21世纪大学生英语课文lesson1.docx

Unit 1Text APre-reading ActivitiesFirst ListeningBefore listening to the tape, have a quick look at the following words.genetics遗传学psychiatry精神病学persistent坚持不懈的Second ListeningListen to the tape again and then answer the following questions.1.What question did professor Simontons research project seek to answer?2.What three personality traits of great people are mentioned?a) __________________________________________________________.b) __________________________________________________________.c) __________________________________________________________.3.What negative trait of great people is mentioned?4. Does professor Simonton believe that great people are more often mentally ill than other people?Who Is Great?Michael RyanAs a young boy, Albert Einstein did so poorly in school that teachers thought he was slow. The young Napoleon Bonaparte was just one of hundreds of artillery lieutenants in the French Army. And the teenage George Washington, with little formal education, was being trained not as a soldier but as a land surveyor.Despite their unspectacular beginnings, each would go on to carve a place for himself in history. What was it that enabled them to become great? Were they born with something special? Or did their greatness have more to do with timing, devotion and, perhaps, an uncompromising personality?For decades, scientists have been asking such questions. And, in the past few years, they have found evidence to help explain why some people rise above, while others—similarly talented, perhaps—are left behind. Their findings could have implications for us all.Who is great? Defining who is great depends on how one measures success. But there are some criteria. Someone who has made a lasting contribution to human civilization is great, said Dean Keith Simonton, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and author of the 1994 book Greatness: Who Makes History and Why. But he added a word of caution: Sometimes great people dont mak