Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people and
symbolizes the just cause of the Palestinian People.
English Salon
Exercise Check-up
1,Everything points to the fact / indicates that
something has gone wrong with his project / plan.
2,The author argues that we should not take it for
granted that those who score high on intelligence
tests will naturally do well in practical work.
,大学英语 精读 II,,Ex.15,p.182
Exercise Check-up
3,I picked out some English idioms and tried them on
my classmates.
4,Three professors were asked to make an evaluation
of the teaching plans devised by the new teachers.
Exercise Check-up
5,It is a very small loss,Don’t make a fuss over it.
6,He scored far more points / much higher than any
of his rivals and proved himself a worthy winner.
Exercise Check-up
7,The two animals are similar in appearance,but they
belong to different species.
8,I don’t know for sure whether the bank will grant
him the loan he has applied for.
Assignment
1,Review Text A
2,Do exercises:
? Ex,4-10,pp,177-180;
? Translation (Ex,15,p.182)
Book 2 Unit 9
What Is Intelligence,Anyway?
? Pre-Reading Activities
? Text & New Word Reading
? Text A,Language Points
? Newspaper Reading
? Exercise Check-up
? Assignment
? Background Information
? Warm-upActivity
? Summary of the Text
Background Information
? About the author
? Intelligence tests
? The I.Q.,or the intelligence quotient
? Aptitude tests
Background Information
Isaac Asimov (1920 -- ),a famous American writer
and educator,was born in Russia,He went to the United
States in 1923,He attended Columbia University,where
he took his Ph,D,in Chemistry,He taught Biochemistry
at Boston University Medical School for a while and left
in 1958 to devote himself full time to writing,A writer
with over two hundred books to his credit ( 声望 ）,he is
able to explain complex scientific processes in terms
easily understandable to the lay (外行的 ） person,His
books range from science fact and fiction to textbooks
and major historical works.
Background Information
Background Information
There are many kinds of intelligence tests today,The
first intelligence test,known as the Binet /bi?nei / Scale,
was developed in 1905 by a French psychologist named
Alfred Binet,The Binet Scale has been revised many
times for determining the progressive classification （ 分
级 ） of children's intelligence in the US by psychologists
at Stanford University and is now called Stanford-Binet
Scale,For years the Binet Scale was the only widely
known intelligence test.
Background Information
Then came World War I,The US Government
needed a way to test the intelligence of more than one
million army recruits,For this purpose,the group
intelligence test was designed,Recruits （ 新兵 ） had to
score a certain minimum to be acceptable for service in
the US military,And since then it has almost become a
sort of routine （ 常规 ） to give recruits an intelligence test.
Background Information
The result of an intelligence test is called an I,Q.,
short for an intelligence quotient,Generally a person?s I.
Q,is to be obtained by dividing his or her mental age
(determined by a test) by his or her real age and
multiplying the result by 100 (mental age + real age x
100),There are many different intelligence tests which
yield （ 产生 ） results along different numerical scales.
Background Information
However,many of those currently in use conform to the
following scale:
below 85 retardation （ 迟钝 ）
85 -- 100 average intelligence
110 -- 120 bright-average intelligence
120 -- 130 intellectually superior
above 130 intellectually very superior
Those who have scored 130 or above are usually labeled
as "gifted",and those who have scored 140 or above,as
"genius",But not all educators agree that intelligence tests
are accurate measures of intellectual ability.
Background Information
An aptitude （ 智能 ） test is any of a variety of tests
which are used to predict how successful an individual will
be in future study or work,The difference between an
achievement test and an aptitude test is that achievement
test scores are used to evaluate present competence while
aptitude test scores are used to predict future competence.
Aptitude tests are,in fact,less useful ill predicting success
than in screening out those who are likely to fail in a field
of study or work,A high score only indicates capacity to do
well,These tests do not measure all the other factors on
which success depends such as interest,willingness to work
hard,a strong desire to succeed,and other personality
traits that may be required in certain occupations.
