21世纪大学英语第四册Unit6课文详析（读写教程）

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　　导语：EQ是一个人自我情绪管理以及管理他人情绪的能力指数，下面是一篇讲述EQ因子的英语课文，欢迎大家来学习。

21世纪大学英语第四册Unit6课文详析（读写教程）

　　The EQ Factor

　　Nancy Gibbs

　　It turns out that a scientist can see the future by watching four-year-olds interact with a marshmallow. The researcher invites the children, one by one, into a plain room and begins the gentle torment. You can have this marshmallow right now, he says. But if you wait while I run an errand, you can have two marshmallows when I get back. And then he leaves.

　　Some children grab for the treat the minute he's out the door. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait. They cover their eyes; they put their heads down; they sing to themselves; they try to play games or even fall asleep. When the researcher returns, he gives these children their hard-earned marshmallows. And then, science waits for them to grow up.

　　By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey of the children's parents and teachers found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out for the second marshmallow generally grew up to be better adjusted, more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable teenagers. The children who gave in to temptation early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and stubborn. They could not endure stress and shied away from challenges. And when some of the students in the two groups took the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the kids who had held out longer scored an average of 210 points higher.

　　When we think of brilliance we see Einstein, deep-eyed, woolly haired, a thinking machine with skin and mismatched socks. High achievers, we imagine, were wired for greatness from birth. But then you have to wonder why, over time, natural talent seems to ignite in some people and dim in others. This is where the marshmallows come in. It seems that the ability to delay gratification is a master skill, a triumph of the reasoning brain over the impulsive one. It is a sign, in short, of emotional intelligence. And it doesn't show up on an IQ test.

　　For most of this century, scientists have worshipped the hardware of the brain and the software of the mind; the messy powers of the heart were left to the poets. But cognitive theory could simply not explain the questions we wonder about most: why some people just seem to have a gift for living well; why the smartest kid in the class will probably not end up the richest; why we like some people virtually on sight and distrust others; why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resilient soul. What qualities of the mind or spirit, in short, determine who succeeds?

　　The phrase "emotional intelligence" was coined by Yale psychologist Peter Salovey and the University of New Hampshire's John Mayer five years ago to describe qualities like understanding one's own feelings, empathy for the feelings of others and "the regulation of emotion in a way that enhances living." Their notion is about to bound into the national conversation, handily shortened to EQ, thanks to a new book, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Goleman, a Harvard psychology Ph.D. and a New York Times science writer with a gift for making even the most difficult scientific theories digestible to lay readers, has brought together a decade's worth of behavioral research into how the mind processes feelings. His goal, he announces on the cover, is to redefine what it means to be smart. His thesis: when it comes to predicting people's success, brainpower as measured by IQ and standardized achievement tests may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "character" before the word began to sound old-fashioned.

　　At first glance, there would seem to be little that's new here to any close reader of fortune cookies. There may be no less original idea than the notion that our hearts hold dominion over our heads. "I was so angry," we say, "I couldn't think straight." Neither is it surprising that "people skills" are useful, which amounts to saying, it's good to be nice. "It's so true it's trivial," says Dr. Paul McHugh, director of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But if it were that simple, the book would not be quite so interesting or its implications so controversial.

　　This is no abstract investigation. Goleman is looking for antidotes to restore "civility to our streets and caring to our communal life." He sees practical applications everywhere for how companies should decide whom to hire, how couples can increase the odds that their marriages will last, how parents should raise their children and how schools should teach them. When street gangs substitute for families and schoolyard insults end in stabbings, when more than half of marriages end in divorce, when the majority of the children murdered in this country are killed by parents and stepparents, many of whom say they were trying to discipline the child for behavior like blocking the TV or crying too much, it suggests a demand for remedial emotional education.

　　And it is here the arguments will break out. Goleman's highly popularized conclusions, says McHugh, "will chill any veteran scholar of psychotherapy and any neuroscientist who worries about how his research may come to be applied." While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, they fear that a notion as handy as EQ invites misuse. Goleman admits the danger of suggesting that you can assign a numerical value to a person's character as well as his intellect; Goleman never even uses the phrase EQ in his book. But he did somewhat reluctantly approve an "unscientific" EQ test in USA Today with choices like "I am aware of even subtle feelings as I have them," and "I can sense the pulse of a group or relationship and state unspoken feelings."

　　"You don't want to take an average of your emotional skill," argues Harvard psychology professor Jerome Kagan, a pioneer in child-development research. "That's what's wrong with the concept of intelligence for mental skills too. Some people handle anger well but can't handle fear. Some people can't take joy. So each emotion has to be viewed differently." EQ is not the opposite of IQ. Some people are blessed with a lot of both, some with little of either. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they complement each other; how one's ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from class to luck to the neural pathways that have developed in the brain over millions of years of human evolution.

　　New Words

　　(abbr.)emotional quotient 情商

　　interact

　　vi. (with) act or have an effect on each other 相互作用;相互影响

　　marshmallow

　　n. soft sweet made from sugar and gelatine 果汁软糖

　　torment

　　n. severe physical or mental suffering (肉体或精神上的)折磨，痛苦

　　vt. cause severe suffering to 折磨;使痛苦

　　errand

　　n. small job that requires a short journey, usu. for sb. else (短程的)差事，差使

　　hard-earned

　　a. gained with great difficulty or effort 辛苦挣来的

　　survey

　　n. investigation 调查

　　adventurous

　　a. eager for or fond of adventure 渴望冒险的，喜欢冒险的

　　dependable

　　a. that may be depended on 可信赖的，可靠的

　　scholastic

　　a. of schools and education 学校的;教育的;学业的

　　aptitude

　　n. natural ability or skill 天生的才能或技巧;天资

　　brilliance

　　n. the quality of being brilliant 光辉，辉煌;壮丽;(卓越的)才华，才智

　　woolly

　　a. 羊毛(制)的;产羊毛的;像羊毛的

　　mismatch

　　vt. match (people or things) wrongly or unsuitably 使错配，配合不当

　　sock

　　n. short stocking covering the ankle and lower part of the leg 短袜

　　ignite

　　v. (cause to) catch fire, burn (使)着火，燃烧;发光

　　dim

　　v. (cause to) become dim (使)变暗淡;(使)变模糊;(使)失去光泽

　　impulsive

　　a. (of people and their behavior) marked by sudden action that is undertaken without careful thought (指人或人的行为)凭冲动的;易冲动的

　　messy

　　a. in a state of disorder; dirty: causing dirt or disorder 凌乱的;脏的;搞乱的;搞脏的

　　upbeat

　　a. optimistic or cheerful 乐观的;快乐的

　　resilient

　　a. 1. 有弹性的，有回弹力的;能复原的

　　2. 有复原力的;富有活力的;适应性强的

　　empathy

　　n. ability to imagine and share another person's feelings, experience, etc. 同情;同感;共鸣

　　handily

　　ad. 灵巧地，熟练地;轻易地;近便地

　　digestible

　　a. that can be digested; relatively easy to understand 可消化的;可吸收的;较易理解的

　　behavioral

　　a. of behavior 行为的

　　thesis

　　n. 1. statement or theory put forward and supported by argument 论题，命题;论点

　　2. long written essay submitted by a candidate for a university degree; dissertation 毕业论文;学位论文

　　standardize

　　vt. make(sth.)conform to a fixed standard, shape, quality, type, etc. 使(某事物)标准化;使合乎标准(或规格)

　　fortune

　　n. 1. large amount of money; wealth 大笔的钱;财

　　2. chance; luck 机会;运气

　　3. person's destiny or future; fate 命运;前途

　　n. biscuit 饼干

　　fortune cookie

　　(U.S.)thin biscuit, folded to hold a printed message (e.g.a proverb, prophecy or joke) served in Chinese restaurants (美)签语饼(中国餐馆的折叠形小饼，内有纸条，上写预测运气的格言或幽默套语)

　　dominion

　　n. (over) rule; powerful authority; effective control 统治;管辖;支配;控制

　　straight

　　ad. clearly, logically 清晰地;有条理地

　　controversial

　　a. causing or likely to cause argument or disagreement 引起争论的;有争议的'

　　abstract

　　a. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or practical existence 抽象的