Warm-up Activity
Make a True/ False response to each of the following
statements:
1,The author took a sort of intelligence test soon after
he entered military service.
2,He was given special duty assignments because he
scored amazingly high on the test.
T
F
His assigned duty,however,was only that of assisting
cooks in the army kitchen.
Warm-up Activity
3,The author knows from experience that his high
scores on various intelligence tests do not necessarily
mean he is really highly intelligent.
4,The author's auto-repair man once took an I,Q,test
and scored no more than 80.
T
F
By the author's estimate the auto-repair man could
not possibly have scored more than 80 on these
intelligence tests.
Warm-up Activity
5,The author used to think that he was far superior in
intelligence to the auto-repair man and feel
complacent in the knowledge.
6,The author thinks he would score extremely low on
an intelligence test if such a test was designed by the
auto-repair man or any other person who works with
his hands.
T
T
Warm-up Activity
7,Once the auto-repair man tried a quiz game on the
author and the latter was easily trapped.
8,The author does not agree with the auto-repair
man's opinion that a very well-educated person
couldn't be very smart.
T
F
The author admits there is something in what the
auto-repair man said.
Summary of the Text
“What is intelligence?” This is a question asked again and
again but very difficult to answer,There may be a thousand
different answers from as many people,Isaac Asimov,the
famous American writer,offers his interpretation of intelligence
in the text,He knows from experience that intelligence is not
absolute,He has scored amazingly high on various scholastic
aptitude tests,but the high scores simply mean that he is very
good at answering that type of academic questions,He would
do poorly,he says,if he had to work with his hands,In terms of
I.Q.?s,he is highly intelligent and may be labeled as a,genius;”
but in the auto-repair man?s eyes,he is not even,smart,” just
becausehe is so,goddamned（ 受诅咒的；讨厌的 ） educated.”
Please Read the new words and
phrases after the tape.
Please listen to the text.
Language Points
Asimov explains why there is much more in
intelligence than just being able to score high on
intelligence tests.
What Is Intelligence,Anyway?
Isaac Asimov
Language Points
1 What is intelligence,anyway? When I was in the
army I received a kind of aptitude 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 big fuss over me,(It didn?t mean
anything,The next day I was still a buck private with KP
as my highest duty.)
Language Points
2 All my life I?ve been registering scores like that,so
that I have the complacent 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 of answers by the
people who make up the intelligence tests — people with
intellectual bents similar to mine?
Language Points
3 For instance,I had an auto-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 — and he always fixed my car.
Language Points
4 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,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 by the society I live in.
Its numerical evaluation is determined by a small
subsection of that society which has managed to foist itself
on the rest of us as an arbiter of such matters.
Language Points
5 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 hood 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 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,Hw wanted scissors,How do you suppose he
asked for them?”
Language Points
6 I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions
with my first two fingers,Whereupon my auto-repair
man laughed heartily 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 knew you
couldn?t be very smart.”
7 And I have an uneasy feeling he had something
there.
against,in contrast to or with
e.g.
? She looked pale against the dim (暗淡的 ） light in the
room.
? The building is very beautiful against the glow （ 发光 ）
of the sunset sky.
figure,1) number; symbol for a number,esp,0
to 9
2) shape or outline of sb,or sth.
3) human form
e.g.
? She got a starting salary of six figures.
? I saw a figure 20 feet away from me in the dim street
light.
? The fashion model exercises daily to keep her figure.
make a fuss over (about),show unnecessary nervous
excitement (esp,about
unimportant things)
e.g.
? This is only a small cut,Don't make a fuss.
? He asked himself why he had made such a big fuss
about so simple a matter.
register,v,write in a list or record
n,record or list
e.g.
? I have registered for four courses for next semester.
? You might find some Chinese names on the US
immigration register of the 19th century.
worthy of,deserving
? I don't think this problem is worthy of serious
consideration.
? It is an occasion well worthy of the most elaborate
（ 精细的；精心的 ） celebration.
similar,alike; of the same sort
e.g.
? "Sea" is similar in pronunciation to "see".
? The two girls have similar hair styles.
by my estimate,according to my judgment
estimate,n,judgment or opinion about how much,
how many,how good,etc.
v,form a judgment about
e.g.
? According to the official estimate,over 100 people
were killed in the armed conflict.
? Can you give me a rough estimate of the cost?
? The writer estimated that she would need three more
months to finish her novel.
take for granted,consider as true or already
settled; accept as a matter of
course
e.g.
? Mr,Harper took (it) for granted that the invitation
included his wife.
? A teacher cannot take (it) for granted that his students
always do their homework as required.
hasten,move or act with speed
e.g.
? Upon learning the news of her son's injury,she
hastened to the hospital.
? Seeing that the Chairman was to end the discussion,
the speaker hastened to his conclusion.
suppose,(used to make a suggestion or proposal)
I suggest; if
e.g.
? Suppose we put off the meeting till next week.
? Suppose we are late,what will the teacher say?
“Moron” is the highest classification （ 分级 ）
of mental deficiency （ 不足 ）,even above imbecile
（ 低能 ） and idiot（ 白痴 ）, These terms,no longer
in professional use in the US,are meant as insults
today.
absolute,not measured by comparison with
other things
e.g.
? The bill（ 法案；议案 ） was passed by an absolute
majority.
? There is no absolute truth in the world.
foist on,impose (someone or something unwanted)
upon by coercion or trickery 骗售
e.g.
? Stores should not foist defective（ 有缺陷的 ） goods on
customers.
? He tried to brainwash his audience by foisting
fallacies（ 谬论 ） on them,but no one believed him.
? I'm sorry all this has been foisted on you.
dumb,1) unable to speak
2) temporarily silent
e.g.
? She was dumb from birth and was very kind to dumb
animals.
? The actors put on a dumb show.
pick out,select; choose
e.g.
? John had a lot of roses in the pot,I picked out a big
red one just coming into bloom.
? It took Mary a long time to pick out a new dress at the
store.
whereupon,upon that; immediately following
that 于是；因此
Note,The word "whereupon" is used in our text as an
adverb,not as a conjunction.
e.g.
? I described my disastrous （ 悲伤的 ） morning,
whereupon,he laughed and laughed.
? The unsuspecting teacher pulled out the drawer;
whereupon,a dozen frogs leaped（ 跳跃 ） out.
Did you trap many people with your trick?
for sure,without doubt; surely or certainly
e.g.
? From a distance he couldn't tell for sure whether it
was George or Tom.
? I did not know for sure which bus to take.
uneasy,awkward; not easy in mind or body
e.g.
? The mother grew uneasy when her son did not return
home late at night.
? He gave an uneasy smile when he met his mother-in-
law for the first time.
Newspaper Reading
Newspaper Reading
Flashback of Hot Topics
? Mideast on a knife-edge Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman said that the now tense situation
in the Middle East would be eased if the authority of
Yassar Arafat and the Palestinian National Authority
under his leadership was maintained,China believes
Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people and
symbolizes the just cause of the Palestinian People.
English Salon
Exercise Check-up
1,Everything points to the fact / indicates that
something has gone wrong with his project / plan.
2,The author argues that we should not take it for
granted that those who score high on intelligence
tests will naturally do well in practical work.
,大学英语 精读 II,,Ex.15,p.182
Exercise Check-up
3,I picked out some English idioms and tried them on
my classmates.
4,Three professors were asked to make an evaluation
of the teaching plans devised by the new teachers.
Exercise Check-up
5,It is a very small loss,Don’t make a fuss over it.
6,He scored far more points / much higher than any
of his rivals and proved himself a worthy winner.
Exercise Check-up
7,The two animals are similar in appearance,but they
belong to different species.
8,I don’t know for sure whether the bank will grant
him the loan he has applied for.
Assignment
1,Review Text A
2,Do exercises:
? Ex,4-10,pp,177-180;
? Translation (Ex,15,p.182)