　　antidote

　　n. 解毒药;(喻)矫正方法，对抗手段

　　civility

　　n. fact or act of showing politeness; act of being civilized 礼貌，客气，谦恭

　　communal

　　a. 1. of or referring to a commune or a community 公共的;社区的，集体的

　　2. for the use of all; shared 公用的;共有的

　　odds

　　n. (pl.) probability or chance 可能性;机会

　　schoolyard

　　n. 校园;操场

　　stab

　　vt. pierce(sth.) or wound (sb.) with a pointed tool or weapon; push (a knife, etc.) into sb./sth. 戳(某物);刺(某人);用(刀等)刺(或戳、捅)某人(或某物)

　　stabbing

　　n. instance of stabbing or being stabbed 用利器伤人

　　stepparent

　　n. 继父，后父;继母，后母

　　remedy

　　n. 药品;治疗(法);补救办法;纠正办法

　　vt. 医治;治疗;补救;纠正

　　remedial

　　a. 补救的;纠正的;补习的

　　popularize

　　vt. 1. make (sth.) generally liked 使(某事物)被大家喜欢，使受大家欢迎

　　2. make (sth.) known or available to the general public, esp. by presenting it in an easily understandable form 使(某事物)众所周知;使普及

　　chill

　　vt. 1. make cold 使变冷;使冷却;使感到冷

　　2. discourage 使沮丧;使扫兴

　　n. 寒冷;风寒;冷淡;沮丧;扫兴

　　scholar

　　n. person who studies an academic subject deeply 学者

　　psychotherapy

　　n. treatment of mental disorders by psychological methods 精神疗法;心理疗法

　　neuroscientist

　　n. 神经系统科学家

　　handy

　　a. (of an object, tool, machine, etc.) easy to use; useful for some purpose 便于使用的;有用的

　　numerical

　　a. of, expressed in or representing numbers 数字的;用数字表示的;代表数字的

　　approve

　　vt. 1. have a positive opinion of 赞成;称许

　　2. accept, permit or officially agree to 批准;允许;对…表示认可

　　neural

　　a. the nerves 神经的

　　pathway

　　n. way or track made for or by people walking 小路，小径(= path)

　　Phrases and Expressions

　　one by one

　　separately; individually in order 一个一个地;依次地

　　right now

　　immediately; at this moment 立即;此刻

　　run an errand

　　carry messages or perform similar minor tasks 跑腿，办事(如送信、买东西等)

　　hold out

　　refuse to give in 坚持;坚定不移;不屈服

　　early on

　　soon after the start of a past event 在初期;早先

　　shy away from

　　avoid or move away from out of shyness, fear, etc. (由于羞怯或恐惧等)躲开，避开;回避

　　over time

　　as time goes by 随着时间过去

　　come in

　　have a part to play in sth. 在某事中起作用

　　show up

　　1. become visible; become increasingly vivid or obvious 显现出来;变得更鲜明;变得更醒目

　　2. appear; arrive; be present; turn up 出现;来到;出席;露面

　　at/on sight

　　as soon as sb./sth. is seen 一见就

　　in the face of

　　1. in spite of 不顾

　　2. confronted by 面对;在…面前

　　when it comes to

　　1. when the subject is; on the subject of 谈到;涉及

　　2. when dealing with 在处理…时

　　amount to

　　1. add up to; reach the total of 合计;共计

　　2. be equal to; be the equivalent of 等于;相当于

　　substitute for

　　serve as a substitute for, replace 代替

　　end in

　　have as a result or conclusion 以…为结果;以…告终

　　break out

　　start suddenly 突然发生;爆发

　　put...to use

　　use...for a particular purpose 使用

　　count for

　　be worth 值;(在数量、比例方面)占

　　Proper Names

　　Nancy Gibbs

　　南希·吉布斯

　　Scholastic Aptitude Test

　　(U.S.) a test prepared and supervised by the College Entrance Examination Board to test the general intelligence and academic aptitude of a prospective applicant to a college (美)学习能力倾向测验

　　Peter Salovey

　　彼得·萨洛韦

　　John Mayer

　　约翰·迈耶

　　Daniel Goleman

　　丹尼尔·戈尔曼

　　Paul McHugh

　　保罗·麦克休

　　Johns Hopkins University

　　约翰斯·霍普金斯大学

　　USA Today

　　《今日美国》(美国报纸名)